Bredonborough Rising to a dark

09.42

Bredonborough.



Rising to a dark, chill morn with frosty roofs…



Morning reading with Seattle Bean Juice of Terror & Uplift…



From Curt Golden’s Tuning The Air blogspot…

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009
A Point of Seeing

A Tuning the Air Journal
Monday November 30, 2009 – A Point of Seeing

I have been sitting on this for over a week. It first came to me during the Saturday sitting on the 21st. It was the anniversary of my mother’s death, and I found myself contemplating much, including the history and future of Tuning the Air. I decided to sit with it to see if it might re-express itself in a different way, perhaps a more “reasonable” way, but it keeps coming back, and has only been reinforced by events in the interim. It came to me in these words:
If anyone with Guitar Craft experience is contemplating moving to Seattle, or coming to Seattle for an extended period of work, now is the time.
This was followed by:
There is a window of opportunity. The opportunity is great, but it is not unlimited. That we have kept this up, running and growing for 5 years (the anniversary of the birth of Tuning the Air is December 13) is nearly miraculous, and what we have accomplished is nothing short of astonishing. But in six months I cannot guarantee that there will be anything to move here for. With the right people engaged and committed, a new leap is awaiting; a beginning. Without that, more of the same, and eventual dispersal; with luck and work, an honorable completion.

I can live with either.

12.18    Computing & e-flurrying at Blower’s…



If we can describe what success is for us, it becomes attainable.



17.32    Packing, organizing, preparing for the Season, blinds fitted in the attic…



View from the top…



On the Guestbook…

Posted by lotusspray on December 01, 2009
Note to Mr Fripp: I observe in your November 14th diary posting that you have used the header to my guestbook posting of November 13th with the body of another posting apparently by someone named Daniel…

Mr. Lotusspray’s headline…
The Revealing Science of Rude Audience Behaviour
:: Posted by lotusspray on November 13, 2009
... seemed an appropriate titling to what followed. What followed was, the blog of Mr. RG Daniel that had come to my attention.

Continuing with the Kicking The Wasps’ Nest: Polemic we have these two recents on the Guestbook…

meet the new KC?
:: Posted by starmore on November 29, 2009
I have based my life on eeyore’s teachings. I regret the confusing grammar. 
My aunt is dying, I regret that also. I regret everything eventually. 

I think what set me off was reading Robert’s diary post about the “King Crimson” festival in Russia. I keep thinking about the “live in Detroit, 1971” moment when you can hear Robert getting really upset with the crowd calling out for “Court of the Crimson King”. And while I agree with his argument about moving forward, there was just something very dishonest about performing as King Crimson without McDonald & Giles (or at least Greg Lake, who is by the way clearly very egotistical and I completely understand and prefer his not being there at the remastering) at that time. After the Reboot of Lark’s Tongues all that went out the window and the only concession to the past was Schizoid Man. Then we have Discipline/Beat, and a great leap forward. All that is great (in my so humble opinion). But this is just that old argument about using the name “King Crimson” and why that is ultimately a business decision. I guess it is not my business; what difference does it make to my life? I do not even like Ian’s post-Crimson work, I prefer Fripp’s. But Ian is such a huge part of In the Court; I mean really sine qua non. And either he or Greg could have played guitar (not as tastefully perhaps, but a similar result). But Robert has admitted that. 

One of the reasons I like listening to the Islands band is to hear Robert really develop into the Fripp we all love (to hate?). And Mel and Wallace. Wallace really worked hard to get the chops he showed on the CJT. His death was a real shame, I would have loved to see him live. 

Oh, I don’t know.....

