As a person with a long career in the music biz, I am often asked who I think is interesting, and worth giving a listen (keeping in mind that there is a lot of interesting music out there that most people simply wouldn’t “get”). I often mention King Crimson, because Fripp and company have maintained such a high standard for such a long time (and of course there’s the Gurdjieff connection, which I won’t go into here) — and then there’s Steven Wilson, and his band Porcupine Tree. But I am starting to think that the really great creative mind of this era is Devin Townsend.
I won’t link to anything in particular, as his work is so various. Just go and snoop around.
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King Crimson, a blast from the past! Some people thought they were among “satanic” bands at the time. That was the era of “play a record backward and hear the devil”. Anyway, it’s been a long time since their name appeared in front of me.
Nothing like an alternative cognitive LSD sojourn to appreciate their 70’s era works.
Yes. Hall of The Mountain King.
Who do you think influenced them more, Jrr Tolkein or Carlos Castinida?
Here’s a relatively recent (2016) video of a live KC performance.
Could you list some serious resources on Gurdjieff, please? It sounds very interesting. Thank you.
Steven,
You might have a look at a book called In Search of the Miraculous, by P.D. Ouspensky.
I warn you, though, that this is not a curiosity, a diversion.
Thank you, sir. I will definitely keep your warning in mind!
I had In Absentia playing as I began reading your post, so I did a double take. When you mentioned Gurdjieff, my head fell off my shoulders. And while I don’t listen to King Crimson all that much, sometimes I fixate on songs, and Starless is one of them; that’s a melancholic masterpiece right there.
Friend: So, what genre is Devin in?
Me: *nervously sweats*
Steven (Is that you, Mr. Wilson?): Another warning: Gurdjieff wrote several books himself, his magnum opus being Beelzebub’s Tales. Try tackling that behemoth. Final warning: your kundabuffer will try to stop you…
Marshall,
That’s quite a comment there! It seems we have a thing or two in common.
I didn’t mention Beelzebub to Steven, as it would be, I think, too much too soon. I think In Search of the Miraculous gives a person an idea of what he might be getting into, and why. (There’s also Meetings With Remarkable Men by G. himself, but I think that for someone reading it exoterically, it would just seem an odd little book, and nothing much more.)
Yes, what genre is Devin in? Whichever one he fancies, it seems.
A poet/philosopher in the classical terms?
Does Devin have Stoic qualities, it would seem fitting to me.