About The Amazing Pudding
Exploring the Depths of Prog Rock
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Presumably, you’ve arrived because you know what the Amazing Pudding is, and all that knowing this entails (in short, you are a progressive rock fanatic). Or better still, you know who I am and have followed some or all of my writing about all-things-prog during the last couple of decades. Or else you are a big fan of puddings, and I’ve disappointed you.
I have been opining on prog rock since before the Internet existed and, in fact, my graduate school thesis dealt with the utopian impulse of prog rock (featuring textual analysis of the lyrics of Roger Waters and Neil Peart). So, I’m that guy, and I’m about three-quarters finished with a book, a prog rock primer that will hopefully serve two demographics: the uninitiated seeking guidance and the hopeless aficionados who get a certain feeling when they contemplate Topographic Oceans. I will feature excerpts from this work in progress, and various musings both broad and obsessively punctilious (did Danny Elfman utilize King Crimson’s “Fracture” for The Simpsons Theme?).
Here, strong opinions will be presented, with that caveat that only individuals who care deeply about such matters will bother reading about them. For instance, why Clive Bunker was the ideal drummer for the first four Jethro Tull albums, but it’s impossible to imagine him—or anyone other than Barriemore Barlow—taking the reins for the decade following, which might lead to observations about chemistry, adaptability, and the unique way our best artists catch lightning in a bottle as a matter of practice, talent, and unerring instinct (as Tull’s music became more expansive and involved, it needed not only a stellar timekeeper but an equal contributor, and Barlow is a rare drummer in that he, like Tony Williams with Miles Davis’s ‘60s quintet, balanced a more-is-more approach with a light, supple touch). If those are weeds neither opaque nor pretentious enough for you to run in the other direction, you may enjoy what’s on offer here. (On the other hand, less time will be spent on punching down or panning unworthy efforts; as such, much will be said to celebrate Emerson Lake and Palmer’s initial run of glory; little will—or need—be said about their eventual, inevitable implosion, much less the mediocrity that was Emerson Lake and Powell).
What to Expect from This Substack Section
Each week I’ll share excerpts from my writing (including fiction, poetry, essays), and you’ll have access to conversations via my podcast SOME THINGS CONSIDERED.
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About The Author
Sean Murphy is founder of the non-profit 1455 Lit Arts, and directs the Center for Story at Shenandoah University. He has appeared on NPR's "All Things Considered" and been quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and AdAge. A long-time columnist for PopMatters, his work has also appeared in Salon, The Village Voice, Washington City Paper, The Good Men Project, Writer’s Digest, and others. His chapbook, The Blackened Blues, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2021. His second collection of poems, Rhapsodies in Blue was published by Kelsay Books in 2023. His third collection, Kinds of Blue, and This Kind of Man, his first collection of short fiction, published in 2024. He has been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize, twice for Best of Net, and his book Please Talk about Me When I'm Gone was the winner of Memoir Magazine's 2022 Memoir Prize.
Website: seanmurphy.net
Twitter: @bullmurph
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