The poet Peter Sinfield passed away yesterday at the age of 80. Yes, the poet – for Pete was much more then a mere lyricist, although a unique one because else could sculpt a phrase like “I need to suck the breasts of time and freeze her milk in ink” and to write, with equal ease, stanzas which were performed by such incomparable artists as KING CRIMSON and Celine Dion. Of course, Sinfield will forever be associated with former, rather than later, for without him the British ensemble would not have neither their sinister name nor the conceptual vision projected from the "In The Court Of The Crimson King" album – whose very cover got commissioned by the word-weaver so fortunately brought inti the fold by Ian McDonald – onwards.
There was much more to Peter’s role in the band, so no wonder other Crimsonites – Greg Lake and Ian Wallace, John Wetton and Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Keith Tippett – were on call when Sinfield decided to try his might as a musician with the release of "Still" in 1973, while already penning arcane lines for ELP. He also worked with ROXY MUSIC and PFM, Gary Brooker and Leo Sayer, BUCKS FIZZ and Cher because his love for a clever and phonetically engaging lyrics never diminished. And it was wordplay we discussed at length back in 2003 when, with not much to do on the bus taking me from Liverpool to Wolverhampton, I called Pete, and the conversation took us on a trip between various subjects, including financial security and Loch Ness – but not music. Sadly, we never got around to doing a proper interview – and never will now. Sail on, The Piper.
