A Kentucky-born experimentalist who shaped King Crimson and kept writing odd, catchy songs on his own.
For his Crimson side, 'Elephant Talk' says it all. For his solo work, try 'Men In Helicopters', it's got that hook, but it's still plenty strange.
He's the guy who brought those squawking, animal-like guitar sounds to King Crimson's 'Discipline' and 'Beat' albums, giving the band a new, wiry energy after Robert Fripp brought him in. His own songs, like 'Men In Helicopters', have this way of feeling like proper pop tunes even when the arrangements get weird. That balance between melody and mischief is pretty much his signature.
Frank Zappa gave him his first big break in the late '70s, which led to session work for David Bowie and Talking Heads. He joined King Crimson in 1981 and stayed through the '80s, then left to focus on his own records, starting with 'Lone Rhino' in 1982.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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