Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES

Musician SEPTEMBER 1991 - by Mac Randall

ROBERT FRIPP: FROM KING CRIMSON TO GUITAR CRAFT

Eric Tamm [Faber & Faber]

Who is this Fripp anyway, a true rock intellectual/mystic/guru or an egotistical, pretentious sham? Author Tamm seems to side with the first view, but can't quite come to a decision. Most folks agree that Fripp's made some heavy music, and Tamm appropriately writes about it in detail, along with his personal experiences at one of Fripp's Guitar Craft seminars in 1986. Tamm's analytical skills are sharp, and the description of his "Fripp trip" is engrossing. But his investigations of Fripp's philosophy are fuzzy. There's strong and weak points in Fripp's musico-religious theories, but Tamm can't sort them out effectively. Still, a flawed book on this intriguing figure is better than none.