'Prog nobility'?

[D S]

I went across to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose last night and saw Rory Bremner interviewing Nick Mason about Pink Floyd for an hour or so.  He tells a good amusing story and comes across as a very decent likeable chap.  He was good enough to have a quick chat and sign some stuff for me afterwards. 
Which rather got me thinking.  Like many of us, I've met quite a few musicians from prog bands over the years but, perhaps with the exception of Steve Hackett, I'd never previously met someone from one of the 'Premier League' prog bands before. 
So who have people met from the really big prog bands (I'm thinking more virtual household names like Peter Gabriel / Rick Wakeman than you know the cousin of someone who once played bass for Pendragon  ) and did they live up to your expectations - or was it a case of 'you should never meet your heroes'?!

[Trapezium Artist]

I went across to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose last night and saw Rory Bremner interviewing Nick Mason about Pink Floyd for an hour or so.  He tells a good amusing story and comes across as a very decent likeable chap.  He was good enough to have a quick chat and sign some stuff for me afterwards. 
Which rather got me thinking.  Like many of us, I've met quite a few musicians from prog bands over the years but, perhaps with the exception of Steve Hackett, I'd never previously met someone from one of the 'Premier League' prog bands before. 
So who have people met from the really big prog bands (I'm thinking more virtual household names like Peter Gabriel / Rick Wakeman than you know the cousin of someone who once played bass for Pendragon  ) and did they live up to your expectations - or was it a case of 'you should never meet your heroes'?!

Since you mention him, DS:

Rick Wakeman
Jon Anderson
Steve Howe (who wouldn't shake hands)
Alan White

All of Frost* (surely prog nobility of the bluest-blood variety  )

and depending on how wide your definition of "prog" is (mine is extraordinarily wide) and how widely you interpret the role of the people involved in making / creating the music (ditto):

Brian May
Daniel Barenboim
Yo Yo Ma
John Adams
Michael Tilson Thomas

and others, I'm sure ...

As for the "expectations" issue, it's a very real problem, and that Godfrey fellow in particular, well ...

Meeting Yo Yo Ma at the Philharmonie in Berlin was very interesting: for the ten seconds we spoke, he was absolutely and intently focussed on me and nothing else; amazing feeling, which I likened later to a weird form of having sex  But then, after my ten seconds were up, he moved on to the next person and did exactly the same thing. Shameless cheating bastard ...

John Adams, composer of serial music, was very nice too: we found that we shared some distant acquaintances in (astro)physics, as he's written an opera about Oppenheimer.

And Michael Tilson Thomas was in a kimono. The less said, the better.

[D S]

We're not worthy! 

"Steve Howe (who wouldn't shake hands)"  Hmm -was he scared your killer handshake would crush his delicate playing hand? (Or did you say something to offend him?!  )

[MikeEvs]

Steve Hogarth
Steve Rothery
Pete Trewavas
Mike Portnoy
James LaBrie
John Petrucci
John Myung
Jordan Rudess
Derek Sherinian
Steve Howe (can't remember if we shook hands I'm guessing not, he did sign an autograph for me)
Robert Fripp (he wouldn't sign an autograph for me)
Damian Wilson

Non quite prog rock nobility:
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Billy Sheehan
Tony McAlpine
Uli Jon Roth
Michael Schenker ( his security guard pushed me out of the way when I asked him for an autograph)
Mike Keneally

All in all apart from where noted the experience was positive, the ones that stand out above the rest are Vai, Portnoy and Rothery all of whom I've met multiple times

[Trapezium Artist]

We're not worthy! 

"Steve Howe (who wouldn't shake hands)"  Hmm -was he scared your killer handshake would crush his delicate playing hand? (Or did you say something to offend him?!  )

The former, I'm sure: it seemed very much like a guitar player's defensive mechanism.

I met him and Anderson in Berlin before a gig, and Anderson asked some German chap about the score of the England football game that he knew was going on, albeit in true space cadet fashion. A very odd moment ... :-)

Oh, and how could I forget the very brief meet and greet with The Bangles in about 2008? Susannah Hoffs, live, in person ... Swoon ... 

If only I could meet Clare Grogan too ...

(Have I gone far enough off-topic yet?  )

[MikeEvs]

Susanna Hoffs!!! well done that man 

I'm ever so slightly jealous 

[D S]

At risk of doing the very thing I said not to do, I do know Clare Grogan's Uncle, Aunt & cousins - they live 2 houses along from my mother in law in Surrey.  But sadly I have never met Clare herself. 

[rogerg]

sigh.  Susannah Hoffs.  swoon indeed.

[Trapezium Artist]

Susannah Hoffs!!! well done that man 

I'm ever so slightly jealous 

As you most certainly should be 

That said, am I alone in seeing some hints of similarity in the hairstyles of you and Ms Hoffs? 

And I feel compelled to mention that anyone who finds Susanna's (sorry, there's no "h") vocal talents irresistible should seek out her work with the splendid Matthew Sweet, the series of "Under the Covers" albums, with their take on songs from the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's.

Of course, the fact that they covered a song by the certain three-letter prog band on the middle album, with said band's handshake-shy geetar hero guesting, is just a bonus 

[Mikey]

Michael Schenker ( his security guard pushed me out of the way when I asked him for an autograph)

Not surprised, security guards don't give autographs


Susanna Hoffs & Under the Covers in the same post..................now there's a thought

[D S]

Apologies for dragging things back from Ms Hoffs to the original topic (I know, poor forum etiquette on my part) but the Beeb appears to have reunited Genesis...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27866047

[Rook]

Reunited as in "sitting around in a room together  talking about the old days for the cameras" or reunited as in "getting up on stage and playing Suppers Ready"?

Or reunited as in "hey guys let's go in to the studio and record 'The Lamb Lies Down Some More On Broadway'"...

[D S]

Looks more like "sitting around in a room together talking about the old days for the cameras" I'm afraid but you never know!  As far as playing Supper's Ready is concerned, I suspect these days the original band might be hard pushed to do it better than Steve Hackett and band have been playing it recently!