Sociology of the Prog Rock Fan

Hail you, Gatot and Felona! I thought people like you vanished:)
I myself have never touched drugs, even cigarette, and alcohol since my childhood (yeah, the last time I drank alcohol -intentionally- was when I was 17!) and I raised in a muslim society, like gatot; and to your surprise, I am a church going christian! (Thankfully there are people like me: wakeman?!?!?)

Despite the "hippy" image, I believe most proggers here have respected jobs (at least make enough money to buy thousands of albums) and I am a translator. Well, my money is not enough for thousand albums, sigh. Thankfully we have MP3's here.

I believe there's no stereotype of a progger, at least for the fact that it ambodies many different styles, from jazz to classical, from metal to experimental/electronic!

another fact: NetsNJfan has a point about Yes, just inspect their lifestyles!! (and consider Wakeman contrary to the rest, he is the christian one!!!!!!) Videovertigo took this further: actually indie/punks should have been classified so. Yet, we know that there are drug influenced acts, at least in the beginning of prog: does Timothy Leary suggest anything!? I just love the music produced, no matter how it came out; Light My Fire is my all time favorite Doors track, and it couldn't have come that way if it weren't for the fact that they were high!!!!

don't spend much time on prototypes, just enjoy the music! keep on proggin'

PS: if there are other christians among you, please send me a private post. I would like to meet people of my kind!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=75306 81361&category=85979&ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1

there's some yes buckles on ebay

A lot of us were smoking up at the end of the 70's , so I imagine that in the early 70's they were too.

Compared to Metalheads (heavy drinking and a bit of smoking), Disco Fiends (uppers and coke) and Punks (mostly booze but sometimes hard drugs) , we were dopeheads! We considered ourselves as such , but this stayed only to smoking and drinking!

I read Macan's book about 10 years ago and found nothing to say on that particular chapter.

nousommedusolei wrote: People who take Prog seriously usually have enough imagination and brain power to keep themselves entertained without the use of drugs.

This is 100% correct, but im sad to say about 1 year ago till about 2 months ago, I smoked weed a few times a month and listened to all my favorite Floyd albums. Best albums while I was high would be the ones that are the best while im sober, Animals, Meddle, Darkside, Wish, Atom Heart Mother. I very much enjoyed the time I had with these albums while I was high. Then when I came to this web site about 2 months ago and discovered all the great bands, I found out that I could listen to them and not smoke and have just as much fun.

Now that I take prog seriously and have found out how good it is to listen to it with all my concentration and brain power I know that I can be just as entertained without drugs.

O ya, I tried shrooms once and listened to Atom Heart Mother and that was probably the greatest listen to music in my life, but I wont do it agian, since shrooms can make u have a bad trip or really make u do somehting stupid. Don't recomend shrooms at all, but weed is harmless enough to have a nice sit and listen to music with, but I'm still done with it.

felona wrote: nice one Gatot!!! Its nice to know someone else does that too!! But I sip strong milky sweet tea instead and  look at all the reviews online as I am listening to the CD  (or looking at the sleeve notes)  -

Thanks Felona.

Yeah .. we share similar activities when enjoying music. Well, for album that I have been accustomed to - like Dark Side, Selling England, I usually don't read the sleeve anymore but I read book. It's really great experience.

Gatot wrote: NOPE! In my country, people who prog don't do any drugs or even drink (well, some people do. But because I'm moslem and beer is prohibitted - so I stay away from beer). The best thing to enjoy prog is while sipping a cup of coffee and reading the CD sleeve notes or printed material from review on the net. Oh man .... it's really greaaaaatttt ......

nice one Gatot!!!

Its nice to know someone else does that too!! But I sip strong milky sweet tea instead and  look at all the reviews online as I am listening to the CD  (or looking at the sleeve notes)  -

They [Yes, I mean] were in Montreal last year as well - I lucked out, a friend told me about it and I got the connections (and by connections I mean the cash and an unwilling-victim-to-drag-along) to go. It was spectacular and I think they made my year.  Live AND studio is the way to go with them!

Oh, and no drugs (never had the occasion) so no stereotype here. All I do is go out of my way to find shirts that look like the kind of stuff Jon Anderson used to wear. (they amuse the heck out of me!)

There was a site made by a poor soul who was convinced that sweet, innocent prog rock was the root of all evil. *grin* His main case against it was King Crimson's name and the album names "Starless and Bible Black" and "Red". Which I always thought had more to do with colours than with potential antichrists. Likely it's been mentioned before on the forum threads ... aw, I'm only sorry I can't offer you a link, because it appears to have been taken down. Can't imagine why.

Retroventuremod wrote: NetsNJFan wrote: ha ha my Dad listened to a lot of prog in the 70's, and he doesnt/didnt even drink, let along smoke pot. but he did wear a YES belt buckle (all the way through the mid '80s!) OH RIGHT ON - how would u manage to pick up something like that!!! - i bought a fragile shirt online about 7 months ago - it already has a small hole in the back though damn online merchandise I have my avatar as a belt buckle, i picked it up in wasaga a few weeks ago - i thought it was the greatest thing - to replace my doors belt buckle (PS thanks for seeing the humour in my topic)

ha ha sure