What makes something punk? Why do they throw themselves off the stage? Why do they dress like that? These are the questions I get.

I was asked those very questions today! Well, not about stage diving, I don't think she knows about stage diving.

Only hilariously so!

I take it back. They don't have Andy any longer. Andrew Eldritch must join. Then the band might not be all original members but it will have all of the original member names accounted for and that's funny to me.

Also Roger was not the cute one.

Slate did a series on the history of prog last year:

Heh. That looks more like a history of Keith Emerson.

Check out this 60-minute concert (5 songs) of Genesis with Peter Gabriel from 1973:

That was fantastic, in all senses of the word. And occasionally hilarious. I found it to be quintessentially British. (Perhaps not surprisingly, since Peter Gabriel at one point dresses up as Britannia, and the songs are from the album Selling England By The Pound.)

Going back to the Slate series, it's pretty easy to understand the charges of pretentiousness, and I can see prog rock basically collapsing under its own weight. What I don't understand - ok, so prog rock these days gets treated as something of an embarrassment in music history. How did Pink Floyd avoid that fate?

Yes was prog, right? I always forget that early Genesis was, too.

How did Pink Floyd avoid that fate?

Because Pink Floyd is awesome?

I can see something like "Animals" being called prog, whereas "The Wall" was more concept. If that makes a difference.

How did Pink Floyd avoid that fate?

Roger Waters was writing great songs born out of his personal bitterness over his father being killed in WWII. Lot more grounded.

By the time that Dark Side of the Moon came out in 1973, they had moved on from many of the prog-rock conventions (that they helped invent), in favor of shorter, more radio-friendly songs.

Because Pink Floyd is awesome?

Unquestionably!

Roger Waters was writing great songs born out of his personal bitterness over his father being killed in WWII. Lot more grounded.

I think grounded is the word. The songs in Dark Side Of The Moon are solidly rooted in the concerns of everyday life. (Well, and fears of madness, but still not a fantastic fear.) Overall, compared to other prog rock albums I feel there's more human feeling and fewer cyborg armadillos in their work.

Besides, it fits the whole dynamic of X number of pretty boys (is it three or four now? is Roger still back in the band? I lose track.) + one kinda fug dude with a massive ego.

I agree with this plan. Like, a lot.

Also Roger was not the cute one.

No, but he AGED the best. Simon was the best-looking of the bunch when they were young, but Roger's years out of the loop dealing with depression and stuff means he doesn't have the Creepy Old Rock Star look thing going on. I mean, John has been morphing slowly into Keith Richards, I'm fairly certain that if Nick has any more work done, he'll turn into Elton John and Joan River's unholy offspring, and Simon, well, OK, he mostly just looks like Wil Wheaton's older brother now. It's disconcerting.

But Roger still looks... pretty good.

Oh, Christ.

I've just outed myself to more than just you and Jilli as having not just an opinion on this, but years and years of thinking and musing on it.