Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQ is dedicated to Steven Sthole, who was ET's FAQmaster and was responsible for much of the FAQ content. Steven passed away in 2006 after a fight with pancreatic cancer.

Elephant Talk

1. What is Elephant Talk?
2. What is ETWiki?
3. What is ET's purpose?
4. Are Are newsletter posts from Adrian Belew/Robert Fripp/Tony Levin/Trey Gunn/Paul Richards legitimate?
5. Where can I find all the back issues of Elephant Talk?
6. What are some milestones in ET history?
7. Who are the individuals represented in the letters of the ET logo?

King Crimson - Past

1. Where did the name King Crimson come from?
2. How did King Crimson get their start?
3. Is it true that the group *Brain* was the precursor to Giles, Giles and Fripp?
4. What is Robert's history prior to GG&F?
5. I heard there is a "new" Giles, Giles and Fripp LP. What about it?
6. When and where did King Crimson play their first gig?
7. Will the original King Crimson ever perform together again?
8. Why do people refer to King Crimson as "Crimso"?
9. What other musicians have King Crimson members been involved with?
10. What are some birthdays of past and present KC players?
11. Were Elton John and Brian Ferry ever potential members of KC?
12. Is it true Robert Fripp was once offered the lead-guitarist position in Yes?
13. Was Ian McDonald (of the first KC lineup) previously in Fairport Convention?
14. Has anybody noticed that The Definitive Edition remasterings sound different from the original releases?
15. Is there an alternate (studio) version of 'I Talk to the Wind'?
16. Were there two different covers to the vinyl LP version of 'Islands'?
17. Why is the coda to 'Islands' (with Fripp rehearsing the orchestra) missing in the Definitive Edition release?
18. On some studio versions of 'Lark's Tongues in Aspic', Pt. 2, the phrase "Can I do one more immediately?" can be heard as the track fades out. Who is it?
19. What was 'Earthbound' and why did everybody hate it?
20. Where was 'USA' recorded?
21. What are the King Crimson Collector's Editions?
22. Have any tracks been altered in the 'Frame By Frame' collection?
23. Is that Adrian Belew singing 'Cadence and Cascade' on the 'Frame by Frame' Box set?
24. Who played the flute parts on 'Exiles'?
25. Was there a typo-error on the running time of 'The Talking Drum' on the 'Frame by Frame' box set?
26. What happens at the end of 'The Mincer'?
27. Who played the bass solo on 'Red'?
28. Was 'Red' ever played live in the 1970's?
29. What was the original name of the 1980's version of King Crimson?
30. Is 'Matte Kudasai', on the recently-remastered 'Discipline', actually the original version that first appeared on the LP?
31. Have I heard King Crimson/Sylvian-Fripp/League of Crafty Guitarists/ Robert Fripp String Quintet/California Guitar Trio in some otherwise unrelated media?
32. Is there a King Crimson fan magazine?
33. Who manages Robert Fripp and King Crimson?
34. Did King Crimson ever make any music videos?
35. Has King Crimson ever appeared on television?
36. Didn't King Crimson once appear on the TV show 'Saturday Night Live'?
37. Who plays what guitar parts on 'The Sheltering Sky'?
38. Did the 1980's KC ever perform an instrumental version of 'Neurotica'?
39. Has King Crimson ever performed music composed by other artists?
40. There's a part in the 'Epitaph' CD that sounds like the classical guitar riff from the Beatles 'Bungalow Bill'. What's going on?
41. Was King Crimson ever nominated for a Grammy Award?
42. Has any musician ever turned down an offer to be in King Crimson?
43. What albums are considered (by ET readers) to be "the lost King Crimson albums"?
44. Are there any (KC) songs that have never been performed live?
45. Are there any (KC) songs that have never been recorded in the studio?
46. Which live incarnation of KC never performed '21st Century Schizoid Man'?
47. Are there any gold CDs of Fripp/Crimson music available?
48. Is the violin in 'Larks Tongues in Aspic Part 1' based on 'The Lark Ascending' by Ralph Vaughan Williams?
49. Is the magician on the cover of 'The Great Deceiver' actually Jamie Muir?
50. What instrument is Bill Bruford credited with playing on 'Trio'?
51. What was the origin of the "double trio" concept for King Crimson?
52. What is the chronology of the double trio?
53. What are the "ProjeKcts" all about?
54. How did the idea for ProjeKcts originate?
55. What are the track venues for 'West Coast Live'?
56. What are the differences between the VROOOM mini LP and the THRAK CD?
57. Are there any technical issues associated with the 'Deja VROOOM' DVD?
58. I have seen references in RF's diary to 'ProjeKct X'. Who is this?
59. Who's that singing on the first track of 'TCoL' ('ProzaKC Blues')?
60. What's this I hear about a "secret track" on one of the ProjeKct CDs?
61. Are there any technical issues associated with running the 'Heavy ConstruKction' video on a Mac OS?
62. Why do I need a password to access the 'Heavy ConstruKction' video on disc#2?
63. What are the "hidden" features of the 'Deja VROOOM' DVD?