… quoted in its entirety & referring to this earlier post, also quoted in full…

sour note
:: Posted by starmore on November 26, 2009
Reading Fripp on Sam Adler (yet again) made me reflect upon the inherent unfairness of the world. But imagine if Robert had made huge contributions to an album that gave someone else the gift of his whole career but did not involve that person in the re-mastering process? Oh wait, I’m sorry; he did do that to Ian MacDonald. I’m sure he was very humble in his dealings with Ian; I’ll even bet there is a six-page memo to prove how Robert was as always 100% correct about everything. Ah—the music business (and those who think they are above it) !!!! Wake up, there is no way out! Everything is a business. 
Cultures and races will vanish...the ants will take over the world. 

Why do I bother to check up on Robert and DGM if I feel that way? 
Because I need the eggs.... 

The 40th edition of Red is great, by the way. Good show. 
No negativity to offer on that. Good work. Excellent work. 

Hope everyone is having a better Holiday than me. 

I’m off to tear the wings off of small insects.

So, what to do with these? We might ignore them. But, they are on public view, now part of the Guestbook, where discussion & interactions that have relevance & value are invited & welcomed.

Mr. Starmore’s post/s is undermined by two main factors: the first is his pissy mood; the second, a lack of information. When negativity & ignorance are combined in us, governing our actions, best that we proceed with caution. So, how to approach Mr. Starmore’s smelly blasts from below?

There is value in becoming familiar with the mechanics of The Basement. In time, this confers a measure of personal freedom, notably from the hold that like & dislike have upon us. We rarely see the effects upon our lives of being stuck on the reactional stick of like–dislike. All manner of opportunities that we hoped for, small & large, seem to be thwarted. Good people we hoped to work with, to get to know, seem to decline & avoid involvement with us. What we don’t know is that our state & condition is apparent to others, whether this is clearly articulated by them or not, as if it were an instinctive animal-avoidance of danger. Because, when we have no power of volitional action, free from reactional swinging, we are dangerous. This “danger” has a smell; and behavioural characteristics that other animals recognize.

We can empathise with Mr. Starmore’s difficult family condition; particularly those of us who have recently lost a close family member. I don’t myself regret the loss of my Father-in-Law; rather I am grateful for his life & thankful that I knew him. Any regret would be my own failure to know him better. But here, regret would only be more pissing in the wind: and remorse of conscience a more appropriate, and positive, response.

Mr. S    I think what set me off was reading Robert’s diary post about the “King Crimson” festival in Russia.

Ah yes! The bright wheeze to make money by selling tickets to see a band that isn’t playing there?

Mr. S    And while I agree with his argument about moving forward, there was just something very dishonest about performing as King Crimson without McDonald & Giles or at least Greg Lake…

Here Mr. Starmore has a legitimate viewpoint, shared by Greg Lake among others. Greg felt KC continuing after he left demonstrative of a lack of integrity.

King Crimson is unique; King Crimson is also a multiplicity of King Crimsons. My own discussion of the topic (excerpted for convenience from the Diary for January 13th. 2000)…

10.04 
On this day in 1969, in the basement of a cafe in the Fulham Palace Road, London, King Crimson was born. So, on King Crimson’s 31st. birthday, how & what may we learn from 30 years of Crim history?

I
Crimson is nothing if not a learning process. We all have the responsibility to know who and what we are. This is not an end in itself, but a beginning. In the proper work of a musician, this beginning is the transformation that is the alchemy of music. The transforming & transformative process is individual, social & (as far as I am able to employ the word from my pitiable perspective) cosmic. "Cosmic" is like, for example, when music leans over, picks us up & takes us flying.

If anyone reading this has their own experience of when music’s power switches onto download, you know in your core that accepting anything less than this, for a musician, is a form of lying. Knowing this, you also know that in any field of endeavour involving a group of human beings, personal frictions will arise. If this endeavour is conducted in the public eye, these frictions will become public. If this endeavour is conducted in a field mediated by commerce, these frictions will become complicated.

So what is King Crimson? Here are several approaches:
The individuals in the group/s.
The group/s of individuals.
A society in microcosm.
A business structure.
A musical repertoire.
A way of doing things.
A place where the conditioned and unconditioned meet.
A school of practical learning.

