What if prog became the #1 hype of 2010?

 

Most of the music industry is about fads and PR stints.

 

I really doubt that a lot of the folks that we like or any upcoming folks that want to do serious music, would be interested in half of those things in the first place ... ohh yeah, James LaBrie Leather Pants to the radio station to make us remember the Kiss days!

 

I would also think that any of those folks that came from the days of "prog music" are willing to actually sit and discuss "prog music", and most of them do NOT. Even Steven Wilson uses the term sparingly now, and he used to have a serious problem with it before.

 

What we fail to understand here many times, is that in the end, the artist is not interested in "what his music is" or "what it is called" ... he/she is more interested in the music and it's satisfying content to the person inside. Thus a scene that emulates egoistic and commercial views, is not likely to ever find anything of value in something that is almost a total opposite of their views. And their editor won't like it because it is not "furthering the cause of the daily/periodical and its mandatory process of making sure to kiss up to all the products that our sister companies have, and we're sure you will find one you like!"

 

I would, like to see the whole business have a more favorable attitude about more experimental music. But then, even here on this board, with its magnificent taste in music, it is sometimes difficult to discuss, elevate and go into a reasonable detail beyond "I like" or "don't like" type of review that can only say that one person sounds like another. Heck, almost all violins sound the same too!  See the point? In my book it is not a good review, and it tends to lower the musical standards of the pieces and the work that the group/individual have done.

 

I think it is a hard thing to do. You have to uncondition yourself and learn to listen to things you never do ... and when you realize that about "creativity" and "progressive" as something that is akin to that person/persons and not a social ideal at all, even if it may have a lyric to that extent, it will be extremely difficult to allow/accept/understand the eccentricity and detail involved in those people.

 

Most papers won't even try!

 

I think we do a very good job on this board of helping a lot of this, even if I tend to think that sometimes some of the comments are not exactly proper, but then, someone that just wants to have fun will probably say the same thing about what I wrote. With one glaring exception ... if you are just having fun, the chances of you helping this music go further and be remembered will not be as good as otherwise ... as the great, and well crafted, and played music that we all adore so much -- that we can help make sure it is remembered for a long time.

 

I think it is all about how you and I relate to all this music ... and to me ALL this music is God, not some book, or some ideals! ... I don't need a book, or some newspaper, or some billboard to tell me it is good, it is prog, or it is classical or it is jazz or it is ... whatever! 

 

I realize this is a bit eccentric in saying it, but it's basically true!

 

Basically - not that much different than things are today. 

I agree with this and I also enjoy the dark sarcastic humour in the wording of it. If prog became the #1 hype of 2010, how different would it be from the early 70's when it ruled over the mass, selling out at stadiums, publicity on television, radio, etc. The industry was making new plans for prog in the marketing sense just prior to their control over New Wave music. Around mid to late 70's you could see Triumvirat perform about 30 to 40 minutes of music on "In Concert". So easy to see how the industry had not given up totally on prog.

There was still freedom for musicians to express themselves musically. Artists like Roger Glover, in 78' recorded an album titled ELEMENTS. It was beautiful stuff sounding quite like Passport with a classical influence. Important record labels were still giving progressive bands a gamble. The punks had a major impact over society's mentality toward prog. Many punk rockers and fans of punk understood that hippies from the 60's had created an establishment of their own, which was ten times worse than the one they rebelled against in 1969. So it must be that hippie guy in which Frank Zappa makes reference to. The one who bought coffee and donuts for the record executives but, later took over the marketing control for his own agenda, while bringing a crew of hippies on board with him.

Realistically, what the H would happen in today's world if prog were the #1 hype? Hype means business. Business means control. Control means contrived. Contrived means artificial. Artificial means death to your brain. I guess I never saw the beauty in flying pianos or long capes in the 70's big boom prog era but, when I think of how everything seems so compartmentalized in today's world I forsee prog in the media as contrived in a different sense but, still contrived and not natural like it was in the early 70's.  

a part of prog is that its very anti commercial id be happy but also very sad that it wasnt my little secret anymore