Reply-To: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Sender: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Precedence: bulk From: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk To: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Subject: Elephant Talk #241 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 241, Sunday, 19 November 1995 Today's Topics: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #239 Belew Lyrics In an uproar! KC on TV Fripp's behavior [ONLY] A Stick is a Stick Fripp's relaxation techniques Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 re: ET 240 Fripp's shadows Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 Easy Money live lyric Fripp Etiquette & Crafties Bonus Track Attitudes Re: Ingesting "substances" Fripp's accessability Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 KC in Rochester Musically Backwards Houston Stort Stuff Sycophant Support Group re: Fripp-off Conan a few points some more KC in Wilkes-Barre tidbits confession - 10/31/95... Re: Belew's Lyrics ET: Re: RF's attitude toward fans Re: 'Easy Money' lyrics CGT and Trey on World Cafe Chronic Voxness Scott Merritt on Adrian Belew Is KC Coming back? TV show in Argentina. Adrian's vocals re ET 239 and previous Marriagemusic Fripp: Background Tunes for Sports Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #239 Cool sampler tape On Celebrity In The Modern Age Fripp on MTV Re: New orleans, Atlanta & Fripp flying cd's Lyrics NAQ (Never Asked Questions) REVIEWS Gig Review - Springfield, MA Springfield comments -- not (really) a review Springfield MA Review (SPOILER) Partial Review of New Haven show K.C. in New Haven; 12/18 TIX Longacre Tix 11/22 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] POSTS: Please send all posts to toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk The ET archives: WWW Home: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/aig/staff/et/ Topic Index: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/aig/staff/toby/et/topics-index/etopics.html FAQ: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/aig/staff/toby/et/faq.html FTP The Americas: ftp.qualcomm.com, in /pub/et Rest of world: ftp.cs.man.ac.uk, in /pub/toby/elephant-talk EMAIL Send "index elephant-talk" to listserv at arastar dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Toby Hi, this is a plea. ET is receiving so many posts right now as to be almost unmanageable! Many readers have asked me to try and do something to reduce the signal/noise ratio here, and cut down the size of each ET. Can I make a plea to everyone to STOP FOR A SECOND before you post: if someone has said something in a previous post that you want to take issue with, please consider whether private email to the poster would be better than a "public response" in ET. I have also had to reject some posts recently that contained defamatory references to people. I cannot open ET to the threat of litigation over personal attacks. I sorry to come MR MODERATOR here, but the simple truth of the matter is that we are running out of bandwidth. Thanks Toby [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 10:52:16 -0400 From: amcldwl at mailserv dot mta dot ca (Sugar) Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #239 Hi there!! I just wanted to write in and extend my appreciation to everyone who wrote to me telling me where I could find KC!! I've been looking everywhere for over two years and now I finally know where I can get their music. Now all i have to do is find some money and make a few musical investments!!!! Thanks again and happy listening! Amy [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 10:55:24 -0500 From: Khosatral at aol dot com Subject: Belew Lyrics In ET #239, Tefkros Symeonides wrote: >Okay, let's see: The metaphors in Dinosaur are pretty basic and not as >original as they could have been. The lyrics in the three 81-84 albums are >unquestionably...well...terrible. Tefkros, my man, what we have here is a failure communicate. IMHO, it is almost always a mistake to try and divorce lyrics form music. They are, afterall, lyrics not verse. Taken alone the lyrics to "Heartbeat" are simplistic. But when mated to the music something more emerges. The song as a whole sounds like a poppy little number on first pass. This would especially be true to someone unfamiliar with KC or who wasn't listening closely. But eventually the song's odd time signature intrudes, as do the fairly disconcerting backward guitar bits. "The rhythm we made" is not is service of simple, safe 4/4, but a little off-kilter to the ear of the casual listener. The song makes no mention of love; the protagonist "needs to feel," not wants or likes to. Is this a love song then? Could be. U.S. radio, insipid as it is, seemed to think so. It also has an air of hunger and wanting. Is it a song of a stalker then? Maybe. I do note that serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer told authorites he liked to drug his victims and just lie on top of them, listening to their heartbeat. He craved closeness, he never wanted to be left by anyone. He tried to make zombies by drilling holes in victims skulls and pouring acid in. When that failed, he killed them, dismembered them and ingested them. They could never leave him. He needed to hear a heartbeat, too. This maybe an extreme exercise, but I think it shows that thoughful lyrics and thoughtful music can point in many different directions. Different layers of meaning also can pull people into the music. "Poppy" songs like "Dinosaur" and "Heartbeat" may introduce thousands of people to Crimson who might have never heard them otherwise. I count that as a good thing. And I also believe that things said or sung with a proper British accent sometimes sound more intelligent than they really are. God knows I listened to enough Jon Anderson before I figured that out. Later, Kho [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 11:35:44 -0500 (EST) From: Nick Bratton Subject: In an uproar! I just wanted to share my most infuriating experience of recent times concerning King Crimson. The other night, a few friends of mine and I gathered to behold the live television appearance of the double trio. When the appointed hour arrived, what was broadcast on NBC but an hour of Jenny Jones. Jenny Jones? What the hell? I do not watch television enough to know who she is or what her program is about, but I was thoroughly incensed that King Crimson should be pre-empted by anything! In utter amazement I watched for a few minutes, and the show involved some woman dressed as a rabbit walking around on a stage to the delight of an audience. Disgusted, I stormed off, and returned to my room to blast my THRAK disc at 80db. The nerve of that program director... Can't really complain, though. Live and in person on the 28th will more than make up for it. Cheers- Nick [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: matt at infopros dot com (Matthew F. McCabe) Subject: KC on TV Date: Wed, 15 Nov 95 18:15:38 +0000 (GMT) Greetings all!! I am one of those unfortunate/fortunate (depending on your frame of mind) souls who doens't own a TV or VCR...I asked a friend to tape the show for me and, of course, he cut-off part of "Dinosaur." Maybe they played another song, I don't know. Anyway, if some kind soul taped it, and I mailed you a check or a videotape, could you dub a copy for me??? Thanks! Matt [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 13:31:27 -0500 From: matottls at craft dot camp dot clarkson dot edu (Loren S. Matott) Subject: Fripp's behavior I really don't see why everyone puts Mr. Fripp on such a gigantic pedastal. He is just another person who happens to make money doing what he loves to do: art through music. It is one thing to worship the music but worshipping the musician seems pretty strange to me. I am sure Fripp has faults like all the rest of us there is no real need to try and guess at Fripp's mtives and behavior. Discussing his music is a more constructive use of time. well it's goodbye. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 95 11:24:05 PST From: "Grant Green" Subject: [ONLY] A Stick is a Stick Date: 16 Nov 1995 14:48:41 -0600 >From: "John Ott" >Subject: A Stick is a Stick > > A Stick is a Stick >RE > "Warr Guitar" > >Saying Trey plays a Warr Guitar and Tony plays a Chapman Stick >is like saying Robert plays a Les Paul (Tokai Les Paul copy on the >road) and Adrian plays >a Stratocaster. Trey and Tony both play stick and Robert and Adrian >play guitar. >Check the album credits they list the instruments not the brands. Actually Stick(R) is a trademark, not a generic term for the instrument. Saying that TG and TL both play Stick, when TG is actually playing a Warr guitar, is just as INaccurate as saying that RF and AB both play a Les Paul. A Warr guitar is not a Stick, any more than a Stratocaster is a Les Paul. TG *was* using a Stick during the recording of B'Boom and Thrak, and apparently acquired the Warr guitar sometime later. Grant Green grant_green at cc dot chiron dot com http://www.crl.com/~gdgreen/index.html [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: David Oskardmay - Imonics Corporation Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 15:11:40 -0500 Subject: Fripp's relaxation techniques Rich asked: >Robert's attitude seems to be heavily focused on Zen and stuff like >that. Does anyone know if he trains in Martial Arts. He look like >a Tai Chi guy to me. . . I wouldn't be surprised, but one thing I know RF has some experience with is Alexander Technique, which is a method for practicing body mechanics in general. It was originally developed to help performers relax while maintaining only "necessary tension." It attempts to answer the question: "How can I play this blood curdling lead and turn it up to 11 while still remaining relaxed and attentive?" On the more mental side, he is/was associated with the Gurdjieff school (his teacher was J.G. Bennett) which I believe draws heavily from Sufism. see ya, david [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 95 15:14:11 EST From: david at visix dot com (David Charlap) Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 Subject: Sinfield's Lyrics Jeremy Lakatos writes: > >"No man yields who flies in my ship > DANGER! >Let the bridge computer speak > STRANGER! >LOAD YOUR PROGRAM. I AM YOURSELF." I'm not too familiar with most of what you quoted, but I do know this one well. Perhaps you'd be better off quoting the lyrics >from the beginning of that same song: "Man alone Born of stone Will strike the dust of time His hands like the flame of his soul Ties a rope To a tree And hangs the universe Until the winds of laughter blow cold" Just a bit better than the part of the song you quoted, which is essentially a shouting match between the character portrayed in the song and his intelligent computer. