Robert Fripp's Diary

Hotel Acceptable Quebec The Sidney

Hotel Acceptable, Quebec.

The Sidney Smith has been in touch with David Singleton & myself. Sid has a bootleg of the World Trade Center Soundscapes from November 2000 and wonders whether it might be made publicly available. My reply --

something was going on in these performances, on the second & third days. it doesn't quite translate into the DAT tapes we have, so i'm interested in these versions. and the new DGM site would be a perfect vehicle.

playing live, the player responds to the space & the people in it. the music is a bridge. when we analyse or discuss music, we tend to look at the bridge rather than its function. both are valid, and are only two approaches of several available.

13.06

An eruptile e- & telephonic flurry, addressing many concerns.

23.16

Crimbus, outside Hotel Acceptable, Quebec.

King Crimson returns to the band! It is astonishing how much better we play when we can hear each other, hear ourselves, are half-way rested, in 90% health, taking care with our playing, and have an audience that provides anything the band could not. After three dispiriting and unsettling performances, this was the refreshing & enlivening element that was needed to power us forward.

And how wonderful to wake up in the same town that we're playing that day. The soundcheck gave us an opportunity to address small incremental details, improving the newer material by re-voicing & slightly re-arranging; improving the relatively-older material by addressing the details of our playing. A personal example: not becoming excited in Larks' IV. I play much better if I'm just playing, and not being disturbed by wanting-to-be-excited by the playing.

It doesn't matter very much to the quality of a performance if we like it or not; but it matters very much if we want to like it. Then we place a demand on the performance that acts to undermine it. If we let go of this demand, something comes back that is much more valuable. Letting go of the demand, we give the music the space to come to life. Then, the music quickens us in return. Joy, wonderment, bliss arising.

There was a flash at the end. Pity. And at one particular point, I felt violation. But it did not hang around. As to why, I make no comment.

Pat is becoming more Beastly than ever. Trey's double Beastliness is astonishing. Adrian is a Beast. Hooray! The tour began again today.

Snow everywhere. It is very cold.