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Meta 
Forum Groupie 
Joined: August 22 2012 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 69 |
 Topic: Did you go through a prog "evangelism" phase?Posted: September 06 2012 at 10:27 |
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When I was in high school learning as much as I could about prog and hitting up used CD stores for albums, I would try and talk to my friends about prog and playing it for them, explaining what I found so fascinating about the music. To my dismay I quickly realized that most of the didn't appreciate it, and found the music to be dense and noisy.
 After a year or two I learned to keep my prog fetish to myself unless someone said or did something that led me to believe that they would be interested, but I was pretty annoying there for a while as a teenager.
Did you go through a similar phase? Was it more or less successful than mine?
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Earthmover
Forum Senior Member 
Joined: June 03 2012 Status: Offline Points: 1509 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 10:46 |
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Maybe I'm going through it right now, but I don't feel like I am. I'm still fresh to the prog, though.
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Sympathy Orchestra
Forum Newbie 
Joined: August 02 2012 Location: Detroit Status: Offline Points: 25 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 10:59 |
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Yes, I went through that phase too.
No, I was not very successful at bringing people over to the Prog Side.
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www.thesympathyorchestra.com
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stonebeard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 27 2005 Location: NE Indiana Status: Offline Points: 28057 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 11:12 |
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A little.
It's ok to play a little bit of music now and then, but if you put on Faust, Can, or 20-minute epics for normal people, your kind of being a socially awkward weirdo. Most likely. Just play an occasional Yes, Porcpuine Tree, or Marillion track. If they like it then whatever. No one lies an evangelist, no matter what the subject matter.
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HolyMoly
Special Collaborator 
Retired Admin Joined: April 01 2009 Location: Atlanta Status: Offline Points: 26138 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 11:16 |
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I remember I used to try and get my dad into new prog bands. He already had a taste for that kind of thing, so as I got deeper into it, I would try to bring him on board with new bands too. More often than not, though, he didn't really care that much. He's a jazz guy at heart, and the limited prog he listens to is enough for him. Occasionally he'll surprise me by liking something like Sigur Ros, as happened recently.
I've rarely tried to get people into prog who weren't already inclined towards it. I can totally see why the average person just wouldn't give a damn. It's not very populist or engaging on a surface level, for the most part. I've found that it takes a desire to get into it -- someone who wants to get into and try to figure it out -- and that people who want immediate surface appeal are likely to be unimpressed. Edited by HolyMoly - September 06 2012 at 11:18 |
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My other avatar is a Porsche
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
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HolyMoly
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin Joined: April 01 2009 Location: Atlanta Status: Offline Points: 26138 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 11:16 |
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My other avatar is a Porsche
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
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Dellinger
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: June 18 2009 Location: Mexico Status: Offline Points: 12860 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 11:17 |
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I got to know prog a bit too late to do that. A few times I've put some prog through some journeys to other cities with some other people, and it's not been such a disaster. I didn't convert anyone, but none showed any dismay towards what they heard. Unfortunatley my wife is the one that just won't crack. She usually just let me put my music in the house, since she isn't very fond of puting music of her own. But from time to time, she does complain about something I got. I try to tell her she needs to pay attention, and focus on the good instead of the bad, but she just doesn't care. Well, at least she seems to almost like Pink Floyd by now, and Dream Theater too... up to a point (still won't stand LaBrie singing). But Yes and Genesis, no way. Some other less "proggy" bands she will tolerate too.
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Progosopher
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 12 2009 Location: Coolwood Status: Offline Points: 6484 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 11:52 |
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Not Prog itself, but I was an evangelist for Ritchie Blackmore for a few years in high school shortly after I discovered hard rock (and music in general). I learned long ago that it is impossible to push your tastes on anybody no matter your enthusiasm or reasons. Either others like it or they don't; either it interests them or it doesn't. Stonebeard is absolutely correct: nobody likes an evangelist. If people come to agree with one, then they had found virtue in the subject in their own way and not because somebody else told them they should.
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The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"
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ScorchedFirth
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 16 2012 Status: Offline Points: 257 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 11:56 |
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I'm definitely still in this phase. I showed all my friends, and so far, all but two have liked it. My friends are weird though. My family is utterly resistant to it, or rather, can't understand at all what I see in prog. I think they still believe it is just 10 minute drum solos etc.
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breathing, eating, defecating, screwing, drinking, spewing, sleeping...
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Logan
Forum & Site Admin Group
Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Status: Offline Points: 38833 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 12:18 |
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I'm no progelytiser. I mean I've played some of my faves that are (sometimes or commonly) considered "prog" to some friends (such as Magma and Art Zoyd without any success and Comus, Cardiac, The Residents, King Crimson and Robert Wyatt with some success), but never really tried to convert people to Prog. One thing I have avoided doing when playing music is to describe music as Prog. My generation knows the term, and it often has negative connotations to people. Also, I don't find the term really describes my varied tastes under the progressive rock umbrella well. I have just played music and if they like it, they like it.
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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wilmon91
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 15 2009 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 698 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 12:22 |
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Yes, my interest in music started to flourish at the first year in high school very much as a consequence of discovering internet. I searched for "Saga" and eventually learned about progressive music. Started listening to Marillion, discovered the Gibraltar encyclopedia of progressive rock, discovered many great prog bands.
Around the same time radio was changing and new commercial stations was becoming very popular. So that was the antithesis to my interest and approach to music. I couldn't understand how all people voluntarily would listen to a very limited amount of songs playing over and over, plus commercials and loud crazy jingles. I could criticize bad artists, but I was more puzzled to the fact that people wanted to listen to it, and only hit songs that are repeated. Another puzzling thing was that on radio shows were people can call in and wish for any song they like, they most often picked a song that already was playing everyday on radio. Or alternatively a well known "classic" hit song. I thought, why do they only play hits on the radio, why is it so commercialized, and why does people want it to be that way?