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: andyw at informix dot com (Andrew Wallace) Subject: re: ET 240 Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 12:18:13 -0800 (PST) John Ott writes: > Saying Trey plays a Warr Guitar and Tony plays a Chapman Stick(R) > is like saying that Robert plays a Les Paul and Adrian plays a > Strat (sic) ... Check the album credits... Actually, on the album, Trey did play a Chapman Stick, he hadn't gotten his Warr Guitar(s) then. He got it about the time they started touring, I believe. In any case, he did record Thrak,etc on Stick. Over in the Chapman Stick mailing list (stickwire), there erupt several flame wars over this "new" instrument - the Stick fan(atics) can be quite vehement when mentioning Warr. It gets ugly at times... Chapman would be quite inscenced at the thought that Trey is playing Stick - he is now in the enemy camp... It's actually getting rather silly, and sad... andy -- Andy Wallace If my employer wanted to say this Menlo Park, CA stuff, they would, with no help web: http://www.scroom.com from me. e-mail: andyw at scroom dot com andyw at informix dot com Linux - Genetic Mandate, or Lifestyle Choice? [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 15:40:15 EST From: "PODOJIL, MARK EDGAR" Subject: Fripp's shadows In regards to the mystique of Fripp's lighting on stage, perhaps, and I know this solution may be a little too simple and may leave many of you at a loss for what to debate, Fripp doesn't like hot, blinding lights in his face because their annoying. Anyone who's performed on a lighted stage or has even played driveway basketball at night with only a single floodlight knows this. A light in your face shadows everything behind it. When on stage with such lighting, it's impossible to see the audience. (We all know that Fripp likes an "intimate relationship" with the paying audience). This is more than probably the reason. Furthermore, stage lights are downright painfull to look at, they're hot, and Fripp's not exactly animated and he knows that it is not worth the discomfort for people to see his fingers fly around. The music is top priority for Fripp. There is no mystery. He's just being practical. "Being the lion in the lute Being the lion locked in stone..." mark podojil, ramblin' man chachacha! [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 95 20:49:34 GMT From: Jason Thornton Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 >Date: 16 Nov 1995 14:48:41 -0600 >From: "John Ott" >Subject: A Stick is a Stick > > A Stick is a Stick But a Warr Guitar is NOT a Stick. >RE > "Warr Guitar" > >Saying Trey plays a Warr Guitar and Tony plays a Chapman Stick >is like saying Robert plays a Les Paul (Tokai Les Paul copy on the road) and >Adrian plays >a Stratocaster. Well, you're right there. >Trey and Tony both play stick and Robert and Adrian play >guitar. Well, this is no longer true. Trey played Stick(tm) on the ablums, but seems to be using a Warr Guitar(tm) on tour. >Check the album credits they list the instruments not the brands. The Stick *is* a brand name. Warr Guitar is a brand name. "Guitar" is not. A Warr Guitar is NOT a Stick. Although, it's no secret where Warr got the idea for his instrument. ___________________________________________________________________________ Jason Thornton "(Organic) Machinery" jthornton at ucsd dot edu "Abandon normal instruments" San Diego, CA [from the Oblique Strategies by Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt] Chapman Stick, Silver Polycarbonate, #2125 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 16:07:07 -0500 (EST) From: Gideon B Banner Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 I would sincerely like to thank everyone for their honest responses to my questions about substances to ingest for a KC show: "A meal and a glass of water," "Root beer and pizza," etc. Thanks everyone. Actually, I meant this question in all seriousness, and feel a bit miffed off. The one response that actually got me pissed was when someone something like, "Do we want to be sitting next to Gideon at the show after he's 'ingested his substance'?" Frankly, I'm not one of those people who walks into a show completely drunk, stoned, whatever, yells during the songs, is really obnoxious. I hate these people as well. If I ever become one of them, you all have my permission to publicly spit at me. It's really unfortunate that most people have this idea about casual drug use, that it makes you into a raving zombie that can neither think straight nor appreciate the music. This is a myth perpetuated by, I think, two things: (1) The media and associated cultural agencies, and (2) Those drunk people who really do act like idiots at a show. The idea is that drug users are thinking "improperly" or "abnormally", that they cannot think straight. Untrue: it's simply another mode of thought. When used carefully, in the right situations, at the right times, and so on, certain drugs can be used to learn differently from a situation. I have taught myself how to learn from using drugs -- I never smoke pot, for example, just because I feel like it. This is the point of smoking out or having a little martini before a show -- to learn differently from the show. After I've heard THRAK 27 times in five different versions, twice in concert, I want for once to hear it entirely differently -- to learn >from it differently. Now I agree definitely that KC is a band that I want to see entirely sober (and well fed), hands down. But my curiosity was not merely for my own benefit -- I was curious as to what experiences others have had, as I am certain there are subscribers to ET who have seen KC in a non-sober state. Anyway, sorry for the vehement response. Once more into the breach.... [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 16:35 -0500 (EST) From: MARK dot KEEN at roche dot com Subject: Easy Money live lyric In response to Rob Rosen's post in ET #240; I think you're pushing the limits of what anyone would consider scatalogical concerning the live "judge/fudge" verse from Easy Money. Randy, Bawdy, Suggestive? Agreed. Scatology? Hardly. I have a hunch (evidence anyone?) Wetton made it up to inject a little live "fun" into an otherwise grim set of lyrics Palmer-James wrote for the LTiA and SaBB album music. By the way, does anyone know anything about Palmer-James or how the collaboration betwen him and KC started, worked (who came up with the melodies, Wetton?) and ended? [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 17:23:07 -0500 From: Throatspro at aol dot com Subject: Fripp Etiquette & Crafties Bonus Track I'm a newcomer to the ET subscription list, and I'm enjoying it immensely. Keep up the great and selfless work, Toby. As someone who has met Robert Fripp under less-than-ideal circumstances (I asked him to sign a a Fripp/Eno bootleg at a Frippertronics gig in Lexington, KY--not knowing his adversity to such souvenirs at the time), I think I've worked out a method of behavior when encountering Mr. Fripp that he might appreciate. If you see him and feel an itch to communicate, stand in front of him at a respectful distance, and make a slight bow. Hand on heart optional. I've done this with other artists and, believe me, it communicates everything one might say in words. Last night, I bought Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarists' INTERGALACTIC BOOGIE EXPRESS-LIVE IN EUROPE 1991 and discovered the existence of a bonus track that may have escaped some others' notice. The latter part of the album contains a number of deliberate silences, and it may be easy to mistake the lengthy silence after the 19th track (the last one listed on the package) as the conclusion of the disc. Let it play. After a silence of 2:52, an unlisted 20th track--I believe it's "Bicycling to Afghanistan"--kicks (or should I say, pedals?) in. I also bought the Robert Fripp String Quartet album THE BRIDGE BETWEEN, which I thought extraordinary. I particularly commend it to the attention of fans of the California Guitar Trio and the Fripp/Eno recordings. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 15:29:18 -0700 (MST) From: ecerb at indra dot com (Elaine C. Erb) Subject: Attitudes Hi ET and though I've had a few posts I haven't yet put in my many thanks to Toby for making this place great, special, informative, AND friendly!!! As a grad student in Urban Planning I thought I would look at the related newsgroup. I was stunned at the total mean-spiritedness of that group. And this from a profession wanting to help lead us into the future! But no, they have threads that go on and on with sometimes only two people verbally assaulting each other and demonstrating their knowledge of failed urban policy. Needless to say, I signed off and reread an ET to restore MY faith that people still had hearts. In my other life (well one of the others, I'd hate to get bored), I DJ at a public radio station. This gives me an interesting perspective on the whole celebrity/attitude discussion. For one, sometimes people will relate to me with that "You're on Radio, oh you must be something special!!" which is strange to me as I'm just a person following my passion but yes doing so in a public fashion. Sure I get the occasional phone calls that hate what I play (you say I air too much King Crimson???, sorry, I'll play some solo Bruford instead) but I also get the pat on the back for doing something interesting and different from the repetitive tripe left on commercial radio. Of course I think the feedback is great but then I don't operate at the level of Mr. Fripp, and yes there are the people that I hang up on when they rant and rave too much. What I think confuses us is this obsession we have with celebrity. It's nothing new but lately it seems to operate at a different level. Once someone has achieved stardom we expect them to want to talk to us and share their insights and intimate details. This is okay if the person wants to but why should they all???? What ever happened to letting the medium, in this case music, speak for itself and the cheers of the audience or the purchase of the product show the appreciation of the audience? Doens't there ever come a time when the performer can take off that suit (as it is said Fripp does when he descends from the stage) and just be a normal guy? And why should he not be able to sit down in a cafe undisturbed like you or I would be able to do at any time. I have met a number of performers over the years and yes I am very impressed by the grace, humility, and kindness displayed by the likes of Tony Levin and others. But Fripp isn't like that. Nor is he like John McLaughlin of whom I laugh regarding our meeting as he shook my hand THREE times! The funny thing is, I'm not sure I even want to meet Robert Fripp. Sure part of it is why should I want to meet him if he doens't want to meet me. And there is the fact that I enjoy SOME of what he does and wouldn't want him to ever be able to tarnish that which I do appreciate. But mostly, I don't know how much I would have in common to discuss with him. So be it. Fripp is willing to join forces with some of the most talented musicians in the biz and share their fabulously schizophrenic music with us. I thank him for that and hope that this Crimson lasts a long time. Even if Robert starts wearing a giant eyeball and tophat onstage while he performs!! [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 15:29:24 -0700 (MST) From: ecerb at indra dot com (Elaine C. Erb) Subject: Re: Ingesting "substances" Well we went out for a great vegetarian dinner of Morrocan "finger food" before hand. Highly recommended, though maybe some Indonesian food would be even better. Somehow I think eating meat beforehand would diminish the experience. