King Crimson, Fripp continue to push boundaries

Robert Fripp is, by most accounts, a jerk. But the driving force behind the pioneering progrock band King Crimson is also, by most accounts, a musical genius. I got a taste of both sides of Fripp, a visionary guitarist who literally invented new and unheard of ways of playing the instrument over his 30-plus year career, when a couple friends and I drove from Rochester, N.Y. to Toronto to see King Crimson in concert. \nIt's important to note at this point that King Crimson, one of the most idiosyncratic bands in rock history, inspires rabid devotion among the group's most diehard fans. Over three decades, Crimson managed to change their sound so many times that it's now impossible to pigeon-hole the band. Their discography simply defies definition and their fans respond to such eclecticism with fanatical love. \nWhat's funny (or sad, depending on your point of view) about the relationship between King Crimson and their fans is the fact that Fripp is a grump and a curmudgeon who, in many ways, views his fans with contempt. He refuses to sign autographs or even engage in small talk with fans, and he frequently launches into venomously sarcastic diatribes on the band's web site. And, as I and my Toronto-bound friends learned first-hand, Fripp will cut short a concert if anyone does anything to piss him off. \nBefore the concert we learned that, when the audience behaved, Crimson was ending concerts on that tour with a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes." Fripp produced and played guitar on the original. Unfortunately, someone in the audience snapped a flashphoto of the band as they played. That was apparently enough for Fripp. Once the group finished its current selection, Fripp made a beeline for the backstage area, and the show was over. No "Heroes." It was a long drive home to Rochester. Still, despite the abrupt ending, it was a great show. The band ripped through a healthy dose of the Crimson catalogue and did it with gusto. \nAnd what a catalogue it is! King Crimson made its debut in 1969 with In the Court of the Crimson King, an album that pushed rock's boundaries much farther than the previous, wimpy efforts of bands like the Moody Blues. The album included the haunting ballad "Epitaph," as well progrock classic "21st Century Schizoid Man," a bizarre song that featured distorted vocals by Greg Lake (Emerson Lake and Palmer) and rocking (yes, rocking) reeds by Ian McDonald. The record also featured the somewhat silly title track, a nine-minute-plus opus comprised of two parts goofily named "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets" that reflected prog-rock at its bombastic, irrelevant worst.\nAfter Crimson King, the band released a trio of flakey, meandering albums In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970) and Islands (1971) that are generally worth ignoring. King Crimson then embarked on an amazing two-year spurt of creativity and vitality that firmly established the group as one of the most important prog bands. With three albums Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974) and Red (1974), King Crimson somehow fused Black Sabbath and Yes, producing what could alternately be termed "thinking man's metal" or "headbanger's prog." What was perhaps most amazing about this trio of albums and the incredible soundscapes they showcased was that they were created by only three men. \nThe group then took a seven year hiatus, re-emerging in 1981 with a new line-up: Fripp, Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford and bassist Tony Levin (a virtuoso who has worked with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and the members of Yes). That quartet issued three stellar albums, Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984), that featured echoes of new wave pioneers like Talking Heads, XTC and Squeeze. The records also showcased the considerable talents of each band member, but especially Levin's adeptness with the stick and Bruford's ability to use cutting-edge percussion techniques and technology. \nSince then, King Crimson has continued to evolve and release albums periodically, including 1995's Thrak and 2000's Heavy Construktion. The line up has changed, too; Levin and Bruford, for example, have moved on to other things, while Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto have signed up. But the one constant throughout the lifespan of King Crimson has been Fripp. For better or for worse, the cantankerous guitarist has gathered different groups of musicians to produce an eclectic, almost dizzying catalog of progressive rock. It's just too bad he's such a wanker.