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“There are King Crimson fans who have been outraged at my conduct!”: Robert Fripp on the response to his Sunday Lunch YouTube covers
The guitar maestro shares why he’s not quite the austere musician some fans think he is.
Image: Steve Thorne / Getty Images
King Crimson mastermind Robert Fripp has touched on the feelings of outrage some fans harbour towards his Sunday Lunch series with wife and singer Toyah Willcox.
Speaking to Prog Magazine, the guitar maestro says that responses to the pair’s musical covers have ranged from delight to offence, and that the positive responses so far have been “remarkable and overwhelming”.
Fripp adds that while the series might have shattered fans’ illusions about his super-serious public persona, the humour reflected in those videos have always been there.
“There are Italian King Crimson fans who have been outraged at my conduct,” he says. “But some Italian commentators have pointed out, ‘Well, can you remember Giles, Giles And Fripp?’”
“So there has been this aspect of Robert, which has been submerged for years, but within the Crimson camp there are acknowledgements that Fripp’s humour is dry, but nevertheless it is there.”
As for whether King Crimson’s proggy days are over for good, Fripp said recently that he’s committed to Sunday Lunch right now, though “I’ve learned from having attempted to get away from King Crimson in 1974, 1984, 2003 and 2008 that it’s probably hard to say!”
“Nowadays there are factors we have to take into account,” he explained. “I have to admit there are no current plans, but there were no plans when we went on hiatus back in the past either. We have to take into account that I’m committed to another band right now – Toyah and Robert.”
“Given something as complex as King Crimson, you’d have three men who would be approaching 80 for the next tour [Fripp, Levin and Mel Collins],” said the 77-year-old musician. “Is that likely? Well, I can’t really comment on that, but my focus is on this new project with Toyah.”
To see more of Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox’s ridiculous antics, head to Toyah’s YouTube channel.