theprogrockbstheorist

[theprogrockbstheorist]

BS Theory no. 2: The Gizzverse is a Prank

“Nonagon infinity opens the door/ Wait for the answer to open the door”

Or… does it? If you must know anything about the modern Australian psychedelic, prog, electronic, whatever else “rock” band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, you should know that they have a rabid base of devoted fans that have been mapping out the “Gizzverse” for years. This Gizzverse has developed due to the fact that this band has 25 studio albums in a little over a decade of existence and that much of their music is self-referential. It’s also not only the music: many of their music videos harken back to earlier ones, and much of their album artwork, done by close friend of the band Jason Galea, references back to earlier albums. This has convinced their fan base that there must be some connection, some overarching story connecting their albums. They band themselves have hinted towards this as well, stating that their albums take place in different “alternate timelines”. 

But what if they’re just fucking with us?

It’s undeniable that many of their albums have a cohesive theme and perhaps even plot— but most of these are self-contained. Their 2019 thrash metal album, Infest the Rats’ Nest, has a self-contained plot of global warming and superviruses ravaging the Earth, with Mars becoming outpaced for the average Earthling, so a crew sets out for Venus and burns up in the atmosphere. Their 2017 album (or rather, one of five of them), Murder of the Universe has something resembling an overarching plot and definitely an apocalyptic theme, and some say it ties into another one of their 2017 albums, Polygondwanaland, which is also divided into 3 separate suites. But, admittedly, a lot of these are reaches. 

This isn’t to say that there haven’t been SOME albums with confirmed connections: 2022’s albums Made in Timeland and Laminated Denim are anagrams of each other, and explore similar concepts. 2023’s two albums, Petrodragonic Apocalypse (no, I’m not writing out the full fucking name) and The Silver Cord are confirmed to be “yin-yang” albums. A lot of their albums DO deal with similar themes as well: usually with apocalyptic scenarios brought on by environmental factors, most of the time, climate change. So, clearly, there is an underlying theme to many of their albums. 

However, there is one reason why I doubt there’s much more to the “Gizzverse” than speculation: there’s not cohesive thought on what, exactly, constitutes the Gizzverse. None. There’s no established timeline by fans, there’s no sequence of events, there’s not even agreed consensus of albums that are a part of the Gizzverse. The band doesn’t say much about it, either, just that there’s “alternate timelines”. The wording is so vague that that could mean anything, from “we wrote a couple different concept albums exploring issues that are important to us, but are otherwise unrelated” to “we have a full-fledged multiverse with thought-out timelines and recurring characters.” This isn’t to say that there isn’t SOME evidence towards the latter: some of their album covers have recurring motifs, and sometimes similar-looking characters are referenced in their music videos, however that could be just coincidental. Even if it isn’t, I don’t think the Gizzverse is an established canon: I feel like the band is familiar enough with their devoted fanbase to realize that some people love theorizing (definitely not me), and intentionally lead them on a wild goose chase, throwing references to otherwise unrelated works. 

So, in other words, they’re probably fucking with us. There’s really not much evidence to prove that a Gizzverse exists: there’s next to no named characters, and those that are named have plots that resolve within in their own album, such as the Han-Tyumi and Balrog suites from Murder of the Universe. Furthermore, if a prog band, such as Cohered and Cambria or Ayreon, set out to make multiple albums within the same story line, they usually do it with the express purpose of doing so. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard did not do that. So, even if they do have some sort of multiverse going on, it’s certainly not very fleshed out, making it very open to interpretation. 

One thing to keep in mind from all this is that artists are human to, and sometimes they like to screw with people. We can’t take everything someone says at face value, because sometimes people make jokes, and sometimes people just..lie. Do I really think King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are pranking their fans with the concept of the gizzverse? I don’t believe they were being serious about having a fully fleshed-out plot or developed “alternate timelines”, but it is true that a lot of their work is conceptual in nature and deals with similar themes, so I can see how it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for some people.

#essay #prog rock #progressive rock #prog #kgatlw #king gizzard and the lizard wizard #this has been in my drafts since July lol

[theprogrockbstheorist]

BS Theory no. 2: The “Dark Side of the Moon” is Society™️

“There is no dark side of he moon really. Matter of fact, it’s all dark”

Hey guys, I am back from my essay-writing hiatus, as I’ve recently had the time to have some Ideas circulating in my brain. One of the things I’ve been thinking about, and been able to formulate into something semi-comprehensible, is on the matter of Pink Floyd’s seminal work, the 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon. This album is far from being a niche, obscure album: it’s one of the best selling records of all time, and you have more than likely seen the album cover on t-shirts, posters, pins, stickers, or referenced in other media. The album kicks of what I will refer to the “main sequence” in Pink Floyd’s discography, which consists of their 4-best selling albums: DSOTM, Wish You Were Here, Animals (underrated tbh), and The Wall. All of these are indeed concept albums to varying degrees, with most being a Level Two Concept Album, and The Wall generally being classified as a rock opera (Level 3). With this in mind, Dark Side of the Moon most people would likely classify this album as a Level One, due to only a musical concept being present (all the songs flow into each other, and the album loops back on itself), however I argue that it is a Level Two due to there being multiple thematic concepts that may not be immediately apparent: society’s affect on mental health due to modern lifestyles. 

I won’t go into too much background on the band itself, as they’re one of the most popular bands in the prog fandom, to the point where it could be argued that they are their own fandom (they even have their own confessions blog), just that they were formed in the mid-1960s, and had a substantial psychedelic rock/pop following before this album’s debut. I will note that the theme of mental illness has been greatly present in many of their works, as one of their former members, Roger "Syd" Barrett, suffered through an undisclosed mental health episode, which had him leave the band. As this is the case, it is not much of a stretch to assume that this work deals heavily with mental health issues as well. 