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 17:53:49 -0500 From: MDeprey at aol dot com Subject: Fripp's accessability RE: Fripp waving commoners offx For the sake of balance, I had a completely different experience with Fripp. It was the Discipline tour, Toad's Place, New Haven, CT. I was outside waiting for Bruford to come out (he had listened to some of my bands tapes and I wanted to say hi). And Fripp walked out right up to me and my friends and talked to us for about 20 minutes. I was not a big Fripp fan at the time. I actually interrupped him as I left to catch Bruford, who was on his way to lunch. But I found Fripp to be very real, honest, and forthright. He told us about life on the road and how hard it was to feel like a human being when you're bouncing around the map day by day. I asked him about the new album and the new direction, he was very responsive. Sometimes it's what we don't initiate that brings us the most reward. Fripp obviously takes care of himself. By doing so he invites us to do the same. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 14:55:39 -0800 (PST) From: rpeck at pure dot com (Ray Peck) Subject: Elephant-talk digest v95 #240 >From: acohen at lib dot com > > It can't be that I'm the only one on this list who thinks that Adrian > Belew is the best lyricist Crimson has ever had -- by a wide margin, > in my opinion. You're not, and I agree completely. Especially the part about Sinfield's lyrics making it embarrasing to share the music. It's bad enough that his hackneyed junior-high purple-bedroom "poetry" tainted KC, but he had to go do the same to ELP, too. >From: Otherroad at aol dot com >Subject: Re: Ingesting "substances" > >I must say that I disagree with Leon Marcus' reply to Gideon Banner's inquiry >on the perfect "substance" to ingest before a King Crimson concert. The >perfect substance is, in fact, rootbeer and pizza (with lots of sausage). I disagree. The perfect substance is most certainly a delicious yet ascetic vegan meal. On another note, I haven't seen anyone mention that Bill's drum set for the Conan appearance seemed to be missing all the electronic drums (I assume they're still Simmons'). KC were really packed in there on that small stage. . . [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 18:35:05 -0500 Subject: KC in Rochester From: Jonathan Gary I cought KC in Rochester, NY last night. The show was great, though the sound was pretty poor. All that bass and stick can be kinda muddy if the sound isn't happening. It did improve as the show progressed. Fripp was his usual isolated self, only making eye contact with his box o' frippertronics. They even did a killer version of Red. I would have liked to have heard more from Beat, such as Niel & Jack & Me or Heartbeat. So much talent on one stage.... it's truly frightning! ------------------------ Jonathan Gary Eastman Kodak Company Rochester, NY 14653 Mail Stop 35400 vox: 716.726.6772 fax: 716.726.0002 jgary at ycc dot kodak dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 18:17:24 -0600 From: medtek at ghgcorp dot com (Sandra J. Prow) Subject: Musically Backwards Houston >1. Our NBC station in Houston, the 4th largest city in the US, doesn't >carry Conan. We stayed up late only to be rewarded with Jenny Jones in a >Rabbit suit. (not a BUNNY suit, a Rabbit suit. Halloween show.) We taped >all early morning programming hoping to catch Conan, with no luck. Commenting to myself.... Apparently, there is not ONE copy of "Guitar as Orchestra" in this city either. Next thing you'll know, Houston will be without professional football. Oh. Right. ~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~| http://www.ghgcorp.com/medtek Sandra J. Prow | I don't represent anyone, medtek at ghgcorp dot com | Not that anyone medtek at bix dot com | Would want me to.... [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 19:16:39 -0500 From: tomhowie at nylink dot org Subject: Stort Stuff Two short notes: Re: Fripp-Off There is no excuse for rudeness, intentional or deliberate; there is no justification for indignation, righteous or otherwise. Back in 1992 I knew a couple college students who planned to travel to New York City to interview Bruford's band Earthworks for their university TV station. I asked them to take along a personal letter to Bill, and a copy of "When In Doubt, Roll" for him to sign. He signed the book and took the letter, and I thought that would be the end of it. A month later I received a personal letter from Bill thanking me for my kind words, and answering some questions I had. I was blown away by his consideration; he went from being "The Best Drummer in The World" in my estimation to being "Not Only The Best Drummer in The World But Also a Highly Considerate Gentleman". If Mr. Fripp wishes to be standoffish, that's fine. It's his problem, really. Cherish that place in your heart that he touches at the moment. But please don't try and convince me that you "understand" his behavior, or that you can justify it. You can't; you just sound silly trying. Re: Conan I thought Belew really stood out. His voice never sounded better. And that mellotron-like stuff he did with the guitar was wild. I, too, wish I'd have seen more of Mastellato. Overall, though, I'd say I was pleased. P.S. - Bruford released a drum video called "Bruford and the Beat" during the Discipline days. He talks about practice tips, drumming methods, and constructing parts for songs. He uses as an example his explanation of how he came up with the rhythm for the song "Discipline", going through the metomorphosis from a practice exercise to a song on a KC album. The tape then shows KC "performing" "Discipline" on stage (air-banded, really, over-dubbed by the studio recording). Interesting bit of tape, shows how they've aged. It can be purchased from any good drum shop; runs about $29(US). I said this would be short - sorry, I lied. tomhowie at nylink dot org Tomas Howie West Chazy, NY USA [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 18:28:14 -0600 From: rpowell at mailhost dot tcs dot tulane dot edu (Randall Powell) Subject: Sycophant Support Group Please consider this request to have "oedipus" lead a sychophant support group for the truckling members of this list who engage in Fripp idolatry. Randall R. Powell [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 19:02:43 -0600 (CST) From: "Craig C. Branham" Subject: re: Fripp-off >feel like YOU should apologize to Fripp for "bothering" HIM. Some will >excuse his behavior by saying, "he's an artist," or point to the fact that >you "the Obnoxious American" violated Fripp's "British Sensibilities." I've been following this thread, and I don't get it. I don't understand what the "slighted fan" really expected. The fact that you buy someone's CDs, doesn't mean that the musicians personally owe you _anything_, and that has nothing to do with Fripp being an artist. You have your CDs and Fripp has his royalties. This seems like a very straight-forward transaction. If Robert Fripp isn't courteous to complete strangers it's because that's just the way he is (and then it's his problem or choice), British or not, musician or garbage collector. None of this really has anything to do with the music. Craig Branham [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 22:09:26 -0600 (CST) From: John dot P dot Mohan at lawrence dot edu Subject: Conan Just a few points to offer regarding the KC appearance on the Conan O'Brien TV show and the subsequent posts: 1. I think part of the reason Fripp was so bundled up was that it's COLD in those studios. Think of Dave Letterman and how many jokes he makes about the temperature in the Ed Sullivan theatre. Add to that the fact that Fripp is known to be somewhat physically frail, according to some of his published diary entries. He seems to have a rather weak constitution and that might be part of the reason for his isolationism. One rather non-educated friend of mine who was watching the show with me asked: "So who's the geriatric in the back who won't stand up?" It was almost comical how quickly I rushed to Robert's defense. 2. No, I don't think Dinosaur could have been any shorter. What was it, 45 seconds long? Ha. 3. Most of the band seemed pretty charismatic and as struck by the surreality of their appearance on network TV as I was. Bruford especially was all smiles, wearing his endearing shit-eating grin as he watched Adrian and nonchalantly flipped his sticks to use different ends for different sections (a wonderful technique which I have incidentally adopted). 4. It was funny, before the performance, when Conan was trying to announce the band and had to wait for all the bellowing Crimheads in the audience to quiet down. Also funny (if somewhat sad) that he called THRAK their "new" CD - being that it's been out for seven months now. All in all an entertaining treat - definitely not something to take too seriously. We should count ourselves fortunate that we even got to see musical legends like Fripp or Bruford on network television at all - not something that happens every day. JP. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 22:20:25 -0600 (CST) From: John dot P dot Mohan at lawrence dot edu Subject: a few points Thought I'd offer my humble input on some major threads I've seen in recent issues: 1. Consumption of drugs before a Crimson show: I am really saddened, although not a surprised, that a member of our Crimhead "family" would consider altering their perception of music with foreign substances. If you were a musician, how would it make you feel to know that certain members of your audience were not content to expereince your performance in a pure state, and felt they had to distort their perception to enjoy your performance? Add to that the fact that I consider the existence/use of drugs to be disgusting and one of the saddest things that has happened to our culture, and there you have it. 2. Last night I had the priviledge to be in the audience for a performance by Greg Howard, a virtuoso stickist. He played right here at Lawrence University, in our coffeehouse. Gave a beautiful 1.5 hr. solo performance. If you're not familiar with his work, I highly recommend seeking out one or both of his releases: _Stick Figures_ or _Shapes_ (which also features various percussionists). He was a very nice man and performer, telling amusing stories between pieces. Afterwards he signed a CD for me and we talked about Trey Gunn a bit, and the Warr guitar. Apparently, Emmett Chapman is none too pleased with Mark Warr and feels the Warr guitar is a silly facsimile of the stick. If I'm wrong on this one, please let me know, but that's the scoop according to Howard. JP. