‘At One Rehearsal, He Called Me Over’

‘At One Rehearsal, He Called Me Over’: King Crimson’s Jakko Jakszyk Reveals Odd Thing Robert Fripp Told Him About His Reputation

According to the former King Crimson frontman jakko jakszyk, there’s one aspect to Robert Fripp that people usually don’t know.

Being one of the most innovative and influential rock bands, King Crimson went through significant changes over the decades. Led by Robert Fripp, the band’s approach changed almost entirely in the 1980s. Technically, it was initially intended as a different band, but they ended up using the same moniker while doing completely different material and not performing the ’70s classics. Of course, all of that changed when Robert reformed the band in 2013, putting Jakko as the frontman, and deciding to perform material from all of the band’s eras.

As Jakko is promoting his new album “Son of Glen,” we used the opportunity to chat with the former King Crimson frontman and ask him about his time in the band and working with Robert Fripp.

What was Robert Fripp really like as a band leader? Was he as demanding and difficult as most people seem to think?

“Let me tell you a story. That’s clearly a question I get asked with alarming frequency, and before one of the tours, I was interviewed by a magazine in England called ‘Classic Rock.’”

“And they asked me the same question, ‘He has a terrible reputation for being this tyrant and an autocratic leader.’ And I said, ‘Well, I know he’s got that reputation, but to me, he’s been incredibly supportive and encouraging. And he’s not been like that at all.’”

“And then, a couple of months later, we started rehearsal for that year’s tour, the magazine came out. And at one rehearsal, he called me over and said, ‘Can I have a word, Jak? I’ve just read the interview you’ve done with Classic Rock. In the future, can you stop saying nice things about me? It’s ruining my reputation.’”

“So, I think the biggest surprise for me, really was, I guess, in my head. I thought he would be like England’s answer to Frank Zappa, where he’s completely on top of every moment. But actually, what he does, I think, is he chooses musicians who he thinks will work in that context. He expects you to learn the stuff and perform it.”

“Occasionally, he will say, ‘Well, what you playing there?’ Or, ‘I think you should do this.’ But it wasn’t that kind of Svengali type thing. He kind of lets you do it. And assumes, ‘Well, I think he’ll be right for that role.’ It was kind of the opposite of what I was expecting. It was pretty scary, because he was, like my childhood hero, and one of the reasons I became a musician, really.”