One of the theories suggested, by Drew and Destin of the Prog Notes podcast (which I HIGHLY recommend) is that the album’s thematic concept is about all the different things in life that can cause a person mental stress. This theory begins with “On the Run”, as they suggest the first two songs are about beginning life. The theory proposes that “on the Run” is about the fear or anxiety of trave and moving on, “Time” is about… time, or rather realizing that one’s time is limited, “the Great Gig in the Sky” is about death anxiety, “Money” is about financial and material concerns, “Us and Them” is about conflict, and the last two songs “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse” are about finally breaking under the pressure of modern life. This would mean that the “dark side of the moon” referenced in the title could be all the downsides to modern life that are too taboo to talk about, or are perhaps hidden from public consciousness. 

Honestly, I agree with their interpretation of the album. I do think, however, there’s some loose ends that need to be tied up with their series. For example, if their interpretation is the case, why would Pink Floyd have the album loop back on itself? What’s the symbolism of the heart beat pulse? Why do all the songs flow into each other? How do these things enhance the themes of the album? Why did Pink Floyd specifically choose these common anxieties (travel, time, death, money, and conflict)? 

Let’s address each of these questions individually: 

The case of the album loop:

Following the interpretation that the album is about society and the taboo of mental health related to common stressors, the album looping back on itself could symbolize one of two things. One could be the metal health cycle of relapse-breakdown-recovery, until one slowly spirals or until they finally reach a state of recovery. The other could be that this is something that happens to multiple people as a result of system we live in. People get broken down by their insecurities, by fear and anxiety and hate, and there’s no clear answer to stop it. This could also be tied into the heart-beat pulse that can be heard both at the very beginning of the album, and at the end, which could represent all the people being born and living out their lives under these stressors. 

The flow:

As commonly noted about the album, each song flows into each other so well that the album often feels like one long song. This could represent the way stress about one area of your life can impact all the others: anxiety about time, for example, could impact the way one views their own mortality, the way they feel about travel, the way they feel about financial concerns, and the way they feel about conflict. Simply put, most of the time, when a person is stressed about something, it causes them to be more easily upset and stressed by other things as well, causing a cycle. 

Common Anxieties:

As for why these common fears and stressors were chosen can be left up for debate. The most likely reason, in my opinion, is because they’re endemic to the human experience in modern society. Almost everyone has been stressed, in one way or another, about moving on and change, about the passage of time, about their own mortality and what happens when we die, about financial security and greed, and about conflict. These are the things that can cause people to go, as the album states, “mad”. 

So, what is the “dark side of the moon”? Is it all dark? The “dark side” referred to in the album’s title (and the quote played at the very end of the album) refers to all the things that stress people out in modern society that we keep hidden from each other, just how the view of the far side of the moon is hidden from view from the Earth. The moon, in a lot of Western mythology, is associated with emotions, and the “dark side” could be associated with negative emotions. As for it being “all dark”, that’s a question that one has to answer for oneself. Either way, when viewed through this lens, Dark Side of the Moon’s meaning becomes apparent, and remains insightful commentary about the world we live in. (also, for Prog Notes, you can find them on Spotify and apple Podcast for sure! You’d have to check about other streaming services though!)

#prog rock #progressive rock #prog #concept albums #pink floyd #dark side of the moon

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Hey guys!!! This is gonna be my main account from now on. I will be active on this account for essays and stuff, but probably much more infrequently.

About Me (so far)

This is @theprogrockbstheorist's main account now. I will still be posting essays over there, this is more for shitposting, personal stuff, and other fandom stuff. Same stuff applies.

Basic intro stuff:

I go by Violet (she/her, she/they).

I'm 17, going on 18 in about 6 months.

I'm autistic, and a have a few mental illnesses that I don't really feel comfortable disclosing over the internet. Don't worry though-- if I talk about it at all, it will be tagged appropriately so those who are sensitive to those subjects can avoid it.

I'm a bassist/vocalist, I do both about 50/50. I also play a little guitar, keys, and drums. I love music, I love making music, I love writing about music, etc etc.

I don't do DNIs, but If you're going to be a bigoted asshole in any shape or form, I will block you :). Fortunately, I probably won't have to worry about that since progblr is pretty small lol. I'll probably be using organizational tags, which I'll update this with later when I figure out what they are. Now, on to Things I Blog About (on here):

Progressive rock (especially Rush and Yes, but I will shitpost about every single prog band out there)

Fanart??? I do a little drawing, but it's not my main ~thing~, and it's more of a hobby, but there are a few sketches that I'm kinda proud of. Nothing nsfw though!

Probably venting about dumb stuff, nothing too serious hopefully

Any random thoughts that come into my head (most likely prog related lol)

Gay stuff (I'm a lesbian, my intro thingy is a joke)

I'm also really into Monty Python rn, but idk if I'll blog about it lol

NO ESSAYS ON HERE (most likely)

And that's about it! If you like my essays and want to know what else goes on inside my brain, this is it!

#not an essay

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Hey guys, I'm back (sorta). Sorry for the long pause in essays and stuff-- I intended to make some more while The PRSC is on hiatus (which will be over in about a week, if you're still interested), but my anxiety said: "Hey, you know what would be really fun? Giving you your first ever bona fide panic attack!". I've had anxiety attacks in the past, but not a panic attack, which literally made me feel like I was having a heart attack (an incredibly unlikely scenario for a 17 year old). So, I've been recovering from that for the past two weeks or so, as well as gearing up for my senior year, and also finding out that my family has to move out of our house at the end of August :/. Not asking for pity or sympathy; it is what it is and I'll be moving into a dorm in about a year anyway, just that was also a major curveball.

Anyway, I'm feeling more or less recovered now, so I should be able to get out some regularly-scheduled prog essays, but I'll also make a "main account" so I can shitpost and generally be more active and stuff. I might be slowing down the pace of prog essays in general though, due to school starting in September and the return of The PRSC, so if you'd rather me be more active... I'll post with that account when I set it up.

