Greg Lake Is Not a Fan of "Progressive Rock"

Jason P. Woodbury May 10, 2012 7:00AM

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Greg Lake says he doesn't have a whole lot of time to listen to music. He's too busy playing it, as he's done since the 1960s, doing time as a member of King Crimson, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, The Gods, Asia, and Ringo Starr's All-Star Band, effectively establishing himself as progressive rock royalty.

"I like Brad Paisley and Adele," Lake says with a warm English accent. "But I suppose I don't spend enough time listening to new music, because I spend so much time playing it."

His latest tour finds him exploring his long and storied career. In fact, it's called "Songs of a Lifetime," inspired by his time working on an autobiography about his life in music. "I was so determined to not be one of those 'legends-in-his-own-lunchtime' storyteller-type things," he says, laughing. "It's not a quiet show by any means."

Lake took some time to speak with Up on the Sun about his thoughts on prog-rock as a genre (he's not a big fan of the term), punk rock (his favorite punk band is The Who), and what exactly those rumors of ELP jamming with Jimi Hendrix are all about.

Greg Lake is scheduled to perform at Mesa Arts Center, on Wednesday, May 16.

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Jason P. Woodbury is a music and pop-culture writer based in Phoenix. He is a regular contributor to the music blog Aquarium Drunkard and co-host of the Transmissions podcast.

Contact: Jason P. Woodbury

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