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Toby and David c. 11.00 for the third consecutive day of interviewing for the upcoming KC documentary viddy.
I have been reviewing various writings, past and future, and have opened the folder: Kicking The Wasps’ Nest. This is at the top…
From Discipline, Number 127, Friday, 4 March 1994:
OPEN LETTER TO ROBERT FRIPP
I've been a big fan of King Crimson for many, many years and like a lot of other people, the unpredictability of the music is why I enjoyed it.
But now I hear you are reforming the band yet once again (goodl) and you ar using Adrian Belew and Tony Levin (bad!) in the "new" lineup. I'm sorry if I step on some toes here, but your collaborations with these guys have already been thoroughly exhausted LONG ago. I realize the 80s version of the band was exploring minimalism but that doesn't mean you need to get REDUNDANT.
"Beat" and "Three Of A Perfect Pair" were contractual obligations and though they had their (few) moments, they just took the music from "Discipline" and beat it to death. So it baffles me why you would reform the group in this format.
Also the new band is to include Trey Gunn who may be a nice guy but quite frankly has little to offer. I saw him play solo chapman stick and SURPRISE he played it EXACTLY like Tony Levin on "Discipline" (as do most Chapstick
players) . And as a student of yours, he has shown himself to be a fine CLONE but free of any originality. And Jerry Marotta does not have a reputation as the most creative drummer in town, so I question your desire to work with him.
I understand that you are putting the band together to make some quick cash to pay your bills but the reality is that lf you toured under the name "Kin Crimson" with a group of completely obscure musicians, you'd still draw a huge crowd especially since Crimson has had such a wide influence on so many different genres and music fans. So I do not comprehend why you are playing it VERY safe and going with the tried-and-true (albeit talented) Belew and Levin.
Certainly there are plenty of musicians you can work with that would make for a more compelling lineup. From Fred Frith to Vinnie Coliatu (?) there are lots of creative musicians to choose from in both the rock and avantjazz worlds. Many current rock bands are trying to cover some of the ground you forged, such as The Jesus Lizard, Primus and so on. Surely you could ask around and try out some fresh blood, Or move back to New York City because there is a lot of amazingly inventive and skilled musicians in the Downtown scene who've arrived since you left.
Plus with the conservativeness shown by your lineup choices, I'm afraid you won't tackle anything but that 80s sound you already produced. I'd like to see you subvert the very technical speed metal or industrial metal that arose after the last Crimson disbanded, Everything from goth music to house has learned a bit and could learn a lot more from Crimson. With some new blood, you could subvert hip-hop and techno structures, or the recent reemergence of funk and other very rhythmic musics, You could really kick the crap out of world beat, new age, grunge, or modern classical stuff. You could even get into the "unplugged" sweepstakes. But nooooooooooooo. You just want to rehash?
Wake me up when YOU wake up. CX Brodeur 63 Pitt St #5f, NYC 10002
"Cynicism is death to the artist."
