Then, immediately on the other side of the middle of the middle, and before the beginning of the end, we wait for the creative future to inform us. Here, part of what is required is the practising of patience, where we are sustained by our faith in the creative process.
We can't know the "what" of a creative future: if we did, it wouldn't be creative. So, in the Great Divide we experience degrees of discomfort: despair, a sense of dying, pain, are part of this & may be seen as trials & tests of our resolve & our commitment to serve the process. We invest more suffering in them than they rightly demand, and more than necessity asks. The degree of our suffering is partly determined by the demands we place upon the creative future: "I want my future to be creative - but it must be like this!"
This marks the transition from the "outer" to the "inner" process. We move from a concern with what we do, then to how we do what we do, then to the necessity at the heart of any process. When we undertake to act from necessity, rather than to achieve what we want for ourselves, all the rules change.
So, while we are "waiting", what do we do? We address our technique: the "how" of our "what". We develop a technique which has no concern for technique.
15.53
Last night's performance: my sense was that the band had arrived. The strength of the playing was matched by "simple" errors & mistakes, and "bad" playing. None of these were the outcome of "deliberate" strategies, like grandstanding or narcissism, so in my view they were all forgivable, if not quite acceptable.
But this is part of Crimson: land mines are built into the architecture of the pieces so it's impossible to play them on auto-pilot, even where they are well-played staples of the repertoire. Just one small change in external conditions, like the audio balance, or a stumble by one of the team, or Adrian's equipment breaking down, and everything teeters dangerously. Recovery is a major part of life in Crimson.
The sound in the house felt & sensed strong as well. Onstage, it's not possible to judge the sound from the auditorium. But my visceral experience onstage had a resonance which I trust.
Another key factor, which is more difficult to quantify or describe, is the contribution of the audience. No surprises to any generous reader of this Diary: the role of the audience is crucial. Where the audience affirms its "consumer rights" the performance has just died.
Last night one flash went off. This was the first I have seen here. There have been other violations, but they have been subtle.
19.32
Richard Chadwick has arrived. David Singleton, at DGM World Central, & I have had a call re: DGM's future.
20.34
David has called back with new hot ideas for the future.
"The more failures, the more successes."