II
A group is composed of individuals. A group is not the sum of those individuals. A group forms in service of an aim. It may not articulate that aim, but continue to function nevertheless.

The aim of the 1969 Crimson was to be "the best group in the world" (or as Ian puts it: "There was a very singular vision for the group"). In popular culture this easily becomes confused with "the most successful group in the world". This easily becomes a search for territory, food and sexual partners. At which point the music may get forgotten, or lost. But whatever we may understand by being "the best group in the world", indisputably it is a commitment to excellence. This doesn’t imply being solemn, even serious, but it does suggest that anything which falls short of our best shot is less than acceptable.

A real group is a distinct identity that "exists" apart from its components. More accurately, the individuality of the group can only come into existence through an appropriate vehicle. Music is an unconditioned quality which needs a musician / group to bring it within the conditions of space, time & place; this so that music may realise & listen to itself in and through us. When music comes to life, is it possible to feel apart from the power we are hearing & sensing? Somehow, we are the music. Somehow, the music is part of us. Somehow, there is no distance between audience & player.

And then the group breaks up. The press cites "musical & personal differences": "Well, I loved him like a bruvver but he wanted more money". "My respect for him is undiminished but he shagged the boiler I had my eye on". "A great talent but the drink got to him". "He had no feel but owned the name".

III
How may we judge "success"? A creative process provides no guarantees. If it does, the process is not creative. Any process will inevitably go off-course at certain points. Knowing this, we can prepare to correct & re-direct the process at those points. Not knowing this, the process will go wrong - this is guaranteed - and then we won’t know what to do. Experience helps, but can take too long. Information helps, but devoid of experience is relatively useless. Information & experience are a strong combination, but without capacity and a commitment to the process, equally as useless & probably dangerous.

If we look at an unfolding process in time (history, in other words) we’ll find "success" with failures & "failure" with successes, and different kinds of time. The functional time which flows sequentially & cyclically: the uniquity of Time’s Arrow (cf Prigogine) & the recurrence of Time’s Cycle. Then there is the time I am able to bear: perhaps eternity is the word for this. And yet another kind of time, which moves from intention & decision.

However lofty, abstruse & difficult notions of time are to express, for the musician time is utterly practical. Time - the universal, & our experience of the ongoing present; timing - the unique direction & emphasis of a moment; tempo - the rate at which we experience the flow of time; time signatures - the division of flows into organised units that we may control, direct & shape our experiencing of the universal. Moving "in" and "out" of time: rubato; "good" time - where we submit & surrender our personal flow to the tempo of community; "bad" time - where we disrupt the unfolding of a process and subject it to the demands of our egotism. What a wonderful metaphoric and analogical language music gives us.

Time’s Arrow is irreversible: only in retrospect does the outcome appear to have been inevitable (cf. Albert Borgmann "Holding On To Reality", p.232: "History ? is the meaningful sequence of unpredictable events"). Nothing in Crimson’s tortured history has been inevitable, other than the chaotic manner in which it moves forward. Which is, at least, predictable. Where King Crimson is now, is not the only place Crimson might have arrived (before moving on). From this point of view, Crimson history is one of decision & choice. Earlier members who might wish to recreate and develop an earlier approach (or "way of doing things") have a legitimate interest in doing so. If they do, I’ll be somewhere in the front rows cheering them on. But it won’t be King Crimson.

The procession of events is undeniable, and King Crimson is where it is today because it got there. It is impossible to undo the effect of "Larks’ Tongues", "Red", "Discipline", Double Trio & ProjeKcts on what King Crimson has become. Crim grew up and left home, and isn’t going back; whether any of us would like it to, or not. If I believed that Ian, Mike, Greg, Peter & Bob would be taken into music’s confidence once more, I would already have made the calls and/or positively responded to theirs over the past 9 years.