#not an essay #personal vent? #anxiety mention #now i need to come up with another acc lol

[theprogrockbstheorist]

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY GEDDY!!!!

(meme credit to u/rtphokie on reddit)

OH, AND WHAT’S THAT?!?! IT’S ALSO THE 49th ANNIVERSARY OF NEIL PEART JOINING RUSH?!?!

In order to celebrate these wondrous occasions, I have compiled 70 reasons why I love Rush (especially Geddy):

70. They don't have any unlistenable albums. I can put on any Rush album and at the very least enjoy it, which is saying a lot!

69. ANDDDD they have 19 studio albums!!! 167 songs!!!

68. Alex's iconic Hall of Fame induction speech.

67. The movie I Love You, Man. The main plot of that is just two guys geeking out about Rush and then going to see them in concert.

66. The Bb5 in "Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage". For the record, the other famous Bb5 sung by a male singer in rock is the high note in "Bohemian Rhapsody", sung by Roger Taylor.

65. Geddy's range in general. Say what you will about his voice, but he had range.

64. Their pre-concert videos.

63. "Hey baby it's 7:45 and I need to go to bed soon, let's fuck"- In the Mood. The debut album was something else, man.

62. They wrote songs during soundcheck when they were on tour. This includes songs like "Tom Sawyer" and "Chemistry".

61. They went to a Yes concert while recording Caress of Steel, and almost quit making the album. I, for one, am very glad they didn't!

60. The "rap" in "Roll the Bones". Sit back, relax, get busy with the facts...

59. Gene Simmons thought they weren't into women because they didn't want to party with KISS. True story!

58. They listed their baseball positions in the liner notes for Signals.

57. Neil wrote lyrics to a song using only anagrams. The song is called "Anagram (For Mongo)", and is on the album Presto.

56. They thanked themselves in the liner notes for Hemispheres. Listed as Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt, ofc!

55. They would challenge themselves to write last-minute songs. Results of this experiment include "Hand Over Fist" from Presto, and "Malignant Narcissism" from Snakes and Arrows.

54. The mere existence of "A Passage to Bangkok". I wonder what their thought process was to put a song about smoking weed around the world after a 20-minute long dystopian prog rock epic...

53. "La Villa Strangiato". Just... everything about it.

52. The kimonos. You know the ones!

51. Their nicknames for each other!! (see above)

50. They had the second-longest stable line up in rock music! The only ones with a longer stable line up was ZZ Top.

49. They had a 40-year career! Even longer if you include pre-Neil and their adventures since the R40 tour.

48. The synth era. I unapologetically love 80s Rush, especially Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows.

47. "The Necromancer" basically being self-insert Tolkien fanfic. I wonder who the "three travelers" are supposed to be... OH WAIT!

46. They're giant nerds. All prog bands are, but they are especially nerdy.

45. Hugh Syme's awesome album covers. He did every single one from Caress of Steel onwards, barring the front cover for Snakes and Arrows.

44. The 7/8 section in "Tom Sawyer". That was my first intermediate bass line! Thanks, Geddy!

43. They're Canadian icons. Unironically, they're the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions "Canada" to me.

42. The horribly cheesy, terrible, but also really funny music video for "Time Stand Still". That song, btw, might be my favorite 80s Rush song, and is probably in my Top 5.

41. The triple-entendre pun of Moving Pictures. They're filming a movie (moving picture) of people moving paintings (moving pictures), while someone is getting moved by the scene (moving...pictures...).

40. They quote the 1812 Overture in the overture for "2112".

39. Geddy taught Les Claypool how to properly play "YYZ".

38. The Permanent Waves era glasses!

37. The opening of "Xanadu".

36. The weird stuff Geddy would have on his side of stage after he stopped using amps. This includes rotisserie chickens, washing machines, dryers, and popcorn machines.

35. "Music by Lee and Lifeson, Lyrics by Peart" on almost every single Rush song.

34. The ending of "Spirit of Radio". OF SALESMEN!!!

33. Their inside jokes. Example: The Bag.

32. They took French classes together, and began announcing their songs in French in Quebec.

31. The progressiveness of Counterparts. What other 40-year old rockstars were talking about healthy relationship boundaries and openly supporting gay people in 1993?

30. Their vaults are practically empty because they scrapped songs that weren't up to their standards. This is why we have no sub-par Rush material!

29. Choosing to end their careers with grace.

28. Ending the last show of their career with "Working Man", the song that got everything started.

27. "Dreamline"--"Learning that we're only immortal / For a limited time".

26. Geddy and Alex inducting Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

25. Then, of course, Geddy playing "Roundabout" with Yes during their induction! (Unfortunately, he did not play his Rickenbacker :( )

24. No decisions were made regarding the band without it being unanimous.

23. "Closer to the Heart". To me, that song is like a musical representation of their friendship, and it always leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling after listening to it.

22. Neil's books. Ghost Rider, in particular helped me get through a rough time earlier this year.

21. Geddy's Big Beautiful Book of Bass. I love that thing, and I am looking forward to his memoir in November!!!

20. That incredible Rickenbacker. I know it hasn't been his main bass since the early 80s but...

19. All their other creative projects. Geddy and Alex have a solo album each, Alex is involved with Envy of None rn, and Neil had his blog.

18. All their other stage interactions.

17. "ATTENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION! WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL!" -"2112". Just... all of "2112".

16. They got me into prog. I wouldn't have this blog right now if it weren't for Rush.

15. The Lifeson chord. The F#7add11 voicing that you can hear in so many of their songs (it's the opening to "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres").

