Photo via Wikimedia Commons
In 1969, “21st Century Schizoid Man” was like nothing heard before. And yet, the mastermind of that manic-paced recording, guitarist Robert Fripp, wasn’t content to break ground only once. Whether as a soloist or with King Crimson, Fripp continued to move forward, reinventing himself as the decades scrolled past.
King Crimson will return to Milwaukee on August 31 in concert at the Miller High Life Theater. Tickets go on sale noon on Friday, June 11. The concert is an ACG production.
With “21st Century Schizoid Man,” King Crimson yoked the dynamic frenzy of the jazz avant-garde to heavy metallic rock. It was the confrontational track on an album otherwise drenched in progressive rock grandeur, In the Court of the Crimson King. But where most prog bands belied their genre by never progressing, Fripp continually pushed the needle into edgy shades of red. Disbanding King Crimson in the ‘70s, he embarked on an ambitious career exploring electronic music and alternatives to conventional rock bands. He wanted people to think while they listened. Drummer Bill Bruford recalled when joining King Crimson in 1972, Fripp didn’t hand him a list of songs to learn but a reading list that included G.I. Gurdjieff, P.D. Ouspensky and J.G. Bennet.
Although he declared that King Crimson was over forever, Fripp resumed recording under that name in the ‘80s but with a funkier, postpunk sound. He disbanded King Crimson, regrouped again in the ‘90s and continues to record and tour with a morphing lineup of top musicians. The current incarnation includes Tony Levin, Jakko Jakszyk, Mel Collins, Gavin Harrison, Pat Mastelotto and Jeremy Stacey. Several have been with Fripp for decades. Their set list will encompass King Crimson recordings from across the band’s half century.
Stuck at home during the pandemic, Fripp recorded the “Sunday Lunch” video series in his kitchen. As his Valkyrie-voiced wife Toyah sang and gyrated to the beat, Fripp sat like Buddha with his electric guitar, easily tearing through Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Fripp’s mordant poker-faced humor was apparent, along with how “21st Century Schizoid Man” purged metallic rock guitar of its blues roots and influenced the shape of things to come.
