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Thread: Discovering Prog Fans at Work

  1. #1
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Discovering Prog Fans at Work

    Has anyone ever figured out a good way to find other prog fans at work? I started working at a pretty large company recently, and I feel like there must be some other prog fans among the various geeks here. But aside from wearing a King Crimson shirt to work one day, I can't think of a good way to smoke them out and make them talk about prog. In the past at other jobs I might get lucky and randomly turn up one or two fans at random. I've tried things like Googling the company name and Progressive Rock but gant had any success. With all the dating apps and shit out there someone must have used an app to turn up fellow proggers within a certain radius.

  2. #2
    You may have to resort to profiling. For example, you can eliminate nearly half of the population right off the bat. From there, you can go evaluate hairstyles, dressing and feeding habits, etc.

    If nothing else, you might score some good weed.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    It's dangerous to advertise yourself as a prog-head, as you'll never get a girlfriend or get invited to after-work parties or rise in the ranks. This is the sort of personal failing best left secret.

    Of course you could post some Pink Floyd postcards anonymously on the lunchroom bulletin board, and watch surreptitiously from the corner while eating your sandwich.

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    I made the mistake of humming a Porcupine Tree song one day, and was promptly asked to shut up.

    I did however manage to introduce a female colleague to PT.

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    Overheard around the water cooler:

    "Hmm, this water fountain reminds me of the Fountain of Salmacis."

    "Looks more like the Waters of Lethe to me."

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    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    I think your only chance is if you find some that have been tagged, and released back into the wild. You may be able to check with Progfan preservation groups and see if they've kept any records.

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    Member adap2it's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Has anyone ever figured out a good way to find other prog fans at work? I started working at a pretty large company recently, and I feel like there must be some other prog fans among the various geeks here. But aside from wearing a King Crimson shirt to work one day, I can't think of a good way to smoke them out and make them talk about prog. In the past at other jobs I might get lucky and randomly turn up one or two fans at random. I've tried things like Googling the company name and Progressive Rock but gant had any success. With all the dating apps and shit out there someone must have used an app to turn up fellow proggers within a certain radius.
    You'll have to wait for Progday Jake!
    Dave Sr.

    I prefer Nature to Human Nature

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    I think your only chance is if you find some that have been tagged, and released back into the wild. You may be able to check with Progfan preservation groups and see if they've kept any records.
    But they're spayed and neutered.

    Well, neutered anyway.

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    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    But they're spayed and neutered.

    Well, neutered anyway.
    Bob Barker digs prog?
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

    President Harry S. Truman

  10. #10
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Somehow an old coworker once realized I had posted on r.m.p and we are still friends. Then a guy I had met at ProgFest remembered me when we ended up working together, and we're both friends with the guy who saw me on r.m.p. We triangulated.

    I know it's a hilarious subject but there must be a better method than waiting until some coincidence. I HAVE been using a Marillion mug but I think people just think Marllion is some business software vendor.

  11. #11
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Fire him - he likes Yes.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    I HAVE been using a Marillion mug but I think people just think Marllion is some business software vendor.
    Wait a second, there's a band named after the software company??
    Last edited by rcarlberg; 04-16-2015 at 03:31 PM.

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    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    I know it's probably stating the obvious, but if you find a Progfan at work who can also reglaze a bathtub. ..buy a lottery ticket asap.

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    Member Staun's Avatar
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    This is a dangerous thing your attempting. You'll open yourself to ridicule and be talked about in hushed tones. Some people may stare and point at you. Others will treat you as if you need a bath. Of course not all people are the same. There are those who will try to feed you and remove any visible parasites you may have. But, I'm hoping a kind soul will take you in anyway and give you a good home.
    The older I get, the better I was.

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    Member Staun's Avatar
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    Are you even sure someone would be brave enough to even acknowledge this kind of kinship, in public?
    The older I get, the better I was.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Where I met up with those other two guys, the prog fans were the cool people.

    But this wouldn't be done in public. It would be a furtive meeting in a little used conference room. Deyss would be uttered in hushed tones.

    Capes would be unraveled then hidden away again. USB sticks would be quietly exchanged.

  17. #17
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    I didn't realize that any of us worked.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    At the next company wide meeting I'll stand up and yell "PROG!"

  19. #19
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Or I'll send a meeting invitation to everyone with the subject Fly From Here vs. Heaven and Earth and see who shows up. Besides someone from HR and a security guard.

  20. #20
    Member Staun's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    I didn't realize that any of us worked.
    It's the only way to keep a secret life. Appear as normal as possible.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  21. #21
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Have you tried wearing a Nearfest t-shirt on Casual Friday?

  22. #22
    Member bill g's Avatar
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    A few years ago I worked with a staff of about 10, one of whom was a very pretty girl, about 25, who was an artist and just a cool person, funny, and we shared a similar offbeat sense of humor. One day we got to the inevitable talking about music, she asked what kind of music I liked, and I said my usual, that I enjoy many styles, but my favorite was progressive rock. She gasped and said she LOVED progrock, and asked if I was familiar with King Crimson and Gentle Giant. Once I pulled my lip off of the floor, we discovered a lot of music in common, her and her boyfriend were big progheads. So ... you never know.

  23. #23
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    I have actually worked with guys in the past who were either prog fans or knew of some prog bands. Back in 2000 I worked with a guy in a warehouse who knew about Gabriel era Genesis. I then asked him what Italian progressive bands he knew and he shouted out "Premiata Forneria Marconi!" It turns out he was originally from the Dominican Republic and said there were quite a few prog fans down there. He also knew about Camel.

    Several years before that in the mid nineties and just before I went back to college I worked in a warehouse where one of the forklift operators(I was a pick packer) was a big fan of Yes and King Crimson. I remember him saying that some of the songs on Asia's "alpha" sounded "gay."Lol. Anyway, he was a cool guy but I lost touch with him after that job. Another forklift operator(same job)had long hair and was a guitarist and was big into music. I remember him recommending me John Zorn, Tribal Tech and Allan Holdsworth. I never did pick up any Zorn(it's not too late I suppose. Lol)but I did pick up some Holdsworth and Tribal Tech based on his recommendations and I'm glad I did. It's not much of a surprise that he also knew about King Crimson. Lol. In college I had a friend who was a fan of the usual prog bands including King Crimson. I was able to turn him on to Ozric Tentacles. Unfortunately he died of cancer after moving to Chicago.

    At yet another warehouse job(I seem to have gotten stuck at those kinds of jobs at one point. Lol)I met a guy who I found out was into prog. He even knew about Gong. This was maybe right before the job with the Domnican guy so probably late 99.

    I don't think any of these guys were hardcore prog fans or knew about anything too deep or current. At least it didn't really seem that way.

    I also met a guy in college who had a whole bunch of prog in his album collection. He had a lot of Canterbury and most of the well known English bands. Nothing past 1979 though and no YES(the guy didn't like YES for some reason).

    So yeah it is definitely possible to meet prog fans offline. There are maybe one or two other occasions when that has happened also. You can meet them at record stores or concerts too obviously.
    Last edited by Digital_Man; 04-16-2015 at 04:51 PM.

  24. #24
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bill g View Post
    A few years ago I worked with a staff of about 10, one of whom was a very pretty girl, about 25, who was an artist and just a cool person, funny, and we shared a similar offbeat sense of humor.



    Quote Originally Posted by bill g View Post
    her boyfriend
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  25. #25
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Digital_Man View Post
    So yeah it is definitely possible to meet prog fans offline.
    In line at the Unemployment Office.

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