Re: Fripp in LA

[Greg House <ghunicycle@yahoo.com>]

--- Tim Nelson <psychle62@yahoo.com> wrote:
> --- Butch <paulrichard10@attbi.com> wrote:
> > why does Fripp strike me as pretentious?
> 
> His overbearing penchant for didactic pedantry, maybe?
> 
> Actually, I also think that much of the time he's
> playing up to the persona he's created over the years,
> and there's a degree of tongue in his cheek... Maybe.

My personal feel is that a big part of that is his inherent 
"British-ness". I've
observed that British authors tend to use a more formal, and more widely 
varied
vocabulary then most of what's pumped out of the USA the last 20-30 years. 
If
someone speaks with a large vocabulary, it seems people here presume them 
to be
pompous or arrogant, whether that's the case or not. 

Beyond that, it would appear that many of us have lost our ability to 
discern
humor, especially when dryly presented. I can't presume to know what he 
actually
intended, but I often laugh when I read things Robert Fripp has said. They 
strike
me as being dryly humorous. I -think- that's often what he meant.

Plus, the written word is easily misunderstood without the other cues such 
as
inflection, facial expression, and body language. I've listened to some of 
Robert
Fripp's spoken material (marketed by his sister Patricia) and he came 
across as a
pleasant, funny, humble man, someone who I would enjoy spending an evening 
in
conversation with. Now, I understand from reading some of his old diary 
entries
that he appreciates his time alone and doesn't like having it invaded, 
especially
by inconsiderate and demanding people. It's amazing what we put 
"celebritys"
through. It's surprising that there aren't more of them that are viewed as
"difficult people".

Greg

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