Ever feel grateful you weren't just into "rock"?

[JKL2000]

It's all R&R.. Billy Joel summed it up best when he said..
"Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk
It's still rock and roll to me"

Christ, I hate that boring, non-prog song! Seriously, Billy Joel was so often like a parody of himself.

But I have to say, yesterday "If That's Movin' up..." came on Sirius XM, and I was about to tell my son to change it, then said "actually, this song isn't so bad." My son agreed, and was kind of enjoying it. The ack-ack-ack-ack part is kind of annoying, though.

[jkelman]

It's amazing how many people have misread the subject line of this thread, as well as the beginning of the OP, then posted a judgemental reply.

The subject line asks if you're grateful you're "not just into rock" not if you're grateful you're "into just prog." There's a big difference.

But the OP makes it pretty clear that, in his opinion, prog is better. That's what I responded to...not the subject line. Sorry. To quote him directly:

....but it's like Prog saved my life. I can't imagine living in such a limited sonic spectrum.

If you look at the longevity of Prog rockers, you can see most in the major bands had led long happy lives so far. It's true that its not only the complexity and cross cultural and cross generational appeal of the beauty of the music, but it's the wisdom in the lyrics.

.

If that doesn't put down rock music (and thus those who like it) and elevate prog (yeah, I know, I know, this is a prog board ), I don't know what does. And lord knows, I love prog.

But truly, I wasn't trying to be overly judgemental (maybe just a bit) - that was just a small part of my post; I was really trying to express that I was grateful for being into music, period - and of many varieties - because I know some folks for whom it is, at best, background noise and while I know they have other things that twist their crank, for me music has made all the difference my life...especially during the past two years while I've been dealing with a still undiagnosed condition that has pretty much crippled me.

If I didn't have music, I would be lost. That's for sure. Some days prog does it for me; other days it's Dylan or the Dead; today, it's The Crusaders, Booker T & There MGs and The Staple Singers.

So go figure.

[Facelift]

But the OP makes it pretty clear that, in his opinion, prog is better.

That's how I read it, too. The OP should probably know that, somewhere on a classical music board, there's probably a similar thread, except that it goes like: "aren't you glad that you evolved beyond stuff like prog-rock and now listen to classical?"

[moecurlythanu]

I had to hang on to keep from falling off my chair when I read the "wisdom in the (Prog -Rock) lyrics" line.

Really?

[Facelift]

I had to hang on to keep from falling off my chair when I read the "wisdom in the (Prog -Rock) lyrics" line.

Really?

"Talk with the sister, spoke in a whisper, threatened to fist her if she
Didn't come clean."

Words to live by.

[JKL2000]

But the OP makes it pretty clear that, in his opinion, prog is better.

But he's really only comparing Prog MUSIC specifically with Grunge MUSIC. I'm actually not sure what he's saying about "longevity" in the "rock world" though. The post is pretty vague, but I think he was just saying he's thankful for prog, and finds Grunge somewhat limited. I don't disagree with that.

The "wisdom in the lyrics" bit - well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Roy Harper, definitely, Dream Theater, rarely.

[Chuck AzEee!]

Prog is a small makeup of musical collection. I love music in general with a low tolerance for Pop music of all kinds.

[jkelman]

But he's really only comparing Prog MUSIC specifically with Grunge MUSIC. I'm actually not sure what he's saying about "longevity" in the "rock world" though. The post is pretty vague, but I think he was just saying he's thankful for prog, and finds Grunge somewhat limited. I don't disagree with that.

The "wisdom in the lyrics" bit - well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Roy Harper, definitely, Dream Theater, rarely.

Fair enough. My back just goes up - believe me, after well over a decade writing primarily in the jazz world - when anyone starts to make suggestions that what they listen to is somehow better, more long lasting, more profound, more [insert description of choice here] than some other genre.

For me, tastes are just that: tastes. Me? Like I said, I'm just grateful that music has been such a major part of my life (more so now than before I began writing). Like I said, I'm sure folks for whom music is just background noise have other things to crank their Evinrude....but knowing myself as I do, if I didn't have music I would not have something else that would take its place to ansignificant degree. So I'm grateful to have music to give so much meaning to my
life.

No, it isn't curing cancer or creating world peace - though on the second point, it does bring people together from disparate cultural backgrounds and that has to be a good thing when it comes to engendering a greater sense of connectedness. In all my travels around the world covering events from Montreal to !Malaysia and South Africa to Svalbard many things that separate cultures seem to melt away when you're backstage with the musicians from around the world. Language may erect certain barriers, but those barriers topple the minute they start to play...and suddenly there's a shared understanding..a shared sense of purpose. You all see this onstage, of course, but it's even more profound when you see folks coming together at rehearsals and sound checks...one of the most profound experiences for me was watching Django Bates walk into a room of people where he knew three, and began work towards a commissioned piece and performance five days later that, beyond the music, found new friendships and musical partnerships forged. It was a privilege to have been invited to attend, observe and ultimately document the process...and a tremendously positive and uplifting experience. You can read about it here, if interested, but the point is that being privileged to have been a part of such things has only further cemented the value of music and how grateful I am, to get back to the original point of thread, to nave the good fortune to witness such things from behind the scenes. I'm a lucky guy, I've often said....and I never forget it.

And my last point is that what kind of music it is seems to have little bearing; it's just music, period.

So I really prefer not to draw lines like the OP has. It's counterproductive, I'd suggest, as there are some who, I am sure, still get as much out of grunge now as they did when it first emerged. And that's fine by me. Frankly, if someone can show me what it is that moves them about a particular musical genre - as my wife currently is dong with her relatively newfound passion for classical vocal music - then chances are pretty good that I'll find my way into it too....maybe not to the sane degree, but to some degree nevertheless...and that's an improvement over what it did(n't) do for me previously.

I love that at 60 I can suddenly finally "get," musically soeaking. what I previously did not. It keeps me excited about music, and the idea that, at 60, there's still anything that really gets the fires going full blast. It is, I think, a wonderful thing.

Sorry for waxing on, but I really want to be clear, as this thread represents everything bad about music and the way some people use it to bolster their own egos....BUT, at the same time, the thread is also everything wonderful about music and what it means to those very same people. Because if we're passionate about it, then how can it be anything but a grand thing?

Cheers!
John
.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

this thread represents everything bad about music and the way some people use it to bolster their own egos....BUT, at the same time, the thread is also everything wonderful about music and what it means to those very same people. Because if we're passionate about it, then how can it be anything but a grand thing?

Cheers!
John
.

well stated!

thread over .