Before a term makes it to the Rock Town Hall Glossary, it must first be identified and understood. This morning, while driving into work, listening intently to the music of The Small Faces, the term Proctomusicology popped into my head. It seemed like it meant something. Did this word apply to activities that go on here at Rock Town Hall, around the turntables of our Townsmen and Townswomen, in the grooves of the records we spin?
A hard day’s night later and Proctomusicology is still knocking around my head. For the next 24 hours, I ask for your help in defining this term as well as the related Proctomusicologist and, possibly, a subgenre of rock ‘n roll that could be characterized as Prock.
What is this field of study? Who is conducting these studies? By what means is research conducted? What artists might be considered exemplars of Prock music?
I look forward to your help in constructing this working definition.
I hope no one’s losing any hair over the head scratching this request might cause. Let me know if you need further clarification on the bright, blinding light that hit me when this term popped into my head. Still need to get going on that Working Definition. Looking forward to your input.
It sounds to me like the kind of term you’d use to describe Steely Dan, Mr. Mod. I can’t quite figure out what it has to do with The Small Faces.
Oats wrote:
Sorry if I intimated that it had anything to do with Small Faces. You’re right, they do not fall under what I would call Prock music in any way. My listening to them was coincidental to the story, but the way I found myself listening to them was not. I think I was practicing proctomusicaology while driving.
Other possible Prock bands – that is, bands consciously operating on this proctomusicologic level – that sprung tomind as I continued by drive included Apples in Stereo and XTC.
I scratched my head whn I first read your post. The wikipedia says that one of the conditions proctologists treat is severe constipation. Are you talking about music that rectifies such a condition? Or music that embodies it? Music for or by the tight-assed?
Music that’s almost exclusively built on styles and attitudes fom Rock’s past, without making any claims of overt revivalism?
Music for AND by the tight-assed! Yes, both. That’s getting us there.
And Fritz, you Kentonite you, what you wrtie is probably on the right path as well.
Keep ’em coming! Rock needs a broader term that will incorporate key elements of a wide variety of subgenres. You can’t say all Power Pop fans are proctomusicologists, because they’re not. Same for all prog-rockers or all fusion fans and bands. There’s a unifying approach that cuts across strict subgenre lines.
Music made by assholes? That would cover too many styles and way too many artists to be a useful category.
This is like 20 questions. OK in an effort to zero-in, or not. Would Belew era King Crimson be included in this term whereas pre Belew would simply be Prog?
Yeah but you missed my ‘rectifies’ joke.
Me, a Kentonite? Hardly! I suppose I should define the term in order to avoid the brand in the future.
Lord only knows what Prock definition is appearing, Kyle MacLachlan-like, through the haze of your fevered imagination — but for my money, “music by and for the tight-assed” sounds pretty good.
Not “assholes,” Steve, that places judgement on those who, by God’s plan, are merely tight-assed.
Sammy, good question re: various eras of King Crimson. Fripp on his own is definitely Prock. Through all versions of Crimson, however, I think he tried to shoehorn some more animalistic musicians into his greater Prock plan. That Belew-era version, however, had at least 3 committed Prockers (counting Tony Levin and Bill Bruford), and Belew was more than willing to play the role of Prock Student. I’d say they made 3 of a perfet pair.
BigSteve wrote:
Joke duly noted. Good one!
So then an overt intention to approach rock from an intellectual mindset is key to the definition. This alone doesn’t do it though as prog could include that same concept. Something then about strict structures and intellectualism (pseudo or not) used to create an almost mathematical sound, though when successful not devoid of emotion?
I was thinking some more about this while sitting through a meeting this afternoon. It’s not just tight-asses that are key but getting one’s head up one’s ass. We’re getting there, friends!
Proctomusicology requires probing analysis and, as Steve pointed out, a willingness to rectify irregularities in a song’s structure. The Proctomusicologist feels the need to analyze all music. The Proctomusicologist feels the need to compare a half dozen versions of “Sugar Sugar”, working tirelessly to determine whether any version captured the magic of the original.
Prock bands get up their own collective ass to ensure that the tambourine comes out of precisely the desired angle of the stereo spectrum, the backing vocals are processed to sound as if they were coming through a 1971 Panasonic transistor radio – not a 1973 model!
In that case, it sounds like the followinig are all proctomusicians:
Paul Simon
Jellyfish
Lindsey Buckingham
I should also note, then, that music that is proctologically made can still be enjoyable. For me, anyway.
Certainly, on all counts. Let he or she who has not enjoyed music on a proctomusicologic level cast the first stone!
Your attempt at a definition is rapidly becoming, simply “over-thinking egotist.” When you can put Lindsey Buckingham, Apples In Stereo and 80s King Crimson in the same cateogory, you’ve lost me.
BTW- Love the sublime tie of Sugar, Sugar mentioned here and today’s jam.
I, too, am beginning to find this term a bit all-encompassing. Kentonism, for example, would seem to be a *sub-set* in your vast Rock Venn diagram circle. Tighten up your focus, I say.
Look for a definition of Kentonism soon.
Listen up: this is a work in progress. It’s not every day a term pops into one’s head before one knows what it means. I am thankful for the help you’ve all provided. The work is not done. It may seem like I’m casting too wide a net, but I’m confident that I’m onto something. Something big. Stay tuned. This will not be the last time this term comes up for development.
Looking forward to the Kentonite Glossary entry! I suspect this will help develop Proctomusicology as well as other thoughts around here.
Isn’t Paul’s proctomusicological bent what really broke up the Beatles? The ultimate proctomusician was Webern. His entire life output is maybe 4 hours long, yet it is impacted with years of material! I’m thinking here of the classic definition of anal-retentiveness. What, then, would be the term for anal-expulsive acts such as the Dead? And would bio films made about some of these artists be Prock-u-dramas? Also, could the ultimate proctomusician be Robert Christgau, who’s head is so far up his rectum as to prevent musical sounds ever being uttered at all, leaving only criticism, the Silent But Deadly musical art?
Bravo, General! The Christgau line, in particular, is worth the work and play that all of us put into this place.