14. Neil's drumming. They call him The Professor for a reason!

13. Geddy's bass playing. And his singing. And playing keys. And... yeah, we would be here all day!

12. The Dinner with Rush video. I make daily references to this that no one notices...

11. "The measure of a life / is a measure of love and respect"- "The Garden". The final song on their final album, and possibly the most amazing closer of all time.

10. Their charity work. IIRC, this includes giving away the aforementioned rotisserie chickens, as well as various fundraisers.

9. Their constant strive to improve themselves. Including Geddy working with a vocal coach, Neil working with Freddie Gruber, and of course, disavowing that Ayn Rand shit.

8. They give me something to strive towards, both as a musician and as a person. If I could make records half as good as Rush, and handle the fame with half the grace that they did, I would consider myself well-accomplished.

7. Neil's lyrics inspired me to get back into writing.

6. They inspired me to become a musician, and to pursue a career in music. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have stayed in choir or picked up bass, and I would've never considered a career in audio technology.

5. Their music helped me bond with my dad.

4. Geddy talking about his family's story of survival during the Holocaust. I think that's really important to talk about.

3. Other Rush fans. Well, okay, some of them like to brag about how many concerts they've been to, or tend to be a little gate-keep, but most of them are really chill people.

2. Their music helped me get through the toughest times in my life. Without getting too personal, I even credit them with saving my life on multiple occasions.

However, what I admire about Rush, above all else...

1. Their friendship with each other.

Once again, happy birthday Geddy! Your music has inspired me in so many ways, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it.

#not an essay #rush #hbd geddy!!

[theprogrockbstheorist]

IS MOON DAY!!! MOOOOON DAY!!!! THE DAY OF MOOOOON! HAPPY MOON DAY 🌝 (we landed on the moon today in 1969)

#not prog related #but wooo!!! #moon day!!!

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Day 7 

Previously in PRSC... 

Disaster strikes between The Court and Genesis as Bruford (The Court, King Crimson) fights Collins (Genesis, AKA Illcoll). Sadly, only Bill survived.

This leaves Genesis in a state of fracture and disillusionment 

David is in BIG trouble from Fripp after Steve (The Court, Yes) reports his plans to evacuate the court. He plans an escape... 

Death Count: 2 

Afterglow in Epping Forest 

"Peter! Pete!" He’s not answering. "Christ, Steve he’s not gonna say a word. Just leave him." Genesis have been struggling since Phil’s death. All progress has come to a halt and Peter spends most of his days curled up in a ball on the forest floor muttering to himself. He’s been having worse dreams recently too. He’s been having the ones about revelations again. This is seriously getting to the other three members of the band as it was Peter who signed them up to this stupid ‘nature retreat’. Does this indicate a loss of hope for Genesis’ run for victory? 

Same as it Ever Was! (Drat, Talking Heads should be in this game so that reference would make sense) 

The Conglomerate continues pretty steadily along. News of Phil’s death still hasn’t reached them yet as there aren’t many camps near them. There have been two (only minor) problems: Chris is still refusing to eat fish as, "It’s cannibalism! It’s not cool, guys!", and the other two members of Rush are beginning to worry for their third bandmate, Neil and if he’s pushing himself too hard. Other than that, all is going as planned for the unlikely team and we speculate that a member of The Conglomerate may win the PRSC! 

Outside the Court of the Crimson King... 

In light of David’s clear impending doom in the form of a meeting with Fripp, he has chosen to leave the court by cover of night. He knows that Fripp has murderous potential (look at Phil) and that may become an issue if he plans to be on Fripp’s wrong side. He runs East into the thickest forest he could find, fording the river in the process, taking a few provisions from his ex-camp. What will Fripp think of this in the morning? 

In the thickest part of the forest, he hears a strange metallic noise. Almost flute-like. He’s sure it's not Peter because he left his flute at home. He said so on the plane. Suddenly, he spies a dramatic amount of wild hair, but it vanishes amongst the plant life. A rustle of leaves.

"Excuse me, but what the fuck are you doing in my wood?"

It's Ian, that is, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull????? Now this hasn’t been expected by any of the competitors nor even us reporting for the PRSC! After explaining himself, David is allowed into Ian’s small, basic, wooden bungalow. They sit down around a fire on some furniture Ian made and David explains everything from the beginning, which is difficult as he’s not entirely sure what happened himself! This adds another competitor to the tournament, and a possible live wire at that! 

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[theprogrockbstheorist]

#prog rock #progressive rock #prog #not an essay

[theprogrockbstheorist]

COMPLETE BS Theory  No. 1: The One Rush Timeline Theory

This essay is completely and totally for fun. This basically proposes that every single Rush epic/suite/concept album takes place in a shared universe, the Rush Musical Universe, if you will. This is more of a thought experiment than an actual theory, since I highly doubt that it was the intention of the band to create songs within a single continuum over their 40-year career, but let’s just consider it nonetheless. Now, what exactly is considered on this Rush timeline? For the purposes of this timeline, the songs considered are those that are “highly conceptual”, or part of a larger, conceptual piece. There needs to be a defined plot, and a mostly original story. By this criteria, “The Necromancer” counts because it’s basically self-insert Tolkien fan fiction with an original plot and an original character (By-Tor). However, “Red Barchetta” doesn’t count because it’s heavily based on Richard M. Foster’s “A Nice Morning Drive”, and the plot is basically exactly the same as the short story. So, we are left with these songs:

“By-Tor and the Snow Dog”

“The Necromancer”

“The Fountain of Lamneth”

“2112” 

“Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage”

“Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres”

