Robert Fripp's Diary

Tuesday 08 May 2007

Hotel Quite Good Menton LgtR

20.59

Hotel Quite Good, Menton.

L>R I…

L>R II…

L>R III…

L>R IV…

Behind the hotel…

The purpose of my visit is to accompany the Minx here on business. It is not often that I mention my Wife’s affairs in the same paragraph as discussions of Endless Grief. Perhaps it is not well known that my Wife was managed by EG between 1983-91 when the Main Men in charge of her affairs were Messrs. SG Alder & MA Fenwick. Those readers who visit this Diary regularly, and sufficiently generous of their time & interest, may recall the occasional reference to these partners, the "Good Guys renowned for their probity and sound business practices" who set the standard in an industry well known for its deceit; Mr. Alder himself a trustworthy and "honest, God-fearing family man", a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a freemason, adviser to the Palace, philanthropist serving several charitable bodies, notably as Secretary, Treasurer & Chairman of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (for which, during the mid-1980s, he anticipated a knighthood). Mr. Alder is also the business and professional manager who, on February 22nd 1976, advised me to assign my copyright interests to EG, to enable them to "collect the royalties, protect my interests & the copyrights around the world"; misleading & inaccurate advice constituting a textbook example of conflict of interest: benefiting the advisor to the detriment of the advised. The sale of those copyrights, in the wake of the partners’ financial troubles as Lloyd’s Names and the collapse of the Old Chelsea property company, brought the partners’ activities more attention than was usual, or welcomed.

I am not, of course, suggesting that Mr. Alder had anything to hide, and I know this because he told me so in addition to the other favourable comments quoted above. How this squares with EG’s widespread use of gagging orders I have not yet, in the intervening 16 years, been able to reconcile; but in time, perhaps I shall. The relevance, in this context, is that in 1991 with EG in collapse mode, c. £4,000,000 having being leant from the EG Music Group to a company under the partners’ common control; much artist income due from the EG Music Group not being paid to the artists over a 2-year period; my Wife regularly walking home to Chelsea from working in a West End theatre because she didn’t have enough for a taxi; Toyah decided to quit the management of Messrs. Alder & Fenwick, leave immediately & rebuild her professional life (while I chose to stand & fight). Some might find it astonishing that Toyah, who joined EG in 1983 at the height of her early success, left EG after 8 years not only with less than when she went in, but very much less. Some might also find it astonishing to have heard, or read, nothing of this at the time, or since; particularly given that Toyah has a high press profile & written an autobiography.

No doubt there is a simple explanation for the decline in my Wife’s financial affairs while at EG, but not one that I shall hear from her: the price of her leaving EG was a Settlement Agreement, which included a gagging clause.

On November 5th. 1991 EG’s solicitor informed Toyah’s solicitor that she must not speak to me about EG: All matters ... are confidential even between your client and her husband. And on November 14th. 1991 EG’s solicitor threatened Toyah, via her solicitor, with legal action to enforce the gagging clause.

This is an authentic taste of management by the EG that had developed under Mr. Alder: control. Control of income (eg no client accounts for either of us); control of information (eg by gagging orders); control of personal initiative (eg by total management of artist affairs). Control was the Chief Feature of EG. An EG in-house manager, who joined the company in 1977, told me during the Endless Grief period: the first thing they taught us was, control the artist. If an artist looked like escaping a form of control, then threats followed; as above, and as with myself on April 17th. 1991. An EG employee of many years said to me (c. May 1991), at the Blenheim House offices of the EG Music Group, of Mr. Alder: he’s vicious when cornered. Of course, I can’t possibly comment on the accuracy of a personal view of that particular employee of many years experience at EG. But Mr. Alder was cornered by 3 particular circumstances: Lloyds’ & Marine 475, the collapse of the UK property market, and the delay in the sales of the EG Records & publishing catalogues to Virgin & BMG respectively (which covered the £4m hole in the EG Music Group). The fourth corner was a decline in the UK music industry.

I was party to all my Wife’s affairs prior to the signing of the Settlement; and I am familiar with her non-EG affairs since. After 1991the Minx rebuilt her career ex-EG with an enthusiasm, drive & commitment that have earned my admiration & respect. She has developed remarkable entrepreneurial skills (given the freedom to do so) of which I am in awe. Her instincts & intuition have proved sounder than that of many / most of her professional & financial advisers.

And this is why we are in Menton: to follow the latest arising in my Wife’s business affairs; initiated & driven by Her, Herself.

On the way to the new initiative I…