Does Humour Belong in Prog?

BaldJean wrote: I very much doubt Hawkwind are serious. they definitely were not during the Calvert era

Exact, it would be like saying that most Gong songs are serious. 

Frank Zappa and Captain Beefhart can play with humor, because they have strong personalities.

I think that most humorus are the bands who are trying to be serious, like Hawkind, Saga, Styx, and dont have either personality either quality so they become funny

Sorry for my English writing

corbet wrote: There is absolutely no place for humor in music.  The important themes tackled by the master progressive musicians cannot be approached lightly; even less can the arduous task of comprehending their legacy be undertaken with even the slightest hint of frivolity.  When I am at a King Crimson symposium, trying to take notes, what is one to do when disturbed by that loathesome noise which is laughter?  I can only shake my head and hope that future generations leave behind this notion of "funny" and return to the ponderous work of musical contemplation.

Oh delusional one!!!!!!!!!!!........There is humor is Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, so on and so forth. Their music is ten time more "serious" and ten times more complex than prog rock. So get over yourself. Relax and have some damn fun.

As far as "Willow Farm" goes, you can't put it to in the same
category as "Benny the Bouncer"...Gabriel was quite steeped in
the age old tradition of British absurdity, as exemplified by
Swift, Lewis Carrol, Edward Gorey, etc. "Willow Farm" is a
brilliantly poetic depiction of the absurdities of being raised in
the conservative British society ("you're all full of ball!"), and
musically very sophisticated. A ditty like "Benny the Bouncer" is
more closely related to the jolly tradition of British drinking
songs, a pure example of which is "Mother's Lament" on the
Cream's "Disraeli Gears". Of couse there's room for both, thank
god.

By the way, that guy who said there's no place for humour
when engaged in serious musical contemplation...he was
joking, but a few people didn't notice.

As I mentioned in another thread, the lyrics of VdGG are very much tongue in cheek; you should hear Peter Hammill talking about these lyrics himself.

maani's trivia question unveiled this site:

http://www.amiright.com/parody/70s/yes0.shtml

 

Check out the parody lyrics to "And You and I":

From the album "Close to the Fridge"

A can of peas remains inside the Fridgidaire
Been there for hours, wouldn't feed it to a bear
As a new divorcee, I'm now a kitchen slave
Never cooked in my life without a microwave
There's nothing here to eat that doesn't
Taste like glue

There in the corner lies a real old chicken thigh
And next to that is something green, I think it's pie
I know I should clean it more than once a year
But I don't really use it except for chilling beer
Ah, there's some pizza left maybe a slice or two

Rotten eggs and old and now quite worthless fruit
Shells are broken, stench is growing more acute
Garbage day is not for three more days at least
Open the door, open all of the door
Till those smells go by.......

And you know I know not to open the freezer
And you know I will order out...... again....

It's greasy burgers at another fast food dive
I should be glad this stuff is keeping me alive
There'll be no extra cheese this time I'm watching weight
I'm hoping that soon I can attract a date
Hold nose as all this crap begins to enter me....

I looked real hard but could not see
A decent restaurant for miles around me
The taco vendor down the street
Is using a questionable kind of meat
In the end it's the same you have to pay the bill
You stumble out of there having had your fill
Go home as loneliness begins to enter you

Canned stew and I will go and sit on the couch now
A couple shots of rum will soften the flavor
I hope this nasty stuff will pass through my liver
And in the dismal morning I will begin anew....

not only is there humour in prog but there is a humour OF prog much of which is being supplied by the visitors to this forum.This is rapidly becoming one of the funniest(FOR THE VERY BEST OF REASONS) and most entertaining sites of its kind with a unique style that is setting it apart from other more mundane forums of music commentary YES THERE IS HUMOUR IN PROG...DONT BELEIVE ME?....JUST LOOK AROUND

Edited by dude

I partied with Nina Hagen's band but didn't get to meet her. She was one of those celebs who wanted to be treated like a celeb!

Peter/Joren:

Do you remember the Breck Shampoo commercial with Jacqueline Smith?  The tag line was: "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

Well, don't hate me because I was in the right place at the right time!  Believe me, I'm as amazed by it as you are jealous of it!  But for goodness sake, it's not like I have (or even had) dinner with Genesis or Pink Floyd (though, now that I think about it, I did have dinner with Yes once, but that's another story!).

Also, it's somewhat true that when you are around celebrities all the time, you get a bit jaded.  You also learn the most basic lesson of working with celebs - that there are two types: those who want to be treated like celebs, and those who want to be treated like people.  Once you learn this - and get good at discerning it quickly with each person - it helps you survive.  (God forbid you should try to treat a "celeb" like a regular person!!)

Anyway, maybe one day I'll relate some of the most interesting anecdotes of my time at the Beacon and my time with Les.  My absolutely most favorite memory at the Beacon?  Smoking a spliff with Bob Marley!  My favorite memory with Les?  Trading jokes with a beer-besotted Jimmy Page (or maybe seeing David Gilmour tossing a ball around with his son backstage at Giant Stadium just before a Floyd show).

More later!

Peace.