Robert Fripp's Diary

Basement Belewbeloid Mount Juliet Tennessee

08.56

Basement Belewbeloid, Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

Rising at 07.00.

Morning reading for a Sunday morning: an FT by the back door…

Back to practising I…

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10.38  First reports are coming in from last night at the Belcourt. These include the Fripp doesn’t do what I think he should do! He doesn’t give me the respect I know I deserve! That awful man! variety of posting with which I am long familiar.

I give myself permission to do what I need to do, in order to do what I do. In this, I do not seek to offend; neither do I present apologies. It’s what it is, because it has to be like that. And I would have thought that, by now, that’s not only a given but known to be a given.

The criterion I apply is simply defined, available to easy applicability & verification aftewards, and takes the form of a question: does this (whatever the particular instance might be) support my playing? If the answer is no, then I don’t do it; this regardless of & mostly despite the implicit & explicit pressure of friends, business interests and innocent audients who only want to be acknowledged in a variety of destructive forms.

Some examples of no include:

business meetings;

press & media meetings;

social meetings;

e-frenzying;

autography;

fan photography & recording.

That is, mostly the confusion of personal & impersonal.

I note, on the basis of 39 years performance in the front line, the seeming disconnect between behaviour & an acceptance of responsibility for that behaviour by almost everyone I have ever met, or almost met. This includes young & old, mature & immature, fans & un-fans, those with an established practice or none at all, those who aspire to Right Conduct & not, professional & punter, personal & professional friends and acquaintances from all periods in my life. Each & every day of my professional life I might be consumed, somewhere / anywhere on the line between the points of sucked-dry & eaten-alive.

Everything we do has effect, whether we know it or not; whether we accept responsibility for it, or not. In my world, what you do effects & affects me. Long experience, and extensive online commentary & interaction with enthusiasts & fans & audients, suggests that an appeal to reason, courtesy, manners & mutually-consensual behaviour fails to connect with the unreasonable, rude, egotistical, narcissistic & those locked in reaction. More disturbing than this is where reasonable people seeking to act in accordance with principles of Right Conduct, do not – I just couldn’t help myself!

So, I give myself permission to do what I need to do, in order to do what I do. In this, I do not seek to offend; neither do I present apologies. It’s what it is, because it has to be like that; much as I wish it were otherwise.

14.46  Lotsa pre-packing for the road...

15.10 Off to the Belcourt via Best Buy in Mount Juliet.

23.37  The Second Night I…

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A different set list from last night, with a better structure & overall form.

A tasty selection of Clams Crimsoniques. My own were partly a result of Adrian moving to in-ear monitoring: Ade turned down from his soundcheck settings to accomodate. In the sound check, I’d had Ade turned up & set to audible; so, when it came to Frame By Frame & TOAPP, I couldn’t hear the right hand to my left. And, perhaps because of sitting on top of the bass bins, I couldn’t hear pitch either. But, that’s what it is & we do the best we can.

Superb drumming; a masterful T Lev; and I have no idea how Ade manages to do what he does – all at once. For me, I do what I can to keep up.

A generous audience.