Does Humour Belong in Prog?
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Topic: Does Humour Belong in Prog?
Posted By: Peter
Subject: Does Humour Belong in Prog?
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 00:04
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Or should we don our hairshirts, and remember the dour words of a certain Mr. Fripp: "We are not a band to be enjoyed." Discuss. (If you like , we can just talk about Frank.)
(Stupid git, you've spoiled the atmosphere now!") ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
The immortal Saint Zappa wondered "does humour belong in music?," and how could we do otherwise? Does humour belong in prog? Does "Willow Farm" belong on "Supper's Ready;" do "Benny the Bouncer" or "The Sheriff" strike a sour note with you? I say bring on the humour, I've got room for wit in my life and my music! What do you guys (especially Danbo, Dude, & Jim) think? Should Zappa be here? How about the Ruttles? Is prog less pretentious when it can laugh at its own pretentions? Examples?
PS to Jim: That's MISS Ann Elk to you! "Still no sign of land: how long is it?"
Replies:
Posted By: Redstar
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 00:25
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An excellent question. My answer is; it all depends on the context. There is the point of view that songs like 'Benny' &'Willow Farm' drop a bit of silliness into otherwise fine works. The thing is; these whimsical songs are very much products of their time - even more so than the rest of the music surrounding them. They're not too much different than the multitude of silly little British pop ditties that were flying around at the same time; only reason they stick out to us is their out-of-place context within prog music. So, that's why it's there...as to wether it should be there; I think there's something to be said for trying to bring a little humor once in a while into a genre that tends toward seriousness. Fripp once said something to the effect of backstage antics occuring as an attempt 'to inject some levity into a band situation which tended toward gravity'. This rarely applied to his music, but when it did, such as Elephant Talk or even Ladies of the Road, I enjoy it immensely. Humor also can allow both the listener & musician to let one's hair down a bit more, so to speak; if you're not taking the idea of creating some grandiose lyrical epic so seriously, you can just get on with playing some damn fine music. This is the main aspect of the Canterbury school that appeals to me. On a third note, I find the use of specifically Anglocentric humor, by Genesis in particular, to be one of the most delightful aspects of their music. The obscure british refrences scattered throughout Selling England might be off-putting to some, but to me they add a wonderful period flavor to the piece, and only endear me more to the time & place from which this great music originated. So, in short, yes.
------------- "http://mywebpages.comcast.net/moorglade/index.html" - 'There's a fine line between stupid and...clever' 
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Posted By: Paco Fox
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 03:56
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I laugh at prog a lot. And I have to admit that not always at humorous songs made intentionally that way. Come on, there's lot of cheese in prog!. Me and other proghole As for humorous songs on purpose, well, don't tell me 'Hocus Pocus' isn't a) funny, b) a really catchy song and c) a prog rock masterpiece. I also love 'Down on the Farm', wich is much maligned by Camel fans. I love Camel because of its passion, and the very moving musical phrases. But I enjoy this song a lot, even more than, let's say, most of the non-moving, non funny songs on 'The Single Factor'. You have to mock a bit of what you like (I absolutly enjoy 'Stonehenge' parody in Spinal Tap). And sometimes its better not adopting the over-serious pose of prog fans in the 70s. I was last year in a Caravan gig, and nobody was jumping of singing along. Most of the people were just listening still, and they really didn't seem to be enjoying themselves. After the concert, we went to talk to Pye Hastings, and he told us he liked to see the audience cheering, jumping and air-guitaring. The intellectual behaviour could better be left at home, when listening to records. Regards |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 04:53
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I personally think that humour is essential in all walks of life, and this must include music in all its forms.
Paco mentioned that you cannot always take Wakeman seriously - I should think not! He may be a truly gifted musician, but he is also a geniunely funny man; from his solo spots in Yes (check out Yessongs for proof), to his stand up comedy routines I've seen him do during his own band's shows....... ELP's forays into humour have never detracted from their other work; in my mind they enhance it by adding a different dynamic to otherwise very intense albums; a breathing space, if you like - ear candy to allow your brain to recover. The same could be said of 'Willow Farm', but although this section is humorous when taken out of context, the lyrics deal with the transition of physical form, an essential link to the closing section (pretentious, moi  ??).
As far as Zappa is concerned, apart from his vast body of serious works (which deserve a thread, if not a forum of their own), he was a first rate satirist, and used his humour, music & band to open the soft underbelly of American society, to excellent effect - I dont think the UK has ever had an equivalent to him, the closest we come (I believe) being the Bonzo Dog Band in the late 60's parodying English society's values (Viv Stanshall RIP  ).
