Robert Fripp explains how Tool “influenced” King Crimson
Not many musicians can claim to have had such a consequential career as Robert Fripp. While he may be currently making waves alongside his wife, Toyah Willcox, on their internet show Sunday Lunch, Fripp’s broader work speaks for itself. He is best known as the guitarist, founder, and longest-serving member of prog-rock pioneers King Crimson, one of the most influential groups of their era.
Outside of the In the Court of the Crimson King band, Fripp has collaborated with many prominent figures in his time. Perhaps most famously, he worked with David Bowie on “Heroes”, which featured the timeless hit of the same name. He was then re-enlisted three years later to help Bowie bring his first post-Berlin Trilogy album, Scary Monsters, to life. The 1980 record saw Fripp play on classics such as ‘Fashion’, ‘It’s No Game’ and ‘Teenage Wildlife’, amongst others.
Elsewhere, Fripp has worked with the likes of Blondie, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, Midge Ure, Talking Heads and David Sylvian. Two of the most notable releases he has featured on outside of King Crimson and David Bowie, however, is Brian Eno’s ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ from Another Green World and ‘I Zimbra’ from Talking Heads’ album Fear of Music.
The aforementioned collaborations are just the tip of the iceberg, too, with the King Crimson man such a tireless creative that he has also made a mark on popular culture in less direct ways. With contributions to over 700 official releases in his oeuvre, Fripp also composed the iconic startup sound of the Windows Vista system alongside Tucker Martine and Steve Ball. A true innovator, Fripp has also utilised asymmetric rhythms in his music, creating the new standard guitar tuning and the tape delay system dubbed ‘Frippertronics’.
A man with his ear to the ground, like all musicians at the top of their game, Fripp is aware of the contemporary movers and shakers in his field. One band that has consistently been mentioned in the same breath as King Crimson is the prog-metal outfit Tool, who never shied away from discussing the significant impact the British group had on them.
Speaking to Guitar Player in 2003, Fripp noted how both bands have impacted each other over the years. He even maintained that Tool has influenced King Crimson more than the other way around. He also called their shared tour one of the “two most enjoyable tours I’ve ever done”.
Outlining his love for Tool, the ever-realistic Fripp said: “The Crimson tour with Tool is one of the two most enjoyable tours I’ve ever done. The first was with G3 in 1997. I happen to be a Tool fan. The members of Tool have been generous enough to suggest that Crimson has been an influence on them. [Tool guitarist] Adam Jones asked me if I could detect it in their music, and I said I couldn’t. I can detect more Tool influence in King Crimson than I can hear King Crimson in Tool.”
