King Crimson - Neal And Jack And Me (The Noise - Live At Fréjus 1982)

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I loved playing this even more than I loved the song. Neal, Jack and Me refers to Beat Generation hipsters Neal Cassady and poet Jack Kerouac. Singer Adrian Belew fantasises about joining them on a car trip across the States, and on a tour of the seedy underside of Paris. I’m sure Neal and Jack would have loved it too.

Didn’t get much of a soundcheck and nothing of a lighting check, but I can live with that. Oh yes, I’ve been in support bands, too. Adrian on voice and guitar was on spectacular form that night. If a band is playing well together, the cohesion can overcome any number of irritations and obstacles. Which reminds me of an odd paradox that I mentioned in my autobiography:

“At one time or another, most of us [musicians] have arrived at a gorgeous concert hall, with a sumptuous hotel room within walking distance. You have the whole afternoon to relax, before a leisurely and professional soundcheck in which everything works, everyone can hear everyone, the coffee is fresh, and you can’t think of anything to complain about. Then to dinner, in agreeable company, before the short walk back to the dressing room in a gentle and balmy Mediterranean breeze. The sea shimmers in the distance, the crowd seems on fire with anticipation, and a pleasant phone-call home establishes that all is well back at Central Command. The gig is rubbish.

Conversely, the equipment arrives late in some dirty, smelly dump; the backstage sustenance you wouldn’t offer a dog, and there’s no coffee anyway, hot or cold. The soundcheck is a lot of shrieking in several languages to a background of a wall of electronic feedback, your head is killing you, Iberia Airlines lost your suitcase, and they are letting in the punters in seven minutes, so dinner is out of the question. What do you get? A blinding gig”.

King Crimson’s 1982 European Tour supporting headliner Roxy Music was a lot like the latter. Both bands had the same managers, and from Crimson’s point of view, Roxy were the management’s pets. Singer Bryan Ferry was evidently especially high-maintenance. Roxy had the smart hotels and dinners; Crimson was more or less left to fend for itself. It wasn’t exactly the seedy underside of Paris, but Neal and Jack would have felt right at home.

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