My word, this is all getting very serious 
Bottom line being, if you dont have humour, you dont have life....... to prove this, a little joke: Q - How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb? A - A Fish By the way, Paco - I was at the Sabbath gig in 1983 which I think inspired Spinal Tap - Reading Festival, Ian Gillan on vocals, almost a parody of themselves - the whole stage set up as a giant Stonehenge monolith; mind you, I don't remember any dancing dwarves......although this may have lightened the mood on what was an appalling show!! Direct support that day was a young band called Marillion, who opened with Grendel, joked with the audience throughout, played a storming 90 minutes & were still being called on to return when Sabbath took the stage, to Iommi's obvious annoyance... ------------- 
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Paco Fox
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 05:48
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There's also a very good piano tour DVD in wich the comedy routines are specially funny. I appreciate a lot certain changes of mood. For example, Wakeman starts talkning about how it was annoying everyone making a millenium album, millenium concerts, etc, to end up saying he ended up doing one... and after that (wich, trust me, sounds very funny in Wakeman's voice) he goes one playing a gorgeous, vey beautiful piano piece. These contrasts are great in my opinion. |
Jim Garten wrote:Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 06:16
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Before I listened to Zappa's music I couldn't imagine that there existed funny music that was also GOOD. I think humour belongs everywhere, but it's good that there's also serious music! By the way: just think about satanic black metal bands like Mercyful Fate. Their image is quite funny too! |
Posted By: corbet
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 06:20
| 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. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 06:46
There is of course this point of view - I personally grew a goatee beard several years ago for the express purpose to be stroked, whilst frowning knowingly, and saying "HHHmmmmmmm" during a particularly challenging session of Frippertronics (although this does necessitate my assistant having to hold my notebook) -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 13:53
Man! Prog is funny without even trying. When Robert Fripp says, " This band is not meant to be enjoyed " or "some music came along that only King Crimson Could play", that's funny in itself ( Is corbet for real or is he just trying out some Devil's advocacy .) Whether Fripp considers himself to be a funny guy or not, I don't know, but I've got more than a few laughs out of the guy over the years. When he comes out and greets the audience by saying things like, " good evening hippies" I don't think he's taking himself or the audience too seriously. Particularily at King Crimson gigs (the ones I've seen as well as the ones I've heard on record and CD) you always have a guy yelling out a song request like,"FRACTURE!" and then somone else yells out, "CAT FOOD!" then there's the whole peanut gallery yelling out everything from "SCHIZOID MAN!" to" ELEPHANT TALK!" and they KNOW there's not a chance in hell that they're going to hear them. I go to a lot of classical music concerts and recitals because my wife teaches music and you don't witness that sort of behaviour at these events. Can you imagine someone screaming out, " MOZART FLUTE AND HARP CONCERTO IN C MINOR!" In between selections. What I'm trying to say that there is humour in anything if you try to find it and I'm sure that's what Rob Reiner did when concieving the film Spinal Tap ( which is one of my favourite films ) and I'm sure that many of his ideas were inspired by excesses and eccentricities of bands from prog-rock genres.
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Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 15:37
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Come on! Who're you trying to fool? What's wrong with a bit of humour? You should really listen to Supersister's (a seventies Dutch band) 'Wow (The Intelligent Song)', from the album 'Superstarshine; . That song is so funny! And still, the music is great. There doesn't have to be humour everywhere, but a little fun has bever harmed anybody! |
Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 15:38
| And how about Zappa? You don't like his (fantastic) music either, just because it's funny? |
Posted By: The Owl
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 17:11
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Heck Yeah!!!! Great examples: Zappa, Hatfield & The North, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Gabriel era Genesis and more ------------- People are puzzled why I don't dig the Stones, well, I listened to the Stones, I tried, and I tried, and I tried, and--I Can't Get No Satisfaction! www.myspace.com/theowlsmusic |
Posted By: Stormcrow
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 18:06
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Short answer: Hay-ell YES! Without the ability to "not" take ourselves too seriously, we are in constant danger of being so anal and self important that instead of enlighten and entertain, we lose ourselves into our own collective navels. |
Posted By: Alexander
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 19:27
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Umm...gee... The Canterbury Scene was full of humor in their lyrics & music. ------------- On A Dilemmia Between What I Need & What I Just Want 
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Posted By: Verisimilitude
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 19:40
