"Bash on, give your bile to somebody..."

"We're all very practical here because this is a practical world  .  Also, I'm probably an unhappy, cynical b*****d."

Edited by Earendil - June 19 2013 at 17:40

I could read this article with a friendly smile. I recognized something of myself in the black-light initiated 70's adolescent male devotee looking for shelter. Moreover, I don't expect any understanding of prog from someone who spent his teens rubbing himself in with 80's excrements.

Atavachron wrote: dr wu23 wrote: Atavachron wrote: Considering the other popular forms of rock - pop, metal, punk, folkrock, etc. - the only thing that makes sense is that most music journalists believe rock should always be what it usually is, which is to say straightforward, generally blues-based, and absorbed in pop culture.  Whether this indicates a fear and discomfort, or a genuine belief in tradition is unclear.   And where all those Tull and Yes and Floyd fans have gone I have no idea.   I do know many still listen to idiots like Sting and John Mayer. Heh....low blow to call Sting and Mayer idiots....Sting is a very good bass player and wrote some solid stuff with The Police and Mayer, while he can be a real jerk at times, is a very good guitar player. Lets save the idiot remarks for those who really deserve it...like say,   Metallicaca.   I saw Sting four, no, five times between 87 and 93.   Dream of the Blue Turtles tour was brilliant but things got progressively worse with each performance, having gutted his brilliant Blue Turtles band and utterly lost his way as an important song writer.   Good bass player, yes, wrote some solid stuff, yes.   Saw Mayer too, he opened for Stevie Nicks in 2001.   He was what he is supposed to be, a sentimental dork with delusions of godhood. Yeah Metallica are idiots but the metal scene was largely composed of idiots, it would've been nothing without them.

Guldbamsen wrote: First of all, this dude, Rob Sheffield, is a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, a magazine widely known for knowing absolutely squat about prog - let alone any real experimental music. Ohh dang I forgot about Trout Mask Replica which they obviously heralded as one of the greatest albums of the 20th century................sound confusing yet?

They are getting slightly better. They conducted some reader polls that were connected to prog recently, and when Rush was inducted into the hall of fame, their coverage was surprisingly positive (Jann Wenner can hardly allow one of his institutions to criticize the other, can he?). The problem, of course, is that none of their writers listen to prog, so they pretty much ignore it in their lists. Even Pitchfork are better than that (I remember their "best albums of the 70s" list having some King Crimson, Can and Pink Floyd, and even giving a honorable mention to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway).

lazland wrote: Hercules wrote: Do I actually care a pig's burp about this ignorant f**kwit's opinion?   Let me think a bit. Well the answer's still no, however long I think.   I love prog; I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. If he doesn't, that's his loss, not mine. Post of the year. Who gives a f@@k about idiots like this?

Atavachron wrote: Considering the other popular forms of rock - pop, metal, punk, folkrock, etc. - the only thing that makes sense is that most music journalists believe rock should always be what it usually is, which is to say straightforward, generally blues-based, and absorbed in pop culture.  Whether this indicates a fear and discomfort, or a genuine belief in tradition is unclear.   And where all those Tull and Yes and Floyd fans have gone I have no idea.   I do know many still listen to idiots like Sting and John Mayer.

I notice the article does not give one the option of posting a reply. Most likely because someone like me would comment on Mr. Sheffield's decidedly limp wristed foray into karaoke and its incongruity with professional musicianship and criticism thereof. Rather like Robert Christgau giving King Crimson and Yes albums C and D grades while giving rap albums or New York Dolls releases an A+.  Anyone connected with Rolling Stone Magazine should be garroted with a guitar string.

Oh, by the way:
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=94020

He says:

Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - June 18 2013 at 08:27

Don’t mess with Mr. Sheffield! He’s serious about his karaoke:

“One of the things I love about karaoke is that you can’t just dip your toe into it,” he said. “You have to put yourself out there.”

Unlike prog musicians who just dip their toes into the music, I guess.