"Prog is for nerds"
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=110203
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Topic: "Prog is for nerds"
Posted By: floyd4
Subject: "Prog is for nerds"
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 13:35
| I am still at an age where I go to school (13) and sometimes I mention Dragonforce (which is prog metal), Yes, King Crimson, etc. I only have 1 friend with the same music taste and most other people will call that music "nerd music". Now the term "nerd" has a bad stigma and I'm not going to be pretentious and start saying I'm proud to be a geek, but I want your opinion. Is prog for nerds and is that a bad thing? |
Replies:
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 14:22
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You're facing the same problem as I did when I was your age. I am 4 * 13 + 5 now, so I was 13 when prog was in its heyday. I was one of the few who fell in love with the music of Pink Floyd and Yes in the days when CttE and DSotM were released. I am a nerd myself and, regardless of any stigma, I don't see this as something negative - it's just me. Sometime during my mid-teens, my girlfriend back then said I did not know the difference between a circus performance and music. Within a few weeks, another classmate said something similar. Funny how we share more or less the same fate, though we belong to different generations  .------------- 
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Posted By: Thatfabulousalien
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 14:34
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No, not for "nerds" ------------- Classical music isn't dead, it's more alive than it's ever been. It's just not on MTV. https://www.soundcloud.com/user-322914325 |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 14:42
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It's all true. People called me nerd as I was growing up because they were better than me. Why the hell else would they do it? The uniforms of their style were so much more expensive than mine. All I have is the life long friendships of the small group of people that I used to sit up all night exploring interesting music from around the world during my teens and early 20's. Who the hell wants that? Get out while you can. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 18:00
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Being passionate about something is always a good thing. It's not always a good feeling to be different from the others but you know then that it's your own taste, your own character, there's so much more in it than in liking something because the others like it and doing something because the others do it. If being passionate about what's close to your heart means being a nerd, I'm all for it. |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 18:53
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Not just for Nerds. 2/3's of the jocks at my school (75-79) were into prog. Pink Floyd, ELP, YES, Queen, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull and Rush were popular. On the other hand, the jocks weren't into Genesis, Gentle Giant, VDGG, or Camel.
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Posted By: tszirmay
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 18:57
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According to Wiki: Nerd (adjective: nerdy) is a descriptive term, often used https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pejorative" rel="nofollow - pejoratively , indicating a person that is overly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual" rel="nofollow - intellectual , obsessive, or lacking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_skills" rel="nofollow - social skills . Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstream" rel="nofollow - mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to topics of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction" rel="nofollow - fiction or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy" rel="nofollow - fantasy , to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shy" rel="nofollow - shy , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eccentricity_%28behavior%29" rel="nofollow - quirky , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedantic" rel="nofollow - pedantic , and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attractiveness" rel="nofollow - unattractive and may have difficulty participating in, or even following, sports. Though originally derogatory, Nerd is a stereotypical term, but as with other pejoratives, it has been https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reappropriation" rel="nofollow - reclaimed and redefined by some as a term of pride and group identity. Well, I may be intellectual, rebellious, non-conformist and occasionally obsessive BUT I am certainly not shy, do not lack any social skills, athletic, supposedly attractive, absolutely not pedantic and not ostentatious or arrogant about whatever knowledge I have acquired. I prefer this to being a brain dead caveman listening to pop/pap, uninformed about the world around, never having read 1 book and doing the same nihilism as everyone else.....  So prog on, mofos! ------------- I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth. |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 19:04
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Stand straight and don't be a sheep. ------------- |
Posted By: Magnum Vaeltaja
Date Posted: February 09 2017 at 22:13
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You're taking me right back to when I was in your shoes! 13... Good times. No, there's absolutely nothing wrong with liking prog, or being a nerd for that matter. But here's the takeaway: just because you don't listen to hip hop or bubble gum pop doesn't mean that you're allowed to be condescending about it. Some people just aren't super into music, especially not around that age. You aren't "enlightened" or an esteemed intellectual just because you're a fan of a particular genre of music, whether it's prog, classic rock, jazz, metal, classical, or avant-post-Zeuhl or whatever, all it means is that you're a fan of a particular genre of music. Nothing more, nothing less. If only someone had to me that when I was 13. Maybe I actually could have gotten dates that way! Having said that, some prog just is for nerds, plain and simple. And it's glorious. D&D prog... Uriah Heep, Rush's The Necromancer, anything and everything directly inspired by Lord of The Rings... good times, good times. So don't worry about what everyone else thinks about your tastes in music. Nobody understands you when you're 13, just live it up and rock on.  ------------- when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents |
Posted By: mlkpad14
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 06:27
It isn't a bad thing in the slightest. :) I happen to be 13 as well, and I also have just one friend who's into prog - though on a way smaller scale than I am. Being a "nerd" isn't a bad thing. Rather, be social and outgoing. A note of advice: No point in talking about prog when people don't know about it. If you want to talk abut some gig, go ahead. But, don't creep your friends out with stories of "progsters" in the 70s. Note: If you are into prog, have you experimented with GarageBand, guitar, synthesizer...? Friends will be impressed if you play them something cool, catchy, and/or complicated. Music is very rewarding in many ways.
