Apologia Pro Vita Sua

Posted by Robert Fripp
19 Nov 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024

You can never tell an audience how to behave…

Qualities Of Heckling

Bottom line: you can never tell an audience how to behave. If you try, in a performance culture mediated by commerce, duck. In many GC courses, look out for peanuts and pieces of ripe fruit flying your way, disappearing chairs, metronomes set to unlikely tempi, a failure of electricity and lighting, flashlights, Thumbjam and other apps, singing and clapping unreliably, joining the performance in various ways, helpful comments and suggestions, et al.

Creative
Showing the performer who they are

Sensitive
Reminding the performer of
their responsibility
to the performance
Conscious
Reminding the performer of
who and what they are

Automatic
Performance conventions:
Self-referential

Distrust anyone who claims to be contributing to your spiritual life by heckling.

However, if we are refining our personal practice, we may turn this to our advantage. If a person, with a little experience, claims to be “waking us up” by jumping on us with “Are you working on yourself?” we may use this opportunity to strengthen our presence, while forgiving them their presumption.

Very little audience “heckling” in GC is what I recognise as heckling. I do not recall any GC audience participation to be malicious (in my professional life, ill-will is constant).

An example of “genius heckling”: in the Gurdjieff literature, especially at Mr. Gurdjieff’s table in Paris 1946-49, there are accounts of comments directed towards specific people. Also wider comments, seemingly to the room while specifically directed, often followed by gusts of laughter. How might this be in performance?

As an example of conscious heckling: the feel is something like a Zen master “playing” with a novice. A good guide to intentional heckling is available in the records of European court jesters. The jester’s high role was speaking truth to power, this with humour and an implicit trust that the jester/fool was seeking the best for the Power Possessor they served; eg to tell them what others were afraid to say. Historically there are also jesters and holy fools in the Middle and Far East, notably Mulla Nasruddin.

An example of reminding the performer of their responsibility to the performance: Beacon Theatre NYC c. 1978. I booed the star guitarist in an Allstar jazz trio who was clearly impressed with himself.

Quality heckling, undertaken as a piece of work, is intentional and requires:

1. Implicit within the heckling: I Wish for you what I Wish for me.
2. As abottom line, goodwill and, if possible, compassion.
3. The heckler puts themselves in the position of the hecklee.
4. Supports the work of the performer.
5. The heckling is directed and specific, although the direction and specificity may not be what it seems.
6. May be recognised by its seemingly playful, humorous and surprising nature.
7. A wide and broad performance experience, at least two levels above that of the performer. The seven performance levels: domestic, local, regional, national, international, global and interplanetary.

NB          Forms of heckling include the gestural.

 

 

 

 



Popular Posts

A Tale of Two Concerts
David Singleton
19 May 2025
Apologia Pro Vita Sua
Robert Fripp
8 Nov 2024
What Is A Question?
Robert Fripp
23 Mar 2025
Hotel Professionally Acceptable, San Francisco.
Robert Fripp
23 Feb 2024
Motel Modesto, San Luis Obispo.
Robert Fripp
28 Feb 2024

Related Posts
Bredonborough.
Robert Fripp
16 Jun 2020
Nashville.
Robert Fripp
12 Dec 2004
Hotel Acceptable, Milton Keynes.
Robert Fripp
22 Jan 2006
Casa Stella Maris, Caorle, Italy.
Robert Fripp
10 May 2013
Bredonborough.
Robert Fripp
1 May 2020
Just For You
ARTICLES

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's latest Upbeat Moments & vintage Sunday Lunc...

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

MORE

Stormy's Monday Selection: The Letters

Alex 'Stormy' Mundy combines the studio take of The Letters...

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

MORE

Giles, Giles & Fripp New Editions.

The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp (The Songs),...

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

MORE

Happy Birthday Robert!

King Crimson's guitarist turns 79 today. To mark the occasio...

MORE

Elemental Mixing Underway

New music discovered! Lizard gets the Elemental Mix treatmen...

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

MORE

Stormy takes apart FraKctured

This month Mr Stormy throws the spotlight on Robert, Adrian...

MORE

Toyah and Robert's Weekend.

Catch up with Toyah and Robert's latest weekend on YouTube.

MORE

Red Elemental Mixes

David Singleton's alternative look at the Red album now avai...

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Easter Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Easter Weekend

MORE

The Academy of Music, New York, 1972.

Going live today, two shows from the same day in New York Ci...

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

MORE

Creating the Larks print.

Here’s a look behind the scenes at the making of the Larks’...

MORE

Queen Elizabeth Hall Soundscapes

It’s been a 29 year wait but finally we can now hear the res...

MORE

Cruise lineup

The 2025 Cruise To The Edge has concluded. Here's a great ph...

