=-> Quoting Stuart Dubois to Martin Ridgley:
 =-> re: Fripp teaching Boz Burrell to play bass...
 MR> ...started rehearsals in late February 1971 and by April were
 MR> ready to play their first gigs!
 SD> What a strange story.  I wonder what Wetton was doing at the time.
   Well, Fripp and Wetton had known each other for a long time.  They
 first met in college.  Wetton played with Family in 1970, and then very
 briefly with a band called, Mogul Thrash in early 1971.  Wetton, left
 that band in February or March 1971 and immediately called up Fripp to
 talk about playing together.  Fripp had just started rehearsals with
 Boz, though.  I guess if Wetton had called just two or three weeks
 earlier....  ;-(
   By October 1971, Fripp was looking for John Wetton again.  He wanted
 Boz to continue as lead vocalist and Wetton to come in on bass.  But
 apparently now, Wetton felt he wouldn't fit in musically with that
 incarnation of the band.  There was rumours at the time of a lot of
 dissent in the band, too.  Anyway, the group disbanded in April 1972.
 Fripp started putting together a new band and at that point Wetton
 was more than willing to join.  Also that's when Bill Bruford left Yes
 to join up with Fripp and Co.
 MR> Initially, I believe Adrian Belew was concerned about joining a
 MR> band that he felt was musically over his head.
 SD> I thought _Lone Rhino_ was a pretty good album, though not as
 SD> complex as the best of KC.  He has done pretty well.
   Yes, he's done very well.  I like _Lone Rhino_, but his second
 album, _Twang Bar King_ didn't do as much for me.  I don't have a
 lot of his solo material, but one that I *do* really like is _Young
 Lions_ (1990).  IMHO, his best stuff is on the two late 1980s albums
 by The Bears.  I think I may have mentioned them already in another
 message....
 SD> Fripp does a lot of weird things.  It's not an insult, just an
 SD> observation.  *I* do a lot of weird things.  He did a best of KC
 SD> called _A Young Person's  Guide to King Crimson_ which completely
 SD> ignored _Lizard_ and almost ignored  _LTIA_.
   Well, there's no doubt that a musician sees his work far differently
 than his fans do.  It's perfectly understandable to me that he might
 choose to ignore some things that we listeners have come to love.  It's
 a drag for us, but that's his choice.  I just read an old John Lennon
 interview in which he was talking about
 SD> He deleted a guitar solo of the remaster of _Discipline_.
   Whoa!  I never heard about that!  Which one?  I haven't heard that 
 re-issue, yet.  In fact, I've been looking for the re-mastered versions
 of all three of those early 80s releases on CD (_Discipline_, Beat_,
 and _Three of a Perfect Pair_), but it seems most stores around here 
 don't carry them.
 SD> He sits down at every concert, usually towards the back of the
 SD> stage.  Etc., etc.
   Yeah, he's talked about that in interviews.  He says that sitting
 down is by far the most comfortable way for him to play.  It's unusual
 to see in rock music, but it makes sense to me.  It's certainly better
 for one's playing technique.  Also, he has said that he doesn't like to
 expend his creative energies by moving around on stage.  He prefers to
 put that physical and mental energy directly into his playing.
 SD> There is no KC on Rhino's 5 disc prog compilation, and something
 SD> tells me Fripp was involved.
   Hmmm.... I haven't heard about that compilation, so I can't comment.
 If he was though, I personally think that from a purely artistic point
 of view, it's a smart move.  An artist's work is very important to
 him/her, and I could see Fripp not wanting to have it packaged in a
 generic format or to have it released `out of context' along side other
 music by other bands.   For example, I like the fact that you don't get
 any Beatles showing up on any of those 60s hits compilations.  You have
 to buy one of their albums.  That kind of makes their music special.
 I could easily see Fripp wanting to keep King Crimson music special in 
 a similar way.
 MR> ...Fripp has always been concerned with personal and ideological
 MR> harmony as well as musical harmony.  He searches for the right
 MR> combination of people and attitudes as well as for musicianship.
 SD> Yes, but he's famous for being picky about the music, and how 
 SD> it is played.
   That's fair enough.  That's just a sign that he's a focused artist.
 SD> David Cross got fired for showing up for gigs drunk.
   Bloody well right!  I would've fired him, too!  I've played with
 musicians who showed up drunk for gigs and there's *no way* I'd put up 
 with it in my band!  Geez, I honestly don't see how firing Cross for
 that reason makes Fripp any different from most professional musicians.
 SD> I certainly wouldn't deny his genius, though he has his ups and
 SD> downs.  I have nothing against Fripp, I just think he's a little
 SD> off, like most proggers...
   That's fair enough.  I'll agree that he's an odd character.  I just
 thought that your describing him as `a world class anal retentive' was
 a little too harsh and overly negative.  The man's certainly a bit
 eccentric, but then many geniuses are.  He's articulate, and intelligent
 though, a great guitarist, and certainly not impossible to work with, so
 I can forgive him a few weird idiosyncrasies.  Actually, I find him to
 be quite an interesting individual.   ;-)
   Cheers,
            Martin
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