KING CRIMSON’S ROBERT FRIPP QUITS MUSIC BUSINESS, SAYING IT HAS BECOME ‘AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY’
by: Dave Swanson Yesterday


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King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp has granted a rare interview with the UK Financial Times to explain why he has given up on the music business. “I couldn’t concentrate on music, so I made the choice to give up my career as a musician in the front line to deal with the business.”

Apparently, this all stems from a recent altercation with music giant the Universal Group, who recently bought up a series of independent labels that own parts of his back catalog. Fripp believes this action has led to the release of unauthorized releases under his name.

He cites other examples of his music being used without his consent, notably in the Kanye West single ‘Power,’ which freely sampled the King Crimson classic ’21st Century Schizoid Man.’ The video scored one million plays on YouTube before Fripp was reportedly consulted. Fripp has been in a tangled legal dispute with Universal for the past five years, and now refers to his life as a professional musician as “a joyless exercise in futility.”

Over the last few years, the King Crimson catalog has been getting the royal treatment with expanded and deluxe editions. In thinking on his past endeavors, Fripp said “Going back to early King Crimson, the remarkable explosion of the creative impulse came from these young men who didn’t know what they were doing, yet were able to do it.” However, the legendary guitarist and musical visionary thinks this spirit is certainly lacking in the current climate. “What has changed in 40 years? It’s very simple: 40 years ago there was a market economy. Today there is a market society – today everything, including ethics, has a price.”

It shouldn’t all be about money, says Fripp. “Do you believe that Rostropovich was playing a cello just for a living? Do you believe that Hendrix was playing for money? Music is a language in which we can express our struggle with what it is to be a human being. This is at the center of what created King Crimson. Today I remain responsible for that… how can I lie to that? If I do, I cease to be human.”

A multi-disc deluxe edition of the 1973 Crimson classic ‘Larks’ Tongues in Aspic’ is set for release in October and will include 13 CD’s, a DVD and a Blu-Ray disc.

[ultimateclassicrock.com]

EDIT: Someone asked that I post the interview with Fripp.

The Financial Times asks that only a link be posted: [www.ft.com]





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-08 23:31 by Edith Grove.

Too bad Freezer didn't live to see this...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-08 19:11 by dcba.

That's too bad Edith Grove. You a big fan? I have the following King Crimson CD's:

- In the Court of the Crimson King

- Starless and Bible Black

- Larks’ Tongues in Aspic


Any other suggestions?

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2000 LYFH
That's too bad Edith Grove. You a big fan?

I wouldn't say a "big" fan, but I like them a lot and I have "Court" on vinyl but haven't played it in years.

I saw them live for the only time just a few years ago.

This is sad for us fans of Mr. Fripps guitar playing. He did say he's quitting being a "professional musician". Maybe for our sake he will still be an ameteur musician, for go the money and business and still occasionally play somewhere. Is playing for tips considered professional? peace

Not a huge fan, but "Court" set the bar for that kind of music. Great record.

Just goes to show why The Rolling Stones signed with Universal.

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Naturalust
Is playing for tips considered professional?

Playing for tips is considered "poverty."

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2000 LYFH
That's too bad Edith Grove. You a big fan? I have the following King Crimson CD's:

- In the Court of the Crimson King

- Starless and Bible Black

- Larks’ Tongues in Aspic


Any other suggestions?

Yeah. Try the early 80s stuff.






Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-08 21:26 by tatters.

I saw hin live once. Just him on stage with a light show and his Frippotronics.

Actually... when I say "I saw him"... I saw the headstock of his guitar because he decided to play behind his amps.

All a bit weird.

Love his guitar playing.





The monsters are coming.

Beautiful.

I Advance Masked was excellent

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GravityBoy
Beautiful.

What stands out to me now (of all things) is the drum sound. Totally dry and not saturated by reverb. Who was KC's drummer? (Sorry for my ignorance). Love this track.

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71Tele

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GravityBoy
Beautiful.

What stands out to me now (of all things) is the drum sound. Totally dry and not saturated by reverb. Who was KC's drummer? (Sorry for my ignorance). Love this track.

[en.wikipedia.org]

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71Tele

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GravityBoy
Beautiful.