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 01:12:02 -0500 (EST) From: JPM17 at JAGUAR dot UOFS dot EDU Subject: some more KC in Wilkes-Barre tidbits All this talk about Fripp in the dark caused me keep an eye on Fripp every so often to see if we were illuminated. He was somewhat lit when he did his soundscapes before B'Boom. But later on in the show (forget which song), the yello/white lights began started to make another rotation and the one which normally shines right on the back of Fripp's head to keep his face dark instead shone right down upon him to light him up as clear as could be. Of course this only lasted about 2-3 seconds as Robert immediately looked straight up at the light until it was fixed. This gave me a chuckle. surprisingly, he did put a big smile on his face during the bow as Adrian put his arm around Robert and whispered something in his ear. Robert seemed to appreciate the crowd's applause. Another bit which had me chuckling was Bill. At one point, (again, forget which song), Bill stood up from his kit, took a step back, put his hands behind his back and let Pat pound away. At another point, Bill stood up and stepped back from his kit. He put his hands behind his back again and began dancing. Well, grooving would be a better description, but that's something I didn't expect. He seemed really into the music. You could tell that he truly enjoyed the music they have created. Especially when he tilts his head back and his eyes seem to roll up in his head. Then you know he's "in the zone". :) Hope you all enjoyed, JPM17 at jaguar dot uofs dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 22:57:56 -0800 From: saustin at onramp dot net Subject: confession - 10/31/95... Okay, okay fellow frippers/misinterpreters: I was THE GUY at the Ft Worth show (NOT Dallas) who yelled "Free Bird" at CGT. It was A JOKE, and I'm sorry if anyone took it as anything else. Nothing much came of it other than some chuckles, and a warning from the guy behind me who warned me to be careful for the things one asks for. (wise man). [Who knows? Maybe _they_ could've made it "Art" ... Naaah! Only if they cut it up into little pieces and carried it around with them for days and days...] Of course, I couldn't control my ("hippy with a haircut") minimalist friend next to me who thought my idea was fabulous and yelled it at KC several times (only two or 3.) We were of a perfect pair. I think his point was that it's ridiculous to yell out things like "Cat Food" at these guys who obviously have had to re-re-re-review their collective repertoir and rehearse these things enough to make a good rendering of the KC that has evolved to be. (a humble thank you to all KC members who might surf this for sufferring enough to let me hear them twice live) Sorry if FB "caught" on and became a bane to KC on their SOUTHERN US TOUR. Guess it will serve my karma right if I have to fly to Chicago next (?) time. Anyway, apparently only my friend thought it was funny. Also I have to rant a little about peoples perspectives on live performances. People chit-chat, people dance, people scream! I think people should be quiet during the quiet parts (in my world view); after all, it's what makes the drama what it is! HOWEVER, this is _NOT_ your living room. I danced at the Ft. Worth show, and some guy kept poking me asking me to sit down. I asked him to stand up and revel with me in my bliss of seeing KC live. He didn't see my point of view. (Apparently I was blocking it ;->) I compromised (mostly) and danced only during my favorites. I definitely made contact with Belew, and he _dug_ that I was _digging_ "it"! I sat down and danced as much as one can sitting, After the show I made a point to apologize to him for inflicting my behaviour on him, but pointed out that he inflicted _his_ on me too. If you don't like the way people around you are expressing themselves, tell them. If they don't compromise, get away from them. If it's _really_ bad, and you feel your rights have been infringed upon, ask security to bounce them. (but risk karma!) If you really hate being around people, buy recordings and stay at home. btw: Saw Belew on "Inner Revolution" at Club Clearview in Deep Ellum in Dallas (that's Dallas proper, thank you). He noticed then too that I knew all the words and dug it then as well. Some guy beside me was pogo dancing yelling for what apparently were Frank Zappa songs. I fed on his energy and used it to intensify my appreciation for the music that was filling this 200 people club. And about Belew's lyrics -- give us all a break! The 70's KC is sort of like a classic novel, and the 80's/90's KC is more like a WWW page. I *love* Adrian's lyrics. They're precise. Less is more. I admit that SaBB, Lizards, and Islands are great, but they're history. I wish I could see "Tales From Topographic Oceans" tour, but I can't. So listen to the music long past CD's obsolesence and revel in your time. I saw KC in Austin on 11/1, and again yelled "Free Bird" at CGT (only), but it was still just A JOKE. (more chuckles, btw) The crowd was completely different -- they were not merely consuming this experience (stop blocking MY view); rather they were more like a participant in a collective event. (I would avoid saying something about Austin, TX being the virtual center of interactive multimedia, but it's too late) In Austin, there was a guy who danced to the Bach and Beethoven of CGT in a very free flowing and expressive manner, and no one hassled him at all. So call me selfish. Hit me in the head with a CD. Whatever. For FUTURE KC attendees, only yell "Free Bird" as many times as you dare, lest 16k Crimson "fans" spam your in-basket, or a 16 ton weight fall out of the sky and crush you! Stick players meditate on tapping... Robert sitting quiet sipping tea.. Bruford, thou art God [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 09:58:28 -0200 From: Tefkros Symeonides Subject: Re: Belew's Lyrics After reading the responses (reactions) to my message on Belew's lyrics, I must say I admit that although I didn'yt mean to offend anyone, I most probably did. I apologize, but I still prefer Sinfield's lyrics from Belew's. I guess it all comes down to taste... To Andrew (Ajbas at aol dot com): The lyrics you quoted are pretty good for the usual Belew standard, but not quite as inspiring as Sinfield's. To Gideon B Banner : >Why is this so? Probably derives, I'd think, from the idea that >songwriting is "poetry", a ridiculous concept, one that Sinfield used >(although to better effect than most). I don't find that a ridiculous concept at all. Both music and lyrics have always been essentially poetry (from the very beginnings), therefore if the lyricist happens to be a talented poet (such as Sinfield) so much the better. To Jeremy Lakatos : Your quoted lyrics from "I Talk to the Wind", "Cadence and Cascade", "Cat Food", "Indoor games" and another one I don't recognize (??) do not strike me as "awful", rather "aweful" in fact. :) I can't resist making one last quote and one last statement, though: "...you got people on the tube, walking on the moon people at the bottom of the sea people in tombs people in igloos even a tribe of pygmies people are the main spring turning the world around people, they're the main spring spinning this world upside down" So what? (enough said) Regards, Tefkros Symeonides [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 95 03:16:14 EST From: whatthat at nando dot net Subject: ET: Re: RF's attitude toward fans I'm not famous, but my line of work allows me to work with people that are. I've been sort-of on the side of the fence that RF's on, in the sense that I've been out having dinner with whoever I was working with, and had to deal with that person being recognised, and then your evening gets disrupted. I've also had to deal with "That can't be XXXX over there. Besides, so what? XXXX's music sucks" within earshot, when XXXX really did turn out to be XXXX. As a host, it's devastating. Only a couple of times did I get "I think it's time to leave now." One of the worst cases was when Devo were here playing a concert in the late 80's, and some woman in the restaurant where we were called them "a bunch of faggots." Jerry shot back that he'd fuck her on the table right then and there (in front of about 50 people). Bob C. was embarrassed but he thought it was very humourous that my beer vanished very quickly. Bob Mould actually cowered behind me once when he saw the fans coming, and this was in the days of Husker Du. He told me that his fans were crazy and he was truly frightened of them sometimes. I have to be conscious of people being recognised when we go out somewhere because the people are almost never in the mood to handle it. Nearly everyone comments after a real bootlicker that they wish they wouldn't do that because the adulation is bad for them. They're afraid that they'll start believing the fans putting them up on a pedestal. Mr. Fripp says this in the journal entries in the "Great Deceiver" booklet. Brian Eno wrote a letter to the person that does his digest saying the same thing, and that he wouldn't be taking part, but he was glad that he was providing the forum. George Harrison used to call it "Being Beatled." Were I to meet Mr. Fripp I'd want to talk about anything other than King Crimson or his work. I'd probably start by trying to be personable enough to find a common interest outside the realm of his work, like finding a book to talk about, or a movie, or some other common interest. I collect records out the wazoo, so I'd ask him what some favorites of his were if we got round to that subject. If he were to start talking about Crimson or his solo work, I'd ask him about that stuff then, but I'd want to talk to him as Joe Ordinary and not The Robert Fripp: Alleged Asshole, Drinkcup Dodger, and Monster Guitarist of Fierce Concentration And Dry, Wry Humour. I've treated everyone famous that I've ever met this way, and I do get looked up whenever they're in town. Door's always open, and I can bake a bad-ass loaf of bread and cook a bad-ass lasagna. They seem to appreciate it, and I get to see them as people and not as "stars." My impression is that Mr. Fripp is a reluctant, fragile star at his best moments, and finds it really superficial to be treated like someone on a stage all the time. I imagine that if he's to talk to a fan, he wants both parties to have something to say to each other, otherwise it's just not worth the time. To some this is going to come across as standoffish, but it's his right to have his attitude as an inherent part of his personality. And his music's an extension of his personality, so ultimately it's a good thing, isn't it? No one *has* to like it, but everyone *has to accept* it. