'I don't get it'

I get Captain Beefheart, Swans, Universe Zero, Robert Wyatt, and Zappa.

I get the rest of your list, Paul...Get it? Got it? Good! 

^ Ah, yes, I'm not really understanding why you responded that way.  I'll happily listen to a track recommendation and share my thoughts.  As I said, I have only listened to two of his albums in full and that was considerable years ago.  My interests are not quite the same now as they were then, and I'm happy to give something another go.  Otherwise I'm not really sure the point of having this conversation, to be honest.

EDIT To quote myself from earlier in this thread because I''m a little confused now.

"It [the phrase "I don't get it"] often does just mean that someone doesn't like it, but if I were to use it, it would be more like I feel that I lack the current ability to properly appreciate the music, or in some cases, that I don't see or find what others enjoy about the music. Not only can it take time to acquire tastes, it can take time to acquire the knowledge to be able to understand and interpret music for what it aims to be or is.  I know I can appreciate music that I don't like and I feel I can "get" (comprehend) music that I don't like."

Even if I don't get it now (lack understanding) that does not mean that I am not willing to consider other perspectives and I may get it in the future.  And I may get it and get that certain music is not for me.

^ Humour is so subjective.  I make lot of jokes that people don't find funny, and sometimes people even get offended by them (you have and I never would have guessed in advance, but some people are very uncharitable in interpretation and grumpy by nature). I try to balance the humour with a thoughtful response commonly, but fail too.  We are often our worst critics when it come to outr own comedy.  Someone else might be rolling on the floor laughing.  ;)  I enjoy forum interaction provided we can thoughtfully communicate with each other, successfully communicate our ideas, have some synthesis of ideas, or joke around with each other.  What I mean was that I did not understand the point you were getting at in response to my post.  The humour did not connect.  I tend not to appreciate sarcasm, and I think you tend to veer towards that kind of humour.

I know that I have listened to a variety of Holdsworth tracks and some things I liked. And I have listened to a lot of music you have brought up.  Sorry if I don't remember the specific tracks. Thought you might be able to think of one that would be particularly up my alley now.  If not, that's fine.  And sorry if my memory fails me at some time, it is getting rather worse by the year (had a stroke) so a little gentle reminding now and then would be appreciated.  Sad thing is I had to leave my writing job because it even became difficult to recall certain words.  I don't know what kind of response I could have made that you would have appreciated there.

I actually will put this out there.  Will, I have not been enjoying my interactions with you to the point that it has made me want to leave this site. You seem to often take offence at what I say and are not very forthcoming with what you say.  I have felt like you are bearing a grudge and not "getting" what I am trying to convey while picking up on it in a snarky, offended manner. I have tried to be civil with you and put much effort into trying to explain when you took offence, but I feel it has not been reciprocated and commonly not acknowledged.  I am at the point that I would rather not talk to you here, and if Paul feels that way about me, I will cease communication with him. Life's too short to deal with people we find disagreeable at an online forum if it is not necessary.  I have to sometimes as mod, which i do want to step down from doing.  Sometimes I handle it well, sometimes badly.  I really would like to be on friendly and thoughtfully communicative terms with all at this forum; takes two to tango.

Or better yet, at least if we do interact, hopefully let it be when we have something positive to say to each other.  I wanted to let you know that I have been bothered by your responses and I have felt like you were pouncing on me any chance you got.  and that you been misinterpreting my intent to think of it in a really uncharitable way or getting easily offended by innocuous jokes. If I misinterpreted your intent then I sincerely apologise.  I would expect others to tell me  if they find that I am being mean-spirited to them too and feel like I am singling them out.  I don't mean we should never interact, but hopefully it can be in a more friendly or tolerant way.  I felt I should share that as it has been exacerbating my depression.  If I have been causing you distress, I apologise sincerely.  I felt you were bearing a grudge.  I would rather we all bury any hatchets and move forward. I would love for this to  a warm and supportive community and that does require a certain level of tolerance, thoughtfulness, forgiveness and understanding. Some here are just not very empathetic it seems.

Edit: I am a great believer in sincerely talking things out, and when I said "I am at the point that I would rather not talk to you here" I didn't mean never.  I just mean that that is  a feeling I'm getting now because it feels like you're more likely to complain about something I say or react snarkily than offer anything appreciative, helpful or constructive.   Effective internet communication can be really tough, it takes effort and patience, and of course we should be careful to assume what is in the mind of others and realise that is so easy to misconstrue intent.  Most of my interactions with you I have enjoyed and I have considered you to be a friend at this site (I still do).  I also consider Paul and many others to be online friends and hope the feelings are mutual.

I think that most sophisticated musicologists would be very reluctant to call Prog the best music form in the world indeed. ;)

It can depend on what one means by better; better being dependent on context.  Different musicians, composers, bands and artists are often better at doing different things, and different genres have different characteristics from which those who are successful in it have different aims.  One can create frameworks and discuss better according to certain set criteria, and there are some common standards one can draw on. 

I would describe some musicians and bands as better than others within some common parameters, and there is a subjective quality to it, but it's easier when comparing apples to apples. For me better would be more able to accomplish a task and achieve a goal commonly (more proficient and efficient commonly).  It comes down to intent. But of course a genre does not have intent, it has characteristics. Or one might call progressive music an approach more than a genre, or Prog as a movement.  Prog is such a wide umbrella term and can contain such huge variety that I'm not sure how useful it even is.  If progressive rock is about rock without limits, and progressing what rock can be in a sense, then some Prog bands seems more limited in scope and generic than others.  Some bands/artists are more innovative than others and that's common criterion for better amongst many, but not for all.  Some value experimentation more than others etc. and one can might that some forms of Prog and bands are more experimental than others and thus better.  What is better to you or for you being subjective. 

Honestly, a lot of Prog seems pretty poor by my standards and tastes, and not just when comparing it to other Prog groups. Bu that's my subjective call.  One man's treasure is another man's trash.

I'm not a big one for appeals to authority generally (I would say, sooner trust the statement of a proctologist on my rectal health than that of, say, a progtologist, butt that's not the point).  I would listen but I would not just accept a statement, instead I would want to understand the argument that supports it, the criteria for greatness, how Prog is defined as Prog itself is such a nebulous label.  For modern music, I would put the jazz of The Necks over, say, Porcupine Tree, but that has to do with my biases.  And some might call The Necks Prog.  It's at least Prog Related to me.  There's much great for me art pop these days. I do think there is lot of dreck amongst popular and no so popular modern music.  I think there's very fine music in a host of genres and those genres often intersect.  To use a terrible tautology thingy,  awesome Prog is great, great jazz is terrific, great hip-hop sure is fine,  great folk is great, great Crunk does not compute.

Some who claim the superiority of Prog compare it to the lowest hanging fruit, so to speak, instead of comparing what they call the greatest to what more sophisticated audiences might consider to be among the greatest.