How have you introduced people to Prog?

Each time I tried to introduce someone to prog I've failed, the reason being that some people tend to stay away from things which are "imposed" onto them. It feels better when you discover music on your own, because you're not influenced by other people's opinions and you don't feel "forced" to listen to something. And since I don't like being introduced to other types of music (but also movies, sports, games, etc.) as well, I just stopped doing that.

I normally play a nice short song to them, what prog fans call "Fillers"; songs that people can relate to, or some of the popular ones from the old times, like "Living in the Past", or "From The Beginning". That gets them interested and sometimes willing to liosten to the whole album.

Never. Impossible. Though many of my friends listen to prog without knowing this is prog. I tried to tell them, but they don't want to know. Prog is a scary name in France. 

octopus-4 wrote: Camel - Mirage and something good to smoke

What, a Marlboro ??

Camel - Mirage and something good to smoke

I don't.

I listen to the contemporary prog much more than any other music, and when my friends come to my home, they have to listen to the same music that I listen to. Sometimes they like something of that; e.g. iamthemornig have received the most positive comments in the last two years, actually far more than all the other bands.

Never had that chance. A few months ago I gave a friend a lift and I was playing Birds and Buildings loud and proud... I think he almost threw up.
I met some who are into Metal, but unfortunately I can't recommend any Progressive Metal.

I've tried to introduce prog to family and people I know but it never works. They just end up thinking I have really weird taste in music. I remember one time I tried letting my friend listen to some and he acted as though there was something wrong with me for liking this type of music. Considering that he also once told me "the thing that sucks about classical music is that you can't bump it in a car" and "the Beatles suck because they're British", I knew not to take him seriously.

Where I work, there was a young dude driving the delivery van, Jerome. He's a clean-cut kid, doesn't smoke weed or anything, I happened to ask him what he listens too. He was nuts about Queen and especially Radiohead. He also mentioned Sigur Ros, and some other bands I didn't expect. I started bringing in some discs, like Ozrics, Spock's Beard, VDGG, Anglagard, Flower Kings, PT, Hawkwind, even a Jannik Top CD I have - he went bonkers over De Futura !! Some things he didn't take to, but he was impressed with most of what he heard. Shame he left (for a better job) - last time he came in to work he had a Pineapple Thief album on his iPod. I suppose he was already half-way there with Prog, but he realised just how much interesting music is out there. Job done !!
I tried to do the same with Tristan, who took over from Jez, lent him Spock's Beard (Brief Nocturnes...) it baffled him. Tried Ozrics on him and he just made fun of it.......I gave up then and there.

Edited by Tom Ozric - December 05 2014 at 16:54