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 17:01:54 -0200 From: Tefkros Symeonides Subject: Re: 'Easy Money' lyrics In ET #240, Rob Rosen wrote: > Am I the only person who's noticed that the "studio" lyrics for >'Easy Money' differ somewhat from the "live" lyrics heard on various >recordings of the mid-70s KC incarnation? > Specifically, the "live" lyrics, if I'm hearing them correctly, >appear to contain what some would consider to be a scatalogical reference. >Has anyone else noticed this? Yeah, sure, Rob, the new verse goes like this: "Well I argued with the judge But the bastard wouldn't budge Cause they caught me licking fudge And they never told me once 'you are a minor'" This is from "The Great Deceiver" (a masterpiece, that one). On "Larks' ongues in Aspic" the verse (the 2nd one, if I'm not mistaken) is totally different: "And I thought my heart would break When you doubled up the stake With your fingers all a-shake You could never tell a winner from a snake" > If there's a story behind the difference (i.e., country or label >censorship), I'm curious to hear it. Can't tell you anything about that one. I'm curious myself, because they also changed the lyrics of "Starless" when they were playing it live, and the two or three different versions each have different lyrics from each other and from the studio version! Regards, Tefkros Symeonides [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: rhea at sas dot upenn dot edu (Rhea A Frankel) Subject: CGT and Trey on World Cafe Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 10:49:31 -0500 (EST) Hi everyone. Last Wednesday, November 15, the California Guitar Trio and Trey Gunn visited WXPN in Philadelphia to perform and be interviewed on the World Cafe, a nationally syndicated PRI radio show. I don't know when this will be broadcast, but keep an eye out for it. Once again, my part time job at a children's program on WXPN has proven to have great fringe benefits. I spoke to them, very briefly, before their interview. This was the morning after the Conan O'Brien show, and Trey mentioned that everyone except Robert was generally happy with the performance. It was about 55 degrees in the studio, which explains Robert's coat and scarf. Another thing I found out is that the packaging for the RFSQ Live in Japan video has recently changed. I bought the video from Possible Productions over the summer, and when I asked them to sign it, Trey said he had never seen it before. All four of them took turns looking at the box before signing it. btw, the video is in a blue box that says "Robert Fripp String Quintet" with "Live in Japan" right beneath it. Trey also signed my B'Boom, Sunday All Over the World, and Damage. For the couple minutes that I spoke to them, they were all friendly, and I got a picture of the five of us! Hope to see some of you next Wednesday at the Longacre. Rhea Frankel [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 10:44:25 -0500 From: dnash at atlanta dot com (David Nash) Subject: Chronic Voxness It's nice to know that there are at least 72 other people with the same symptoms, if not the full blown disease. When I was a lad of 14 (1966) I lusted mightily for anything Vox. I would have loved a Super Beatle, would have been happy with a Berkeley II, and settled for a Cambridge Reverb. I was sucked into the whole "Vox: It's What's Happening" thing and I knew enough about solid state to believe that it was "better" than tubes. My pals and I would always go to see the "Vox" Bands ( Paul Revere, Dave Clark Five, etc.) and lust after the Vox stuff! I never knew that Thomas and Jennings were two different entities! I also could not understand why my neither my amp nor any of my friends' Vox amps really had the British sound. In 1967 we went to see The Monkees. As always, before the show we went up to the stage to drool over the amps. We were shocked to see these big stacks called Marshall! Then this weird 3 piece band came out and played 3 songs. I think the guitarist's name was "Jimi" something. From then on, our lust was for the Marshall stack! Now that I know how I was led astray by Thomas Organ's deceptive advertising, I once again have come back into the fold and into the quest for true Voxosity. Because I wanted a Berkeley as a kid, I wanted one now, but I wanted Tubes. I bought my tube Berkeley in July for about 2.5 times the original price. It sounds fab. I never play my Mesa anymore. Wanna buy a Boogie? Sorry this is so long but that is what delete commands are for. "Do like the Hindu: The best you Cando!" mohandas_k_ghandi at afterlife dot com David E. Nash (The one from High Point, NC) dnash at atlanta dot com gnash42213 at aol dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: aprasad at ccs dot carleton dot ca (Anil Prasad) Subject: Scott Merritt on Adrian Belew Date: Sat, 18 Nov 95 11:58:46 EST This is only barely related to Crimson, but Scott Merritt is one of my favorite artists, and he's worked with Adrian Belew in the past. Belew-heads will likely find Merritt's comments about working with him quite amusing! :-) Here goes: --- An in-depth interview with Canadian singer-songwriter Scott Merritt is now available exclusively on the INNERVIEWS website. In this rare interview with Merritt, you'll encounter the following information: - Career update - Discussions about his work with Adrian Belew, Roma Baran, David Van Tiegham, Daniel Lanois, Matt Zimbel, Arthur Barrow and others - His views on the music industry and how it treats artists - And in-depth look at the making of his last album _Violet and Black_ - A glimpse into Merritt's politics and environmental outlooks - The state of the Canadian pop/rock scene - and much, much more Please check it out at: http://www.carleton.ca/~aprasad/ Anil Prasad [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: MARCOS at bsgo dot cci dot org dot ar Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 14:42:37 Subject: Is KC Coming back? TV show in Argentina. Organization: Beatriz Santiago Hi you all!!! Is KC finishing the tour in Argentina? It was a rumoured here in Buenos Aires last year but I haven't heard anything about it, so I suppose it's not true. I know there's a place in the web where you can get this kind of information like tour schedules, but I only have access to e-mail services, so please answer me. When KC was in Buenos Aires a cable network recorded a full show at the Broadway ( The B'boom's shows), and 45 minutes of it were aired. Obviously I have it recorded. I know here in argentina we have a different TV norm, neither PAL nor NTSC, so I don't know if it's useful for all of you. With all the Conan stuff I thought you should Know about this TV program in Argentina. Living at the end of the world, sometimes have its privileges. Don't you think so? Bye, bye. maRcos [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 12:03:06 -0800 From: quack4 at ix dot netcom dot com (Ray Steele ) Subject: Adrian's vocals A lot of things have been said on ET about the quality of Adrian Belew's vocals in the latest Crimson. It is as hard to rate vocals as it is to rate comedy -- it is so subjective. However, it is obvious that Adrian has been giving everthing he's got into singing with the latest Crimson; this is obvious not only from listening to Thrak, but also from seeing them in concert. Simply, Adrian is very happy to once again be performing with a guitarist he looks up to so much -- he has been looking forward to playing alongside Fripp again ever since the band broke up in '84. This zeal for performing certainly makes Belew's vocals work for me, above all else. As far as ingestion of certain substances, it is great to see so many ETers give the advice of seeing the band totally unimpaired. Seeing the band live is a powerful enough stimulant. -- Ray Steele [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: stehelin at citi2 dot fr (Dominique Stehelin) Subject: re ET 239 and previous Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 21:41:07 +0100 (MET) About synchronisation someone talked about, a lttle time from here... Let me share a theory of mine about practical unlikenes of the world to exist at it anyway does... You semed to be surprised by the fact you met an old fellow musician of yours, in this K.C. show, and a few others improbable things... Just consider this: if you try to figure the chances you had to meet the guy at first, the fact that you were connected to the same kind of music (I guess) they are incredibly near of ZERO. If you consider, of all the gamets in presence while your parents conceived you, the chances the pair that was to become you went out of this "life lottery", it's quite zero. You can so find so many "normal" events that are in fact so unprobable, you wouldn't believe. Image, in this primitive soup, the likeness that life appeared, the likeness that it just WORKED, and spread, the likeness that this planet had the right distance from the sun, the right satellite to stabilize it's movement enough to prevent "precession" from erasing all life here, the probanility for, out of thousand of projects, the great wall was constructed, or the pyramids, the absolute unlikeness of any form of art to exist, was it the joconde, or any Bach cantata, or an Hewingway book (to each word!) exactly the way it does exist . Not a single chance! And if you add all this you simply can not exist. All of you are violation of elementary laws of physics. You are NOT. That's the world we live in folks! Nothing had any chances to happen, but everything does! This to convince you all that the world is more that it seems, and that we virtually live somewhere that can not exist, we live life that can not be, and ourselves are just plain negation of the basic princips of probability. Think about it... weell.. I need your help for a few things. Does anyone knows the dolphin brothers it is a record from steve jansen and richard barbieri. I can't find it (well I almost say in every posting that I can't find someting, so you must get used to it. Something else. I writ whoops I wrote to Poss pod@aol and it did not work, so the guy who gave the adress could maybe (anyone will suit me) give the exact adress so I could be able to order all those beautifull t-shirts and screen saver and pin up. Geez if it is not fanatism, the,heck! I think sometime we are kind of a sect! (just kidding) wish you well [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 15:49:24 -0500 From: Throatspro at aol dot com Subject: Marriagemusic I have a question concerning this rare Fripp track. If memory serves, "Marriagemusic" was a lengthy Frippertronics piece released as the B-side of a British import single--"Under Heavy Manners," I suppose. At the time of its release, I bought the single for the B-side and found the pressing unlistenable, full of crackles. It was also slightly warped. I returned it to the store, and they promised to reorder it for me. Weeks passed, and I was finally told that the record could not be reordered, because EG had withdrawn the title after numerous complaints of faulty pressings. Can anyone confirm this account for me, or give me more information about the track? (I wish I'd recorded it before taking it back to the store!) Was it written by Fripp for his own wedding? Is it available anywhere? Any info will be much appreciated. