In a festive new installment of their long-running Sunday Lunch YouTube series, Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox have offered their take on the Christmas classic, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.
The track – originally written by Johnny Marks and made famous by Brenda Lee in 1958 – provides ample opportunity for Fripp and Toyah’s trademark antics, as the King Crimson man plays a series of distortion-heavy powerchords on a Les Paul while Toyah, as usual, handles vocal duties.
And yes, like so many installments of Sunday Lunch, this clip features a rather odd climax of its own, in which Toyah places shaving cream on Fripp’s head, before attempting to blow it off with a large fan. There’s no need to seek an explanation for such escapades anymore – just enjoy it.
Robert Fripp and Toyah have covered literally hundreds of tracks since the launch of their Sunday Lunch YouTube series during the height of Covid.
The couple have placed emphasis on rock and metal songs as of late, tackling the likes of Megadeth’s Holy Wars… The Punishment Due, Pantera’s 5 Minutes Alone, Metallica’s Enter Sandman, AC/DC’s Back in Black and Limp Bizkit’s Nookie.
They also recently wrapped up a four-week stint with English singer and actor Chesney Hawkes, in which the three-piece performed covers of Hawkes’ The One and Only, The Killers’ Mr. Brightside, Bryan Adams’ coming-of-age classic, Summer of ‘69 and Fountains of Wayne’s pop-punk mega-hit, Stacy’s Mom.
Back in October, Robert Fripp spoke of the motive behind the Sunday Lunch series, and had some choice words for King Crimson fans who have taken issue with their antics.
“We’re keenly aware of what people have experienced during lockdown,” he said. “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.
“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… But it upset some King Crimson fans.”
He added, however: “At age 76, why should I give a fuck?”