IV
Peter Sinfield’s view of Crimson history, during the period of his involvement, is as valid and "authoritative" as mine. So are the views and commentaries of all the members in respect of the period of their involvement. A collection of personal histories would present a broader perspective on Crimson history than is presently available, which I encourage & welcome. I don’t know any Crim member who looks back on their active service in Crimson time with unalloyed joy, but almost all are proud of their work.

All the accounts are equally "true", given goodwill, and all accounts are partial. But all the accounts taken together could not add up to "the truth". Each King Crimson was the only "King Crimson" for those in it. For members of several formations, perhaps there are several versions of uniquity. My own account is not inevitably more accurate than anyone else’s, but it does have a broader perspective…

V
How & what may we learn from the people we work with? Will they tell us what we need to know of ourselves? A hard lesson to learn, and accept, is this: our criticisms of others is one of the best means we have to self-knowledge…

VI
(The various comments in Mojo for December 1999 by Crim-members)
John Bungey is to be complimented on his reportage: it strikes me as accurate and even-handed. To the extent that heat continues to reverberate in corridors off the court, perhaps the impartial observer might have a sense of what it was like to be present when the relationships were fresh and ongoing. I take it as given that the comments made to a reporter, in the knowledge they would be made public in a Crim-retrospective in Mojo, are available for discussion. These Diary comments in response are therefore made on the assumption that this is part of an available public debate, & I submit them in good spirit.

Looking back at these 30 years of angst & animosity, good cheer & amity, I am struck by the distress which in the main we served on each other. The history, much of it bad, some of it exceptional, most of it educational, and a little of it on the other side of The Zone, has nothing to do with the music. The music entered our world despite the interaction of these struggling characters rather than because of it.

My comments on other members are inevitably comments on myself. Nor are their comments on Fripp, I suggest, necessarily what they appear to be. Below I quote comments by Crim-persons, juxtaposing them with alternative readings. They may, or may, not be accurate; but they are thought provoking.

Ian McDonald: (on leaving in 1969) "Fripp was very upset and probably hasn’t forgiven me to this day". 

Alternative Reading: "Fripp was very upset and I probably haven’t forgiven myself to this day".

Gordon Haskell: (on RF) "He was always very well-equipped to deal with the world". 

AR: "I knew what it took to deal with the world".

Peter Giles: "He was a strange bastard". 

AR: "I was a strange bastard".

Peter Sinfield: (To present a character description of RF) PS takes a book and reads from a contemporary description of Machiavelli, author of "The Prince". 
AR: "My dealings with Robert were not straightforward".

Keith Tippett: "I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them. Robert would come in with the chords, we’d listen to them and usually got it in one or two takes". 

AR: "I’m a nice guy and work quickly".

Robert Fripp: (on Peter Sinfield): "? there’s a lot about Peter that I intensely dislike". 

AR: "There’s a lot about myself that I intensely dislike".

David Cross: Remembers Fripp as a generous musician, who was now happy to listen to other people’s ideas. 

AR: David Cross is a generous musician, and happy to listen to other people’s ideas.

Tony Levin: "Time and time again I find that Robert has a unique and special vision of where the band should go".

AR: Time and time again Tony Levin has a unique and special vision.

Bill Bruford: "I seem to have been a monumental irritant to (RF) over the years". 

AR: "RF has been a monumental irritant to me over the years".

VII
… A point noted by myself: often, in commentaries on close encounters, the encounter mirrors the commentator. To put this slightly differently, people tend to leave their "encounter with Fripp" with more of what they brought to it. Like, if they came with a flea in their ear, they leave with a flea in the other ear as well.

… to surrender judgement on events of the past, and sacrifice our demands of the future, makes available a possible future of greater richness than we could believe. To put this slightly differently, letting go of the past makes the future present.

VIII
Working with others in a group (any kind of group) provides mixed joys. Michael Giles observed (1967) that there were 3 factors involved in keeping a (music) group together and, if any two of them were present and active, the group would stay together. Michael’s 3 factors were these: music, friendship, and money.

