#55 Adrian Belew (King Crimson) 1981 Interview

A never-before-published interview with Adrian Belew from 1981.

In this episode, we have a multi-instrumentalist and the secret weapon for so many bands, Adrian Belew. At the time of this interview in 1981, Belew was 31 years old and was promoting King Crimson’s album Discipline. In the interview, Belew talks about various aspects of playing with the Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and King Crimson. He goes in-depth on King Crimson’s Discipline, he tells the story about when he got jumped by a gang and finishes the interview telling Marc about his deep love for his family.

In the interview, Belew talks about:

What brought him to King Crimson
Where is currently with the Talking Heads
How he expresses his own personality in the band
The “D” section of Elephant Talk and the meaning behind it
His part in the writing of the album
How he gets that elephant sound
What the lyrics in the song Indiscipline represent
The song Matte Kudasai
What Frame by Frame is about
How his being in the band frees up Robert Fripp
How well Fripp and drummer Bill Bruford get along
If King Crimson as a band has malice and ill will as a constant part of its daily diet
The dynamics of King Crimson
His own plans for solo work
The meaning of the song Thela Hun Ginjeet and how he was beaten up by a gang
Why they don’t play 21st Century Schizoid Man
Younger audiences
What he thinks is attracting new fans to King Crimson
What his solo albums will be like and who’s playing with him
His fascination with rhinos
Where he grew up
Starting with David Bowie
His assessment of the King Crimson’s show at the Metro
How he looks like Mark Knopfler
How he was blasted the night Fripp called him
His surprise when Fripp wanted to call the lineup King Crimson
The very beginnings of his career
His first band
If he is the most famous alumnus from his high school
If Frank Zappa was tough to work for
His Bob Dylan impersonation
If had any problems with Zappa’s lyrics
Why he left Zappa’s band
His deep love for his family