So I really didn't push prog on people, I didn't even introduced it to anyone if they didn't show interest. Commercialism exploded at the end of the 90's, people didn't mind , it was rather admired. I was going in the opposite direction that the times where moving in.
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thellama73
Collaborator 
Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 29 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 8368 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 12:30 |
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Not really. I love music and if you get me started I will speak enthusiastically about bands I like, so that means have at one point or another sang the virtues of prog to most of my friends, but I don't actively try to convert people.
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lazland
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 28 2008 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 13886 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 12:44 |
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I got into prog when punk was kicking off in a big way, so it was better to keep youtr trap shut for risk of getting a good kicking!
 As I have gotten older, I have been pleasantly surprised at just how many acquaintances appreciate progressive rock, without ever deeming themselves to be "fans".
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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org
Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
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TODDLER
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: August 28 2009 Location: Vineland, N.J. Status: Offline Points: 3126 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 13:13 |
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In 73/74 teenagers around me were listening to prog because it had hit the mainstream media popularity with bands like ELP, Yes, Genesis, and Jethro Tull. Pictures of Ian Anderson, Keith Emerson, Peter Gabriel, and Rick Wakeman were often featured on the front cover of magazines like "Hit Parader", "Circus", and "Creem". Teenagers on the east coast would throw parties and the main course of the evening's music would be "Thick as a Brick" or "Tarkus" and so on. Also the early Pink Floyd and it was common knowledge then. I was considered a freak because I preached the gospel of Gong, Camel. Centipede, Guru, Guru, Amon Dull and so many others that annoyed the hell out of everyone. Teenagers around me were fans of Black Sabbath, UFO, Blue Oyster Cult, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and to top it off a group that was considered lacking in talent by a majority of my sister's hippie friends...Grand Funk Railroad. Early 70's fans of Grand Funk really enjoyed Keith Emerson and Ian Anderson because they had the image of "Rock Stars" ...but anything beyond that such as the European underground prog scene had mostly a cult following.
I went overboard with my efforts introducing people to the sounds of Gong and Camel which they cringed at relentlessly. The only artist I recall from the underground prog scene that made an impact was Mike Oldfield with his Tubular Bells release. I remember kids who listened to Karen Carpenter having that album and I couldn't quite understand then...how it could be possible? I had a lot of bizzare sadistic in nature type males for friends who would call me on the phone asking to borrow a CAN album. They would do this only to scare off their girlfriends. They would put on a strobe light and a CAN album to scare a girl away instead of telling her they wanted to break up. Totally insane if you ask me? Or they would borrow a Tangerine Dream album , set the speakers up in the windows, and scare off the trick or treaters who wanted candy. Beyond using prog for pranks...they had no real interest in it. Sometimes they found me annoying because I listened to it.
Edited by TODDLER - September 06 2012 at 13:23 |
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Gerinski
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 10 2010 Location: Barcelona Spain Status: Offline Points: 5160 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 13:15 |
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My closest friends and myself grew up together liking prog all of us, oddly because we were all a bit too young for that (born around '65-'66). The kids of our generation became punks and new-waves, the prog train had already passed, but for some reason we were against the tide. In my paticular case the reason was that i was already soaked in prog from a very early age through my older brothers and cousins but this was not the case for some of my friends and yet they were also in love with prog at a time prog was already dead.
After that the only person I tried to convert was my long-time girfriend but I quickly realised that it was a hopeless endeavour so I gave up quickly and i have been listening to prog on headphones or when alone since
We just split though, so as from now I will be able to listen to prog again at ease at home.
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Chozal
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 01 2011 Location: Melun, France Status: Offline Points: 187 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 13:38 |
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When I discovered Jethro Tull, I would watch live videos every night for hous and hours. And hours. I showed them to all my friends and found I was the only one to be completely enraptured by Ian x3 but it was fine. From that point, it's true that I haven't tried to push anybody into prog ... Mostly because the people I know have quite specific musical tastes and prog do not fit them, except from one of my best buddies who plays bass with me in my band and is a total Dream Theater fan. But from time to time, like with the latest Anathema record, I share it and some people love it :)
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The Infinite Progability Drive, feeding you daily progressive/weird music for just a like <3
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Vibrationbaby
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 13 2004 Status: Offline Points: 6898 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 14:48 |
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I went through an Elvis phase but then I discovered Focus and that was the end of that.
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Hercules
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 14 2007 Location: Near York UK Status: Offline Points: 7024 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 16:32 |
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I've never left it.
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A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.
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Josef_K
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 15 2011 Location: Stockholm Status: Offline Points: 147 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 17:10 |
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I'm in that phase and can't help it. Luckily I've got my band to get most of the nerdy prog-related stuff said, but I just can't help complaining about how uninteresting other people's favorite music is, and then I start to explain why even though it's obvious that no one cares etc etc... It's quite an issue haha, but well worth it so I shouldn't whine about it :D
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Leave the past to burn,
At least that's been his own - Peter Hammill |
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tamijo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 06 2009 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 4287 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 18:40 |
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Everyone i knew was into Tull Genesis Yes Floyd, even Gentle G.
So could say my Preaching has mostly been about moving from there into King Crims / Fripp Was I successful ? Partly ! Today I don't preach a lot, but I still try opening friends into new prog landscapes, But now I actually don't care much, if they like it or not. |
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Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
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Did you go through a prog "evangelism" phase?
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stonebeard wrote: