{"id":4343,"date":"2020-11-23T12:57:19","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T12:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/?p=4343"},"modified":"2020-11-25T10:26:45","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T10:26:45","slug":"king-crimson-the-spirit-of-kc-69-was-an-open-collaboration-of-ideas-energy-freedom-of-expression-spontaneity-and-taking-risks-by-going-into-the-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/?p=4343","title":{"rendered":"King Crimson: “The spirit of KC \u201969 was an open collaboration of ideas, energy, freedom of expression, spontaneity and taking risks by going into the unknown”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a taster for our December cover feature on the origins of KING CRIMSON, in an exclusive interview, original drummer and co-founder MICHAEL GILES speaks to MARTIN RUDDOCK about those early days<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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\"Giles,<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Shindig!<\/span><\/i><\/b>: You formed Giles, Giles & Fripp with your brother Peter and Robert Fripp after Fripp answered an ad for a singing organist. He was neither of these, but you formed a trio anyway. What were your first impressions of Fripp?<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Giles<\/span><\/b>: I was firstly impressionised by Robert<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s sheer audacity in applying for a position for which he had absolutely no qualifications, or even latent talent. Secondly, Peter and I were very impressed with Robert<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s left-handed dexterity for fingering strings and frets to navigate alternative courses through little known Norwegian sequences. Thirdly more, and perhaps the essential reason for asking him to join us, was the fact that he had a van which of course would be necessary if we were booked to play toilet tours down and up this great country of ours.<\/span><\/p>\n

So imagine our dis-impression when Robert abandoned his van in Wimborne just before our move to London, whereupon we had to squeeze our suitcases, instruments and equipment into Peter<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s old preselector gearbox Daimler saloon and my old pea-green side-valve two door Ford Anglia, registration number MRU 7 \u2013 a good old Bournemouth number plate which I wish I<\/span>\u2019<\/span>d kept.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"giles<\/p>\n

SD!<\/span><\/i><\/b>:<\/span><\/b> What are your memories of recording GGF<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s album for Deram, The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles, Giles & Fripp<\/i><\/span>?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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MG<\/span><\/b>: We recorded <\/span>The Cheerful Insanity Of<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span>at Decca Studios in West Hampstead \u2013 fairly near Brondesbury Road where we lived and recorded the demos. The Decca studios were in a large old building, maybe an old church, inhabited by serious middle-aged maintenance technicians wearing spectacles and long white laboratory coats. For some unknown reason we were assigned to a producer called Wayne Bickerton who seemed to be somewhat apathetic towards our cheerfully insane way of making music. However, we were blessed by working with the brilliant young sound engineer Bill Price who enjoyed smoking copious amounts of menthol cigarettes while diligently carrying on recording after Wayne went home.<\/span><\/p>\n

We had lots of fun during those sessions but we had to stop laughing when I, with a cold in my ears, nose and throat, was recording the vocals for <\/span>\u2018<\/span>The Sun Is Shining’ \u2013 l<\/span>ive with the girl vocal backing group The Breakaways plus a 12 piece mini orchestra. I think we did it in two or three takes, but if I, The Breakaways or the orchestra had started laughing while recording this silly, soppy, satirical song, it would have taken many more takes to make it a seriously meaningful M.O.R. song about lost love \u2013 let alone running into Musicians Union strict rules about big overtime fees for session musicians and singers. I don<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t know if The Breakaways were sniggering in between their vocal lines but if they were I didn<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t hear it and I couldn<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t look at them in case we all collapsed into fits of giggling. When the orchestra packed up and left, I wanted to see how the song arrangements looked on sheets of paper abandoned on their music stands, and I found some boldly written words under the song title \u2013 <\/span>THE SUN IS SHINING <\/span>\u2013 \u201c<\/span>and it<\/i><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/i>s shining up my arse!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Moreover, the sun did not shine on my ambition for someone at Decca to get Ken Dodd to make it a Top 10 Hit Single.<\/p>\n