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presence of absence

August 5, 2004

A runner in Happy Gigster parlance is the character provided by a local promoter to run the band to &amp from hotel and venue. Our runner today was a young man and as is usually the case when touring Italy a young Italian man. I wouldn’t normally mention the runner but this one was so exceptionally stupid that I am mentioning him because he was so exceptionally stupid.

On the first trip from hotel to gig he had the radio on. We asked him to turn it off. This did not provide a difficulty for him. He explained that this was sound that he heard without actually listening to it. No explanation was necessary: that this small part of how he lives his life is how he lives all the small parts of his life was clear. This is how he lives his life.

(…) Remaining within the area of his presence in a small enclosed space was unbearable: his was the presence of absence. That made him dangerous: he lived in a world of accident.


Robert Fripp on 21-22nd. June 2003.