Personality types and prog

INTP.

don't know what it means, but Jung, Descartes, Einstein, Newton, Pascal, Socrates and Rick Moranis where too, so i'm in good compagnie (aside for the fact the only living one in this list is Rick moranis)

http://typelogic.com/intp.html

Hey that Jung test was pretty spooky stuff

Here is a quote from what I had written earlier in this thread

cobb wrote: These are all questions that I do not need to know the why of- I just know

And here is a quote from the typelogic.com site

INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

In case you haven't figured out, the humanmetrics site test placed me as an INTJ.

Banana offtopic: Has anybody else tasted "applebananas", sweet and small bananas 5-10 cm long? Yum!  

one of the reasons I love prog is the same reason why my mom always hated it: you can't dance to it

anyway, I'm sure there is a link between personality and taste in music. I always enjoyed rock music, but when I listened to DT for the first time, I was instantly hooked. likewise, when I first listened to PT, I loved every single note of each song, discovering  that Stephen Wilson's style of psychodelic prog rock/metal was exactly the kind of music I loved most.

Funny this topic should come up as I was just this very week discussing it with my pychoanalyst.  He is utterly convinced that my desire to listen to progressive has something to do with my relationship with my parents.  We had a breakthrough some months ago involving a memory of being forced to listen to MacArthur's Park by Richard Harris.  This traumatic event, he has concluded, led to the development of my insatiable desire to hear outstanding music.  Who would have thought abuse was at the heart of it?  Truly a breakthrough.  He's worth every taxpayer funded penny. 

Well, I used to be a Dick when it came to music.  Then, when I got into prog, I became even MORE of a dick.  It wasn't until reccently that I became a lot more accepting of music as a whole.  As long as you realize that music is music, and realize that it will affect you and others in diferent ways, then You'll be fine

 

On that note, I suggest evrybody give a try to the album Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest .

spectral wrote: I think the main personality trait required is an open mind. if you're not open minded then you will never listen to the more interesting bands. you also need to be tenacious. if you turn off a record after 1 listen, you've not going to gain an appreciation. however, if you stick with it you open your mind to enjoying it. prog is an interesting beast that requires attentive listening to enjoy and discover new bands.

well said and not much to add after that.

Trouserpress wrote:   Well, I'd say that I'm certainly an eccentric and always have been. When I was young I was bullied about a few aspects of my personality (well okay, all of them) and after a while I took steps to try and quash this by burying my own personality and interests under those that I thought "normal" boys had. I failed, and quickly decided to bugger the lot of 'em and just be me. I'd say this goes for all real eccentrics - we're people who were born a little of sync with normality and thus we need to play by our own rules or perish. I know this is true of me and is no doubt true of the Baldies too. Does this mean to say that all eccentrics like RIO? No, of course not. It probably helps, though.

 Now I know you didn't mean this literally Trous and it is a bit naughty to pick it out of your post but the subconscious, darkly comedic side of your personality has shown through here I think.

Fearless wrote: Yes, of course, excellent thread Barbs....you should've been a psychologist! I often find myself asking the same question to myself, and I always ask people what kind of music they listen to.  Most of the time it is directly linked with their personality and past experiences.  Me, I'm very laid back, so I prefer calm, gentler music. The rock band I first ever loved was Pink Floyd, the dark passages and deep meaning of the lyrics really pulled me in.  Now,there is a kind of music for every mood I have.  Some of my friends tell me that I have multiple personalities, and I've always thought of this as ironic, because they all know me by a different 'nick-name', and I behave somewhat different around each of them.  Each of these "multiple personalities" has a different musical preference:  When I'm in a good mood, with lots of adrenaline I prefer the harder stuff to get me "pumped up".  When I have a bad day, and I'm pesimistic I choose darker music like Opeth, Pink Floyd,etc.  When I am sad I like melancholic music (obviously).  So if there is different kinds of music for each mood, the same should go with personality.  People listen to music that they can relate to, and that strikes a chord within their soul.  You can tell a lot about someone by the stuff they listen to-- it's like a window into their mind. Syntharachnid, I know exactly what you mean by 'painting a picture in your mind'.  This is precisely the case with myself.  Music is my escape from reality, it takes me on a journey to a better place-- blue skies and green fields .  Aside:  Man this is so frustrating.  When trying to assemble my response I am overcome with emotion, and I can't think of the words to describe it.  I'll try to think about it later, ps., I'm sorry if this post doesn't make much sense (my head is flooded with thoughts at the moment, I better take some time to sort them out).

And I think you are Fearless, because you have been very open about yourself. Music can be so beautiful, evocative and inexplicably captivating. I can understand your frustration as I have had the same experience trying to describe it.

I have been thinking that music has a language all of its own and that is why IMO it can strike at the heart and soul of a person so powerfully because it can touch us in that way. What lies at the heart of the soul of a song, communicates this to us and we interpret this according to where we are at, at that time, through our personality types. IMO, you only truly understand this when you have been totally captivated by a piece of music, letting it take you where it wants you to go which essentially ends up being where we choose to let it take us. I think personality and character have a bit to do with what we choose, where we go and how far we choose to let it take us. I feel great freedom when I listen to the music of my own choosing, particularly the songs I really love.

One thing I do also believe. If music can have such a beautiful effect upon us, it can also, if it is used in the wrong way, 'put us on a downer' or 'put us further down'. Freedom of choice is not meant to enslave us so music should be liberating/enjoyable/challenging not enslaving by encouraging us into destructive thought processes, particularly about ourselves. Freedom of choice is a powerful thing for good if we use wisdom.

Firstly, I'll echo all those who have said "Great thread." 

The only definition I can give of why I like it better than other genres is that it paints more exciting images in my head.  This may also define why I like almost all juristictions of prog, from Tux to Trouser.  I love Marillion's Misplaced Childhood because when I'm in the right mindset for it, I can really "live the album".  I cand close my eyes, and suddenly, I'm there, in this meloncholy semi-cartoon world, brought to life by the sonic textures of the music and the drama of the lyrics.  I also love Genesis, my preferred album being the wildest, and that's of course The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.  This album paints deep, dull colours and is generally quite morbid.  This quality juxtaposed with with Gabriel's cleverness in lines such as "The cheerleader waves a cyonide wand, there's a smell of peach blossom and bitter almond..." makes the album an almost horrific experiance.  And I do like Pink Floyd as well!  Albums like DSOTM send shivers up my spine.  My favorite band, though, is Yes, partially because when I listen to them for the "big picture" like I've been describing here for the other albums, I get brighter, more appealing colours.  They could do the dark stuff too, though; Relayer proved that. 

Oh, yes.  And I also consider myself an eccentric.  Not a self-made one either, a real eccentric.  Since I was very young, I liked the wierd, theatrical music, the movies with lots of special effects and spaceships, and the Italian food.  A lot of eccentrics like Italian food, don't you find?  But unlike poor Trouser, I've never been mistreated for it.  In fact, I'm very well liked, and respected.  I've never actually met another prog fan, probably because I live in an artistically deprived place called Western Canada.  Well not artistically deprived, there is a lot of appreciation for jazz and classical, especially in a fairly artsy town like mine.  But for some reason, not prog rock.  Well, at least nobody knows how nerdy it's considered!  That may very well be the only reason I'm respected at all!

Oh, and yes, I do like a challenge.  I play piano and trumpet.  I recently tried to transcribe the solo at the beginning of Firth of Fifth note for note, and it definately was a challenge!

Keep the suggestions coming, by the way!  Let's try and get everyone's take on this topic!