World HQ.
An e-mail this morning from Mr. Big Cheese at Sanctuary. Mr. BC approves the Diary posting for 1st. April.
Also in my e-post --
Subject: Request for Paul Morley to interview Robert Fripp.
An interview request has come in from BBC Radio Two for Paul Morley to interview me regarding his thesis that many characters in rock have an art school background. Of the English kind, notable examples given by Paul are John Lennon, Ray Davies & Mick Jagger. Bryan Ferry & Captain Eno also spring effortlessly to mind. My response to the BBC --
many thanks for your interest. currently, my mind is not oriented towards verbal composition - musical thinking is very different - and so please excuse me if i decline your interview offer.
the point i would probably make, given the basic premise of paul morley's argument, is something like...
rock music that worked to/followed some form of conceptual basis/procedure often originated from those with an art school background, as paul argues. their training was not, however, primarily musical. this is why much of their playing (to a trained musician) sounds poor - the characters didn't have a musical background, nor instrumental training - but found their way by following their particular (non-musical) Muse.
many of the musicians, who were better players and had more musical training, could play "better" - but didn't have the interesting thinking & ideas & procedures of the art school graduates. "too many notes" in satin trousers with flashing lights & incomprehensible lyrics...
please forgive me if i don't give specific examples of the witless adventures of young musicians & aspirant artists whose "concepts" lacked substance but whose vacuity was well played; nor interesting thinkers who couldn't play in tune in tone and in time.
over several decades, some of the art-schoolers acquired musical skills. i'm not sure the converse is true.
"Offer no violence."
