"Who do we see here on this record sleeve? It looks like a writer or a teacher. But it is none other than guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp. The founder of the legendary prog rock band King Crimson, rock artist and music pedagogue. But also a peculiar person. He has been called the Mr Spock of musicians. Mr Spock is the pointed-eared character from the famous Star Trek television series from the 1970s. Half human and half Vulcan (a fictional planet). The mind comes first with Mr Spock. You must be able to reason and analyze everything logically. Mr Spock could also hypnotize his opponent. "Exposure" is Robert Fripp's first solo album. It's an album that goes in all directions in terms of musical style. From hard rock-like power rhythms to intensely beautiful ballads. And of course his 'frippertronics', a specific guitar sound that he developed together with keyboardist Brian Eno. The guitar sound can repeat itself endlessly via tape recorders and loop techniques. "Exposure" is a brilliant album, with musicians such as singers Peter Hammill, Peter Gabriel and Daryl Hall, and drummers such as Phil Collins, Narada Michael Walden and bassist Tony Levin. Robert Fripp, in all his obscurity, is something of a guru for many a music fan. But he definitely didn't want to be put on a pedestal. "I'm just an ordinary guy who also wags his dick after peeing," he once said in an interview. He was not a natural musician, certainly not a Mozart who was already composing piano music at the age of eight. Fripp was tone-deaf until he was fifteen. He regularly broke out in a sweat during music lessons when he had to play a melody on the guitar. It took blood, sweat and tears to master the thing. But he had one great example: his great-aunt Violet Griffiths. She became a brilliant pianist through endless practice. Every day she sat at the piano for eight to nine hours, mastering scales to perfection. Her philosophy was 'pushing': going for 100%. Don't settle for 60%. It's about developing a perfect technique, enabling you to do whatever you want at any time. This also became Robert Fripp's 'Leitmotiv', based on 'Discipline' (no wonder one of the King Crimson albums from the eighties is called "Discipline"). If you have something in mind, you can achieve it, but it takes a lot. On side 2 of "Exposure" you can hear his philosophy teacher J.G Bennett's declaration, as the opening line; "You cannot achieve your goals without any suffering." So no fast cars or fast women for Fripp. No drugs, not even an aspirin. At most a cup of coffee or a beer in the pub in his spare time. His life really consisted of only two things: endless practicing of guitar patterns and reading, especially philosophical and psychological books. "Reading a book is a joy; reading a book with a cup of coffee is an orgy", is a famous quote from Fripp. When Robert Fripp completely mastered his guitar, he formed the band King Crimson in 1969. It caused a sensation as the opening act for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park in front of 650,000 people. Since then things moved quickly for King Crimson. The band became very popular among prog rock and avant-garde music fans. Each and every one of King Crimson's albums are masterpieces. Even though the composition of the band changed regularly. It wasn't always easy to work with Mr Spock. Robert Fripp also frequently quarreled with record company executives. He hated the music industry, which, in his view, was only interested in one thing: money. In 1974 Fripp withdrew from the music world. He focused on the philosophy of J.G. Bennett and took courses with him. It's too far-fetched to describe exactly what this philosophy means, but it is mainly about awareness. I once looked into it too, but didn't have the discipline to fully commit to it. Genesis vocalist Peter Gabriel brought Robert Fripp back to music for his first solo album in 1977. It was during this time that the idea for Robert Fripp's debut album was born. It was supposed to be a trilogy, together with Peter Gabriel's sophomore attempt and the album "Sacred Songs" by singer Daryl Hall. Some of these songs are also featured on "Exposure". Fripp and "Exposure" remind me of the time I practiced sports at (semi) top level, together with my best friend. He had the habit of lying down, with his head between two music speakers for 45 minutes before a match, with "Exposure" on as loudly as possible. After that he was supremely concentrated and at the top of his game. I didn't have this discipline, but I did get a taste of the music of Robert Fripp and King Crimson. And still do, to this very day!"