Robert Fripp's Diary

Monasterio Nuestra Señora De Los Ángeles

07.11

Monasterio Nuestra Señora De Los Ángeles / Monjas Dominicas
Mare de Deu del Roser, 2.
Sant Cugat (08174),
Barcelona.

Rising at 06.10.

08.47     Morning Sitting at 07.30. Breakfast at 08.00.            

A comment at the end of breakfast:

We will be leaving this protected space, where something is already available to us - for free. All we have to do is be here within the walls, and something is already waiting. At the venue we need to define the space, that is, define the boundaries; organise the space; protect the space; and hold the space; that is, to maintain the space. What is this? Perhaps, to hold a sense of our personal presence; and the presence of something larger that we know from our work in the Circle.

This is our responsibility: to provide a taste, an experience, that an innocent audient might sense and which, in daily life experiencing, is not quite available; or not easily so.

11.35 A meeting with Hernan and discussing all manner of various arisings, including one of the students in the House who has been giving cause for concern.

On occasion, since around my mid-twenties, I have found that when I looked at the faces of various people, their face has changed: the face becomes someone other than the person I know. Over time, I have come to understand this as seeing a particular “mask” of one of the many different little people that are aspects of our personality, and who surface from time to time in our behaviour. In these small “points of seeing” a distinct piece of personality, one aspect that comprises the total personality, becomes more clearly revealed,

In developing a practice, we come to know the various little people who make up the rank and file of our “personal orchestra”; in time we establish “section leaders”, possibly even a “principal player”, who work under the direction of the “conductor”, who serves in turn the creative insight of the “composer”. We know that members of the rank and file are not who-we-are; nevertheless they are aspects of what-we-are. We develop a distance from them so that, when any character steps onto the stage and seeks to take over, we remind them of their status and put them to work, or return them to the green room. When we know them better, and they accept direction, we may bring them out from time to time to play a useful role in any of our particular undertakings. The key is, the conductor / director (to mix musical and dramatic metaphors) directs their activities and, when the part they play in the drama is no longer useful, they leave the stage.

If we undertake any work in public, a broadly-based ensemble of character-players is more than useful: it is necessary. But, once the players take over, trouble: distance is lost, direction is lost.

On one particular instance, in the Spring of 1976 while at Sherborne House, as I looked at a visitor, their face became a series of rapidly moving faces, or masks, that kept shifting in an ongoing sequence. Their “personal ensemble” was on display. As I became better acquainted with the visitor, it became clear to me that whenever they made an agreement, the following day that agreement was reneged upon: the person who made the agreement was no longer in charge.

On this course there is a face on a person giving cause for concern, replacing the face I usually see them wearing. The face on current display is someone inside them who is not, to my eyes, a good person. If I listen closely, I can almost hear this character saying not-good things and the student is listening to what they say. Most likely, this situation is related to medication being taken. As noted before, Guitar Craft is not properly a therapists office, a surgery, a rehab clinic, an asylum; it’s just that a course often feels like this, primarily because these are functions we are pushed to assume.

Hopefully, there is an honourable settlement available with Island UMG prior to the beginning of the performance series this evening.

Hard news has just come in from England.

13.44 Lunch at 13.00 with a superb performance by Alberto Mesirca.

A call from Toyah in reference to a family matter of great importance.

15.04 A superb early-afternoon buffet has been presented, to support the spirits of those soon setting-off to the performance space in Barcelona. Day sheets.

I…

II…

Front door call for 16.30.

00.31 Punctually into the SergyMobile.

I…

II…

… arriving at el CAT a little after 17.00, the theatre’s opening-time.

Fine-tuning programmes in the Solar Voyager. Soundcheck with The LCG at 18.00.

I…

II…

III…

IV…

V…

At 19.00 cameras arrived for tv news. Even, I played with The LCG on camera.

A SoundSculpture of some ambiguity set up, sculpting in quadraphonic, to welcome arriving audients. Doors open at 20.30.

Acoustic performance at 21.00 from The ESP led by Martin, beginning at the back of the venue and moving to the front. A sufficient proportion of audients had arrived to make this real, and an honourable presentation.

Multi-lingual announcements by five of the Team c. 21.20

Overall, a good show and the performance was well-received by a (mostly) supportive audience. A Japanese man in the front row was equipped with recording gear and camera. He was very pissed that the data was wiped. Surprisingly, and against direct instructions to the security staff, he was allowed back in. This allowed him to return to his front-row centre seat and glower ill-will and seething resentment towards Hernan and Robert (at least) from a prominent position.

Onto the street…

… and into the SergyMobile…

… returning to the monastery…

… arriving c. 10 minutes ago.