Stephen Morris of New Order on Peter Hammill

from here Cult music heroes: Artists on their unsung heroes

It wasn't just punk/new wave musicians. I got into music around 1980 and discovered 70s prog in parallel to some of the music of the time. I also started reading music journals, and it struck me already at the time how prog largely was seen as outdated whereas Hammill clearly belonged to the present, in the music press as well as for many open-minded music fans who otherwise listened to punk/post punk/new wave. I think it also had to do with Hammill's no nonsense approach to live shows, hardly any light show, no trickery, often solo gigs with just his voice and guitar/keyboards. His albums at the time were pretty straight and personal (good nonetheless). He was successful in avoiding any sign of pretentiousness, which was in stark contrast to the bigger prog acts touring at the time for an audience that seemed seriously old (meaning 30+!) to many at the time. 

(Kraftwerk also managed to be welcomed to the eighties by the next generation, in a totally different way.) 

Lewian wrote: (Kraftwerk also managed to be welcomed to the eighties by the next generation, in a totally different way.)

 

To this day I'm gobsmacked by how universal their appeal is.

On a related note, a girl once told me a lot of punks like(d) Rush. Then I remembered how the mainstream rags elected to vilify Rush on a regular basis, and it made sense.

richardh wrote: Proper musicians appreciate other proper musicians. It's just the narrative that was put out there by media outlets and clueless music critics that wanted to make it seem different to what it was (imo). Yes Johnny Rotten wore a 'I Hate Pink Floyd' T-Shirt but it's not news to distance yourself from the previous generation. Music as a business is cutthroat but it shouldn't be (a business that is)

John Lydon has always been an avowed Hammill/VDGG fan