The preparation came in learning how to
play Frank Zappa’s music, which was one of
the biggest endeavors of my life! [laughs]
And I’ve told this story many times. Before
we ever touched a stage anywhere, we
rehearsed in a large film studio with full
production, on a big stage—lights and everything—and we did that for three months.
Every day for three months, except for the
weekends, when I went home with Frank and
he taught me the things that would be coming up the next week. It was three months of
solid work for me, trying to adapt to Frank’s
pretty scary music. That’s what put me in the
position to be able to contribute at all. One
time, for example, he was showing me part
of the new song called “Flakes,” and I was
kind of poking fun at him and sang it like
Bob Dylan, and that’s how it ended up on the
record that way. He said, “That’s it. You’re
going to do that on the record.” You have to
be careful for what you wish for.
I’ve noticed a lot more admiration for King
Crimson in the past few years, and specifically the trinity of records from when you
first joined the band ( Three of a Perfect
Pair, Discipline, Beat). That really tight,
interlocking but orchestrated sound that
you guys created has seemed to influence
a lot of recent acts, with groups like Tool
citing you as a major influence. Have you
noticed that influence in modern music, and
if so, how do you interpret it?
Well, I’m ashamed to say this, but I really
don’t listen to much other music. I know that
may sound selfish, but I do have so much I’m
working on, I find it’s better to not listen to
too many other things, because it destroys
my focus on what I’m currently doing. But, I
have heard enough comments, and I’ve heard
enough of the bands you’re mentioning, like
Tool or Umphrey’s McGee, and what I can say
about it is, it’s the biggest compliment I could
ever have in my life. It makes it all worthwhile.
I was influenced by King Crimson long before
I ever joined the band, because I felt the
music inherently had a higher level of quality
in the way that it was constructed, and in the
things that they didn’t do, that they avoided
doing. So when I got in the band, I was very
keen to carry on that same tradition. I think
that’s the only way we could have operated
as King Crimson, because that really is what
it’s about. It’s about pushing the limits, but
you have to remain above a certain line. In
King Crimson there are a lot more things you
don’t do than there are things that you do.
In other words, imagine if you took a box of
24 crayons and poured them out on a table,
and then took four of them and said, “These
are the four we’re going to use. The other
20, no thanks.” It forces you to come up with
unique ways to deal with what you have. The
interlocking guitar-thing was really difficult
to deal with from a songwriter’s viewpoint,
because it’s a one-trick pony. It’s a very good
one, but how do you keep riding that same
pony and make it seem different all the time?
That was the task that Robert and I had. I
think we I did honorably with it, and it’s one
of the things I’m most proud of. That was a
good partnership… it still is.
Parker Guitars recently issued your sig-
nature Fly Deluxe model. Can you tell us
more about how it came into being?
Photo by Laurens Van Houten/Frank White Photo Agency
Well first, I’ll tell you a little bit that I know
about Ken Parker. He was a luthier who, for
almost 20 years or so, tried to develop a new
approach to the electric guitar. He was very
concerned about the woods used, and the
technology. He was really the first guy to take
all that stuff and view it from a scientific viewpoint—how to make a modern guitar. He cut
away all of the unnecessary wood so it would
resonate perfectly. The guitar ended up
being as light as a fly, which is why it’s called