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 16:52:22 -0500 From: dnash at atlanta dot com (David Nash) Subject: Fripp: Background Tunes for Sports I was just watching NBC Sports coverage of a Triathalon (sp?)In less than 15 minutes they used "Prelude: A Song to the Gulls" from Islands and "Yamanashi Blues" from RF String Quartet. Just thought I'd share. BTW: The Nov.12 Atlanta show was incredible! It's true that nobody yelled out "Free Bird!", but this 50-ish biker-looking dude behind me was pretty funny. In all seriousnes, before the first encore he stood up, lit a joint, held his lit cigarette lighter up, and yelled "Play Court of the Crimson Kiiiiing! Court of the Crimson Kiiiing!" I guess he was a little disappointed. "Do like the Hindu: The best you Cando!" mohandas_k_ghandi at afterlife dot com David E. Nash (The one from High Point, NC) dnash at atlanta dot com gnash42213 at aol dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 17:23:27 -0500 (EST) From: brat prince Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #239 Luckilly, the latest series of ET's reached me while I was on holiday in Ireland and adding in my two cents to some posts that bugged me (I'm calmer now) would have cost me about 2 pounds. So I didn't. Of course, I'm back now, and can't much stop myself..... This regards the "fripp-off" post: Many performers (of all types and skill levels) really don't appreciate being interrupted/approached/whatever before a performance. Some people can handle it, many can't (from my own experiences with dance and theater I'd venture to say most). Regardless of who we're talking about, before a show is probbly the wrong time to approach someone. Mind you as a "fan" this can also be the only opportunity available. Yucky quandry, I agree, but one worth 5 seconds of thought (and probably more) before one's annoyance gets so vehement. -- Racheline Maltese | "My neighbor with no arms wanted reive at phantom dot com | to know how it feels to let http://www.phantom.com/~reive | something go." -Jeffery McDaniel [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 17:17:48 -0500 From: Diaphanus at aol dot com Subject: Cool sampler tape I was at the David Sylvian show in New York (which was excellent, by the way) and I got this great sampler tape from a home-grown recod company called Rosemont Recordings. Supposedly, they represent a bunch of musicians that decided to promote themselves. The tape is full of cool avant-garde music filled with Crimson, Eno and Sylvian influences. You can request the sampler by sending your mailing address to rsmtrecord at aol dot com. I'd do it if I were you...It's worth it!! [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 16:53:54 -0700 (MST) From: sgoodman at primenet dot com (Steve Goodman) Subject: On Celebrity In The Modern Age With all the hubbub about Mr. Fripp's 'attitude toward his fans'/etc. I had to put in my two cents at least as an observation. A lot of folks in this discussion seem to be possessed with that now-common misconception, regarding The Nature of Celebrity In The Modern Age. I remember someone being pissed off because, when he met Chevy Chase once, he came away with the opinion that he wasn't a nice guy, and stated that it kept him from ever enjoying anything he did again. It is somehow typical that people will confuse the performance with the performer, and justify their feelings about this by internally requiring the performer to comply with their expectations of "how so-and-so should act". 1. The goal of becoming famous is only simple to the non-famous. 2. The purpose of being an artist is not to become famous; rather, becoming famous is a side effect of becoming a well-known artist. 3. The relationship between performer and audience is not the same as the relationsihps that friends have between them. 4. It is the performed work of the artist, and not the artist, that the audience truly has the 'relationship' with. 5. In Celebrity there is Marketing present, in creating a way for a consumer to form an attachment in some way to the celebrity-in-question, so that products may be sold that may or may not have anything to do with whatever that celebrity is actually doing. 6. In Artistry, the product is the Art itself, and not the performer. ('Pure' Art is produced because of the Artist's need to do so, and exists regardless of the desires of the public that happens to be around when it occurs). 7. In Artistry, there is no requirement, obligation, or necessity that the artist's behaviour have any correlation with the Work itself. 8. In Celebrity, the person-in-quesiton is required to be palatable to the public, since the person IS the product being sold to the public; therefore their behaviour is required to correlate with the image they present. 9. In Celebrity, there might be Art, which is a happy accident. 10. In Art, there might be Celebrity, which also is a happy accident. 11. Celebrity depends upon Marketing for its very existence. 12. Art will exist whether or not Marketing does, and only involves Marketing to the extent that it is desired to be seen, heard, or otherwise consumed by the public **** This shall of course be revised and expanded over time, but I thought I'd get this out before I forgot it. I'm just full of myself enough to put the revised edition on the EarthLight Studios Home Page at http://www.primenet.com/~sgoodman/Studios, where the Loop of the Week is changed every Sunday night. And that, dear friends, is Marketing of what hopefully someone besides me will think of as Art. Now back to our regular newsletter. :) S. -------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "I suppose that if we couldn't laugh at things that don't make sense, we couldn't react to a lot of life." | - Hobbs +----------------------------------------------------------------+ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 16:34:51 -0800 (PST) From: Sasha Alain Wolf Subject: Fripp on MTV Okay, I want everyone to stretch out the wrinkles in their brains for this one: I remember I was watching MTV one day. It must have been sometime during the late 80's. I can remember seeing a brief news report about Guitar Craft (I was only about 11 or 12 years old at the time so this was something I have only just recently deduced). I don't remember many of the details of the report, but I do remember them showing a clip of the Crafties playing and something about keeping one's nails properly trimmed. However, what did strike me about the report was when they were talking about Robert Fripp, they showed what I believe to be a television clip of King Crimson playing. I remember it was in color, and the set was done in a sort of pyschadelic manner. The guitarist (Fripp) had a huge afro. Please excuse my poor recollection. Anyway, I think the clip MTV showed was >from when King Crimson played on "Top of The Pops" in 1970. Does anyone have any thoughts or feelings on this? - Sasha [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 21:48:07 -0600 From: ksommers at communique dot net (Keith Sommers) Subject: Re: New orleans, Atlanta & Fripp This is my first post although I've been reading for sometime. Thanks Toby for all the great work. It really helps one to keep up with the KC news, since there's so little info out there in the mainstream. :( Well, I was lucky enough to see the 11/4 show in New Orleans,(with my wife), and the 11/11 show in Atlanta,(with my 2 sons, ages 4 and 5, huge KC fans). The New Orleans show was at the House of Blues, which is a small night club, while the Atlanta show was at the Roxy Theater. Very different venues, and I felt, very different performances. (By the way, I live in the New Orleans area. The main reason for attending the Atlanta show was that no one under 21 was allowed in the House of Blues. When I told my 4 year old that King Crimson was coming to town, but he was too young to attend the show, he started to cry. So, I told him I'd find out if there were any other shows he could attend, hence the Atlanta trip.) Although the New Orleans show was great, I couldn't help but feel that the band was just doing their "job", you might say. Being in what is essentially a bar, the crowd was loud and irreverent. There wasn't much opportunity for the musicians to connect with the audience, just kick ass and hit the road. In Atlanta, the setting was much different. The crowd was focused and I felt the band was reaching out to the audience more. Definately more intimate. I enjoyed this show immensely. The crowd was full of great people who seemed to be true Crimson fans. Now, I've watched both sides on the Fripp-off debate. Both sides make good points, but I guess the bottom line to me, is that we all, regardless of our positions in life, should try to treat each other with some measure of respect and dignity. While Mr. Fripp may have his reasons to limit contact, there isn't any good reason to delibertly be unkind. At the same time, he does have the same rights as the rest of us. I do feel however, it is hard to believe that Mr. Fripp shouldn't expect some contact if he goes out into the crowd before one of his concerts. My story. During the performance of the CGT at the New Orleans show I attended, I looked to my right at my wife standing beside me, and.... lo and behold..... who was standing beside her? Robert Fripp! She, of course, had no idea who he was. I, despite my attempts to stay calm and logical in life, was thrilled. It's unavoidable. This man has created music which has touched my life in a profound way. Now, I didn't bother him because my thought just before I saw him was that the audience was too loud and I was straining to hear the CGT! I didn't want to add to the noise for him, if he was feeling the same way. He left after they completed Beethoven's fifth, which was moving in and of itself. To be honest, I didn't want to be interupted at that moment myself. So..., did I "behave" appropriatly? If the setting had been different, right, I would like to say hello. I can't see the harm in giving a little back of what I feel has been given to me. Forgive my ramblings if I bored you. Keith [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 19 Nov 1995 10:18:49 +0200 From: zeppo at thrak dot pp dot fi (Arto Seppala) Subject: flying cd's Hi ETers, I do agree with ToddM (ET240) that unidentified flying CDs are dangerous (in fact any objects thrown onto the stage are; what's the idea of throwing things anyway, have I been missing something here or am I just too old to understand this habit?). Couple of years ago I was in a rock festival here in Finland and some asshole threw a beer bottle onto the stage just before Suicidal Tendencies were about to perform and the bottle hit the bassplayer of Suicidal in the head. The roadies jumped off from the stage and started chasing the idiot (mild expression). I couldn't see what happened but I hope they slaughtered this miserable person (controlled by hatred here). The Tendescies performed anyway with the bassplayer having his head "wrapped up". I don't want to be any kind of "advisor" here but maybe King Crimson (and in fact any performing artist) should have this Zappa "attitude" that if anything is thrown onto the stage, the corcert won't continue until the ****** is removed from the audience (anybody ever heard Zappa's YCDTOSA Vol 5; also according to the book "Frank Zappa - A Visual Documentary By Miles" the concert in Ostseehalle, Kiel, Germany 23th May 1981 was ended after ten minutes and in Patinoire des Vernets, Geneva, Switzerland 30th June 1981 was ended after fifteen minutes because of the flying objects). Anyway, it