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Of course it was, it just wouldn't be the same without humour and light-hearted lyrics... Caravan just wouldn't be the same if they took themselves seriously... The reason I like progressive music, particuarly the Canterbury Scene, is because they don't concentrate heavily on death, destruction, war, lost love, seperation etc etc... But instead there's "Golf Girl" and "In the Land of Grey and Pink" and all these other light-hearted songs, which are really uplifting to listen to... Takes away the stress of everyday living I say... So does humour belong in prog? Absolutely! (Well that's my opinion
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)Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: February 19 2004 at 22:06
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Some great thoughts here. Humour is a serious business! ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 20 2004 at 04:30
Damn it, Peter - and there was me thinking Corbet was being serious! We need more beard stroking muso's with sense of humour bypasses.... -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: el_vagabondo
Date Posted: February 20 2004 at 09:40
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There's always been humour in progressive music thankfully, although many critics of the genre have labeled us with such oh so hurtful comments such as pretentious, up their own arses etc. For example, cruddy examples, but hey, Frank Zappa's lyrics always dripped with sardonic wit whilst wowing music fans with his constantly inventive guitar playing. I always found some of King Crimson's material to have much more wry humour then it has been recognized. More so in the Adrian Belew era, although I'll admit the random images on "great deciever" and "catfood" brought a grin to me. Examples in the Belew era have to be Elephant Talk, Discipline (just what the hell is he getting at), Thela Hun Ginjeet, and ProsaKc blues on Construction of Light. If anyone here is a fan of bands such as Mr. Bungle or Secret Chiefs 3, then they'll recognize the weird humour throughout, not only the slightly bizarre lyrics but the way some of the songs flit from genre to genre. For example, Merry go bye bye on Disco Volante goes from Beach Boys esque surf-rock to brutal thrash/death metal quite quickly and back to an almost gospel style finally. Ma meeshka mow squawz is like a Chuck Jones cartoon soundtrack being played by a technical thrash metal band, and Desert Search for Techno Allah is just epic Arabic influenced electronic jazzy rock. Weird as but it works in the grand scale of things. And when prog hits its most pompous then the laughter also ensues. (not in a bad sense). I find the notion of 30 minute songs rather droll in a way yet in a awelike fashion. Sorry, it's my second post here and I've sort of ranted a tad. ------------- Broken hearts really are for assholes. |
Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: February 20 2004 at 11:14
I DO hope Corbet was kidding! If so: good one! |
Posted By: maani
Date Posted: February 29 2004 at 21:23
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Holy croley! Has everyone forgotten Gentle Giant?!?!? Talk about humor! These guys practically invented it in prog! Not only in their lyrics, but in their approach to songwriting as well, both instrumental and vocal. There is nary a GG album that doesn't have at least two or three songs with levity - smile-cracking levity. I dare you to listen to the opening of "Playing the Game" and not smile!! Or how about "A Dog's Life?" Or the instrumental break in "Interview?" If humor doesn't belong in prog, better throw out your GG albums now! Peace. |
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: February 29 2004 at 23:11
 Great point, "Man-o-war!" GG definitely approached the genre with humour! Remember Spooky Boogie? Fun song on an otherwise inferior album! ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: dude
Date Posted: March 01 2004 at 08:16
| Does humour belong in prog?.....YES....Yes it does. P.S Corbett..I LIKE I LIKE!!!! |
Posted By: maani
Date Posted: March 01 2004 at 13:13
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Peter: "Spooky Boogie"? Don't know that one. GG? Another "prog" (in my opinion) band that approached music and lyrics with humor was 10CC. Very clever, witty, sometimes sardonic, plus "playful" arrangements in many songs. One could even argue that Ian Anderson approached J.T.'s writing, arrangements and vocals with a "bit of wit" and levity, if not outright humor. Peace. |
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: March 01 2004 at 21:48
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And you're right on again, "m'maan" "Spooky Boogie" (a corny, faux-"scary" instrumental) appeared on the disappointing, not worth replacing on CD, Giant for a Day, which I'd give 1-2 stars at most. Thank goodness for The Missing Piece, which redeemed the band in this fan's eyes (ears, anyway)! TMP and the later Civilian may have been more "commercial" and accessible than the classic Giant albums, but only in comparison to what they had done before. Compared to other music being released in the late 70s - early eighties by some other prog "bands (ELP - Looove Beach, anyone? Gag me with a spoon! Barf me out!), it was still highly original music! The Love Beach album cover was hilarious, but tragically, not intentionally so..... What the heck were ELP thinking? "Hey, it worked for the Bee Gees. (Uh-oh, Uh-oh, barely alive, barely alive....) Pass me that coke spoon, and let's dance, Greg....." Ha! "Rock on, ooh my soul!" ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Yes Maani, definitely a lot of humour in Ian Anderson's JT lyrics! (And don't forget "The Hare Who Lost his Spectacles" fable on A Passion Play.)
Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: March 02 2004 at 03:27
Great that you mentioned 10CC, Maani! I always loved listened to my father's lp from 10CC's 'How Dare You'. I think some of the songs on that album are Prog with a capital 'P'. 'Iceberg' and 'I Wanna Rule The World' are FANTASTIC and very funny songs! |
Posted By: maani
Date Posted: March 02 2004 at 23:08
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Peter: Oops! Missing Piece is 77; Giant for a Day is 78; Civilian is 80. Thus, MB could not have "redeemed" GFAD! I forgive you, though... Peter/Joren: It really is a thrill (no facetiousness here) to have two more 10CC fans! I was a fan way back when they were "Hotlegs," prior to their first eponymous album. Even on that first album, humor was rife: "Rubber Bullets," "The Dean, His Daughter and Me," "Sand in my Face"... Then "Sheet Music" had "Wall Street Shuffle," "Somewhere in Hollywood," "Oh Effendi"... Then "Original Soundtrack" had "One Night in Paris" (!), "Blackmail," "Film of My Love"... Then "How Dare You" had (as Joren points out As an aside, I attended a Peter Hamill concert at The Beacon (I was a guest of the theater as a result of my tenure there), and had a long talk with Scott Muni (then program director of WNEW-FM, the AOR station NY) about popular music. I asked him why bands like GG and 10CC never got the audience they deserved. He felt that they were too "cerebral" - that the "average" person didn't "get" the cleverness, either musical or lyrical. But he did love both bands. I can't say I disagree with his assessment. Still, GG, XTC and 10CC have always had a special place in my heart, at least partially because of their levity... Peace. |
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: March 03 2004 at 00:20
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Civilian (heavier, different, somewhat of a pseudo "new-wave" flavour -- but GOOD) was the last Giant I bought, as prog seemed to (largely) drop off the musical radar in the 80s. I was busy buying Talking Heads, Police, Cars, XTC, Specials, Madness, English Beat, Ian Dury, Simple Minds, Ultravox, Talk Talk, Men Without Hats, Mental as Anything, Dire Straits, Fripp's "new wave" League of Gentlemen, etc. etc. during those years. I still really like 80s music (there's a BROAD category for you!), which, I would maintain, sound-wise, runs from around the "death" of disco (Die, die, thou evil spawn of Satan! Burn in Hell! Aargh! It's back! It won't stay dead!) in 76-77, to the appearance of "grunge" in the late 80s (87? 88?).
Take it easy, & good to see you here on the Forums again! ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Whoops! Thanks for the GG correction, Maani. Guess I should have checked the discography -- I was a trifle unsure about the chronology when writing that. We're talking about albums that I bought when they came out, 24-27 years ago. Much brain-cell loss since then (especially then!)
Though I do have Octopus, Free Hand and The Power and the Glory, I have neither of the albums I mentioned on disc (have some MP3s, hey, they got my money once!), and the vinyl, if I even still have it, is thousand of miles away....
Other good "new wave" prog: Eno & Byrne - My life in the Bush of Ghosts; Fripp - Exposure; PG - Peter Gabriel (the one with "Games Without Frontiers"); Bowie - Low, Heroes, Lodger (great guitar from Belew) & Scary Monsters; Eno - Before and After Science. Prog? Not sure. Good music? Definitely!