MORE

Toyah & Robert's Weekend

Toyah & Robert's Upbeat Moments & Sunday Lunch

MORE
DIARIES

Satch Bus.

09.23

Satch Bus.

We arrived at Hotel Adeq...

MORE

Satch Bus.

10.53

Route 66 gives a route of 1535 mil...

MORE

Cabin 6020, Silja Ferry >Stockholm.

16.21

Cabin 6020, Silja Ferry >Stockholm.

...

MORE

Satch Bus.

10.29

Bags at 09.30, lobby 10.00, set off for Got...

MORE

Satch Bus, outside venue, Copenhagen.

24.47

An experientially long overnight drive, inc...

MORE

Hotel Pricey And The Staff Are Superb, Amsterdam.

10.47

Breakfast this morning with Joe alone. He w...

MORE

Hotel It-Is-Almost Posh, Amsterdam.

09.10

Into the breakfast room at 06.30 for a quie...

MORE

The Basement, Chateau Belew.

10.28

The Basement, Chateau Belew.

The su...

MORE

The Basement, Chateau Belew.

05.30

One proper response to being alive is joy....

MORE

The Basement, Chateau Belewbeloid.

16.41

The event of the day: Martha Belew is 31 to...

MORE

Los Molinos.

07.23

Rising at 05.52, or 04.52 UK & body tim...

MORE

Crimson Tourbus, Outside Hotel Acceptable, Phoenix.

01.00

Crimson Tourbus, Outside Hotel Acceptable,...

MORE

#504, Hotel Quite Acceptable, Vancouver.

00.15

A supportive & generous audience and wh...

MORE

Hotel Quite Acceptable, Vancouver.

11.03

The weather is changeable, a blue sky rapid...

MORE

Hotel Quite Acceptable, Vancouver.

23.57

We arrived at Denver International Airport,...

MORE

Hotel Quite Acceptable, Denver.

10.42

The sun is shining, the sky is mostly blue,...

MORE

Hotel Quite Acceptable, Denver.

20.04

Snowbound in Denver. Rising at 08.30, a not...

MORE

Room Most Acceptable, Hotel Quite Acceptable.

11.00

Driving snow is blowing past on the other s...

MORE

Hotel Quite Acceptable, Denver.

23.15

And with free Ethernet access, too. A call...

MORE

Mobile HQ, Crimbus.

12.47

We left our hotel punctually at noon and ar...

MORE
DOWNLOADS

The Painted Bride Art Center 2

Robert Fripp
Painted Bride Art Center
12 Dec 1997

MORE

KC 50 The Light of Day

King Crimson
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
17 May 2019

MORE

1999

Robert Fripp
DGM Sound World I
3 Oct 1994

MORE

Peaches

Robert Fripp
Fort Lauderdale
22 Jul 2022

MORE

New Pine Knob Theatre

Robert Fripp
New Pine Knob Music Theatre
26 Jun 1997

MORE

Music For Quiet Moments 35 - Drifting Gently (Chattanooga 27 Feb 2006)

Robert Fripp
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
25 Dec 2020

MORE

Music For Quiet Moments 16

Robert Fripp
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
14 Aug 2020

MORE

19 November 1998 Evening

Robert Fripp
World Financial Centre
19 Nov 1998

MORE

World Financial Centre1st Performance

Robert Fripp
World Financial Centre 1st Performance
4 Dec 2010

MORE

Music For Quiet Moments 31 - Strong Quiet II (Brussels 14 Oct 2009)

Robert Fripp
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
27 Nov 2020

MORE

Bijou Cafe 1st Performance

The League Of Gentlemen
Bijou Cafe 1st Performance
2 Jul 1980

MORE

Forte Belvedere

Robert Fripp
Forte Belvedere
26 Jun 2006

MORE

Slide Inn

The League Of Gentlemen
Slide Inn
20 Jun 1980

MORE

Chicabooga

King Crimson
DGM HQ
16 Apr 2018

MORE

My Father's Place 2nd Performance

The League Of Gentlemen
My Father's Place 2nd performance
19 Jul 1980

MORE

Red Creek Inn 2nd Show

The League Of Gentlemen
Red Creek Inn 2nd Show
21 Jun 1980

MORE

Music For Quiet Moments 42 - Glisten (La Spezia 28 Jun 2006)

Robert Fripp
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
12 Feb 2021

MORE

RF Guitar

ProjeKct Two
Ventura Theatre
18 Mar 1998

MORE

Music For Quiet Moments 28 -Time Stands Still (Udine 24 Jun 2006)

Robert Fripp
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
6 Nov 2020

MORE

Music For Quiet Moments 46 - Elegy ( Nashville 1 Mar 2006)

Robert Fripp
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
12 Mar 2021

MORE
ARTISTS

Robert Fripp

MORE
PHOTO GALLERY