The group may not articulate its common aim/s, but continue functioning despite mixed aims & mixed capacities on the basis of:

Music & friendship. 

Music & money. 

Friendship & money.

Where there is music, money & friendship, the group is likely to succeed. But if the success reaches a point where a manager & major label get involved, musical & social processes become mediated by commerce, then problems appear. Friendships fail, the music is undermined.

Another way of viewing group dynamics is by looking at the blind spots in each of the members, and watching collisions which result as combinations of blind spots coming into play. I refer interested visitors to better informed sources than myself: cf "chief feature" in "Work" litereature and "life script" in Transactional Analysis (eg Claude Steiner). Briefly, a blind spot is this: it is a fundamental, basic, structural strategy which informs & directs all of our behaviour…

IX
Another informative approach, following on from this, is to address the question:
What are the musical contributions which each individual made to King Crimson?

This is an interesting question, and probably impossible to answer. Each of the members might make a list of the notes, phrases, specific suggestions, alteration to & arrangements of suggestions from others, contribution of personal vocabulary, and so on. But King Crimson music is not a list of musical parts, even its complete repertoire. A more revealing approach might be this:

In everything played / written by Crimson members outside Crimson, how much of King Crimson is present there?

Another version of this approach is to assume: the work each individual has done outside Crimson is the work / playing which they really wanted & preferred to do, for & of themself. Then, the distance between "their" work & their work in Crimson, is what comes from King Crimson. Putting it differently:

Their work in Crimson was like that, because King Crimson made it possible.

This is an opposite perspective to analyzing the contributions made by members of Crimson, and adding them up to give the total: "King Crimson". This approach suggests that King Crimson played the players; the music is greater than the individual contributions of each of its members; the music is more than the sum of the parts. It’s not so much what these guys gave to KC but what KC enabled these guys to contribute.

Hard to put that across, but it’s the closest I can get.

X
And King Crimson is not only the music.

Nor is Fripp "the bandleader". I do not confuse myself with King Crimson. This is about the only subject Ian Wallace & I disagreed on last evening. "You are King Crimson" said Ian. Not. Not.

"Identification" is awful: a prison door to personal freedom. When, in 1974, I attempted to pass the line of descent to Ian McDonald (cf various recent commentaries on this) a weight lifted: I was able to let go of King Crimson. My life began again. When responsibility for Crimson returned, it was not the same.

King Crimson is something apart from us all. Former members legitimately ask for recognition & acknowledgement of their work & contributions, and I welcome their commentaries & input. But the personal histories of all of us in Crimson is not the history of King Crimson. All the individual histories, given goodwill, are equally true; but they are not the truth.

The spirit of Crimson is elusive, impossible to pin down, and recognizable. It cannot be claimed by any of us as our own. Did all of us create King Crimson? In one sense, yes. But it may be more correct to say that King Crimson brought us all together, and succeeded despite our efforts rather than because of them. When I listen to classic Crim, it continues to take my breath away. I hear no individuals: I hear King Crimson.

XI
… You are me, and I am thee; and we are both moving towards our death.

Mr. Starmore continues…

But imagine if Robert had made huge contributions to an album that gave someone else the gift of his whole career but did not involve that person in the re-mastering process?

This is problematic, for several reasons. A few comments in response:

1.    Ian’s contribution to ITCOTCK was key & fundamental. And so were the contributions of everyone else.

2.    None of us was merely gifting our contributions to each other: something else was involved.

3.    Ian’s professional life was over by the end of 1969? His first big group had a debut album that went gold; his second big group went triple platinum.

4.    When the transfer of ITCOTCK from vinyl & tape to CD was discussed (Mr. Alder & RF) during the early 1980s, I recommended that Ian be asked to do the transfer.