All of Clockwork Angels

The good thing is that the majority of these songs are fantasy-themed, so we can throw logic and reason mostly out the window. However, some are sci-fi fantasy (Clockwork Angels, arguably both “Cygnus” books), and “2112” is just straight-up dystopian science fiction. Those are going to be a little harder to fit in, however, it can be done. As for the actual timeline itself, my proposal is that it looks something like this: “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” and “The Necromancer” occur at roughly the same time, as they both feature the same character, Prince By-Tor. They take place in a semi-mythological world, symbolized by By-Tor’s descent into the Underworld in “By-Tor and the Snow Dog”, and by his battle with Tolkien’s Necromancer in “The Necromancer”. Fast forward a couple decades or so, and then we have the events of “The Fountain of Lamneth”, as the song also derives heavily from mythological concepts, such as the Hero’s Cycle, as well as the lack of advanced technology. This puts “The Fountain of Lamneth” sometime in the distant past as well, but most likely after “By-Tor” and “the Necromancer”. Then, fast forward a couple thousand years, and you get Clockwork Angels, which was meant to be an experiment into a society in which Thomas Edison hadn’t popularized electricity, with everything instead being powered through alchemy, with steampunk aesthetics. The events of Clockwork Angels, then, could take place in an alternate version of the 20th Century, which closely resembled the 19th Century. 

This is where the timeline gets confusing and kinda muddled. Firstly, because it’s unclear on whether the technology of the world of Clockwork Angels would allow someone to travel into space, and it’s also unclear on whether they would be allowed to do so. However, both parts of “Cygnus X-1” have really nowhere else to fit on the timeline, as they certainly can’t go any earlier. For the sake of the argument, let’s say that for some reason, one’s life path in the Clockwork Angels society somehow made them an inventor, and they somehow had access to alternate technology that could theoretically let this person build a spaceship (or the equivalent) and travel into a black hole into another universe, THAT is where “Cygnus X-1” and “Hemispheres” would fit in. It would probably be the middle of the transition from Clockwork Angels to “2112”. 

From my extensive covering of “2112”, we know that the end of the war that tears apart the solar system and establishes the Solar Federation happens in 2062. Meaning, there was a war that began sometime earlier, and ended halfway into the 21st Century. The Clockwork Angels society begins sometime in the 1800s, and the album (and the book) ends with the implication that the cycle of Clockwork Angels will continue without the narrator’s intervention, as The Watchmaker (the sort of leader of Clockwork Angels) has invented some sort of alchemy to prolong his life. So, it is safe to say that, perhaps, this society continues until the death of the Watchmaker, which could occur sometime early in the 21st Century. After his death, let’s say a new, even more oppressive regime forms out of the chaos, and with the power of electricity and all of the alchemical discoveries of the Clockwork Angels society, they take over the solar system. Let’s also say that Earth is somehow ruined in the chaos, and this begins a mass exodus to Mars (my very first theory). 

That is the world in which “2112” takes place. It is the final part of the Rush timeline, which is quite fitting in a way. The story fits into a fantasy world, into which technology was finally developed. 

Is this batshit insane? Absolutely. It makes next to zero sense, and most likely wasn’t even on their minds. BUT I am still incorporating this into my belief system, especially after watching that short yesterday. I just felt like posting something that wasn’t related to my current side-project. 

#prog rock #progressive rock #prog #essay #sorry this was very poorly written out #I just needed to get this out into the interwebs lol #and torture my beloved mutuals

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Day 6

Previously on PRSC... 

The newly-formed Conglomerate is off to quite a successful start! 

Genesis has finally gotten their stuff together, and now have the most elaborate fishing system, as well as constructing a sort of primitive… cooking rack?

Tensions appear to be growing in The Court… will our prediction be proven correct after all?

Death Count: 1 A Battle of Epping Forest!!!

In the early morning hours today, it appears that there was a confrontation between Br00f, Fripp’s right-hand messenger (err… “foreign intelligence”), on his way back to The Court, and Phil. It appears that there was some sort of disagreement between the two of them prior to arriving to The Arena (our theory), and that was exacerbated by their confrontation a few days ago, when Broof was sent to check on Epping Forest.

Dear readers, we will spare you the details of such a confrontation, as it ended quite violently. Needless to say, “The Crimson King” must have gotten inside Br00f’s head, leading to Phil’s unfortunate demise. Broof was last seen running off into the forest with a pair of… overalls?

Meanwhile, this has sent shockwaves through the Genesis camp, and we suspect that the news will make its way around the entire forest by midnight tomorrow. They have been utterly demoralized by the news of Phil’s murder, and have begun questioning Peter, the one that signed them up for the Game. Peter has not been answering any of their questions, instead rocking back and forth on the forest floor, in full costume. Will this reverse all the progress they have made? Meanwhile, at The Conglomerate

Things are still going smoothly at The Conglomerate (how boring). With the addition of their new members, a second shelter has been built: they seem to favor community shelters in order to provide warmth from body heat, a necessity in the autumn. New friendships (see special report) seem to be forming between the newcomers and the Rush members, injecting a sense of liveliness into their community. Back at The Court

As if the antithesis to The Conglomerate, The Court has begun to show fractures. With Br00f’s return in the afternoon, he brings news of both the going-ons of the other bands, and the deadly confrontation with Phil. Fripp is more than pleased with Br00f’s work, and suggests a promotion. However, the others are less pleased: David, already having been feeling odd about Fripp’s control over The Arena, begins to make plans to leave, and attempts to share this with Steve, his gathering partener. Sometime later, it appears that Steve has ratted out David about his plan to leave The Court, as Br00f has approached David with a “summons” to see Fripp the next morning. There is no telling what may happen in The Court now!

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

#progrocksurvivalcompetition #prsc

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Day 5

Previously on PRSC... 

The second cross-band camp is formed, The Conglomerate. This is the combo of Rush (as a whole), Emerson and Palmer of ELP, and finally, Chris and Rick from Yes.

Keith has (for want of a better term) lost his shit following the murder of his friend and bandmate, Greg. He’s racked with guilt and angst. So far, this has led to attempts to loot the Rush camp. This makes the other bands put him into isolation.

Death Count: 1 

In the Conglomerate... 

