Allan Holdsworth on working with Bill Bruford - Part 2
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Published 2024-01-12
Allan’s perspective on things in the 1970s was quietly powerful in its own way in this film. Part One got a lot of attention from viewers, so here’s Part Two as promised.
There are perhaps two kinds of guitar players; those who, when you put a spotlight on stage, walk towards it, and those who walk away from it. Allan was the latter. So was Robert Fripp, who mostly wanted to sit in the dark, or better still, sit off-stage. Something to do with distractions: perhaps they thought the visual might distract the listener from attending to the music; or it might distract the performer from playing it properly. Adrian Belew and Steve Howe moved towards the light. David Torn couldn’t have cared less.
Being largely underlit was not Genesis’ style, a band with whom I worked for a year. For its time, their lighting rig was astonishing. It would get its own round of applause when certain configurations kicked at critical moments, louder than anything the musicians could get. Talk about being up-staged.
Think of the celebrity whose life depends on finding the metaphorical spotlight and remaining within its seductive glow for as long as possible - a moth to the flame. Some performers are exactly the opposite: their public performance seems to be an entirely private affair, one object of which is to prevent we listeners from getting too close.
I know; mad, isn’t it? But who knows why performers do what they do? I’ve known enough to know there is no single answer to that question. The mildly certifiable, the terminally eccentric, the manic depressive, the unacceptably rude; the perfectionist, the guilt-ridden (I’m having so much fun…and they’re paying me to do this?!), the reticent introvert who’s pretending to be an extrovert, and the extrovert who can sustain his pretence only with copious amounts of chemical support: they’re all there, sometimes in the same band. Everyone’s pretending to be someone, putting on the mantle (or cape) of some real or imagined character before they can get on stage. We’re all little David Bowies. Some want to be in the light, some in the dark.
If you ask me, I’m relatively straight-forward on this. I’m a sort of what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of bloke. Hopefully, that makes me easy to work with. I’m comfortable being stared at on a stage - so long as you don’t hinder or inhibit me from delivering what it is I’ve come to deliver - and equally comfortable being ignored. I’d love your attention and enthusiasm - they help a lot - but I can do it with or without. I can do it in the dark or in the light, as many of the videos on this channel demonstrate. Some can only do it in the dark.
#billbruford #allanholdsworth #kingcrimson #paistecymbals #musicperformance #musicperformer #tamadrums #yes #jazzdrumming #rockdrummer #musicimprovisation #billbrufordsearthworks
All Comments (21)
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Thanks for posting up part 2. It’s interesting to hear Allan speak so candid and honest about his past. I was in his band for almost 10 years and he didn’t talk too much about his past. I know he really disliked the UK format for sure. Allan recorded my song “Joshua” on Secrets and I tried to get him to play it live but we never did, he just said “it reminded him too much of ‘those days’ where they wouldn’t let him play the chords and had to stick to lead lines. Hearing him talk more in detail on this helps me understand now. Really love and miss Allan. He gave us so much and these two records with Bruford was the first hearing of Allan for me and changed my musical life.
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And cheers to you Allan, let's all raise a glass in honour of this wonderful musician. Two Holdsworth-related facts: 1. He could read and write music. 2. Re. Allan leaving the Bruford band - I kept a diary. On March 31st 1979 Allan told Bill he was leaving after our UK tour (May 5th- 20th) to start a band with Jon Hiseman and Jack Bruce. He also recommended guitarist John Clark as a possible successor. Allan played the UK dates, the French tour started on May 26th with John on guitar. Contrary to the impression given on Bill's website timeline page, "Allan departs on the eve of the French leg, and John Clark deps at extremely short notice", I feel Allan acted responsibly by giving seven weeks notice and suggesting the amiable and musically quick-witted Mr. Clark, who turned out to be the ideal replacement - a pleasure to work with. Just wanted to clear that up... thanks to all for your nice comments in Part 1 of the Holdsworth video, much appreciated! Dave Stewart
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Sensitive, shy, complex, humble, good humored, nervous, funny.
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Theeee greatest electric guitarist that ever lived and the most innovative, Allan Holdsworth!
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My favorite Bruford album is "One of a Kind," and my favorite track from that album is" The Abingdon Chasp," in which Allan wrote that track. Allan's guitar playing is simply amazing. His playing was light years ahead of its time. Allan is truly missed. Thank you, Bill, for sharing this treasured interview.
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Quite a compliment in my opinion, especially coming from Allan. "I think Bill is a fantastic composer." True!
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Man, how i miss this legend...thank you, Maestro Bill 🤗
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One of a Kind will be a top 10 desert island album for me FOREVER. Thanks Bill, Allan, Dave, and Jeff for the tunes
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If Allan had wanted to play in my band, there would've been one non-negotiable rule: Allan will play whatever he wants. What a privilege it must have been to work with him and his monster talent.
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Whatever he says about UK, he played some fantastic guitar on that first album. Arguably the greatest guitarist the British Isles ever produced.
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Two of the most fluid players on guitar 🎸 , and on drums 🥁
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Allan Holdsworth is the GOAT on guitar
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Unbelievably gifted. He was a musician's musician.
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Priceless! What a dear man. Thank you Bill Bruford for sharing words and images of a beloved Allan Holdsworth. I am so glad you persisted in your plan to incorporate Allan into your music, culminating with the sublime One of a Kind album. So thankful to have heard his musical voice in many contexts before and thereafter.
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Allan was such a nice guy it seems from these interviews. I love his playing when he was in UK.
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Loved Allan with Bill... my entry point to the whole Holdsworth universe! Both such individual voices on their instruments.
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What a character! Incredible.
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It breaks my heart that the album (UK) i loved so much , Allan hated with almost every fiber in his body. His solo's on that album are legendary.
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Great comments. I saw the band at Strathclyde Union and bought One of a Kind the same day to get it signed. Which I did. There were four of us incredibly excited kids, two of whom helped roadie the gear up to the 5th floor while I was buying the album 😅
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If you watch the live recording this One of a Kind Bruford band did, I think in 1979 at a college , you can see Allan seemingly being somewhere else other than there. I did some research and that very same time period Allan was working on IOU with Gary Husband and the two Paul’s. That record turned the whole world upside down and still does in my opinion. Yeah, so I’m pretty sure that’s where Allan’s mind was during that live performance.