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floyd4 wrote:Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 14:29
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Prog is for anyone who likes it. It's not a social (or antisocial) club. ------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 14:34
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Dance to the beat of a different drum. Your own.
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Posted By: doompaul
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 15:08
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Posted By: BunBun
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 17:05
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I don't think prog is all that nerdy. It's about bands being unique and prog encompasses all styles of music and, therefore, all different kinds of people. |
Posted By: Prog Sothoth
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 19:58
This! Back in the early 80's I never did get that nerd tag when I was young because I was too shaggy (borderline "Shaggy" actually) and along with being a big ELP nut I was also a serious Motorhead fan. Trying to bash my prog loves as snobby and boring usually backfired since I'd just diss their AC/DC and Billy Squier collections as "too wussy and weak" (even though I did actually enjoy it) and toss on some "Bomber" or "Ace of Spades". Worked wonders in the US since hardly anyone knew them. Funny, I'm not sure if that sort of thing would even work anymore since metal has become increasingly embraced by the so-called nerd culture since the internet came about.
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 20:01
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Prog itself is a mixed bag and so are its listeners. ------------- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4IKuxIZkenfvukL_Y8VBqzK" rel="nofollow - Duos for fave acts |
Posted By: aliano
Date Posted: February 10 2017 at 23:20
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Why should you care about what others think about your musical tastes? I never share the music I like with others except when they ask me. I even turn my car stereo off when I have someone beside me. |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 01:20
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^But then how do I keep people out of my car? ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow"> https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 01:25
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 01:25
DragonForce are not Prog Metal. 
Sorry, what was the question? Will there be cake? ------------- What? |
Posted By: aliano
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 01:37
That's a good point . Playing A Louse Is Not a Home at a decent volume can really keep any creature away . |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 03:20
Absolutely I don't recognize myself as a nerd (or geek, FTM) at all, whether today (now people would see me more of an elitist, though I think I don't do things to get portrayed as such) or back then (nerds were often losers) Maybe I was lucky enough to be in two different Toronto High School where it was ok (or better, cool  ) to like Genesis, Crimson, Zappa, Floyd... and even Yes and ELP  I was part of the football team (outside left linebacker  and kicking team and we won a local championship and lost another final) and had some of the better looking broads of my different schools in my arms/legs  , had my car trunk filled with a coolbox filled with beers and the bag of weed next to it. Had no problems with punkers (I liked Stranglers Clash & Police), but I must say that I was in opposition to "disco fags", though nowadays I realize that a lot of that "disco crap" (as I called it then) is really killer funk stuff. If today's dancing music was as good as that late-70's dsco, I'd probably be on the dancing floor much more often. |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 05:16
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Prog, like all music, is for everyone. One thing life has taught me is that these flimsy people generalisations (music and style-wise) almost always end up being more about the author than actual real life. I've met prog fans who were stylish and suit wearing - prog fans but also skaters - prog fans without glasses and the need for playstations - prog fans that looked remarkably like Robert Smith during the 80s - prog fans with the IQ of Forrest Gump - prog fans that dug Diana Ross, King Crimson and Coldplay equally - prog fans that didn't make lists... The only thing I can think of that binds us all together is the fact that I've never met a prog fan who didn't love Stanley Kubrick. P.S. Nerds are not what they used to be - hell even the term has taken on an altogether different meaning. Here in Denmark it has almost lost all of it's derogatory meaning. We have tv for kids and teenagers called Nørd (nerd), where the hosts are well versed in physics, maths, history and furthermore look nothing like the zit-infested, snot-snorting, cokebottlebespectacled, poor nourished, weak and unhip nerd of the 90s/80s/70s/60s. Now they're in shape with a fine woman slouching on their arm (next to their ruler). ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 08:57
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hahahah.. damn right it is!!!! Looks right at all you Genesis and Camel fans....nerds... whimps.. pussys to say nothing of you VDGG fans... only prog fan would celebrate that sh*t..... ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: mlkpad14
Date Posted: February 11 2017 at 15:32
You're an interesting guy.
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Posted By: Prog Snob
Date Posted: February 12 2017 at 05:12
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Whoever said that 'prog is for whoever likes it' got it right. I know plenty of geeks who don't listen to it. I know plenty of people that listen to prog who aren't nerds. I guess one could argue percentages and speculate what portion of prog fans are geeks/nerds as compared to "other types" of people. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. ------------- 
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