Robert Fripp's Diary

Responses to the Guestbook eddie

1. eddie kollman ([email protected])
canada

RF: Anyone who reads the Guestbook or Elephant Talk should be better informed than this: the "level of worship" is nicely balanced with blasts of hostility & nastiness, much like Eddie's.

Walking onstage with the intention of playing music is, in one world, arrogant.
In another world, foolish.
In another world, courageous.
In another world, utterly necessary.

RF: It's true, as Eddie points out, that Fripp presents himself as an object of homage & veneration at every stage door on four continents, shamelessly gladhanding & cultivating personal popularity among the hordes of uncritical adulants. But would Eddie be kind enough to direct me to where that awful Fripp has suggested that "an artist is a superior person deserving of homage"?

And, as a point of practicality, what does Eddie understand by "getting over themselves"?

When Dan rejects a posting, this is not a rejection of criticism per se: it conveys Dan's assessment of the quality of that criticism. This is not difficult: stinky postings have an aroma around them that is difficult to miss. The Guestbook welcomes criticism (as well as other commentary) and the DGM site has a review page. So, to infer that criticism does not have its place here is, well, impressively dopey.

Criticism of any value begins at the point where the critic stands face to face with the subject / object of their enquiry (that is, has put themselves out of the way or "got over themselves") and presents an insight into the nature of that subject / object.

A review of any value begins with simple, clean reportage;
moves from there to an embrace;
then participation;
then to union.

Eddie's postings fail to convey to me his insights, & his ill-mannered commentary lacks a leavening wit which would make it acceptable to someone whose life is becoming increasingly valuable to them, and therefore more discriminating in their reading material. Emitic trumpetings are better directed toward Emitic Trumpetings, which shares Dan Kirkdorffer with the DGM Guestbook and has lesser criteria for accepting contributions. If you come here, you are held accountable should you wander out in public with your head placed too far from sunlight to see your way, and then express opinions about the weather.

There's no shame in being dopey; but not knowing when we're being dopey is a properly unacceptable degree of ignorance.

2. David Kirkdorffer: I read your Steve Albini link (August 8th.) after posting Mr. Albini's article to the Diary.

3. Robert Pascarella ([email protected])

RF: Versatility is the aim of the Happy Gigster who aspires to craft and/or professional acceptance. The "ultimate aim of any artist": perhaps to be true?

23.40
A day of e-flurrying, reflection, reading. An evening with Toyah: dinner and walking around the city.