The prog supergroup of a camp is flourishing with the increase of personnel. Chris (of the Yes group) has remembered that he brought his lighter with him into the arena and has had it with him all along. This has made a large number of differences. Chris has been making himself useful, making basic torches that he can light easily with his lighter. This of course means that the bands can work longer hours and then have more relaxing evenings afterwards. The others have democratically been assigned positions in the Conglomerate: 

 Alex oversees hunting/fishing, working (reluctantly) with Keith 

When Chris isn’t working on light sources, he and Geddy gather resources like wood, mushrooms and vegetables. 

When the four of them get back from these missions, Alex meets Rick around the fire, and they cook it all to be eaten later (while also having a great laugh!) 

Neil does all the heavy lifting jobs and manual labor. He is the strongest (in body and mind) of the guys at the conglomerate, and he rarely shows any sign of weakness. Carl (from ELP), helps him with these tasks and tries to make himself useful elsewhere 

They were visited by one of Fripp’s messengers earlier this morning. This caused something of an awkwardness as this messenger was Bill, previously of Yes, Bruford. Needless to say, Chris kept his distance, and the others didn’t give much information away to "The Court".

Over In Epping Forest... 

Genesis, are doing surprisingly well considering their somewhat rough start and two pretty much unusable members (Tony due to his boredom and Peter as he is too whimsy). Tony’s Etch-a-Sketch Mona Lisa is coming along nicely, with the hair pretty much complete now! They have the most efficient food gathering of any of the bands because of their new advancements in fishing "equipment". They are also cooking the fish properly on a cooking rack that Phil, Steve and Mike put their heads together to create. Not bad, Genesis! 

Politics In the Court... 

Robert Fripp has been sending scouts to various areas of the arena looking for other bands so he can learn of their progress (and make sure to be one step ahead of anything they may try). These chosen people are possibly his most brainwashed band mates, Bill and Jamie(referred to as James by Fripp). Fripp’s endless control over the arena is worrying David rather a lot. As you may know, he has been demanding to be referred to as "The Crimson King" for some time and now with his men in charge of "Foreign Intelligence" and "Defense", our violin playing friend is worried that The Court may not be as democratic as he was encouraged to believe... 

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

#prsc #progrocksurvivalcompetition

[theprogrockbstheorist]

So, I just found this animated short from 1986 called "The Body Electric". It's basically a short that tells a story with a shit ton of Rush music in the background. If you've ever seen the movie Heavy Metal (1980), it's kinda like that, but less vulgar, and just one story. It's the coolest thing I've ever seen. It also kinda confirms my One Rush Timeline theory, which ofc I have to post now, and my essay on why "2112" should be turned into a movie in the style of Heavy Metal.

#rush #prog #prog rock #progressive rock #not an essay #help I'm obsessed #where was this my entire life???

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Special Report: Introducing The Conglomerate! (Day 4)

Today was quite the eventful day, and we couldn’t do the major event of the formation of The Conglomerate justice in our overview of the entire day, so we are giving you a special insider view of their first night together!

The Rush hosts provide their new companions with a lovely fish and not-quite-chips (no potatoes in the woods, unfortunately) dinner to celebrate their new union. Most of them gratefully accept the food, except for Chris, who is convinced that because of his nickname (“The Fish”) it would be cannibalism. Note: it is not cannibalism, he’s just an idiot.

The majority of the group seems to be getting along swimmingly (pun absolutely intended), sharing various stories from their careers, often in great detail. They seated themselves on 3 logs around their central campfire (placement chart for visual aid here), with the only outlier being Keith, preferring to stand at the edge of the group, watching their conversation. Some sort of humorous conversation, strike that, some sort of… comedy improv (?) has been struck up between Rick and Alex, involving a story about a mother-in-law, the postman, and the milkman. It is quite the… explicit tale, so we’ll leave that to your imagination.

Meanwhile, seated across from those two and their shenanigans, are Geddy and Chris. The former is attempting to “play it cool” around Chris, but he can’t really hide the fact that the whole reason he signed up for the supposed “camping trip” was to meet him, and he can definitely tell. When Chris complains about the fish, Geddy is the only one to defend his decision, and offers to trade with him. When they begin to assign jobs to the newcomers, he also offers to work with Chris, who begrudgingly accepts due to the lack of other options. Although, truth be told, he doesn’t appear to be entirely turned away by Geddy’s… eagerness (and various rants and questions about the bass parts in Yes’ music), especially as the night goes on.

As the light of day fades, the conversation turns to the plans of the next day. The three members of Rush unanimously agree to give their new companions a day of rest, if they so desire. Carl (speaking on behalf of the other three newcomers, presumably) turns this down, however no one protests. Perhaps that is a good sign (or maybe they didn’t hear him)? Either way, they have been assigned to various tasks, and everything seems to be off to a good start for The Conglomerate!

#super duper important update #signed one of the cowriters #prsc #progrocksurvivalcompetition

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Day 4

Previously on PRSC... 

ELP disintegrates after a shocking and vicious murder! Upon disposing of the body, Keith and Carl return to their campsite, only to find two familiar figures waiting for them. 

These two figures are none other than Chris and Rick, who have abandoned the Yes camp to go and join their buddies in ELP. 

Carl instead informs them of what has occurred, and they plan to abandon Keith and leave for the Rush camp.

Meanwhile, in the Rush camp, they are still doing quite well, figuring out how to boil water to get rid of bacteria! Smart thinking all around, there!

Genesis finally managed to do something useful, like gathering food and making fishing rods. 

Death Count: 1

In Epping Forest!

