Re: FrippTalk

[larry@csccat.cs.com (Larry Spence)]

In article <9105212336.AA03245@up61.lsil.com> rpeck@up61.UUCP (Ray Peck) writes:
>With all this FrippTalk, I thought I'd contribute:
>On MTV Music News this past weekend, there was an item that said:
>"Robert Fripp, leader of arguably the most powerful Art-rock band
>of the 70's, King Crimson, plans to form a new version of that band
>this fall." 

WHAT?!?  WHAT?!?  [keels over on kbd for a minute]

It figures, though, it was just a matter of time.  BTW, there's a new book
out on Fripp by Eric Tamm, the guy who wrote the Eno book, where he dredges
up the Fripp story about how during the 1981 pre-Crimso period he could feel
the "presence" of Crimso "hovering just over [his] left shoulder" as he was
driving in his car.  Doncha just love these geniuses like Fripp and Zappa who 
toss out such utterly wacko statments and appear to _believe_ them? %)

>Wa hoo!  I wonder if he's waiting for Bruford to finish the Yes
>tour?  I sure hope

Very very unlikely (they hate each others' guts), but I would have said that
in 1980, so who knows?  Another good one from the Tamm book has Fripp saying
that he in effect astrally projected himself into his drummer's body during
performance... I can see how Bill would feel a bit annoyed. %)

And I question whether Fripp will play with musicians who haven't been through
his Guitar Craft seminars, as he has very rigid ideas about tunings, pick
deployment, physical posture, etc., not to mention attitude.  Also, will he
always include his wife in future groups, even if her vocals aren't, IMHO,
up to the level of his playing?

>I've seen LOCG twice, and both times were completely
>life-altering.  It's a shame that the experience doesn't transfer to
>disk. 

Not as good as Belew-era Crimso, IMHO, but very, very good.  Friends who saw
the LOCG show here a while back complained about the "Nazi guitar army"
approach (coming in single-file, standing up and sitting down in perfect
unison, no physical spontaneity whatsoever, etc.).  I'll be glad to see ol'
Bob actually rock back and forth a little in his chair, like in '81-82.  In
'82, he almost fell off his chair at a particularly hot show in Ohio. %) 

>The life recordings are great, but somehow the music gains much
>of its impact from the focus of the moment, and the instant of performance.
>And (to me, at least) this is lost on disk, qualitatively differently
>than every other concert I've seen.

This is true, but unfortunately it comes across as some sort of est-inductee
foaming to folks who haven't seen it.

>>[Fripp:] Now we come to the humanistic and philosophical reasons why I 
>>oppose the furtive taping of live music. 

Awww, fuck that!  Live tapes may not capture it all, but they're better than
nothing. %)

>>being in the moment without expectation and without history, the moment
>>between the human _being_ and the human animal behavioral psychology so
>>terrifyingly describes. As Blake put it, "He who bends himself a joy...
>>[blahblahblahblah...]

Yeah, well, to paraphrase Bob, I guess you had to be there.  If he thinks 
that live tapes poorly convey the experience, I say that his written word
is a poor second, too.  Shut up 'n' play yer guitar, Bob. %)

>It cannot be repeated: how many times can one lose one's virginity?

But it's so much _fun_ to at least _try_... %)

>A question: is there a Crimson/Fripp mailing list?  I've never seen
>one on the list-of-lists.  How do I start one?  Is there sufficient
>interest?

Just MHO, but I don't like mailing lists.  Why not just post to rec.music.misc,
or gaffa, as long as the gaffa-gods don't mind?  %)

-- 
Larry Spence
larry@csccat.cs.com
..{uunet,texsun,cs.utexas.edu,decwrl}!csccat!larry