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sean 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 02 2005
Location: United States
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Points: 1155
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 Topic: humour in progressive music
Posted: January 21 2008 at 01:55 |
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personally, i'm a huge fan of artists that don't take themselves seriously, such as Frank Zappa, and I think it provides a nice contrast to more serious artists, but I was wondering what the people here thought about the place of humour in music, whether they like it or not, or only at certain times. I think it's an interesting topic because somehow most music turns out being serious in nature even though many people aspire to be funny.
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Petrovsk Mizinski
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 24 2007
Location: Ukraine
Status: Offline
Points: 25210
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 02:41 |
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I like that approach of not taking yourself seriously, but always take the music and the artistry seriously. i think humor has its place anywhere, including prog. It's a matter of appropiate time, how you execute it and whether or not the humor will be sustainable.
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darkshade
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: November 19 2005
Location: New Jersey
Status: Offline
Points: 10964
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 02:47 |
Zappa definitely took himself and his music seriously, but i know what you mean.
Mr. Bungle?
King Crimson 80's period? (Belew's connected to Zappa too)
Phish sometimes
hell, even Dream Theater throw in a humorous tid bit from time to time...
although, notice every band i mentioned lists Zappa as an influence or directly worked with the man.
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Hat of Truth
Forum Groupie
Joined: October 13 2007
Location: Sweden
Status: Offline
Points: 82
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 02:53 |
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Homour is a large word. I would consider some artists to maby have humour, but most of them have wit. Like, mostly ways to come up with responses and some words that aren't that really serious.
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Avantgardehead
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 29 2006
Location: Dublin, OH, USA
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Points: 1170
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 03:28 |
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Genesis and Frank Zappa are masters of the humor combined with excellent music.
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http://www.last.fm/user/Avantgardian
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fuxi
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2006
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 2488
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 03:36 |
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The best combination to have is humorous music with an underlying seriousness. Take Mozart's collaborations with da Ponte, for example (LA NOZZE DI FIGARO, DON GIOVANNI, COSI FAN TUTTE). They're all comedies, but parts of them are immensely moving.
I'm a Zappa fan, too, and I greatly enjoy some of his most outrageous moments (e.g. "The Illinois Enema Bandit", "Flakes") but I sometimes feel there's a lack of human warmth in Zappa's music. If you believe ALL humans are ridiculous ALL the time (except, perhaps, some musicians in full flight), you may end up sounding a little shrill. There are a couple of genuinely tender songs in the Zappa canon, but they're definitely in the minority; as far as I know, Zappa's most emotional moments don't feature lyrics. As far as prog is concerned, I guess you'll find a better combination of whacky humour and tender emotions in some of the bands from the Canterbury Scene.
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Ahmadbarqawi
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 10 2007
Location: Jordan
Status: Offline
Points: 149
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 03:58 |
The best combination of humour & excellent music i found in:
1- Liquid Tension Experiment
2- Steve Vai
3- Some tongue-in-cheek moments on Steven Wilson projects...
But as Hughes JB4 said; i much prefer a humorous musician with serious music, as in these topics Paul Gilbert (non-prog guitarist) always comes to mind, his humour seems to overshadows his composing abilities... (visit this guy's website; its hilarious hehehehe)
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{Flashlights shade shrunken views
Of a red demon’s foxtrot in brews
Guns & flowers crown morning news
Panic-stricken guilt now ensues}
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Ghandi 2
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 17 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1494
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 04:02 |
How is LTE funny? I don't understand...
The problem I have with humorous artists is that the jokes are only funny a certain number of times, and then it just gets annoying.
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Raff
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 04:05 |
Two words: Canterbury scene, especially the marvellous Caravan.  Quintessential English humour and plenty of double entendres (courtesy of Pye Hastings) - just check some of their song titles. Ah, and the music is not half bad either.... 
Edited by Ghost Rider - January 21 2008 at 04:10
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Ahmadbarqawi
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Joined: May 10 2007
Location: Jordan
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Points: 149
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 04:06 |
 Ghandi 2 wrote:
How is LTE funny? I don't understand...
The problem I have with humorous artists is that the jokes are only funny a certain number of times, and then it just gets annoying. |
they do inject their music with funny moments like imitating some cartoon music in their compositions or all these crazy portnoy moments in "The Stretch"
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{Flashlights shade shrunken views
Of a red demon’s foxtrot in brews
Guns & flowers crown morning news
Panic-stricken guilt now ensues}
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Rocktopus
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 02 2006
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 4202
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 04:26 |
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What? Some of the unfunniest bands I can think of has been mentioned already. And except Zappa and Bungle, non of the ones that I think actually combines humour (altough sometimes not that funny) with excellent music:
Anyone here heard any Canterbury? Hatfield and The North, Soft Machine (two first), Caravan, Gong, Cos, Supersister, Picchio Dal Pozzo, Moving Gelatine Plates, Egg, Pazop
And lots of RIO/Avant actually: Samla Mammas Manna/Von Zamla/Zamla Mammaz Manna, Wha-Ha Ha, The Residents, Aksak Maboul, Debile Menthol, Komintern, Jono El Grande
Some more: Second Hand, Jethro Tull, Cardiacs, Kraan, Brainstorm
Edit: Caravan/Canterbury were mentioned while I was writing.
