Your Robert Fripp Moment

Most Fripp fans have no doubt seen this, but any Fripp thread needs this .......

 

Here's the promotional flier for the Robert Fripp concert and signing at
The World Financial Center, NYC (1992).

 

I met Fripp at Tower Records in Chicago June 6, 1998. It was a signing event after seeing ProjeKct Two over the previous two nights. I stuck around after he signed my ticket stubs for me and then he turned to the handful of us that were hanging around asking us if we would be interested in joining a club where DGM would release an archival CD every other month. I asked him if he took Visa lol. Someone asked him what he had in his archives and he said "I have everything!" That would become the idea for the DGM Collectors Club. A little later before we left I decided to ask if I could get a photo with him and he told me to come up next to him at the table and to kneel down for the photo. Before my brother took the photo Fripp gives me his empty coffee cup and says "You're having coffee with Robert!" So I have that photo of me and Fripp which is a great memory. I met Patricia Fripp many times at ProjeKct 2 and Crimson shows and I have a couple of her "I've Been Fripp-notized" buttons. Turns out my sister had hired her for a speaking event around that time which was kind of neat.

 

I once had a dream where I saw Robert Fripp in a grocery store. In the dream I went up to him and started to ask him a question. He got all discombobulated until it dawned on him that I was just asking if he knew which aisle the pasta was in.

 

Wow. Your dream kinda happened to me. He spent a lot of time here in Nashville at one point, and I had seen Crimson (double trio) at a local club here, so I knew he was lurking around this city.
Anyway, one Saturday, I went to the grocery store just like I do every week, and I walk down an empty aisle. Walking the opposite way was Robert Fripp! I was dumbfounded. The weirdest thing was that his grocery cart was empty. I caught his eye and just nodded as he passed me. I had heard the horror stories of people trying to approach and/or talk to him, and decided it was better to leave him alone. I did want to let him know with that nod that I knew very well who he was. It got him to smile, which is something I rarely have seen him do.

 

How about posting the photo ?

 

Patricia Fripp has always been very nice to me. When I attended the Nashville Warm Up long weekend of gigs at ''12th & Porter'' she gave me this.. which was odd since they were for sale.
c., May, 2000.








When Crimson played Atlanta twice the last U.S. tour, we were going to share a cab after the show.. but our hotels were in the opposite direction. I was somewhat astounded that she would have to do that.

 

I don't have it readily available at the moment, but that is a good idea. I was at three of the four 12th & Porter shows in 2000 that you were at. Those were so cool to be a part of the warmups. I have that box set of Robert Fripp Unplugged cassettes.

 

Somewhere there is a YouTube documentary on Robert Fripp wherein he relates his rather sudden change in outlook and philosophy in the mid-70s that caused him to abandon King Crimson and pursue other interests. It’s all very deep and philosophical yet relatable, and I think really does strike a chord in those of us who wonder “why are we here and what are we doing?” I don’t know the man although he did sign my record jacket, but everything I’ve heard and read about him leads me to believe that he’s a deeply spiritual man, although not in the conventional “religious” sense. I wish I could play the guitar like him.

 

Absolutely! Such a memorable weekend.. I had been talking with Ian Wallace, and we planned to meet up at one of the shows. I flew in from Atlanta, and stayed with a group of guys I had met on the old Crimson E.T. web site.. Totally wild! I met them and it all worked out so well. I lost contact with them, but wish I knew who they were. Ian and his wife came the one night, we all hooked up after the show. Ade gave me his concert used pick, and I got photos with everyone... except Fripp, who was nowhere to be seen .. Ha!

Would love to see the Fripp pic, quite rare..

 

I believe I may have seen that, it may be one of the interviews where he spoke a bit on the J.G. Bennett
studies, and time he spent looking at that. He has dealt with such a no nonsense ethereal look at such things, a lot of mystery there. He would by his nature not be too revealing..
I found an interesting and somewhat revealing old interview with Toyah, where she talks about some
things.. and mentions RF.

 

Yeah similar story for me. I met Ade, Trey, Pat, Patricia - got Ade's pick, photos and autographs with them but no Fripp in sight. I also was at The Cannery in Nashville for the debut of P2 on Feb 20, 1998 (hey that was yesterday!) in the front maybe 5 feet from Fripp's chair. I could hear him clicking his pedals. I was also at the warmups in 2001 at 12 & Porter. I should not only dig out the photo with Fripp but I should possibly look at redeveloping it and maybe brightening it up a little (there were windows behind us).

 

@Ram4 - You got me thinking about the warmup gigs in Nashville, I was certain it was 2000. I went in to my KC binder, a bunch of tickets dated in May, but there is no year on the ticket stubs.. but I'm certain it was 2000. Wasn't it ? ... I also found ticket stubs for 12th & Porter for 2001. I obviously went both years. Crazy!?

 

Sam the Record Man singing for some live Thrak live CD. He seemed to be in a fine mood, I told him I wish I had brought Cheerful Insanity of GGF for him to sign, he replied in his inimitable voice "I have never received royalties on that record". I had him sign Absent Lovers and the Thrak thing. Also attended a solo soundscapes show where he spent 45 minutes answering mostly inane questions from the audience. The first time I saw Fripp was at the CNE with the League of Crafty Guitarists. I suppose I should see him for what must surely be the last time around when he comes to Toronto this summer.

 

An interview here, where Bennett & Gurdjieff are briefly discussed, and a short video where Robert discusses what led him to his stay at Bennett's Sherborne House .....

Interview with Robert Fripp by Stephe Pritchard and Thos. Brooman for Recorder Three - ETWiki


Robert Fripp on Sherborne

 

That's because she wasn't a member of the League of Gentlemen.

 

This was fun! Toyah tamed the Fripp beast!

 

I first met him early 90's after a robert fripp string quintet show at the coach house in southern california. Waited hours after the show for him to come out and he was very gracious and talkative. He signed all items and answered any questions we had. I got some cd's, posters, records signed personally. A truly memorable night. I've since seen him numerous times before/after shows and he will not even look you in the eye as he walks by/around you. Sucks, but at least I did meet him and he is cordial depending upon the circumstances. Just don't try before/after crimson concerts lol. It is strange though, since he is revered by many and seems like he's passing up a simple lucrative opportunity. I saw him sell off some of his personal vintage gear/guitars online. Why not just charge for an autograph(s) before/after a show if he wants easy money (no pun intended). I'd pay 100+ for an autograph from fripp personally. Why not sell worn out guitar picks for 200+ each at the show. I'd buy one and i'm sure there are many other fans who would do the same. Anyways, he is a fantastic musician/guitarist and it was great that I was able to meet him.

 

Robert did a soundscapes session in the Virgin Megastore, Dublin, in November 1996. He stayed around afterwards and signed for fans. He signed a number of albums and CD box sets for me after the session and we had a nice chat.

I attended the two public Aylesbury shows by KC in 2016 and managed to get all band members (exceptRobert) to sign my programme afterwards. I have signed up for a Celebration Package for the RAH this year so a (fully) signed programme in almost in the (tote) bag.

 

Personally, I would not pay any money for an autograph from anybody, and maybe only a little for a pick. I might pay a premium for his old Les Paul or its copy, fuzz box, or Marshall amp!

I would love to sit down and have a conversation with Fripp - he's got so many interesting ideas. I think I understand somewhat about his need to decompress after a performance, and I can imagine that after such a long career he's pretty fed up with pushy ("vampiric", as he puts it) fans, but I don't think I'll ever really understand his kind of rudeness. He's a character, that's for sure, and not a very social one.

 

That's funny. His sister is a big name in the field of public speaking, as a speaker and as a top-of-the-line (read: expensive) coach. She is great, and often mentions her brother with love and respect, not in a riding-the-coattails way.

 

Charging money for autographs? Surely that would be the end? Can't even imagine it.

 

My introduction to Fripp was through Frippertronics. In 1980 and 1981 we got two Frippertronics releases. I was drawn in by David Byrne being involved. Once I heard these two albums (God Save the Queen and Let the Power Fall) I was sold.

Sadly nothing much happened to Frippertronics after that. Perhaps there are some downloads out there. I've heard Fripp use the technique, but never in the purist way we got on those two albums.

Still love these albums. They're austere, simple, and genius.

Of course, taking Fripp farther means finding out about all the other things he's done. Not sure, to my mind, that he'll ever better those though (not in terms of quality par se, but in terms of impact).

 

I've got No Pussyfooting. It's my only album with Fripp on it. Is that what he calls Frippertronics? It struck me as being Terry Riley but using a guitar as the key sound source. Even Riley did not really continue with that method after the 60s/early 70s. It feels like there's a limit to how far it can be explored/developed.

 

His work with Brian Eno is wbere my interest in his musical output starts and where it might eventually finish is with his work with Bowie. I'm really late to the party in all three artists' case.
Prog rock has always completely missed its mark with me, so the much vaunted early Crimson albums are for others to judge.