Still not too much going right for Genesis! Peter has apparently recovered from his state of shock, and is attempting to help the others to the best of his ability, but even four days in, Tony still refuses to do anything. The others are trying to coax him to at least decorate the lovely shelters they have built (perhaps with his Etch-a-Sketch Mona Lisa?), but he refuses, instead writing some sort of musical score in the dirt. They have at least erected some shelters, and have begun to fish in the nearby pond, using those left-over guitar strings to make fishing rods (no thanks to Tony). Later, they were visited by Br00f, Fripp’s messenger, requesting details on their progress. They declined to provide any details, most likely because their progress has been minimal at best.

Meanwhile, in The Court…

Fripp, hearing rumors of a death, has sent Broof out as his personal messenger (or, as he calls him, “foreign intelligence”) to find out more information. He has also switched Muir’s role to “defense”, and has sent him out to protect The Court. Disturbingly, he has brought the pieces of sheet metal that he smuggled onto the plane with him in his “defense”. It is unclear what he plans to do with these. Meanwhile, Fripp switches the roles of everyone else in The Court in order to make up for this loss: David and Steve are now on gathering, and he sent out John on hunting duty. Fripp has fashioned himself a sort of… head garment made out of branches, and has taken to calling himself “The Crimson King”. We are still not calling him that. Has he gone mad with power? Perhaps…

And a new beginning…?

Today marks the departure of the new Yes-E(L)P alliance to the Rush camp. Unfortunately for Chris, Rick, and Carl, Keith has overheard their conversation, and decides to follow them there. Making the roughly 4-mile hike northwest to the camp, they arrive sometime in the afternoon to find it empty, because Rush are busy at work, of course. Chris and Rick, exhausted by their journeys, have simply decided to sit and wait for the Canadians to show themselves, meanwhile Carl tries to get them to help out and make themselves look somewhat useful. This effort is not very appreciated. Keith, on the other hand, has mysteriously fucked off for now…

After a period of around 15 minutes, the others begin to notice Keith’s absence, and although initially grateful for it, then begin to wonder if he has completely lost it, and slaughtered their new companions as well. They all agree, after much hassling from Carl, to go out and look to see where he’s run off to. Thankfully, it is revealed that he has not slaughtered anyone (today), but is instead simply raiding their supplies. While the others are busy interrogating Keith, three figures have emerged from the woods. It appears that during their argument, Rush have returned from their own errands. The Canadians, despite their usually agreeable nature, are not pleased that Keith has decided to help himself to their shit.  They begin a calm verbal confrontation, trying to ask him politely why he has their things, to which he begins threatening them with one of the knives he has strapped to him. His traveling companions, taken completely off-guard, attempt to restrain him, and de-escalate the situation. 

While holding him back from attacking their potential companions, Rick attempts to explain their predicament to Rush: both of their bands have fallen apart, and they need help to survive, otherwise they will all die (excellent observation!). He also emphasizes that Keith’s behavior is unusual for him, and tells them that if they got him on a hunting job, he would probably calm down. Sensing that the situation has de-escalated, Rush ask for a moment to talk amongst themselves, in order to consider their admission to the camp. In their conversation, it appears that they come to the unanimous conclusion that since they have the resources to help these weary travelers, they have a duty to accept them into their camp. Anything less would be immoral. While all of them agree on the moral aspect, Neil additionally reasons that they could help out around the camp, and lessen the load on the three of them, meanwhile the other two simply wanted to meet Yes. No matter their reasoning however, they have been accepted into their ranks, and thus form what they call The Conglomerate (in true pretentious prog rock fashion). 

Around a nice dinner (detailed in our special report on the group), The Conglomerate discusses the newcomers’ roles going forward. They seem to have taken a liking to each other, so only time may tell how this will go down. That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition! 

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Day 3: 

Previously in PRSC... 

The boys in Genesis, Rush and King Crimson continue to progress and gain a tiny bit more comfort in their… difficult conditions.  

Tensions within the Yes and ELP camps reach an all-time high. Steve Howe does a runner and reaches ‘The Court of The Crimson King’ by midnight. (Keyboard wizard) Rick Wakeman and (Fish) Chris Squire plan their well-needed escapes... 

Death count: 0 

In The Court of The Crimson King...  Steve reached the camp late last night and has since been welcomed by all members of it (except Broof, who tries to ignore him following his awkward exit from Yes). He is put to work with John and David in doing various dull, laborious tasks overseen by Fripps right-hand-percussion-men, Bill and Jamie Muir who are ‘keeping them in check’. Although Steve feels tired, he also finds the structure, safety and sense of community that he felt was lacking with Yes. We cannot say the same for John and David.

Meanwhile in ‘Epping Forest’...

This is the supper of the mighty one! Genesis eat well tonight as (during a particularly long prance around the woods) Peter found nice, ripe fruit on the forest floor (little does the band know that Jon dropped it earlier that day, made clumsy by his consumption of the mushrooms). Tony is spending hours a day perfecting each detail of the entrancing face of his Etch-a-Sketch recreation of the Mona Lisa.  Phil, Steve and Mike have managed to make primitive fishing rods out of the spare guitar strings that Steve forgot he brought (also forgetting to bring his guitar). Good one guys!

Rushing over to another camp…

Their fishing may be less effective (standing in the river and lashing out at any passing fish. In the event that one is caught, the band all stress out as to how to kill the thing) but, the three companionable Canadians of Rush continue their hygienic progress. The band have exhausted their camping supply of bottled drinking water and sadly, in the wilderness the band cannot dine on honeydew or drink the milk of paradise. Luckily Neil remembered a 7th grade science lesson he had where he was taught that boiling water kills all dangerous microorganisms and disinfects it. He removes the camping stove and small pot from his bag, fills the pot with water from the cleanest part of the river he could find and begins to boil…

Close to the Edge, Down By the River…

Near the ‘pretty view’ of the river Jon selected, Yes are crumbling to some extent. Steve asked Jon if he could go over to The Court yesterday and Jon reluctantly agreed and let him go. Steve didn’t mean it personally but I think Jon took it that way (poor guy). Meanwhile, Rick is getting fed up with waiting around for Jon and Alan to get vegetarian food when he could eat as much meat as he likes (though in reality, he is far too lazy to do so). Chris isn’t a fan of Jon’s leadership style. Its a sort of strange hotchpotch between Hippy and autocratic that he doesn’t like. All the while, it doesn’t help that Jon has found some magic mushrooms and spends quite a lot of his time in ‘dreamland’. He and Rick have planned to leave the camp to find ELP next time Jon and Chris go out gathering together.