would be interesting to read this "CD person's" motives to this thing (if don't want to be public here in ET, can email me directly). I'm sure every ETer agrees with me that throwing things onto the stage is A STUPID THING. Thrak on folks, Zeppo. ------------------------------------------- Zep. zeppo zeppo at thrak dot pp dot fi [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 19 Nov 1995 10:22:02 GMT From: crimson at blackcat dot demon dot co dot uk (ET Mailing List) Subject: Lyrics Tefkros Symeonides said... > Have people forgotten the genius Peter Sinfield > "The rusted chains of prison moons are shattered by the sun" Believe me, I'm trying to forget Sinfield...there's nothing remotely clever about stringing together one meaningless line of tum-te-tum-te-tum words after another. > How about that? And how about Richard Palmer-James? > "Sing hymns, make love, get high, fall dead > He'll bring his perfume to your bed As I think has been pointed out before, these lyrics were actually written by Fripp, although he wasn't credited with them. > Now compare this to: > "I need to feel your heartbeat heartbeat I also agree that these are dreadful. Now to my point - why bother to have a vocalist at all? Crimson has never been exactly blessed with the best vocalists; Lake's voice is thin and reedy, Haskell always sounds like he has a towel stuffed halfway down his throat and Burrell's sense of phrasing and cadence are best described as being 'mechanical'. Wetton was okay, but I find Belew uninsprising. So why bother with them? The lyrics mean nothing particularly impressive and Crimson's power has *always* been in the music rather than the singer - their best moments are definitely achieved when the vocalist shuts the hell up and the band simply *plays*. Once excuse for having a vocalist is that it gives the audience/listener some focal point on which they can root their experience. I would be depressed if Crimson were pandering to that particular mentality. It's about as justifiable as sticking to 108 b.p.m. with a mandatory catchy chorus. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Dickson [Team OS/2], Black Cat Software Factory, Musselburgh, Scotland mike at blackcat dot demon dot co dot uk - Fax 0131-653-6124 - Columnated Ruins Domino ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 19 Nov 1995 14:35:55 +0100 From: Marco Brucale Subject: NAQ (Never Asked Questions) 1) What is the correct spelling for PM's name? WRONG NAMES GOOD ATTEMPTS RIGHT NAME Mastolino M********o Mastellato PM * PAT MASTELOTTO * Mastoletto The Man with 10k names (Btw,this is an anglicization Mastellatto KC's drummer,but not BB for'Mastellotto',that in etc..... etc..... italian means'Small Tub'. It is a quite common name in southern Italy.) P.S. Well, yesterday I spent two hours to write down a list of what TG is playing on THRAK, planning to send it along this posting. This morning I read the new ET and... (Fill in with politically uncorrect statements of disapproval) ... someone just sent a great posting on the same subject. I must admit Johnatan made a much more accurate work than mine, but I found a couple of differences between them: THRAK: I think it's he, not Tony, doing the main bass job. TL plays very low, 'evil' long root notes, while Trey does most of the interplay with a typical distorted sound. Check at 1:53 in the LP and both live versions (BBoom) to hear the two distinct bass sounds. VROOOM VROOOM: Bass Duet- I'm in doubt. The bass on the Right channel is the same that you can hear in the rest of the song, so I assume it's TL's. But the bass on the Left has a clear 'Plucked String Attack', so it can't be TL's Stick.It could be maybe a WarrG, but in the liner notes Trey is reported as playing only the Stick. THE WHOLE ALBUM: I think he plays the same role for Fripp as PM for Bruford. PM does the main timekeeping job, whilst BB places His Incomparable Strokes. TG's stick act as a 'Rythm guitar' most of times, while Fripp can concentrate on evil solos and soundscapes. Do you agree? Bye Marco == vit0202 at iperbole dot bologna dot it =============================== Aldo Brucale == [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] GIG REVIEWS [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 01:13:10 -0500 (EST) From: David Bronstein Subject: Gig Review - Springfield, MA I just returned from the fourth KC show of my life, and the second one on their current tour. I will spare you much of the details, as there are writers with much more eloquence than myself. But compared to the Boston show this past summer, I thought tonights show was tighter, had better sound quality, and was certainly "rocked" much harder than the other show. Perhaps this was due to the local, with KC thinking Boston is more familiar with their music, has more musicians in the audience (with Berklee), and is generally more sophisticated (please don't flame me. THis is a supposition, not a belief). The Springfield crowd was definitely less attentive, with lots of screams during the soft parts, a couple of inane "GO FRIPP" comments, and two requests for Freebird inserted at most inappropriate moments. The set itself was definitely much harder, with softer songs such as Onetime, and Heartbeat omitted. I got the set list off the soundboard so I know it is right. Drum Intro (Thrum on the set list) Thela Hun Ginjeet Frame by Frame Red Dinosaur Stix (Intro to Neurotica) Neurotica Sex, Sleep, Eat, Dream (just Sex on the set list) Three of a Perfect Pair People VROOM VROOM B'Boom THRAK Matte Kudasai Elephant Talk Indiscipline Encore I Three Drum Solo (not on set list) B'Bish VROOM Encore II Talking Drum Larks Tongue A couple of other notes. I was disappointed that they sampled AB's voice for Both Thela and Neurotica, and the set was a bit shorter than Boston, Fripp on the other hand, who stayed in the shadows in Boston, was much more visible (though never off his seat) and enthused. When the first set was over he shared a big grin with AB when they took their bows. Anyway, they continue to leave me amazed and in wonder. P.S. As I sat there listening I couldn't help wonder about Mr. Randall's comments and what that had to do with feeling and being moved by their music. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 14:23:28 -0500 (EST) From: Art Cohen Subject: Springfield comments -- not (really) a review So there I am at work, innocently(?) reading the paper, when I notice a *very* small item reminding me that King Crimson is playing in Springfield, Massachusetts that same night. I call my friend Christine: "Springfield?" "Yeah, Springfield." "How far is that?" "Two hours, I think." We call the theater; they say there are tons of tickets left. That's all we need to hear. I called two more friends who have never seen the King and as soon as we're all out of work, we're off... The Paramount Theater is a very nice theater -- much nicer than the Orpheum, and we get row H of the balcony (for $20!) even though the CGT have already started their first number! The balcony itself remained, I'd guess, 2/3 empty for the whole show. Springfield! Who knew? It was a real treat to see the band again, so unexpectedly. Here are the impressions I came away with. Pat M, in particular, is now *very* well integrated into the band. Several times, during some of the heaviest songs, I would notice that BB was taking, say, a 4-bar break while PM carried the tune (quite well). Seeing some more of the '80s material was great, and the choices were generally excellent, although I wouldn't complain if they resurrected "Larks' Tongues III." :) This could easily be the best version of King Crimson ever. This is the only band to flow effortlessly between every period of their existence. Consider this set-list fragment: Frame by Frame; Red; Dinosaur. This last song, of course, (explicitly) combines their earliest period (Lizard) with the present. The '80s band *played* some of the mid-70s material, but this band's *new* material is able to recall past eras as well (e.g., Thrak, Vrooom, Dinosaur). Strangely, this band's new material sounds the *least* like the '80s band, which makes the inclusion of more of those songs even more appealing, and (I think) emphasizes their musical breadth. I was overwhelmed by the sheer excellence of the music. Even more so than in the spring. Maybe the music was a little fresher for me last night, since I hadn't been listening to THRAK daily for two weeks beforehand (although I may resume that practice... he he he). Maybe the band was just gelling better due to the months on the road. Bill Bruford must be the most frustrating drummer to play with in the world... he seemed to switch his accents effortlessly from bar to bar... this was particularly apparent during the intro to "Indiscipline," to Tony's apparent amusement. Any lesser bassist would, I'm sure, wind up chucking their instrument at Bill's head before long! And Pat is beginning to play along. I wonder if the band thought that two drummers would mean one of them would always be keeping a steady beat! Ha! Now they have two drummers mucking around with the beat, stirring up the tempest that much more. I'm starting to hear Trey a *little* more. I think he's just cursed by always being in the same register as someone else. Although, like Bill, Tony stepped aside on several occasions to let Trey go off (or just carry the tune), and he didn't disappoint. And the two-stick duet before "Neurotica" was GREAT! Did I mention that this is one truly phenomenal band? The new little bits of improvisation were excellent. They don't even really need to be "fleshed out" for inclusion on a future album, in my opinion; they're nice introductory (or transitional) nuggets. The drum piece with Bill, Pat, and Adrian was especially good (why didn't Adrian get a solo??). * * * It occurred to me, at some point during the concert, that Crimson is one of the few groups from the original "progressive" movement who could re-invent themselves at this point in time, and still actually be considered *progressive* (in the dictionary sense). In some ways, they sound quite different than they did in 1984, but at the same time, it's like they've never been gone. Here's hoping they stick around for the next 26 years! --Art "Rock stars! Is there anything they don't know?" -- Homer Simpson [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 21:18:58 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Kelly Subject: Springfield MA Review (SPOILER) Here are my two cents re: the 11/17/95 show at the Paramount Theater in Springfeild, Mass. We were happy to see the California Guitar Trio take the stage and blown away by the end of their set. This is the third time we have seen them and it was the strongest performance to date, getting a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. They played a new song which was great as well as a crowd pleasing cover of the Dick Dale/Pulp Fiction Theme to close the set. Looking forward to the next album. We really enjoyed the Boston KC show earlier this year during the first leg of the tour. Given that experience and having had some time to listen to "B'Boom", our expectations were even higher this