King Crimson Guitarist Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Willcox Cover Black Sabbath Classic

2022-11-01

Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell Cover Image

Black Sabbath, “Heaven and Hell Cover” – Story by Anne Erickson

Watch King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp and wife Toyah Willcox put their own spin on “Children of the Grave”

King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp and singer wife Toyah Willcox host a “Sunday Lunch” series, in which they do wild covers of classic songs. For the Halloween edition of the series, the duo pulled out the Black Sabbath classic “Children of the Grave.”

As always, they were dressed to the nines. The look was very Halloween-appropriate, with Fripp dressing up with big spiders on his head and shoulder and Toyah wearing a sheer top with a giant spider leg over her chest.

“Children of the Grave” is the second Black Sabbath song the two have covered. When they started initially doing their “Sunday Lunch” series, they covered “Paranoid.” Other previous “Sunday Lunch” covers include Fountains of Wayne classic “Stacy’s Mom,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and more.

Fripp says that not everyone is happy about his “Sunday Lunch” videos with his wife. True, the videos are often strange, but regardless, Tripp totally stands behind what he’s doing. Speaking with The Telegraph (via Louder), he said, “[The series has] upset some King Crimson fans. “At the beginning of lockdown, my wife handed me a tutu and a pair of her black tights and took me to the end of the garden and put on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. My wife insists performers have a responsibility to lift people’s spirits in hard times. Do I respect that? My answer is yes, completely and utterly I do.”

He added, “We’re keenly aware of what people have experienced during lockdown. I mean, banged up in a small apartment while your mother’s dying and you can’t go to the funeral. My wife said to me, if all we’ve done in two years is help one person through their bad time, it’s all worth it.”

He continued, “So I’m not sure if that meets a criteria of serving what is highest in music, but for me, it’s a real undertaking that I respect. And I am quite prepared to strap on a guitar and rock out to a classic riff in order to achieve it. At age 76, why should I give a f***? This is my life.”

The couple’s “Sunday Lunch” performances have been so popular that the two are taking the show on the road. They’re announced that they will tour in 2023, but dates have yet to be announced. Watch their spicy version of “Children of the Grave” via the video below.

Anne Erickson
Posted by Anne Erickson | Music, Rock, Rock News