CRIMSON TECHNICIAN: ROBERT FRIPP
In the world of rock guitar heroes it’s often hard to separate the musician from the myths that have grown up around him.
In the world of rock guitar heroes it’s often hard to separate the musician from the myths that have grown up around him. In the case of Robert Fripp the problem reaches new extremes. Among fans of British art rock, Fripp is legendary for his work with the original King Crimson, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, David Bowie, and others. Recently, though, he’s been the object of scorn as much as reverence, doubly unfortunate as it obscures the fact that despite all of the words written about him, the man remains a unique and extraordinary guitarist.
This fact was first brought to the attention of the rock world (after an interesting but short-lived venture known as Giles, Giles and Fripp) by the release of the debut album by King Crimson, In The Court Of The Crimson King. In retrospect it’s easy to overlook the impact the album’s blend of classical and rock had upon its release in 1969, when it sent a generation of English musicians scurrying to look up the word “Mellotron” and presaged the whole technoflash school of rock pomposity. If he had retired immediately thereafter, Fripp’s contribution to that album alone would guarantee him a certain measure of rock immortality.
