David Bowie Asked Robert Fripp to Play Like Ritchie Blackmore

King Crimson mastermind Robert Fripp recently opened up about his iconic collaborations and interactions with David Bowie, reflecting on their time working together in 1977 and 1980, as well as an invitation to join Bowie’s live band that he ultimately turned down.

Recording ‘Heroes’ and Turning Down the Road

Fripp’s contribution to Bowie’s 1977 masterpiece “Heroes” stands as a definitive moment in rock history. However, Fripp revealed to Guitar World that he was initially hesitant about whether the collaboration would even work. At the time, he was in New York and had been in retreat for 10 months with no plans to return to active playing. When Bowie called, Fripp told him, “Well, I don’t know, but if you’re prepared to take a chance, so am I.”

Describing the ensuing three-day session as “very in the moment,” Fripp recalled a relaxed atmosphere built on immediacy, play, and laughter. Later that same year, Bowie invited Fripp to his New York hotel and asked him to join his touring band as a live guitarist. Fripp declined the offer, noting that he had just come off the road after six years of touring. Reflecting on Bowie’s charisma, Fripp added that he wasn’t sure if he would have made a good live guitarist for David, suggesting that his actual touring guitarist likely did a far better job of covering the catalog than he ever could have.

Channeling Ritchie Blackmore on ‘Scary Monsters’

Fripp later reunited with Bowie for the 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). When Fripp asked Bowie for any suggestions on how to approach his guitar work, Bowie gave a surprisingly specific piece of direction: “Think Ritchie Blackmore.”

Though Fripp admitted he didn’t expect the reference, he understood the intent. Having seen Blackmore play with the Outlaws when he was 17, Fripp knew the guitarist’s phenomenal style. While Fripp noted that he didn’t end up sounding like Blackmore, the prompt successfully guided his creative choices in the studio.

Looking back on the late icon, Fripp offered a simple perspective on how fans and peers should remember him: “Simply as we knew him. Some people knew him personally, other people knew him through his work, and still other people will remember David as the person who said to them very directly, ‘You have permission to be who you are.'”