Michael Giles turns 83 today. Join us in wishing Crimson’s original drummer a happy birthday!
Described by Robert Fripp in 1969 as " arguably the most exciting and original drummer in rock, and in a world class. I never knew him to play badly.”
Looking back on his time in the band Michael reflected: "1969 was a dynamic year for King Crimson. Within 12 months we rose from obscurity to world fame - a meterioric rise which took us all by suprise. The band gave me the opportunity to explore new attitudes in drumming and the freedom for expression that I had been looking for. The music developed a life of it’s own, perhaps in spite of, or because of the different energies of the players. And I remember how quickly and easily we wrote and arranged songs. Everyone had their own agendas and somehow they crossed over sufficiently to create something magical - obviously the right amount of friction whether overt or covert produces results. We were five young individuals committed to making dangerous, powerful, original, spontaneous music, forcing our way through previous rock and jazz boundaries.”
Michael continues to work on new music at his studio, and here at DGM vinyl and CD releases of his pre-Crimson work with brother Peter and Robert Fripp, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp and The Brondesbury Tapes are in advanced preparation. No release dates announced yet, so keep checking back for more news!
In the meantime if you want to listen to Michael's superb drumming and percussion work, not to mention song-writing and vocals, you can always grab a copy of his collaboration with Ian McDonald here: McDonald and Giles
