Robert Fripp disputes with Bowie-estate over credits of ‘Heroes’

Robert Fripp, King Crimson’s co-founder and guitarist, claims that he's in a dispute with David Bowie’s estate over how his contributions to ‘Heroes’ and Scary Monsters were credited. Fripp took to social media to accuse the PPL and Bowie-estate of wrongfully not crediting him as a Featured Player.

Fripp makes a strong case for himself, saying in the post that, ‘This accreditation as a Featured Player is supported by Brian Eno, Tony Visconti, David Bowie himself (although the terminology was not then in use), and the court of Public Opinion over four decades.’ It makes sense, Fripp’s celestial guitar work on ‘Heroes’ is fiercely original and instantly recognizable.

He goes on to take a jab at the industry saying, ‘Fifty-two years of direct, hands-on experience suggests to me that the majority of players who operate the system, operate the system to serve their own interests. There are a small number of players whose aim is ethical action in business; not directing the industry to promote their own personal interests; these assertions supported by decades of documentation.’ One commenter on Fripp’s post empathized saying, ‘Bowie would be disgusted by this injustice.’

To hear Fripp’s exact contribution to ‘Heroes’ for yourself, check out this video of the session’s engineer Tony Visconti breaking down the production of the track. Fripp’s part comes at 2:15 of the video.