I really enjoyed -- to the point of wanting to track you down and inflict (minor) bodily harm upon you -- your "favourite prog concerts" piece! LUCKY YOU! Posted By: maani
Date Posted: March 04 2004 at 00:13
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Peter: Re my concert-going (and celebrity-meeting), please don't hurt me. I was fortunate to have three things occur in my life. First, when I was 16, I got a job as Asst. Stage Mgr. at The Beacon Theater. By coincidence, that year (9/75-6/76) Madison Square Garden was closed for renovations, so lots of acts that would have played MSG played at Radio City, Academy of Music (later The Palladium), and The Beacon. That year, I got to work with Genesis (Trick of the Tail tour, with Bruford), Queen (Night at the Opera tour), Supertramp (Crime of the Century tour), Nektar, 10CC (Original Soundtrack tour), Return to Forever, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Santana, Joe Cocker, and many others. Around the same time, I came into some money (not lots, but some), so I was able to afford to go to lots of concerts; that's how I got to see every Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Floyd and other tours from 1975 to the late 80s. Finally, from 1985 to 1995, I worked as an assistant to guitarist-inventor Les Paul. Through Les I not only met almost every major rock guitarist in the world at the time - including Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Slash, James Hetfield, Brian May, Steve Miller, Al DiMeola, et al - but also attended many concerts either with or on behalf of Les (including Paul McCartney's private concert for CBS at the Ed Sullivan Theater during his "Off The Ground" tour, and Pink Floyd at Giant Stadium in the mid-90s). All of this was a matter of "being in the right place at the right time" - which has happened to me far more than I anyone has any right to expect. In any case, these situations allowed me to attend dozens, possibly hundreds, of concerts for an almost 20-year period from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. I could literally write a book about the people I met (and other anecdotes) at The Beacon and through Les. Perhaps I will one day - if I can ever find the time! Peace. |
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: March 04 2004 at 00:39
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Hey, Maan, One word:COOL! I'll help edit the book, if I can meet a select 20-30 of its brightest stars! (Hey, ya gotta dream....) ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: March 04 2004 at 03:00
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to Maani: You lucky BASTARD! |
Posted By: maani
Date Posted: March 05 2004 at 00:15
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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. |
Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: March 06 2004 at 07:15
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OK, I'm not jealous, I just feel very happy for you... and very unhappy for me! No, seriously, I think you were very lucky meeting all those celebrities. (And I'd like to hear about Jimmy Page) |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: March 06 2004 at 12:10
| 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! |
Posted By: Glass-Prison
Date Posted: March 06 2004 at 13:25
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If I were in maani's place, I would spend 90 per cent of my time on my knees, shouting "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" |
Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: March 07 2004 at 11:25
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Posted By: Aerandir
Date Posted: March 07 2004 at 11:27
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Of course it does!!! Prelude of Life - A passion play - Jethro Tull ------------- That which doesn't kill you, postpones the inevitable |
Posted By: dude
Date Posted: March 10 2004 at 22:25
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
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Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: March 11 2004 at 06:27
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'nuff said!
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Posted By: Dan Bobrowski
Date Posted: March 23 2004 at 17:22
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maani's trivia question unveiled this site: http://www.amiright.com/parody/70s/yes0.shtml - http://www.amiright.com/parody/70s/yes0.shtml
Check out the parody lyrics to "And You and I": " http://www.amiright.com/cgi-bin/parody_search.cgi?ORIGSonGAnd You and IORIGSonG - And You and I " Based on the performance by http://www.amiright.com/cgi-bin/parody_search.cgi?ORIGAUTHORYesORIGAUTHOR - Yes
"Canned Stew and I" Parody by http://www.amiright.com/cgi-bin/search_authors.cgi?AUTHORRick DuncanAUTHOR - Rick Duncan
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.... |
Posted By: arqwave
Date Posted: March 24 2004 at 01:55
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i think after reading all these answers that we LIVE in the realm of funny!!!!!!! we need the humor to survive in the studio, in the job and in our lives, maybe humor souldn´t be exposed as ashow but as a joy... i say that you must go and be as humorous as you can be and then find the opposite... which one you like the most!!!, music without humor is like sex without love! |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: September 29 2005 at 13:57
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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.
-------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: The Prognaut
Date Posted: September 29 2005 at 17:10
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Sure humor belongs in prog! I quite enjoy the morbidity exposed by Peter Gabriel in several Genesis albums, the wit and the acid romance still displayed by Fish and the sardonic and ingenious hints pointed out by Roger Waters... Humor ain't only laughs and roars, it's gotta be more than that. In prog, it's a blend of the blackest humor and the easiest and cheapest way to burst into laughter. It is as inexplicable as simple to figure out in my opinion. Land
------------- break the circle reset my head wake the sleepwalker and i'll wake the dead |
Posted By: RoyalJelly
Date Posted: September 29 2005 at 18:07
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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. |
Posted By: krauthead
Date Posted: September 29 2005 at 18:11
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Yeah, like it belongs every now and then in the real life itself... not all the time though that would be crazy ------------- *Dancing madly backwards on a sea of air* - Captain Beyond |
Posted By: Proglover
Date Posted: September 29 2005 at 18:52
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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. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: September 29 2005 at 19:11
I definitely am of the opinion corbet's post was tongue-in-cheek. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: pero
Date Posted: September 30 2005 at 05:36
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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 |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: September 30 2005 at 05:41
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I very much doubt Hawkwind are serious. they definitely were not during the Calvert era -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: krauthead
Date Posted: October 02 2005 at 07:09
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Exact, it would be like saying that most Gong songs are serious. ------------- *Dancing madly backwards on a sea of air* - Captain Beyond |
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: January 23 2008 at 23:28
Bumpity-bump!  ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |