Interview with Adrian Belew in SCENE Magazine
Date Submitted: 6-Jun-1995
Submitted By: Mark Allender (mallende at Phoenix dot kent dot edu)
The following article was published in the Cleveland area
entertainment magazine, SCENE, which is published weekly and is freely
distributed. this is from the June 1-7, 1995 Issue (Vol. 26 No. 22).
Crimson is on the cover of the issue (i had never seen what Pat or
Trey looked like before!) and the article also comes with a photo.
THRAK also is reviewed in the album review section.
If you would like to try to get a copy of the issue in
question, i suggest writing to the offices @
SCENE / One Playhouse Square / 1375 Euclid Ave. #312 / Cleveland, Ohio 44115
or email to
el176 at cleveland dot Freenet dot Edu
though whether that will do any good or not is unknown to me.
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KC's THRAK ATTACK
by Marc Holan
It's been 12 years since the last King Crimson album, THREE OF A
PERFECT PAIR. In the interim, the four principals of the band --
guitarist Robert Fripp, percussionist Bill Bruford, bassist Tony
Levin, and guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew -- have persued the
requisite solo projects, in addition to playing on other artists'
recordings. Belew, a respected solo artist in his own right, played
on Nine Incs Nails' THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL and toured with The
Psychodots. Levin has played with Peter Gabriel on his last couple of
albums and tours, and Bruford does drum clinics and records with an
avant-jazz outfit. Robert Fripp refrains from participating in the
kind of recording projects that most artists seek out.
Coming together as King Crimson, the four musicians put aside
their individual interests for a common goal of creating music that
ias beyond categorization. THRAK, the lkatest chapter in the King
Crimson saga, represents a new approach to recording that is the
result of Fripp's musical vision. Augmented by former Mr. Mister
drummer Pat Mastelotto and bassist Trey Gunn, the basic quartet splits
off into what Fripp calls "the double trio format."
Belew, calling from his new home base of Nashville, explains
the double trio concept. "I think the double trio is somewhat of
a nebulous term that someone has attached to this, and I don't really
see much evidence of it yet, musically.
"What it is meant to imply is that the band can break down
into different factions, so you may have one group of people playing
one part of the music and another group playing another part. I don't
think we've really got around to doing much of that yet.
"There is a song on the record called 'Dinosaur' which I wrote
a middle section that does break down into a trio of Trey, Tony, and
myself. Initially, I asked Robert to play as well, but he thought
what we were already playing, the trio was already enough {sic}.
That's one attempt I can think of on the record in which the band
breaks down into a smaller grouping. I think in the future we may try
to utilize these possiblities."
What about live?
"No," Belew replies, "it's not structured, not two different
trios. The idea is more mixing up different people, different
combinations. In the live context, there are times when the band
breaks down into different factions." (King Crimson will be playing
at Nautica Stage Thursday, June 8)
Before recording THRAK, the band played a series of live dates
to solidify the songs' arrangements. "We played in Argentina four
months ago to develop the rest of the material before recording it and
to play in front of a live audience again," Belew explains. "So I
have some evidence of what the band is going to be like, very
powerful.
"As I say, there were different times when you had two or
three different people playing and someone else just sitting there.
It's nice because we've got so much going on in this music. Everyone
has such a giant palette to choose from that we can sound pretty big,
and sometimes it's nice to sound small again for a minute."
Considering the length of time between albums, there must have
been some trepidation among the musicians to get back together. What
would it be like? Would they still have a common musical ground?
"The band came back together in and of itself," Belew recalls.
"At the same time, there's a whole different confidence and maturity
level. I feel this band will be fun to be in, and it will have a
longer life together if we're smart about it.
"One of the requirements of us not hating each other is that
we spend short, intensive bursts of time together and then go away and
do other things," Belew says. "Essentially, two months of touring in
May and June, then in October and November. There's no rush. King
Crimson is very important to all of us, and we want to do it the right
way.
Belew admits that he approachres writing songs for King
Crimson in a different way than writing songs for his solo records.
"I tend to focus on King Crimson stuff as we're doing it," he
explains. "I kind of wait until the band is starting to gear itself
up, and then I think of King Crimson only. Some of the music has
similarities to my solo albums -- some of it -- my part ofd it. It's
a different approach. I pretty much work in areas of expertise."
It's suggested "Sex" on the new album has a Nine Inch Nails'
aggressiveness to it. Could it be that Belew was influenced by Trent
Reznor?
"I don't know," Belew replies. "It just came out that way.
It's the only song on the album we just arrived at, with the band just
sort of improvising. I took the improvised DATs away and listened to
them, prescribed some chord changes. Then I sat in the parking lot at
the last minute and wrote the words, walked into [the studio] and sang
it.
I guess maybe that's it," he continues. "It was kinda
'arrived at' in the most haphazard manner of anything on the record I
can think of. Most of the other [songs] are well thought out, well
discussed, rehearsed, played in front of audiences and so forth before
they're ever finalized. 'Sex' is kind of different from anything
else."
It's pointed out that, in Cleveland, "Dinosaur" is getting
airplay on WNCX, a classic rock station, as opposed to stations
playing "modern rock." King Crimson's music is as innovative as
anything on the airwaves, but where does it fit in today's radio
climate?
"I did wonder aloud where King Crimson could if at all fit in
the radio airwaves today," Belew says. "I never think of the band in
commercial terms. We're definately not a band that will do endless
touring and videos. It's hard enough for us to get together to do a
photo session," he adds with a laugh.
"No one seems concerned about that stuff, though. King
Crimson is about music, and that's the way it should stay."