5.    When interviews are requested for ITCOTCK, I recommend Ian be approached.

6.    I have made significant contributions to the albums of others, but see no reason why I would be involved in re-mastering / re-mixing them. Why would I?

7.    Mixing & mastering skills are a different skill-set to playing & composition (although may be related).

8.    How would I feel if no longer involved in mixing & mastering (and re-mixing & re-mastering) the KC catalogue? Enormous relief!

9.    RF has been involved in mixing & production of KC 1969-2009, mastering since 1970, and primarily responsible for the catalogue since 1991 following the sale by EG to Virgin. Re-mastering et al is an ongoing part of my responsibility, much as I prefer otherwise. RF is the only Crim with a complete KC overview. He lives 2 hours from Wilson World HQ & Studio Jakko.
That is, RF is the first-call character.

10.    Why mention the inherent unfairness of RF towards Ian, and not include the same cruel disregard towards Mike, Greg & Peter; Red without Bill & John; the Discipline, Double Trio & Double Duo eras without any of those Crims?

11.    Are the other people involved in the current re-mastering process, notably Steven Wilson, Declan Colgan & Simon Heyworth, as creepy as Fripp?

12.    How does Mr. Starmore equate 21 years of Mr. Alder’s presence & effect at EG, plus 6.5 years of subsequent dispute, with the process of re-presenting ITCOTCK, please?

Mr. Starmore writes: Hope everyone is having a better Holiday than me. This equates closely to I’m having a bad day > let me dump my negativity on others > who cares that I am uninformed regarding my posting? > I feel bad so you should feel bad too.

Mr. Starmore’s posts have the quality that I increasingly associated with ET (which is unfair to ET: it deserved a better quality of posting). I addressed some of those postings in detail, in the hope that, along with several others who shared a common interest in discovering the mechanics of The Basement, we might find strategies to help & support our climb out of that awful prison.

The DGM Guestbook is available to informed and/or considered commentary – subjective, objective, supportive, critical, analytical, cultural et al. But it is not the place for dumping negativity, nor careless discussion of significant matters.

One of lessons clearly available from the internet is that we are to be held accountable for our public postings, whether sweet or sour; and those are not the only two available options.  When I comment on Mr. Alder & Endless Grief it is with the hands-on experience of 21 years of being managed by Mr. Alder & his partners; an extensive archive of documents from over that period (with before & after); legal investigation of his financial affairs in critical periods; depositions by witnesses for the proposed action; and more. Why mention this? Because I am accountable, including to UK libel laws. That is, my comments have material to support & substantiate them.

Those who find themselves straying onto the path of public commentary on Endless Grief, unknowing of the remarkable damage & repercussions this had on the lives of quite a few employees & artists, would do better to have some sense of the enormity involved, and the disruption to more lives than my own.

One example of commentary without knowledge, a classic of its kind & referred to on several occasions before: in the 1990s the writer Michael Bloom declared the reason for the Endless Grief dispute was that the EG managers did not go on the road with KC. Mr. Bloom declared that the proper place for management was in the office doing deals (he did not mention that Mark Fenwick did accompany ELP & Bryan Ferry with Roxy Music for much of their touring). Well, Mr. Alder was in the office doing deals: that was, arguably, part of the problem. What Mr. Bloom failed to comment upon in his rendering, as a significant factor in the dispute, was Mr. Alder’s diversion of c. £2 million of artist income via Athol & Co. to support the collapsing affairs of Messrs. Alder & Fenwick. Perhaps this was of greater relevance than how much time the partners spent on the road with the band? Mr. Bloom’s clueless & uniformed comment shows how reasonably intelligent & basically decent people can easily comment on subjects upon which they are well out of their depth. The arrogance & sense of self-importance is easily forgivable, less so for those who declare their views publicly as “professional authorities”; but not easily excusable.

Why do I continue to comment on EG? There are several answers to this. Today I present one: Because I am just about the only person who can.