Edited by Rocktopus - January 21 2008 at 04:30
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Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
But don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
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Rocktopus
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 02 2006
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 4202
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 04:41 |
Ghandi 2 wrote:
The problem I have with humorous artists is that the jokes are only funny a certain number of times, and then it just gets annoying. |
I kind of agree with you, but most of the bands I mentioned aren't about jokes. Humor incorporated in the music itself works better.
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Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
But don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
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fuxi
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 2488
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 06:47 |
Rocktopus wrote:
I kind of agree with you, but most of the bands I mentioned aren't about jokes. Humor incorporated in the music itself works better. |
All too true. "Let's Eat (Real Soon)" by Hatfield and the North has such a chirpy melody, I happily sing along every time!
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BaldFriede
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Joined: June 02 2005
Location: Germany
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Points: 10266
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 07:12 |
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When it comes to humour in music, Gong and Daevid Allen must not be forgotten. Their humour is in the music as well as in the lyrics.
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 BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.
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dedokras
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Joined: December 04 2006
Location: Bulgaria
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Points: 635
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 07:48 |
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Zappa, Cardiacs, Bungle, Primus, Genesis, some of the Jethro stuff, Queen, Beatles... I really enjoy good humour in music :)
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allan Duul II
Forum Groupie
Joined: January 09 2008
Location: Wales
Status: Offline
Points: 56
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 08:49 |
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I love canterbury scene music too, its brilliant. Robert Wyatt incorporates alot of humour into his stuff too. I find Gentle Giant and Magma quite funny too.
Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and some of their other stuff, like Seamus and free four. I think a fair bit of Krautrock has a bit of humour in it too.
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BaldFriede
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 02 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 10266
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 09:10 |
allan Duul II wrote:
I love canterbury scene music too, its brilliant. Robert Wyatt incorporates alot of humour into his stuff too. I find Gentle Giant and Magma quite funny too.
Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and some of their other stuff, like Seamus and free four. I think a fair bit of Krautrock has a bit of humour in it too.
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Krautrock definitely has its humorous side too. Amon Düül 2 and Guru Guru embed a lot of humour in their music. The same is true for Kraan.
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BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.
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salmacis
Forum Senior Member
Content Addition
Joined: April 10 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 3928
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 09:16 |
Genesis had a fair bit of humour in their work. See 'Supper's Ready' which has that Canterbury-style trait of having an epic with sections that have ridiculous titles (like 'Nine Feet Underground'). Sometimes it makes its way into the music- that's fine when you get 'The Battle Of Epping Forest', 'Harold The Barrel', 'Counting Out Time' or 'Robbery Assault And Battery' or even the later 'Jesus He Knows Me' (which I quite like, I have to admit) but less so when you end up with broad, crass horrors like 'Illegal Alien' and 'Who Dunnit?'.
The Canterbury acts were characterised by it- I think perhaps that's maybe why certain factions of the music press tend to treat it better. I liked the early Soft Machine albums a lot more than the rather cold (IMHO) feel of 'Fourth' and 'Fifth' which IMHO sacrificed a lot of the original charm for a rather sobering, 'muso' feel. Same with Gong- those jazz rock albums that they did after Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage left lack something. Caravan never really lost it but again, I think sometimes the more 'muso' they got the weaker the material was- some of the jammier moments on 'Waterloo Lily' springs to mind.
10cc have not been mentioned. I'd shy from calling their music pure prog but it does have an influence from that, IMHO- particularly the near masterpiece 'The Original Soundtrack'. 'Une Nuit In Paris' is almost a bit of mock-prog, but most of the album has some very witty, sometimes hilarious lyrics.
Some of Zappa's stuff has a mock-prog feel about it too, IMHO. 'Inca Roads' always smacks me as being a bit of a prog pastiche (one book I read suggested it got very close to Yes), but it's so fantastic musically that it appeals to a lot of prog fans anyway. Zappa's humour can be an acquired taste- I preferred it when it was vehemently anti-establishment (the earliest Mothers albums, for example) or satirical ('Dancin' Fool', 'Valley Girl', 'Flakes') than the excessive nudge nudge wink wink stuff that characterises too much of that Flo and Eddie period and his 80s albums.
I guess Pink Floyd are about the least humorous band in prog, but there's something about Roger Waters' solo album 'Amused To Death' which has a very dark, black comedy feel about it IMHO. There is a despair attached to the lyrics but a sort of slight ironic bemusement in songs like 'Perfect Sense', 'What God Wants', 'It's A Miracle', 'The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range' and the title track that I picked upon.
I don't get any humour from Dream Theater, or a lot of prog metal for that matter. Not knocking it but honestly, humour is about the last attribute I'd look for there unless you count those bits where they throw in the theme tune for The Simpsons or some such...
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allan Duul II
Forum Groupie
Joined: January 09 2008
Location: Wales
Status: Offline
Points: 56
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 09:27 |
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Most pre DSoTM albums by Pink Floyd had humour in them I think, esspecially their earliest works. And there was quite a bit of sarcastic humour through their later works too.
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The Pessimist
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Joined: June 13 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3834
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Posted: January 21 2008 at 10:06 |
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doesn't anybody find Gentle Giant's quasi-round vocal breaks humourous? i certainly do! they are also genially brilliant!
Edited by kibble_alex - January 21 2008 at 10:06
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humour in progressive music
