On the morning comedy show "Bob and Tom", they had the author of some Star treks (WARS) books on the show. Tom stated, "Isn't RUSH the favorite rock band of Sci-Fi Addicts?" Unfortunately, I had to get into the office and I missed all the call ins.

What do you think? I do believe that many or most Prog fans, not just Rush fans, are into Sci-Fi, Fantasy; books, movies......

So which came first to you, Prog or Sci-Fi.

I know, there's about three or four threads in this one post. Sue me.

Yes I'm a HUGE SCI/FI-Fantasy fan.  I collect S/F-F DVDslike crazy.  And I'm very much a Rush fan as well, but the sequence of events didn't work quite that way....

I got into S/F when my great uncle gave me his Tom Swift Sr. collection, circa 1965.  I then discovered Heinlein's juveniles and tried to devour everything he wrote.  Even though, for instance "Stranger In a Strange Land", was still over my head.  Around 1968 an uncle gave me the Lord of the Rings books and I was hopelessly hooked from that point.

At that same tmie I was grooving to "Day In The Life" and "Baba O'Reilly" when in 1969 I heard "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "In The Court Of The Crimson King" on radio KAAY on the same night and that was it.  I was PROG.

 I Like Rush, but I think that the assumption that science-fiction fans (like myself) are more likely to prefer them over other bands, is a rather broad one. I'm sure that many prog fans read sci-fi (and fantasy! I love Moorcock, Leiber, De Camp, Vance, Wolfe, LeGuin, and others), but no doubt there's a wide variety of bands represented in our collections. Lots of Rush lyrics are science fictional/fantastic in theme, but so are the lyrics of countless other prog (and even pop) artists and songs. That vein of inspiration has been tapped by many more lyricists than Neil Peart!

By the way, anyone else out there enjoy Silverberg's Lord Valentine's Castle? A modern classic!

 By the way, Danbo, I guess I got into sci-fi (Ray Bradbury) just a couple or three years before I got seriously into prog. I believe that listening to prog and reading "escapist" literature fits the "profile" of many prog fans (but not all): we tend to be people who are looking for something different in our art. We're probably big Dali fans overall, too.... 

Great topic/question!

 "I'm sure that many prog fans read sci-fi (and fantasy! I love Moorcock, Leiber, De Camp, Vance, Wolfe, LeGuin, and others), but no doubt there's a wide variety of bands represented in our collections." 

By the way, a little trvia. Did you know The Norwegian troll named Mortiis goes by Michael Moorcock.   Music's not bad either but he sure is a strange looking dude.   I don't know if it's his real name, I assume it's assumed.

Regarding Rush. I can see a connection between Prog and Sci-Fi, espcially Psychadellic rock/metal groups like Hawkwind, Ship of Fools and Ozric Tentacles but not particularly Rush.

By the way when it comes to Rush I own and like Moving Pictures but not anything else. The singers voice is a turnoff for me.

Caio

While Rush does draw a huge crowd of Sci-Fi fans, that is not the only crowd that they draw. Why is this? possibly because Rush draws fans based on a) the band's literary influences, b) Impressive guitar shredding courtesy of Mr. Lifeson, and c) expansive progressive epics that defied critics into the eighties.

as for Sci-Fi, I have seen the movie Dune, and thought it kicked ass. (Haven't read the book, but I plan to)

 Yes Dude, the fantasy series you mention are some of my all-time favourites. I absolutely love Leiber's "Fafhrd & Grey Mouser" books, Moorcock's powerful and darkly-atmospheric "Elric" saga (the best of his "Eternal Champion" cycle  -- I take it you're familiar with Blue Oyster Cult's solid Elric-inspired track "Black Blade," and Purple's "Stormbringer," named for the albino prince's demonic sword?) I plan to read these books again, one day soon, and I can't wait until my two kids are old enough to share them with. I also enjoyed Silverberg's "Dying Inside," but you MUST read his "Lord Valentine's Castle" -- a highly memorable epic!

If you like the way Leiber brings humour and fallible heroes to fantasy in the aforementioned series, you should also check out sci-fi master L. Sprague de Camp's "The Reluctant King" trilogy, and Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" series: "The Dying Earth," "The Eyes of the Overworld" and "Cugel's Saga." Brilliant, magical  stuff -- Vance is one of my favourite witers in ANY genre. If you want something darker, but totally absorbing, try Gene Wolfe's "Shadow of the Torturer" (first of a great series), or "Soldier of the Mist." Wolfe is an amazing writer!

I'm currently reading the latest in Ursula K. LeGuin's superb "Earthsea" series. (It's excellent, so far!) If you've never read her masterpiece of High Fantasy, "A Wizard of Earthsea," I highly urge you to do so -- you're in for a treat! Her sci-fi classics "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed" are also highly recommended. Each is still taught in (enlightened) university courses for the strength of the writing, and the profound themes and issues explored!

PS: Any and all of the above would be great reading with some instrumental prog, like classic Tangerine Dream (FORCE MAJEURE, PHAEDRA, RUBICON, STRATOSFEAR, EXIT, WHITE EAGLE, etc., on in the background! Also good would be Anglagard's excellent 90s instrumental "Epilog" (see my recent review).

Happy reading and listening, fellow prog-fiends!

