I don't know whether you will consider this to be good news or bad news, but Stephanie has graciously allowed me to use a hunk of ProgressiveWorld's disk space to spout out on all things progressive. Hopefully, I'll be able to do this in each issue, but that will depend on the time I can take from my other writing chores, as well as how well I can hide from my wife. (Kidding!) Writing a column like this is an opportunity I just can't miss out on, because I love talking about music almost as much as I love listening to music. I have a lot of ideas about what music should and shouldn't be, as well as plenty of opinions about all things related to music. For example, as far as I'm concerned, if Christina Aguilera insists on wearing fewer and fewer clothes, we should damn well let her take them all off. That's just my opinion. I could be wrong. (Sorry, Dennis.)

Everyone's got an opinion. I'm not going to claim that my opinions and ideas are more valid than anyone else's -- even though they are. (Kidding again!) However, I do bring to this column a whole lot of experience accumulated over more years than I care to admit. I mean, I used to change Peter Gabriel's diapers. Not really. Anyway, why don't I start off by introducing myself?

Hi. I'm Clay. Pleased to meet you. I've been writing reviews and articles for ProgressiveWorld for a while now. I've also penned a couple of feature stories for Progression magazine (you can find one in the current issue, #41). In fact, I'm one of those lucky people who actually manages to write for a living. The bulk of my work, however, comes in the form of computer books (of which I've written over 40), so try to contain your excitement. It's pretty boring stuff. But, it pays the bills and gives me a legitimate excuse to goof around with computers all day.

As for my musical credentials, I was there when progressive rock was shipped kicking and screaming across the big water from England to the shores of the good ol' USA. I bought the first King Crimson album when it was a new release. The first time I saw Yes, they were the warm-up act for Grand Funk Railroad. I was a Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull fanatic when most people were listening to The Guess Who and Neil Diamond. I traveled from my home in Connecticut to New York City (twice!) to see Genesis because I was convinced that I would never get to see them any where near home. I remember bringing the newly released, first Emerson, Lake & Palmer album home from work (at that time I worked at a record distributor), putting it on the stereo, and screaming to my brother that he had to get in here and listen to this. You get the point: I'm old. No, wait! I think I had another point in mind.

But I'm not just a fan; I'm also a musician. I've played guitar for over 30 years (but who's counting?), have been in countless bands (all right, five or six), and worked in some of the most prestigious recording studios in the world. I should probably mention that that last part about the studios is completely made up. However, I do have formal studio training, and I have a small studio in my home in which I record my own songs, as well as the work of such artists as Yes, Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, and my son's band, Sonuva. Of course, none of the groups but the last has ever been in my studio. You've probably noticed that I like to make stuff up.

Not to go on about myself, but my musical tastes run far beyond prog, even though prog is my favorite stuff with notes. Honestly, I can find something to enjoy in virtually any kind of music. (And I adamantly believe that the willingness to give all music a fair try is the most important attribute of a true music lover, but we'll get into that in a later column). My favorite group of all time is The Beatles. My second is Yes, whom I've seen in concert 17 times, a count that will become 18 on November 2nd. (Porcupine Tree is the warm-up act. How lucky can I get?)

But enough about me (damn it). Let's talk about prog.

The thing that's been most on my mind the last week (besides trying to figure out how to listen to King Crimson without pissing off my wife) is Neal Morse's decision to quit Spock's Beard and Transatlantic in order to pursue God. Stephanie can tell you (because it was to her I whined the most) that it was with some bitterness that I took this news. Why? First, because the Beard and Transatlantic are two of my favorite modern prog groups, and second because I just don't understand the "born again" experience and its power to radically change people's lives -- not always for the better.

Now, don't go and get your hackles up. I'm not (necessarily) criticizing Morse's decision or bad-talking religious folks in general. (If the statistics are correct, most of you believe in God.) I don't even know the guy (Neal, not God), never mind whether or not he has taken his religion to an unhealthy place. I do know, however, that on Spock's Beard's Making of V video, Morse expressed, to the point of tears, his gratefulness for finding a successful career in progressive music. And now, a short time later, he's throwing it all away for what he himself can only describe as going to "parts unknown." Hey, I love ya, Neal. You're one of my musical heroes. But what the hell are you doing?