time around. WOW! They truly burned through the entire show! It was hard to catch your breath as "Matte Kudasai" was the only "quiet" moment. There were a number of things that really enhanced this show for our group including the changes in the set list, the lighting, better seats and the performances. Though I new about the set changes ahead of time, I didn't know if they would work.... they did. The lighting remained fairly subtle, but the minor changes really accentuated the different moods and solos. Belew was more energetic and thrilling on guitar. Levin was astounding - not a new experience but still.... The last time I was a disappointed that he didn't play his stick a little more. This time I couldn't keep my eyes off him as he reached for a different instrument. I know that David Cross is not viewed as the highest caliber of musician to have played in KC but I really miss his violin, feeling it added yet another dimension to the music. Levin filled that void well through bowing his electric stand up bass. I also enjoyed Mastelotto the most out of the three times I have seen him perform (2 KC, 1 Sylvian/Fripp). He seemed to be doing a lot of creative fills that I expected Bruford to handle. Bruford was great and a joy to watch...as always. What I could hear of Trey Gunn I enjoyed quite a bit. Unfortunately he seemed to be way down in the mix, even when the "spot light" was on him. I have grown to really enjoy his playing and would of liked to hear him better. The duet with Levin was great however and seemed a little longer than the first leg of the tour. Could have been longer still! Fripp seemed happier through the first half of the set actually smiling several times. He adopted his more customary poker face later on in the show. I think I enjoyed his playing more during first half though I can not point to anything specific. I continue to enjoy his soundscapes much more within the context of a band as opposed to on their own. The set list was as follows; Standing Drum Duet Thela Hun Ginjeet Frame By Frame Red (thought the theater would burst into flames) Dinosaur Nuerotica (my first time live - loved the arrangement) Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream Three of a Perfect Pair People Vrooom Vrooom Soundscape/B'Boom Thrak (longer improv this time, still not long enough!) Matte Kudasai Elephant Talk (seemed a little rushed but still fun) Indiscipline (ditto above) Encores Standing Drum/Percussion Trio (Bruford, Masteloto, Belew) (tons of fun!) Vrooom with Coda The Talking Drum Larks Tongue In Aspic Part II I may have enjoyed this show even more than the Discipline tour which was my thrilling introduction to all four members live. Vrooom - Thrak - B'Boom - Sizzle! I envy anyone seeing more than one date of this leg of the tour. Enjoy! [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 23:20:23 -0500 (EST) From: Gideon B Banner Subject: Partial Review of New Haven show Not much I can say. My mind is still reeling. Not a review: just some notes on the show. Set list was mostly the same as earlier shows, set-up the same, and so on. Saw KC this June in LA -- they were tight, had incredible power, knew what they were doing. But this show really went above that one in a number of respects. First, the interaction between band members was amazing, especially that between PM and BB. They were constantly watching each other throughout the show, even exchanging a few mouthed words now and then. It seemed as though each was almost daring the other to try something new and unique, and it certainly succeeded. The difference between the two is obvious, however -- PM has a really heavy hand, pushing every stroke, will Bill backs away quickly after every hit, very quiet, very delicate, perfectly on time. PM and TG seemed to have a bit of a rapport going, as Trey kept looking back over his shoulder as though to get in synch with Pat. Same with TL and TG (stick duet was very short but really incredible). And everyone except of course Fripp seemed to incredibly elated to be on stage. One thing that struck me -- all of them have impeccable posture. I remember reading in the interview with Trey Gunn (I think it's in the ET archives somewhere) that most Stick players he knew had horrible posture, bending over the instrument, breathing incorrectly, and so on. But Trey Gunn and Tony Levin had perfectly straight backs, only using their necks to look down at their instruments when necessary. Adrian, of course, was bouncing everywhere -- he seems to use his knees a great deal. Fripp -- well, what can I say? He might have been a statue but for his wrist. (And you could see him pretty well this show, unlike the LA show.) Bruford only uses his arms to reach cymbals -- all of his movement is concentrated in the wrists and lower arms; PM seems to have a sort of full body approach, feeling the beat carry him to the drum, using his pecs. Something I noted here that I'd never quite caught before -- one of the reasons that BB's snare snap is so distinctive is that he rarely strikes anything else while he hits the snare, so that it stands alone momentarily. I must confess, I almost yelled, "Trey, turn up your volume!" It was very hard to hear him except in certain sections, and even then one had to watch him to know what he was doing. Even so, the textures he adds to the songs are wonderful, he simply doesn't contribute directly in the same way that the others do. Oh, and he played a Warr Guitar the whole (no Stick as previously) -- this may have made him harder to hear. Some unique features of this show: the CGT played one of the songs from the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack, I forget which one. Very humorous, especially since it was preceded by their classical arrangements. I went up before the show to take a look at the instruments and set-up. Laying against a speaker in TL's corner there was what looked like the burnt shell of a guitar, with strings splaying out in different directions. I heard someone comment, "Maybe it's the guitar Jimi Hendrix set on fire." But during the show Adrian took a break to say something (he talked more than usual): "We have a special prop on stage tonight. Tony Levin's garage burned down two days ago, and all of his basses burned in it." At which point TL held up the shell of the burnt bass. The crowd gave a collective understanding sigh. "Ladies and gentlemen, Tony Levin burns up on bass guitar." Adrian again: "I'm sure five million of you will be watching the Beatles special two days from now. Well, I've got something special for you: a song that John Lennon recorded, voice, and piano, that has never been released. It's called "Free as a Bird."" I hoped for a second that they were about to break into a parody of "Free Bird", but to no avail. So he used the Midi guitar to create a piano effect, and sang this song by John Lennon. Go figure. It was great, but.... Go figure. Anyone know what those bars TL has on his fingers, by the way? They look as though they're made of wood, with green tips, but I really couldn't get a good look. Once more into the dugout.... [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 19 Nov 95 09:33:42 EST From: Jon Johnson <76614 dot 3063 at compuserve dot com> Subject: K.C. in New Haven; 12/18 So far I've mostly been a lurker here. Lack of time being an issue for me, sometimes three or four "issues" build up before I get a chance to read them. I always enjoy the comments, gossip, and philosophical issues raised. I saw K.C. last night at the Strand in New Haven and I was both astonished by the music and appalled by the inability of a few people to *listen*. Having found out about tickets several days after they had gone on sale I was seated in row Y, which is nearly in the back of the theatre. No big problem since the Strand isn't a terribly large place and I was simply happy to be there. As usual, the California Guitar Trio opened the show and their music transported me to a world of beauty and magic. Or, I should say, *would have* transported me had a couple of clods about ten feet in back of me not been carrying on a conversation all the way through the Trio's performance!!! Their conversation (I heard the phrases "Howlin' Wolf" and "CD-ROM" mentioned a couple of times, for what it's worth) spoiled the Trio's performance for me. "So why didn't you get up and ask them to take their conversation into the lobby?," you might ask. I don't know. I suppose I was hoping that security would ask them to quiet down so that I wouldn't have to get up and do the job for them. The fact of the matter, though, is if that kind of crap was being pulled in any classical performance, the offender would promptly be asked to either be quiet or to leave. It gets better. K.C. were brilliant, as I thought they would be, and I was perfectly prepared for a more vocal audience reaction. But *why* *why* *WHY* do people have to shout "YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!!" during the quiet passages?!!! For me one of the best parts of the show was when Adrian played a solo rendition of the upcoming new Beatles track, "Free as a Bird." In front of us some oafs started laughing for some reason but were told to be quiet. In back of us some buffoon shouted "YO! ADRIAN!!!" about halfway through the song. I've seen better manners at a Red Sox game, to be honest. A beautiful song and a one-of-a-kind performance were utterly *ruined* by a couple of morons who would probably have been better off at a Pantera concert. RF once said, "We respond to encouragement." As a musician, yeah, I think any musician appreciates enthusiasm. I know I do. What *I* also appreciate, however, is an audience that can *listen* rather than shouting "YEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!" during a quiet part of a song so that RF and the rest of the band know they exist for four seconds. I'm sorry if it seem like I'm taking this out on the New Haven audience. 98% of the people there *understood* how to properly respond. But to the 2% who didn't, here's my advice: Grow up. Maybe I'm making it sound a little worse than it was, but the Orpheum show in Boston earlier this year was *nothing* like that and I'd hate to think it was "a New Haven thing." --Jon Johnson 76614,3063 at compuserve dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] TIX [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: curts at astea dot com Subject: Longacre Tix 11/22 Date: Fri Nov 17 08:43:05 1995 Hi -- I have one ticket for the Wednesday night NYC show. Sixteenth row, center. Price is $50 -- no service charge to fellow fans. I'm in the Philadelphia area. Please e-mail me at curts at astea dot com or gregger at omni dot voicenet dot com. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] The views expressed in Elephant Talk are those of the individual authors only. Elephant Talk is released for the personal use of readers. No commercial use may be made of the material unless permission is granted by the author. Toby Howard, Elephant Talk editor. http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/staff-db/toby-howard.html toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]