Robert Fripp's Diary

Los Molinos.

08.33

There were late-night footsteps on the corridor above my head, the feet of guitarists aspiring to performance & rehearsing into the early hours.

At breakfast: a superb performance of an octet circulating Bach, led by Martin; a new Hell Boys song played on Grace (Tom Hell Boy's post-coma guitar) and The Big Time Trio with In The Mood, plus a solo song.

Victor leaves the course this morning for a gig in Boston, supporting The California Guitar Trio this weekend.

18.33

A busy day preparing for this evening's performance. The Kitchen Team is presently preparing a buffet dinner in the dining room nearby.

Staff & Buddies' Meeting at 09.00;
Kitchen Team at 09.30;
personal meetings for myself until lunchtime;
ongoing performances at lunch;
Steve introduced metrical divisions to anyone interested at 15.00;
Senor Nunez conducted auditions of prospective performers at 16.30.

The front door is opening & closing frequently as guitarists move between buildings. The key for today is flexibility: some people are signed up to appear at several meetings simultaneously & a proportion of meetings are inevitably being missed.

My own afternoon has been gentle.

19.40

A superb pre-performance buffet dinner. The temptation is to continue eating all of the multiple tastinesses on offer, several times. Were I performing this evening, I would not be able to eat any of it it. Hooray! then that I am an audient.

At the tea station Patrick, in charge of the toilet team, tells me that he is jealous of Mark. Mark is responsible for supplying toilet tissue to the bathroom (but has signally failed to deliver the single roll that I requested at the Kitchen Team meeting this morning). At that meeting, Mark was given the title Master Of The Rolls, an important position in the English judiciary (Lord Denning had already rewritten much law by the time I was study tort at Bournemouth College in the evenings). Patrick has been toying with other titles for himself, of a more distinguished vibratory character than "Toilet Supervisor". Lord Of The Rims is one under consideration, Patrick tells me, and Crappies a term for those under his direction. I suggested Judge Of The Chambers as a worthy title for a person directly above over a Master Of The Rolls.

22.28

Guests and the house are milling & eating desserts with tea and coffee in the dining room. In my room, I have been brought two plates of cakes to sample, with a cup of tea.

The performance began at 21.08 with a piece from the Level One. This was entirely honourable. Then two duets from the Kitchen Team followed by an inexplicable delay. Eventually a larger Kitchen Team appeared. Then The Eight Brothers, an octet of The Big Time Trio + Zum + Martin & Fernando. After several pieces the Kitchen Team's tango dancers entered & the tango was danced, accompanied by Zum. The accompaniment, by one Argentinian & two boys from Osaka, was entirely authentic. This never ceases to astonish me. Then more pieces & the team left, returning with a very large team that played Asturias with players stationed all around the ballroom & the lights turned off.

It was interesting for me to hear Eye Of The Needle & THRAK from The Eight Brothers and Asturias from the full team. These go back to 1985 in the Claymont Ballroom & the Red Lion House. The two trios were the main focus of the octet. The Big Timers are clearly an established band & Zum are rapidly becoming an item. Hernan has pertinent comments, as Director of The League of Crafty Guitarists, on the performance.

23.17

About to be printed & pinned on the board --

Guitar Craft

Villa Mercedes / Padres Claretianos
Calle San Pascual N? 3, esquina travesÌa San Pascual
28 460 Los Molinos
Madrid
EspaÒa

Wednesday 29th. January, 2003

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The source of our knowing is of greater value than the extent of our knowledge. (20-I-03)

When we are being creative, we may not know that we are being creative. (24-I-03)

We are not held responsible for the repercussions of play.
But we are held responsible for the repercussions of a creative undertaking. (24-I-03)

The greater the skill, the greater the impediment to creative action. (24-I-03)

The aim is to recognise right conduct in all situations, even situations where we find ourselves for the first time. (25-I-03)

The gates of heaven open to persistence. (26-I-03)

There is merit, and blessing, and reward for those who undertake necessary work; attenuated to the degree that this work is undertaken in the anticipation of merit, and blessing, and reward. (27-I-03)

Our motives push us as far as the middle of the middle. Our aim pulls us out of the middle. (27-I-03)