“[Frippertronics] is a wonderful way of playing for me. It has its limitations but it has its advantages. It’s so peaceful for me. At the same time when I’m twitchy, or, may I say when the audience are twitchy, because it’s that sensitive a way of working, the music flies off in a very edgy area. But there are times when you simply find the note of the room, because the notes which rooms have vary, and it’s not only a physical note, there’s a tempo between the machines and the hall and the audience, and if you can hit it just right it’s wonderful. It’s fabulous. And it’s also a really cheap way of touring.”
The last 15 minutes or so of the lecture contains a sparkling account of Robert's accretion of techniques and their application to Giles, Giles and Fripp and King Crimson - oh, and why a fuzzbox was a must-have. The musical examples with which Robert illustrates his lecture make this particular lecture unmissable.
AUDIO SOURCE: Official Cassette And Quarter Inch Reel
“[Frippertronics] is a wonderful way of playing for me. It has its limitations but it has its advantages. It’s so peaceful for me. At the same time when I’m twitchy, or, may I say when the audience are twitchy, because it’s that sensitive a way of working, the music flies off in a very edgy area. But there are times when you simply find the note of...
I am glad for the chance to hear this show again. I was there that night, just a few days after my 17th birthday. At that time I think the only Fripp-related album I had heard was Larks Tongues. I still remember the first time I listened to that album. It was a Saturday morning, and a friend played it for me. I had never heard anything like it. When we heard that Fripp was going to play in Princeton, there was no question of whether or not to go.
Alexander Hall is a beautiful, distinctive pl...
I am glad for the chance to hear this show again. I was there that night, just a few days after my 17th birthday. At that time I think the only Fripp-related album I had heard was Larks Tongues. I still remember the first time I listened to that album. It was a Saturday morning, and a friend played it for me. I had never heard anything like it. When we heard that Fripp was going to play in Princeton, there was no question of whether or not to go.
Alexander Hall is a beautiful, distinctive place. Hard to imagine a better venue for that tour. When we arrived a few minutes before the doors opened, Fripp was actually playing on the stage. We watched him through the windows. When they let us in, he was still playing, and continued to do so for a few minutes before walking off stage. I suppose he was just running a bit late for the sound check, but it was an unusual thing which made quite an impression. The 17-year-old me would hardly have been more surprised had Fripp levitated while playing.
I had never heard Frippertronics prior to this show, but I fell for it right away. It was so different from any music I knew, like entering another world. (I did not yet know that the color of that world might be green.) Then there was the unusual element of having an evening which was a combination of music and basically lecturing. I certainly had not seen anything like that before, nor have I since.
When I look back, this show represents a significant expansion of my understanding of what music could be. It hit me at just the right time. I believe this was a key moment in the development of what has become a lifetime of musical exploration. Yes, for better or worse, I credit/blame this show!
This recording confirms my memory of the quality of the music that evening, and I am unironically glad that Fripp has made it possible for me to spend my hard-earned cash for the chance to relive that experience.
Written by David F Snyder
Great sound
I love the Frippertronics of course, but the lecture and Q&A were excellent. A clear, cogent, honest explanation of his development as a guitarist, for one thing. The demo of the use of the fuzz box to overcome the "feebleness" of the guitar was awesome and visceral! So: strong frippertronics, but even stronger Fripp! Buy this!
