THE PROG INTERVIEW
PETER GILES
Every month we get inside the mind of one of the biggest names in music. This issue it’s Peter Giles. The singer and bassist’s prolific musical career began in Dorset in 1960 with a string of Merseybeat-styled bands before he and his brother Michael came across a young local guitarist named Robert Fripp. It was as Giles Giles & Fripp that they created the playful 1968 album, The Cheerful Insanity Of…, which unexpectedly led to the formation of King Crimson. Giles has since been part of numerous projects with Crimson alumni, including 21st Century Schizoid Band. Here he shares his tales from the past and present following the release of updated versions of The Cheerful Insanity Of… and The Brondesbury Tapes.
Words: Sid Smith
King Crimson in 1970, clearly thrilled at the prospect of performing
Cat Food
on
Top Of The Pops.
PRESS/DGM ARCHIVE
Peter Giles knows a thing or two about going the distance. As a 15-year-old grammar school boy, he swapped winning cross-country championships for playing bass guitar in local groups alongside his drumming brother, Michael. Leaving school the following year, the Giles brothers went on to notch up hundreds of professional gigs and more miles on the road in the UK and Europe as members of Trendsetters Limited during the mid-1960s. Despite a couple of singles on Parlophone, success eluded the group, and the brothers returned to Bournemouth to start anew. After seeing the Giles brothers’ advert for a singing organist, Robert Fripp, a local guitarist not known for his prowess at the keyboards or his vocal abilities, came along for an audition.
The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles Giles & Fripp
(1968).
PRESS/ELAINE MCLAREN
“I know, the cheek of the guy,” laughs Peter as he speaks with Prog on the phone from his home in Surrey. “The thing was, we auditioned every piano player and keyboard player we could get our hands on, and they were all fucking useless.”
This unlikely partnership decamped to London and, in 1968, shared a flat in Brondesbury Road, where they recorded high-quality demos in Peter’s home-built studio. Having turned up at the offices of Decca executive Hugh Mendl wearing what Giles describes as “fancy dress to get their attention”, Decca offered GG&F a record deal on the Deram label. The result was The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles Giles & Fripp. Released in 1968, it was a somewhat whimsical collection of songs, the bulk of which were penned by the Giles brothers, with three pieces from Fripp, all interspersed with frivolous spoken-word interludes voiced by the trio. Although the LP failed to gain momentum and sprint its way into the charts, in the long run it’s become something of a cult favourite among collectors and those curious to explore the origins of King Crimson.