King Crimson - The Present

1. What is the new King Crimson doing?
2. What KC/Fripp recordings have come out recently?
3. Is King Crimson on tour?
4. What's new from DGM?
5. What is the Collectors' Club?
6. I missed out on the first Collector's Club releases. Can I obtain them now?

What Does It All Mean?

1. On 'Haaden Two', from Robert Fripp's 'Exposure' album, there is some backwards material. What is it?
2. What does 'Heptaparaparshinokh' mean?
3. What do the lyrics in 'VROOOM: Coda (Marine 475)' mean?
4. What does 'Darshan' mean?
5. What does 'Matte Kudasai' mean?
6. What does 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' mean?
7. What is the first line in the chorus of 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' and what does it mean?
8. Where did the title 'Larks Tongues In Aspic' come from?
9. What is being said during the Coda section of 'Lark's Tongues In Aspic Part 1', and where does it come from?
10. Is there an alternate live verse to 'Easy Money'?
11. Where does the phrase 'Starless and Bible Black' come from?
12. What was the phrase Bill Bruford liked to use in place of 'Starless and Bible Black'?
13. What do the lyrics in the 'The Great Deceiver' ("Health Food Faggot") refer to?
14. What does "this night wounds time" refer to?
15. What are the 'The Night Watch' song lyrics about?
16. What modern references are in the 'Lizard' album?
17. What does the 'Beat' album title refer to?
18. What does 'Sartori In Tangier' refer to?
19. What does 'VROOOM' stand for?
20. What does 'B'Boom' refer to?
21. What does 'THRAK' mean?
22. What does Formentera (as in 'Formentera Lady') refer to?
23. What is the significance of the symbol on the front cover of 'Discipline'?
24. What is the origin of 'Deception of the Thrush'?
25. Where did the title 'Three Of A Perfect Pair' come from?

Robert Fripp

1. What is "Frippertronics" all about?
2. What are "Soundscapes"?
3. What equipment does Robert use?
4. Who is J.G. Bennett and what is his relation to Fripp?
5. What is Guitar Craft?
6. What is the New Standard Tuning for the guitar?
7. Can I tune my drums/keyboards/nose flute to New Standard Tuning?
8. Who is Eric Tamm, and what is his book about?
9. Is Tamm's book on Fripp still out of print?
10. Is it true that Robert Fripp is left-handed but plays guitar right-handed?
11. Has Robert Fripp made any concert videos or television appearances on his own?
12. Why is the CD release of Fripp's 'Exposure' different from the original LP?
13. Has any of Robert Fripp's 'Exposure' album been performed live?
14. Did RF ever tour with Peter Gabriel, under a pseudonym?
15. Where can I find a Robert Fripp discography?
16. Has Robert Fripp ever written any song lyrics?
17. What albums are considered to be part of "the Robert Fripp trilogy"?
18. Did RF ever use an "e-bow"?
19. Did Robert Fripp write a book called 'The Becoming'?
20. What does Fripp's "Drive to 1981" refer to?

Miscellaneous

1. What is the "tritone" and how does it relate to the music of King Crimson?
2. What is a Chapman Stick ®?
3. What is a Warr Guitar?
4. What is a Mellotron and have I heard it in music other than King Crimson's?
5. What are those long metal things Tony Levin sometimes uses to play the bass?
6. What is the instrument being played at the beginning of 'Larks Tongues In Aspic Part 1'?
7. What is a "talking drum"?
8. What is the instrument Bill Bruford is playing during 'The Sheltering Sky'?
9. Is there a book out by/about Bill Bruford?
10. Is there a book out by/about Tony Levin?
11. Are there any books available about King Crimson?
12. Where does the Fripp quote "A cruel thrust" originate?
13. Where did the name of "E. G. Records" come from?
14. Is there a Brian Eno mailing list/web site?
15. What is the difference between the 'Young Person's Guide' (YPG) booklet and the 'Frame by Frame' (FbF) booklet?
16. Who is the artist doing so many covers on recent KC/DGM releases?
17. What do all of the acronyms and abbreviations mean in this FAQ?
18. The music of King Crimson is so serious. Don't you guys know any jokes?
19. What are gold CDs all about?
20. How do you know all this stuff?