In the ELP camp... 

The last few hours have been somewhat monotonous at the ELP camp. The band’s relationship is fractured (particularly Keith and Greg’s). Morale is dipping sub-zero, and Carl still hasn’t figured out the drum part for Karn-Evil 9 so instead of making useful progress to prolong their lives, the half-starved threesome chose to discuss new project ideas for ‘when all this forest crap is out of the way’. One could call this a useful conversation to keep up hope and distract them. They could also call it valuable time and energy wasted that will eventually lead to their doom. Either way, in their hungry, delirious state discussion is getting heated quickly. Carl leaves early to actually try and help them survive, and is also hurt by the two of them calling him a ‘shit Buddy Rich knockoff’. 

The issue on the table currently is Greg’s suggestion, ‘Love Beach 2 (Electric Boogaloo)’. This thought seems to be sending Keith into something of a violent frenzy. 

I will spare the details of the real-time commentary for the next few minutes. This passage is written in retrospect: Keith and Greg got into a physical confrontation which included a lot of punches from Keith and in the process, Greg hit his head on a large protruding rock in the wood’s undergrowth and by the time Carl returned from his mission of trying to keep them alive, and managed to pry Keith away from his friend, it was too late. 

The two of them aren’t talking as they submerge the body into the dark, cold river water. What he has done is beginning to dawn on Keith and he has been battling with his tears since they left to the water. All Carl can think about is that his friend and bandmate is a ‘fucking murderer’. He must negotiate a way away from this knife-wielding maniac. Luckily, upon return to the camp, he recognises two new, trustworthy silhouettes, CHRIS AND RICK!!! He is currently having a private discussion with the two of them featuring sentences like, ‘Guys please get me out of here. He’s a crazy madman with a knife. I’m gonna die’. Chris sensibly responds in a hushed voice, ‘We could always give those Canadian kids a go?’. And that is the plan for the three of them... 

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Also, if you fall behind, we update the pinned post with the latest updated every day! And DEFINITELY prepare for tomorrow!

Days 1 & 2 of the PRSC are up on the @the-prsc account if any of you are interested...

#prsc #progrocksurvivalcompetition #it’s gonna get wild

[theprogrockbstheorist]

Day 2:

Previously on PRSC…

Yes attempted to light a fire and failed, and are struggling to do much of anything. Everyone wants to go home, except for Jon, who is still gathering fruit and has discovered mushrooms…

ELP also have achieved absolutely nothing, except pissing each other off. Good job, guys. 

Genesis are making some progress, no thanks to Tony or Peter, both of which are contributing nothing helpful. 

Those darling Canadians, Rush, are doing just fine so far, and showcase the best cooperation and coordination. They’re giving us hope that they all won’t die in the first week. 

Fripp is using his “leadership abilities” in King Crimson, and has dubbed his camp “The Court of the Crimson King”, although no one uses the full title. Death Count: 0

Departures occur at the Yes camp…

Fed up with the shenanigans of the Yes camp, Steve tells the others that he’s leaving, and departs sometime in the morning to go and join The Court (King Crimson’s camp). It being a difficult 10-mile hike to the north and east, as well as across the river, he arrives around midnight. After a short “trial” at a mysterious structure built by Fripp himself, he accepts Steve into this camp, and puts him to work with the others. Meanwhile, back at the Yes camp, Steve’s departure has individually inspired both Chris and Rick to try and leave for the ELP camp the next day, figuring their chances are better there than with Jon, or with their other choice, Genesis. They ultimately decide to leave together, without informing Jon or Alan.

Continuing Conflict at the ELP camp... Conditions have not improved much since yesterday. Greg and Keith have started an argument on whether or not to settle in one location, while Carl desperately tries to keep them all alive by attempting to build a fire, getting water from the river, and trying to do some gathering as well. His efforts go unnoticed. Keith is still yelling at him about the part in Karn Evil 9. It is a grim situation in the camp. To the East, Near a Pond… Genesis has improved quite a bit since yesterday. More shelters are erected, due to the work of Steve, Mike, and Phil. Peter is beginning to get a grip, and starts helping out as well. However, he has still not removed the flower costume. Tony still refuses to do anything, and claims the first shelter to himself. As for his Mona Lisa recreation, he is currently struggling with her difficult hair. The Rush Settlement It is only Day 2 of our Game, and Rush have already built somewhat of a functioning society. A sturdy shelter has already been erected, and they are working on a storage area. They have a steady campfire, and have used their camping gear to their full advantage: the tents they brought are being used as “lookout shelters”, they brought extra food and water (smart thinking!), first aid supplies, entertainment, including several books and an acoustic guitar, and “The Power of Friendship” (according to them). The only mildly off-putting thing about their camp is their insistence to tell terrible jokes. Finally, In The Court As mentioned in the Yes section, Steve leaves the disorganized mess of the Yes camp, in order to try it out in The Court. Prior to his arrival, Fripp allows John and David to pick their jobs in return for their cooperation. The Court is being built up rapidly, moving beyond the necessary shelters, and creating an actual “court”, from which Fripp does his job of overseeing everything. He has sent “Broof” out on an errand to find out what the other bands are doing, leaving Muir to have the all-important job of hunting and gathering. He journals his report each night.

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition! 

#all i can say is #get ready for tomorrow #progrocksurvivalcompetition #prsc #progressive rock #prog rock #prog