Okay, I'm not a religious person, so I suppose I couldn't be expected to get it, even if I wanted to. I believe that we can understand only the tiniest bit of how the universe works and all of human beings' attempts to explain the universe via philosophy or religion (which really is philosophy when you get right down to it) are nothing more than desperate guesses, wishful thinking to help assuage the fear of the unknown, attempts to ignore the likeliness that, after all is said and done, there's nothing after death but an eternal void. I mean, we're talking no peanut butter, people.

Most people simply cannot accept that void (let alone the thing about peanut butter) and so in order to maintain sanity in a mind-boggling universe, they must believe in life after death, which in turn pretty much forces the belief in a greater power. Believe it or not, while I'm not a religious person, I do see a tremendous value in the idea of religion. It must be wonderful to believe that life goes on even after its earthly version ends. What a comfort that must be. Religion also acts as a powerful tool for enforcing morals -- some of which are actually good.

What does any of this have to do with progressive rock? Well, bear with me a minute. Notwithstanding my disappointment in Neal Morse's decision to abandon his livelihood to search for God, I actually do believe in forms of spirituality. I believe that spirituality is a state of mind. For example, one can experience a form of spirituality by standing outside on a dark night, looking up at the stars, and feeling wonderment at the vastness of the universe, as well as knowing that, in some minute way, one is a part of that vastness, that one actually makes a difference in that universe, albeit a tiny difference.

The effect of music (whatever type of music stirs your innards) on the psyche is another example, especially if you're a person who can slap on headphones, crank up the stereo, close your eyes, and let music take you somewhere into that aforementioned vastness. Some music affects us in a physical way, urging us to dance, yell, consume unsafe quantities of intoxicating substances, and even toss large objects around a room. (Long live rock and roll!) Other music affects us on a more cerebral level, diddles with our brains in some inexplicable way that leaves us mesmerized, enthralled, immersed. This is the spiritual side of music, and it is usually the domain of the more inventive and complex forms of music -- specifically, in this case, progressive rock.

So, the bottom line is that I wonder why Neal can't be happy continuing to spread spirituality through his music. Not the necessarily the "God" type of spirituality, which is much at the heart of Spock's Beard's wonderful opus Snow (if you didn't notice that Snow is a Christian rock album, you've been listening with your ears off), but rather any kind that takes our traumatized brains away from a new world filled with religious fanatics who believe they're doing God's work by taking down two towers along with 3,000 innocent people.

P.S.

I just returned from the Porcupine Tree / Yes concert I mentioned a few paragraphs ago. I'm happy to report that Porcupine Tree absolutely blew me away. They also blew away my two oldest sons (ages 23 and 18), which gives you some idea of the scope of audience this great group can aspire to conquer. Their live show comprised mostly music from their newest album, In Absentia, and the previous album (not counting the jam-oriented Metanoia and the collection of leftovers titled Recordings), Lightbulb Sun. (By the way, it struck me at this show that Porcupine Tree is the perfect melding of Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and the lighter side of Nine Inch Nails.) Unfortunately, they were given only a half-hour set, which was way, way too short.

Yes performed their usual masterful show, playing a few songs that I don't recall ever having heard live before, such as "The Whale" and "Southside Of The Sky." Not meaning any disrespect to Yes' other keyboard players, having Wakeman back on the keys added an element that has long been missing from a Yes show. Even my son (the 18-year-old) remarked on how good the keyboards sounded (he's seen Yes with me at least twice before). This remark was made during a full-length rendition of "Close To The Edge," which they played better than I've heard in a long time, probably due to Wakeman's return. Disappointing was the lack -- except for "Close To The Edge" -- of Yes' more lengthy, sophisticated fare, such as "Ritual" (from Tales From Topographic Oceans), "The Gates of Delirium" (from Relayer), and "Awaken" (from Going For The One). Still, it was a terrific show.

Links: Peter Gabriel, Progression, King Crimson, Yes, Grand Funk Railroad, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, Sonuva, The Beatles, Porcupine Tree, Transatlantic

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Published on: 2002-11-05 (4222 reads)