All right! Here’s a second: Because I hold Mr. Alder accountable for his actions.

A few of the many files, currently being scanned I…



II...



The original Willowfay Agreement…



… by which EG has the right to acquire 30% of the KC publishing copyrights on 5th. January 1975 or within one year thereafter. Mr. Alder, with David Enthoven, visited me at Sherborne House on February 22nd. 1976, just outside the one year window, for me to sign over my copyrights to EG. This constituted undue influence & was in any case subject to an oral collateral warranty (this doesn’t change anything!).

One of Mr. Alder’s handwritten letters, ie it was not subject to secretarial oversight within the EG office…





On the 7th. June 1990 Mr. Alder is now very worried about (RF’s) project and financial state – there is just not enough income to cover your borrowing… I don’t say that I am worried too often, so can we speak on this a.s.a.p.? Mr. Alder does not mention the two preceding accounting periods when EG did not pay my record royalties; but does mention increasing my increased-borrowing by £25,000 which he signed as (my) attorney. That is, he acted, formally on my behalf, to extend my borrowing to cover the non-payment of EG royalties, without actually mentioning the non-payment of royalties, while also now being very worried about my financial state - but not worried enough by my lack of income to pay those royalties.

Investigation (1992) of Ikenstock Ltd…



… There is no trace of this company in… England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. There are several possible explanations… the… more likely possibility is that Ikenstock is an off shore or foreign company.

My letter to Music Week of August 13th. 1993…



… with an explanation of rendered documents for Music Week to rebuff Mr. Alder’s threat of a libel action against the publication, following their front-page articles on EG.

There are others, besides Mr. Alder, whose actions have had serious & adverse consequences for me, personally & professionally; and two of these not far distant from Endless Grief. Both persons accepted that their conduct was less than ideal, with repercussions on others including myself, that were severe & long lasting. The first sent me a handwritten letter of apology; this was accepted & the matter closed. The second presented an apology in person; which was accepted & the matter closed. Today, both are personal friends. I have no problems with mistakes made, responsibility accepted, honestly & honourably addressed.

Those innocents visiting the Diary, who have no interest in the resonances & repercussions of Endless Grief, have my sympathy: it is not a subject that lifts my heart. Both EG partners are forgiven; that is not the issue here. In respect of those who have no interest in this sad & instructive affair, and the abuse of trust it demonstrates, please pass over & take no further interest. Those do feel the need to publicly comment on my affairs, better to be well-informed. Those who wander out in public, with their heads placed where sunshine never falls yet feel the need to comment on the weather, sometimes good to carry a raincoat.

Meanwhile, in addition to his work as chairman of the Isle of Man Milk Marketing Association Ltd. and its subsidiary companies that hold the aim and intention to sell milk and cheese on an expanding market locally and abroad at a price which enables it to pay a viable amount to the producer… Mr. Alder’s good works continue, now also as Treasurer of The Young Citizens Fund.

Finally, for this Diary entry, on the subject of business…

Mr. Alder to RF, in his office at 63a, Kings Road, Chelsea with Mark Fenwick, at our final personal meeting (but not final conversation) on April 17th. 1991: You’re a businessman – just like we are!

Firstly, I was a professional musician, not a businessman; although (to quote Keith Tippett) a professional musician must be businesslike. But when a professional musician becomes primarily a business person, the music dies in them.

Secondly, to the extent that I was a businessman, it was quite unlike Messrs. Alder & Fenwick.

The last comment from Mr. Starmore:
Wake up, there is no way out! Everything is a business.

This provides us with a valuable insight to Basement mechanics: what we see from inside The Basement is an exact inversion of what is real. So we might re-phrase Mr. Starmore’s final comment…
Wake up, and you’ll see a way out! Nothing of value is only business.

18.58    The pear vodka has been poured into a decanter…



The street I…



II...



A front-door call for the KevinMobile at 10.00 tomorrow morning…



Practicing ahead.