Why is prog rock always called "snooty"?

rogerthat wrote: SteveG wrote: Most people that I know that don't like prog have actually made a concerted effort to like it but it just didn't click with them. And I'm talking about some very gifted rock musicians. That's all fine and well with me. It's only the people that dismiss prog out of hand that annoy me and, generally, very few of them are musicians or have any kind of familiarity with music such as recording engineers, etc. But as you said, to each his own. This is not directed at you, but I do think it's foolish to laugh at their musical choices because they garner the same level of appreciation from listening to their choice of music as we do from listening to prog. And that's what some really foolish people have a hard time understanding. Btw Dave, you look quite distinguished with your pipe. A true progger if ever there was one! Do tell, though, how does NO prog click at all with them?  Prog is very vast and diverse.  Those who like more improvisational stuff may dig Krautrock, those who would rather not go beyond hard rock with some complex instrumentation may still like Kansas, those who just want some metal muscle will find something to like in prog metal.  I am not saying that such people are trying to be dismissive but I do wonder sometimes if the years of propaganda against prog has resulted in a lot of baggage being associated with it, with the result that some people can't truly give it a fair shake anymore. When I first heard some of the classic prog rock songs like Firth of the fifth or Karn Evil 9, I really didn't know much about these negative stereotypes of prog. So I just listened and ended up liking it.  And this was within a year or so of getting into rock music, having grown up on mostly Indian music with only a few bands/artists like Beatles/ABBA/Santana making up my 'Western' collection at that point.   So it's not like I had a lot of prior exposure to rock music at that.  Sometimes I wonder if that helped.

It's just a matter of taste Madan. It's easier for someone with a purist blues background to gravitate toward 70s hard rock which had a firm foot in the blues before it morphed into the various riff metal genres. So, these types of musos were not really enthralled with the music of ELP, Genesis, et al., regardless of how much they admired the musicianship. Oddly enough, many of these blues types that I've known have gravitated toward Indian and World Music. Go figure.

Cheers, Steve, the "distinguished" illusion vanishes when I open my mouth. ;-)

Psychedelic Paul wrote: Dean wrote: yeah, you're so right. It reminds me of the last album review I wrote too, that was also totally irrelevant to my everyday life and utterly unrelated to this topic. In fact come to think of it every sodding album I've ever listened to has been utterly irrelevant to my everyday life, as was every book I've ever read, every film, play, tv drama and sitcom I've ever seen, together with every painting, sculpture and bloody statue I've ever gawped at. Funny old world. This topic went off-topic a long time ago when we started talking about Rap/Hip Hop, when the thread was supposed to be all about Prog-Rock.   Come to think of it, Jon Anderson's "Olias of Sunhillow" album DOES have some relevance to my everyday life, because it's all about new beginnings and starting a new life elsewhere, just as I have done recently.

^yeah opinions are more important than knowledge........

Well, the analogy I use is "pipe versus cigarettes". 

I've been smoking a pipe for 15 years now, I'm 54. The reason is simple, I smoke a pipe because the difference between cigarette and pipe tobacco is basically the difference between restaurant quality food and dog food. It's also much more characterful and complex than cigars, which I used to smoke as well. 

I don't smoke a pipe to look pretentious, pensive, trustworthy or some kind of faux gentleman, and I don't basically give a rat's arse if people don't like it. They probably have habits I'd disapprove of, if I was less tolerant and didn't mind my own business. 

I don't drink any more, ten years since my last drink: when I did, I drunk single malt scotch and Belgian artisan beers. I also drink proper coffee as well. I also eat well, I don't do junk food. None of this makes me better than anyone else, I just appreciate quality. And am very grateful for the people who produce quality products.

Where's the analogy ?  Well, really simple. Prog rock is, at best, quality non mainstream music. It requires a high level of musicianship, high production values, lots of creative thought and the listener to invest time and thought in appreciating it. "Restaurant quality food versus dog food". 

People tend to think that they're right about their beliefs, especially in the age of the internet, where opinion counts more than knowledge (and there will be some people out there outraged at a picture of someone smoking a pipe ) (to which the answer is get over it) so with prog rock or classical music or jazz, a lack of understanding or willingness to understand results in the knee jerk reaction that anyone who likes it is pretentious and snotty. 

Well, different strokes for different folks, and if they want to miss out, that's their prerogative. By the same token, I'll give rap and house music (etc) a miss, and I actually will think of anyone who enjoys what I see as "non music" in a somewhat baleful light, it's just human nature. 

Cristi wrote: SteveG wrote: Cristi wrote: Damn it Snooty, you've been on that damn computer all day! I gotta watch your submishinz.

At least someone's reading them!

Psychedelic Paul wrote: I'm not denying that Black Metal, Death Metal & Thrash Metal evolved from Punk-Rock, but I don't necessarily see that as a good thing.

Metal heads and punk fans say the same thing about prog, so the world is in balance. Sort of, as there is a lot more of them as compared to us.

SteveG wrote: Cristi wrote: Damn it Snooty, you've been on that damn computer all day!

Cristi wrote:

Damn it Snooty, you've been on that damn computer all day!

Tillerman88 wrote: Psychedelic Paul wrote: SteveG wrote: ^ Yes, all jesting aside, punk, and its sub genre of NY Hardcore, are directly responsible for the advent of Thrash from which death and Black metal would evolve. Unfortunately, those that misunderstand these metal genres are the same people that have just a fleeting and superficial understanding of punk. Ignorance is bliss for them for but quite annoying to anyone with half an idea of rock music outside of prog. Well, that includes me then, because as well as not liking Punk-Rock, I can't stand Black Metal, Death Metal or Thrash Metal either, because it's quite literally not music to my ignorant ears. Good point of yours Psychedelic Paul.... and that includes me too, as well as several other people "with half an idea of rock music outside of prog" (). I suggest the other half who profess that our ignorance is bliss to take their time and care to getting at least some of what was going on outside of "prog" , in the 70's. But let's give them a little help , why not?   I'm thinking right now of Judas Priest, Black Sabbath , Motorhead (this band just a couple of years later) ... these are some that would later have a major influence on progressive metal bands.  I leave you with just one illustration:  Priest's 1977's album Sin After Sin used a combination of double bass drum (or "double kick") and rapid 16th-note bass rhythms combined with rapid 16th-note guitar rhythms used by Black Sabbath and Motörhead , among others, that simply came to define the genre  ..... and some of its songs pushed an increase in tempo AND aggression which was later adopted by not less than several bands from subsequent generations that came with a much harder-edged approach. Nuff said