What stands out to me now (of all things) is the drum sound. Totally dry and not saturated by reverb. Who was KC's drummer? (Sorry for my ignorance). Love this track.

Michael Giles on Drums and of course Greg Lake on Vocals/Bass.

Someone asked that I post the interview with Fripp.

The Financial Times requests that only a link be posted: [www.ft.com]

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Edith Grove

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Naturalust
Is playing for tips considered professional?

Playing for tips is considered "poverty."

Playing for tips is professional - you're getting paid.

Why, is "professional" confused with "rich"?

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Edith Grove

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Naturalust
Is playing for tips considered professional?

Playing for tips is considered "poverty."

Playing for tips is professional - you're getting paid.

Merely getting paid, be it tips or half the bar, isn't what make one a professional musician. When you make enough money from playing music where you can afford to chuck your day job, then you're a professional musician.

As for King Crimson, check out Red or the Great Deceiver box set of 1973-74 live performances. The Fripp-Bruford-Wetton-Cross lineup was as good as prog gets.

I've seen Fripp in a variety of contexts over the years: in Peter Gabriel's first touring band (1977), doing solo Frippertronics (1979, Eno 10 feet away apparently in a state of bliss, while Jerry Harrison was crashed out across the room), with two lineups of King Crimson, and doing solo Soundscapes (excruciating).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-11 05:19 by ab.

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Edith Grove
Universal Group, who recently bought up a series of independent labels

That "Universal" label is aptly named--it just swallows up everything in the music universe. Perhaps it's time for Star Wars: The Artist Fights Back, the series...

One positive note I see about all this music biz stuff is that artists are starting to help each other out more. Mostly because everyone is hitting the same dead end alley's and frustrations with the current model for music and musicians.

Not quite the spirit of community I read about in England and New York City that birthed the Beatles, Stones and the Who back in the 60's, but certainly a different and friendlier bird than the cut throat and unhealthy mess we have been through the last 2 decades.

In it's best incarnation this new cooperation amoung artists allows bands to share and exchange members which imho allows superb and magical combinations of musicians to happen together. The Led Zeppelin's of the future have better chances of meeting if some sort of community exists and sometimes frustration with the system is going to motivate people in that direction.

peace

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stonesnow
Perhaps it's time for Star Wars: The Artist Fights Back, the series...

It's already happening, content is easy to make and own these days, the banks that were the old companies are broke and much less necessary for any artist to distribute his product. Like the old days the bands on the road are profiting but most new artists are still giving it away for free.

The booking agents are the ones pulling most the strings for the still huge touring money, imho and distribution deals are all that's left for record companies to do except waste the artists money. Distribution is probably still a good ole boys club, son's of the ones who done what they done before, what it's worth to an artist is hard to quantify. Hard to fight what you can't see. peace

THIRTEEN CDs, one dvd and one bluray, and that's ONE deluxe edition of an LP.
Hey Mick, take notice ...

Anyway, thanks for the article post -- interesting!

great guitar work on Bowies' "Scary Monsters" LP

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21stcenturystones
great guitar work on Bowies' "Scary Monsters" LP

Yes, and on Heroes.

The Heroes guitar work took just 6 hours.. he got off the plane, went to the studio, did his stuff and went home the next morning.

In the studio they didn't tell him the key, chords or anything, they set the tape running with an instruction to "play like Albert King".

The end result was spikey, weird and nothing like Albert King.

It's glorious.

They had some "interesting" writing methods in Berlin.

Have some fun.

From The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer

King Crimson's first live concert was opening for the Stones at Hyde Park. You can see Fripp watching the Stones perform from the side of the stage in the film.

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Glam Descendant
King Crimson's first live concert was opening for the Stones at Hyde Park. You can see Fripp watching the Stones perform from the side of the stage in the film.

Their first official gig as King Crimson happened on 9th April 1969 at the Speakeasy, but they had played in Newcastle at the 2I's club under the Giles, Giles & Fripp name before that.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-09-11 00:30 by His Majesty.

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21stcenturystones
great guitar work on Bowies' "Scary Monsters" LP

My favourite guitar playing on any album ever, I think. Its absolutely mental.