The Death Of Rock and Roll, and Progressive

by Jeff Boule in Editorials, Musician Reviews, News, Reviews

I was asked why my blogs do not appear weekly.  The simple answer to this question is: life.  I am currently rehearsing my solo acoustic show, I am also participating in my company’s Christmas show, so I have to learn three X-mas songs.  This should prove interesting, as I am not a religious person.

But this week, even more extraneous circumstances have arisen that makes one think perhaps everything we are doing is pointless.

This is a brief blog as opposed to my many epics.  It won’t take much to convince you of my despair.  Those of you who read my previous blog pertaining to King Crimson, you may want to sit down.

You see, my prediction about the end of King Crimson has come true.  Not in the manner, I was not predicting how, only that they would.  Well here is the sad story, in our sad America.

According to both blogs, Adrian Belew’s representative sent the reps for King Crimson Belew’s schedule as was requested, and it listed two tentative dates for Belew’s trio act in April.  Fripp had requested that everyone leave the period open for a scheduled KC tour of the West Coast.  Upon seeing these tentative dates, Fripp took that as a slight to his request to leave that period open.  So Fripp has decided that his attention should also be elsewhere.

Thus, the King is dead.  Long live King Crimson.

Who do I think was right?  Who was wrong?  Who should give in?  None of that really matters now.  What is done is done.

I understand Fripp’s point of view.  The Crimson beast has taken many bites out of Fripp the person.  Financially, emotionally, physically, King Crimson constantly costs Robert Fripp small pieces of himself every time it rears its head.  So when the lead singer, co-lead guitarist and lyricist for your band decides to schedule a couple of solo gigs in the middle of a proposed tour, that means lack of dedication, commitment and desire.

So Fripp told everyone he has moved on, and they should also do likewise.  Even a pleading Martha Belew could not convince Fripp to change his mind.  He has invited Belew and Martha over to their home in England once the roof on it is repaired.  But no more King Crimson will be played together by the two.

Thank you to everyone who posted comments, and even linked to my last post about Todd Rundgren’s Arena album.  It makes a jaded journalist like me keep wanting to write about the battlefield music has become today.

My next entry from the field will be a review of the David Byrne show at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia.  Some good news to look forward to after this week’s devastating revelation.

To end this with a quote from the musical 1776: “We may see better days…”