Robert Fripp's Diary

Hotel It-Is-Posh, Tokyo.

10.27

Rising 07.00 against gravity. Some stretching, Morning Sitting and down to the trough. But not only is there no buffet, there was a long wait. So I opted for coffee in the lounge and to computing.

To some chums in the Guitar Circle…

I

When people come together, disagreement is inevitable, and may even be necessary.

Politics is the management of disagreement.

In conventional political discourse, disagreement is addressed from the outside. In the external political model, to achieve “better” outcomes, one view (held by often good people with laudable aims) is imposed upon others by varying degrees of force.

That is, violence (on whatever level) is implicit in the external political model.

In the Guitar Circle we address our varying points of view, the political aspects of our work together, from the inside. Implicit in this approach is mutual respect and acceptance, and we work towards consensus.

Nothing is compulsory but some things are necessary. If a group is wandering off course for whatever reason, which is an inevitable and law-conformable situation, there are several approaches available.

1. Continue going off-course. This is the history of history. We end up furthering the aim that is contrary to our originating intention.

2. An impulse is made that keeps the originating impulse on-course. This is conventionally referred to as applying a “shock” (probably “shock” is a mis-translation of the original Russian, and I prefer the gentler “impulse” anyway).

3. If a consensus is not found, we let go of this particular aspect of our work together, the group ceases to exist and/or I resign from it.

II

A life in politics as such may be a calling for some, perhaps Gandhi and Mandela. For the rest of us, there are inevitably political aspects in whatever our professional field: schooling, Alexander Technique, the music industry et al.

How to approach this? In my own professional affairs, I adopt the Assumption Of Virtue. DGM declares its business aims with a statement of ethical practice. My business partner, David Singleton, and myself are 50/50 partners: neither of us can out-vote the other, were we to disagree.

In King Crimson, the members of King Crimson share the income. By all conventional models, this is wildly unfair to myself. But would KC be the extraordinary group it is, were one member to be favoured above the others?

In respect of the Guitar Circle’s public face, the upcoming course at Glen Cove in August 2022, the Staff will be balanced between genders.

III

The creation of a new society moves from the inside.

The problem with political action is, it moves from the outside.

The approach I adopt is a movement both ways:

1. the real world moves from the inside to the outside, the unreal world;

2. the unreal world co-operates by assuming the virtue and establishing structures, models and House Rules in accordance with an inclusive, equitable and compassionate society.

Our internal work has external repercussions. There will still be problems, but a better quality of problems.