A series of Questions for Robert from a Pesty Questionier V
PQ: What is freedom?
R: Well, that’s shot off in a different direction.
The capacity to act truly, from ourselves, free of external forms of control, direction, force, coercion. Unless the form of external direction is with our consent.
PQ: Why would we consent to accepting external direction?
R: This is one technique in moving towards the goal of achieving personal freedom, where we submit our personal will to an authority we trust. For example, the monastic vow of obedience.
A subtlety of any free action: it is an act of service. And when we do something, we move from a point of Doing Nothing. But you’re drifting away from your epistemological and phenomenological moments.
PQ: And freedom for the artist?
R: Where they have a point of freedom within themselves. This confers the capacity to follow the Muse.
PQ: An example of “a point of freedom”?
R: To say – I Am – and know, to the core of your being, that you are.
In more conventional terms, the condition of being free of restraints. This is an external freedom. In how I live my life, there is a relationship between internal and external freedoms.
As currently in the news, Endless Grief has recently celebrated the 49th. anniversary of Mr. Alder’s Foundational Lie. So let’s consider EG Management, whose artists included King Crimson, Roxy Music and their members, and Toyah. I was “managed” by them between 1969 - 1991. Their prime directive to its employees was, to quote Paddy Spinks (who managed King Crimson for EG 1981-84): “The first thing they taught us was – control the artist”.
This is a much longer story, very instructive as to power structure and changes in our wider society over several decades. The increasing power of financial operators – “the bean counters have taken over” to quote Anthony Sampson; the legal system - for example, widespread gagging orders as with Mr. Alder, and the advice of McKinsey & Co. – “exploit the economics of law”. This was a tactic used by UMG against Panegric and DGM in our case, 2020-2024. Our legal fees were in the region of $2,000,000. The longer arc, say from around February 22nd. 1976 to date, is of professional bodies moving from serving the interests of their clients, to using their clients to serve their own interests. This is true of EG. It became, under Mr. Alder’s direction, a parasitic operation.
In terms of the artist having freedom, artistic choice, this is commonly seen as achieving the ability to act without control or interference by outside circumstance / interference. This is true, but only to a degree. The real freedom is being able to act within a controlling structure. One example: King Crimson achieving what it did within EG. There is a relationship between external and internal autonomy. Once we do achieve a measure of external autonomy, the real challenge presents itself. Am I free inside? Does Who-I-Am have the capacity to direct What-I-Am, this animal I inhabit, and follow where a creative life leads?
This then becomes a process, and any process has stages. The Great Divide is in the middle stage of a process. It’s where our subjective experience is of being cut off from our Source. For the musician, it is as if the Muse has fallen silent. This is not actually so, but this is how it is experienced. What to do? As always, we keep going. If the Muse seems to have fallen silent, we follow the Muse into Silence. Words aren’t going to explain this. This is a transition between different parts of us, and how our different parts and functions operate and support each other. To give a balanced, harmonious functioning. One example: we give up what we want from a creative life. We accept that the Creative Life will not happen when we place our personal demands / ambitions ahead of what the Creative Life requires of the artist. Any artist. So in the middle of the process, if we are to keep going, a shift takes place from the (more) subjective to the (increasingly) objective. This objective process which is underway: the musician serves the Music. If we are unwilling / unable to accept this, we fall back to a life where music serves us. Then we’re likely to find that our life unfolds in disappointing ways. The good news: if / when we change our attitude, let go of our demands, this may change. So artistic redemption, if you like, remains available.
But immediately, experientially, from within the Great Divide, it’s tough. At the beginning of the process, when Music switches on big time with powerful downloads, it seems easy. And then – oh! no - the sense of Music’s easy availability to us disappears. Very ouch, even terrifying. The Muse seems to be hiding. Even, has the Muse deserted me?
The practical danger, which I’ve seen among some of my companions, colleagues and fellow travellers in the musical life, is to replace the seeming loss of contact with our musical Source, by using drugs and alcohol. Sometimes this is fatal, sometimes does irreparable damage to the human instrument.
PQ: That’s sounds pretty grim.
R: Yep.
PQ: Well, what do you do?
R: When the power turns on big time, which it did with me first time around 1967-69, the artist has to remain grounded. Partly, the power the musician feels “is theirs” comes from within the Music itself. Partly, the power comes from the attention of audient-punters and fans. Partly, from the interest / attention of the music industry. A young and relatively experienced young player may easily be swept away.
The power that comes from the attention of others is little discussed, but is instinctively known (at least) by performers. The quality of our volitional, or “free” attention, is the one power that determines the quality of our lives.
PQ: How so?
R: “All that we properly have in life is the power of our attention”. Attention requires a high, powerful and subtle energy which, when we give our attention to others, part of this energy they receive. For those who easily attract the attention of others, such as newly-appearing rock stars, celebrities, and Bright Things, their personal energy-economy depends upon this freely-given attention. And become reliant upon it. This has negative consequences: we don’t bother to practice strengthening, directing, our attention. So when attention is no longer given to us by others, we find our personal capacity is weak.
Fan-encounters, where there is a demand for the recognition / attention of the favoured star, is an instructive topic in the mechanics of the personal energy-economy. For example: being “looked in the eye” is an act of direct attention. Attention requires a quality of energy which is in short supply. Simply, we have a limited amount of volitional attention available to us. So, to engage attention requires discrimination. To give our attention, willingly, to others takes a lot from us which, otherwise, may serve our own more immediate aims. Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity (Simone Weil).
PQ: OK. Back to - how does the artist remain grounded?
R: Immediately, come into the body. Sense the energy of life flowing within us. Long term, by acquiring a discipline.
PQ: I’ve heard that before.
R: Given the tenor of your questions, you heard the words, not what is within the words. In time, as with any process, this moves from – we have a discipline – to – our Discipline has us. A discipline can carry us through the Great Divide. But once again, there are contingencies.
PQ: All part of the rich tapestry of life?
R: Coo-ee.