Peter Rideout wrote:  Yes Dude, the fantasy series you mention are some of my all-time favourites. I absolutely love Leiber's "Fafhrd & Grey Mouser" books, Moorcock's powerful and darkly-atmospheric "Elric" saga (the best of his "Eternal Champion" cycle  -- I take it you're familiar with Blue Oyster Cult's solid Elric-inspired track "Black Blade," and Purple's "Stormbringer," named for the albino prince's demonic sword?) I plan to read these books again, one day soon, and I can't wait until my two kids are old enough to share them with. I also enjoyed Silverberg's "Dying Inside," but you MUST read his "Lord Valentine's Castle" -- a highly memorable epic!

I did not know that. I should find myself some of those novels as soon as possible.

Another reading I'd like to recommend is the mini-novel Anthem by literary and philosophic genius Ayn Rand. A story of a future in which the universe has been dominated by a communist government, who has outlawed an form of personal enjoyment and reduced people to the status of slaves, it details the rise of one man's rebellion against this society. This work is highly recommended, as it has influenced songs such as 2112, and others.

 Dude, I didn't know that Rand had a right-wing reputation, that's how little I really knew about her. Maybe I'll find out more (easily done, on Net) before I tackle any of her stuff. I generally have at least 2 new books around at any given time, so I can always wait. I've usually got a big Victorian novel either on the go (much Dickens, of late) or in the wings, as well. I find old classics somewhat slower to read, but highly interesting and rewarding. They're sort of like portals to the past, that tell me how we got here.  Recommended read: Don Quixote

 Jim, I've heard of "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant," but have never read (only scanned) any Donaldson. (Isn't his first name "Stephen R?") A friend of mine who was also a big sci-fi fan said the book(s) were great, but I was reading other (usually more established) authors (many named in my earlier post) when the books came out, any never got around to trying the "newcomer." I guess I might, some day, but I tend to read the bigger, older names when I read "fantastic" literature (which is not nearly as often as I did in my teens & twenties). 

I'm sure they're good, though! I know they sold well! Anyway, almost any reading is good reading.  All too few people read! Here's an alarming statistic (from '78, almost certainly worse now!): Only 8% of Americans buy books, and only 2% buy more than one a year.  (Harlan Ellison) I also know that in my country (Canada), colleges and universities are increasingly upset with the schools for sending them highschool grads with rudimentary communication skills, and an inability to comprehend a novel, or string a coherent sentence together!

For those of you out there with young, preschool children: If you're not reading to your kids, and trying to impart an interest in books (let them see you reading for pleasure, as well!), then you're almost certainly dooming them to academic failure. I teach adults, and let me tell you, good reading skills (and a love of reading) are much easier to acquire in childhood! If your kids are not readers, they'll be second-rate (or worse) writers, with limited vocabularies. The world economy is increasingly knowledge-based, and good communication skills are more and more important in the workplace. Many are being left behind! Merely reading (or "chatting) on the computer is not enough, either, nor is reading technical material all day. People (yes, "real" men too) need fiction!

Well, that's today's sermon. I'll step down from my soapbox now, and try to think more about prog. (Progressive rock, by the way, tends to have very articulate, if not poetic, lyrics. Much of the subject-matter comes from books -- science fiction, fantasy, mythology, the Bible, etc. -- so the words are often geared toward a well-read listener. Read a lyric sheet tonight!)

One book really changed my life, my way of thinking. It's called, "Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. It was a text book for a college class I had a few years ago. WOW, a critical thinking novel which cuts through so much  . I encourage my high school kids to read it. It's not a story, it's reality.

 Dude, here's one: "Hey, is that your Balzac, or are you just glad to see me?"

Danbo & Dude: Thanks for not getting upset with me for getting serious back there, but prog is thoughtful music.

Dude: Math or technical knowledge is knowledge too, of course (and still valued). There are many kinds of intelligence; but some (reasoning, communicating, etc.) are becoming more valued than others ("hands on" intelligence, etc.). How many of our kids can realistically expect to make a living as rock stars, or pro athletes?

 Humor is the source of happiness and we all need some. Ouch, I just caught my Balzac in the CD Rom drive.

 Danbo, Dude, Jim, et al: The title of this thread no longer suits its subject-matter. This at last leads (perhaps inevitably) to the creation of another Thread, which will grapple with the immortal Frank's big question: Does humour belong in music?

(Apologies offered in advance to the Americans among us for the British spelling of "humour.")

I love Sci-Fi,fantasy and such. I'm a big geek like that(Heck>I play D&D

I hate Rush.....I know they are classified as Prog but I just don't get why. Way over-rated

How can you hate Rush? I mean, I understand Geddy's voice and all, but the music? I've heard the Geddy's voice argument so many times from different people and I think it's absurd. The same people listen to Prince or something. I think Rush is probably the most sci-fi oriented but just because they involve space doesn't mean that other bands who don't can't be labelled sci-fi. I tend to regard fantasy and sci-fi in the same category as do many people. As soon as that happens then you get into a whole bunch of other bands like Gentle Giant and Yes and perhaps Led Zeppelin (LOTR allegory is evidence).

Alan Parsons Project has a tonne of sci-fi imagery in their music as does Pink Floyd but I do think Rush takes it.

I also play a D and D card game called Warlord. I used to play Magic the gathering and we'd put on "Tales" or "In the wake of Poseidon" or "Saucerful of Secrets" and have a few games. I hate Magic now. Warlord is where it's at.