Are proghead nerds?

Depends on how you define a nerd. One definition is a person who is extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a particular subject, especially one of specialist or niche interest.

Prog rock is certainly a niche interest. You could arguably call someone a "prog nerd," but that doesn't mean they fit some other characterization of nerd. Certainly, not every sci-fi/fantasy nerd is into prog rock.

Using what I think is how you are characterizing a nerd, the answer to your question is some are and some aren't.

If we go by the definition mathman0806 mentioned, then I guess I'm a movie nerd, a book nerd, and definitely a music nerd—in the broadest sense. 😉

When it comes to sci-fi and fantasy, though, I couldn’t care less. Call me superficial if you like, but I’m only in it for the music—not the lyrics.

Like progressive music, one might say that nerdism is a spectrum, in which case I might fall on that spectrum. I have been very enthusiastic about things including film, TV and music. I have been very big on so-called international art house cinema but I also love lots of sci-fi and fantasy (I think of the arthouse film aficionados as nerdier in ways). I do tend to favour music under the Prog umbrella (the prog spectrum) that might come from the more RIO and Avant side, love Krautrock electronic, acid folk, experimental music, post-rock, Canterbury Scene, kinds of jazz... I also like a lot of music outside Prog that might be considered hipsterish such as Indie. I'm an individual with individual tastes (much of which is shared by various people here) and don't consider myself to be a Proghead. It's more like I like a lot of music covered at PA, and not in PA, and a lot of music at PA is not my thing.

Enchant X wrote: No! we are very cool

I mean we do love Steely Dan on PA, right?

I think I'm a nerd, but it's mainly a reaction to those who don't understand why a song can last more than 3 minutes and have unusual signatures. I'm not only into prog, even if it's what I prefer. I like blues, some country-rock, celtic folk, pagan metal other than jazz and classical, but I'm everything but an expert on the last two. So I'm probably a music nerd, more than a prog-only nerd.

I'm a sci-fi lover, but I'm also into politics and because of that I've had some problems with the police when I was young. So I can love the lyrics of Jon Anderson, David Bowie and Roger Waters. (three different kinds)

Can I be considered a proghead if I don't like Genesis?

I am a bit of an obsessive researcher on topics that I'm passionate about - not sure if the makes me a prog nerd (or geek). [This has been going on for around 50 years now.]

Edited by Floydoid - May 26 2025 at 04:51

Today, I consider myself mostly as an aficionado of progressive music, and thus as something else than just a progger, even Progressive Rock (rather strictly defined) surely still is the genre, I'm most fond of. Anyway, I've definitely been quite a music nerd in the largest part of my now long life.







Edited by David_D - May 26 2025 at 07:52

David_D wrote: Today, I consider myself mostly as an aficionado of progressive music, and thus as something else than just a progger, even Progressive Rock (rather strictly defined) surely still is the genre, I'm most fond of. Anyway, I've definitely been quite a music nerd in the largest part of my now long life.

I never considered myself a nerd or a geek in whatever I forayed in (music or others), even when I spent many hours in the early times for this site.

"PROG" (fùck I hate that word) was never the only style of music I liked and I'd even given up following whatever was still around in the later 80's... and if it wasn't for a Scandinavian mail-order catalogue that fell onto my desk, I might've missed the whole 90/00's slew. In some ways those same catalogues got me interested in those RIO bands that I only discovered in the mid-90's.

Gnik Nosmirc wrote: I'm quite sporty, and my taste in literature and film leans more toward the classic and art-house end of the spectrum than toward fantasy or sci-fi. While some branches of progressive rock could be labeled as nerdy, genres like RIO, Krautrock, post-rock, or the Canterbury scene evoke a completely different atmosphere—more psychedelic, experimental, and offbeat. To me, listening to that kind of music suggests an eclectic, countercultural, and intellectually curious mindset rather than the stereotypical sci-fi/fantasy nerd identity.

This rings very true. I'm more at home with the countercultural, and intellectually curious. That is pretty much what my whole life has been about. However I do have that nerd like tunnel vision kind of focus/obsession, which has made me "an expert" at only a couple of things in life, while I suck at the rest.

-I've met plenty of genuine Progheads of the ELP/Yes/Gabriel-era Genesis-worshipping ilk. Some of them only like the first King Crimson album (but not Moonchild), are mostly indiffernt to Jazz Rock Fusion, RIO etc (they might do an exception for the worst Return to Forever album, Romantic Warrior) and want to talk about time signatures, often do a lot of air drumming, are into sci-fi etc... And their idea of an interesting topic seem to be: but is Rush/Pink Floyd/Canterbury Scene etc... really Prog? Many of them are unable to snap out of it, and talk about other stuff. I got nothing agianst the prog nerd-type. I still like him (sorry, it's a him ca. 95% of the time), but we don't seem to share much common ground. It's usually easier for me to have a conversation with someone who's not into prog at all.   

^ It's interesting because even when PA began Symphonic Prog was already 30 years old. Now it is about 50 years old and has not replace classical music yet