Robert Fripp's Diary for Tuesday, 23rd June 2009

Robert Fripp's Diary

	Tuesday, 23rd June 2009

13.28

Terminal One, Nice Airport.

Rising 07.00. Out the door at 10.15, carrying rubbish & a final meeting with the estate agent.

Leaving Menton at 11.15, our departure slightly marred by my having mislaid the digital camera that photo-reports so many adventures for those hordes of DGM visitors seeking fab pix of WillyFred, my famous friends, our garden in Summer & the same views of Bredonborough.

19.59 Bredonborough.

Landing c. 15.45, a little delayed by an emergency landing in the queue ahead of us. Arriving home c. 17.00. Yippee!

A full inbox of urgent stuff, including today’s portion of industry arrogance & illegitimacy. This is an expensive distraction from creative arisings; nevertheless, a response is necessary.

One of the reasons underlying industry actions of arrogance & illegitimacy: industrial players know that, for the artist, dealing with various kinds of exploitation & short-changing is an expensive distraction from the creative life. The expensive takes various forms. In addition to legal bills & creative-opportunity cost, the negativity that arises when confronted by obfuscation, lies & deceit is destructive; and one of the most expensive outlays readily available to all of us. Very few artists are likely to respond, and/or respond effectively, to repeated & constant low-level violations, and fewer still will put their career on hold (in popular culture, this may mean forever) to address major exploitation. The pragmatic response is to walk away & rebuild / repair / continue a career; the principled response is different.

The industry, knowing its overwhelming advantage in situations of conflict, tends to do what it wants now, and deal with repercussions from aggrieved artists later. In my own case, industrial response is usually better sooner-than-later: my tendency is to persist.

A Minx-walk down the garden I…