Friday, 2nd September 2005

10.07

Monks Withecombe, Dartmoor.

Exposure. Beast.

Catching up with a swollen inbox:

Just coming back online after 10 days offline, opening two e-mails from a regular e-correspondent. The first (August 26th.) mentions the Old Codgers Fripp Family Gathering (this diary Friday 19th. August, 2005) and the importance of family. Then, 4 days later, this:

30/08/2005 15:42:13, m@hotmail.com writes:

M and I and my mother are in Houston - AFAIK all the rest of my family are OK, except for my oldest brother P who we have not yet been able to get in contact with. Of course, the cell network in the greater New Orleans area is jammed, and most of the land-line switching centers are still flooded and/or down as well.

The city of New Orleans is mostly underwater and, with a number of levees of drainage canals having been breeched, it is only getting worse now in the aftermath of the storm proper. They are saying it will be a month before power is restored, the sewerage and drinking water systems have been comingled, etc., so it will be a bona-fide cesspool soon. But we are ok.

My employer is most probably under water as well, although I don't have anything definite on that, but I know all the mail servers were shut down hence my usage of this hotmail account.

We will probably lose everything, but of course consider ourselves some of the lucky ones; others have fared much much worse.

11.42 Water Music I into Here Comes The Flood & Water Music II: synchronicity at this hard time for Lousiana.

A less dramatic e-mail, from 25/08/2005, the Young Man (diary Sunday 21st. August, 2005) writes:

YM: But Robert old boy, music happens not out of necessity, but love. Anyway it's too late. Talked to A + B. They're excited about the show and bringing a friend too. So, Mr. Frippertronics, your fans are coming whether you like it or not: Good luck and see you in a month.

From my reply:

There you are! And I was thinking that love was the highest form of necessity.

11.53 Vibrated & tickled. Exposure sounds better now than ever.

Shortly, off to Truro & an exhibition at the Lemon Street Gallery in which Peter Willis is being exhibited.

23.11 Bredonborough.

The Lemon Street Gallery, Truro, is on the first floor (US second floor) at the Lemon Street Market; with a good café adjoining, one can sit & gentle with cappuccino and enjoy the ambience & artwork. Several local artists are on display, and something new has entered Peter's painting.

Then to Falmouth to visit the artist. Brother Peter in his studio:

Peter is standing in front of a series of paintings -- Behold The Man - that address his Father's flying away. One of Peter's paintings is the basis for the front and back cover images on Three Of A Perfect Pair, and another is featured on Sometimes God Smiles:

Peter & I have been involved in various adventures since we both belonged to the Bennett group at Randolph Road in London during the Autumn of 1974. We went to the IACE at Sherborne House (1975-76) and then became involved in a farming project in Cornwall (1978-1982). I bought the farm (at Breage, near Helston), Peter & his wife worked it. But English farming was changing rapidly and, fundamentally, the days of the small farmer were gone (for example, it took 9 hours for Cornish milk to reach London & 8 hours from the Continent). We visited the Stavravouny Monastery in Cyprus together in 1979 and, eventually, Peter became a Deacon in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Soundscape under Adrian's voice at the end of The Power To Believe comes from a benefit at Newlyn church given for Shallal the dance group with which Peter's wife, Jo, is associated.

http://www.elephant-talk.com/gigs/frip9705.htm#r4
http://www.an-daras.com/dance/d_shallal.htm

A drive from Falmouth to Bredonborough, listening to Andrew Keeling's new CD.

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