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[the-prsc]

Hello readers of the PRSC!

We (your eternally devout and honest hosts) have decided to call a short halt in our consistent upload schedule of daily updates on the happenings within the PRSC arena.

This is because both of us are entering a rather busy patch of weeks. Host Mig for example is running off to a shed in Slough with a small insect to write an album of anti-war protest music. Host Violet is doing similarly, but it's a trout instead of an insect (...and Hawaii instead of Slough... And opening a John Keats-themed surf-shop as opposed to writing an anti-war protest album)

I hope you understand our tricky situation and accept our sincerest apologies. We should be back posting daily updates within around a fortnight! Until then, we'll post the odd community poll or something (probably).

See you round,

-Hosts Mig and Violet👋

[the-prsc]

Day 12 Previously on the PRSC…

Power shifts in The Court, as Fripp demotes his two “henchmen”. He also sends out his Merciless Mercenary, Muir, on a hunt for Keith. 

Genesis continues to deteriorate. However, they finally managed to convince Tony to do something: look after their ailing lead singer. 

In The Conglomerate, Chris claimed to have spotted Ian, however this is dismissed by most of the other members of The Conglomerate as him starting to lose it. 

Ian and David, of course, are completely unaware of this. 

Death Count: 2 The King Reigns in The Court After the blunder of his “Foreign Intelligence” and “Defense”, Fripp reportedly made the rest of The Court make a verbal “agreement”, in which they allegedly agreed to never desert The Court, follow all of the orders of “His Highness, The Crimson King”, and in the grandest display of unchecked egoism, made them agree to bow whenever greeting “His Highness” and refer to him solely as “my King”, “Sire”, or “your Highness”. After making the rest of The Court (for those that may have forgotten, that is John, Broof, Muir, and Steve (originally from Yes, deserted to The Court on Day 2)) swear their allegiance, he officially sent Muir out on his new mission: finding and “capturing” Keith. The others in The Court have not complained about Fripp’s leadership: whether that is because they’ve been brainwashed, or because they’re too scared to disagree is unclear. The one time someone even questioned exactly what it is that Fripp does… well, they’re alive, but perhaps forever scarred. However, Fripp has doubled down on his behaviors lately: he has apparently sent Broof out to collect propaganda on the other groups to keep those in The Court from deserting. We’ll see if he actually completes his mission this time! The Waiting Room… Quite frankly, Genesis appears to be doomed. After nearly two weeks, they have already lost one member, and seem to be on their way to losing another. Peter’s condition is still declining, with Steve and Tony swapping roles, so that Steve can take full-time care of him. Tony, of course, is not fond of the fact that he now has to do physical labor, from which he managed to escape for nearly two weeks. However, it is better than watching his bandmate go in and out of consciousness, and having to deal with being around sickness (he’s a bit of a germaphobe). However, whatever work that was getting done is being done much less efficiently now, due to Tony’s constant complaining. Their only saving grace at this point is Mike’s ability to put up with Tony’s “work ethic”. A Concerned Conglomerate… After his report of seeing Ian in the woods yesterday, the rest of The Conglomerate have grown concerned for Chris’ health. Reportedly, they made him take a mandatory day off for his own sake. They did not inform him of this decision, instead just letting him sleep instead of trying to argue with him. When he did wake up, around noon, he was apparently not very happy with their “decision”. However, yesterday’s report of seeing Ian in the woods has stirred up some theories amongst The Conglomerate. Originally, everyone assumed that it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but they are beginning to wonder if there was a second shipment of people out into The Arena, and what that may mean for survival…

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Day 11 

Previously on the PRSC... 

Keith has left the conglomerate because he’s jealous of Rick and Alex’s friendship 

Peter Gabriel has been refusing food as he grows more insane. This has lead to a lower immunity against weaker illnesses. The rest of the band are slowly crumbling 

Fripp has revealed his hidden anger and violence as he put Broof and Muir on some form of warning 

Death count: 2 

Still alone in o-hell-o... 

The Genesis situation shows no sign of healing. Peter hasn’t been eating since day 9 and he is gradually growing weaker and more ill. Tony has been caring for him as Mike and Steve attempt to keep the camp somewhat functional. They are one of only two of the five bands who haven’t made cross-band alliances (the other being Jon and Alan) and this is obviously leading to a failure to cooperate. The future looks dark for Genesis. 

Two fallen angels in the court... 

After Bruford and Muir’s failure to follow through on their orders in recent days, Fripp has demoted them to ordinary status and put them on a ‘warning’. They still do the same work that they have done all along (external work outside the court), only now cannot demand the same respect or authority as before. On a recent ‘visit’ to the conglomerate, Broof heard the news of Keith’s departure. In case anyone has forgotten, since Greg’s death Fripp has had Keith down as a dangerous threat, but not until now has he been completely alone and exposed. Muir now no longer goes on reconnaissance missions, with his prime focus being locating and... ‘removing’ Keith from the competition. 

Madness (not the band) in the Conglomerate? 

Early this morning, Geddy and Chris were gathering wood South of the Conglomerate and stopped by a riverbank for a quick rest and a chat before returning home. This has been a pleasant part of their routine that they have grown fond of since the Conglomerate’s initial forming. Chris was in the middle of a sentence describing why he uses rotosound strings as opposed to any other high-quality bass string companies (I was paid to say that) when he stopped dead in the middle of our advert. He could see something moving on the other side of the river. It’s a person, but not a familiar one. He looks almost six foot and most of that height is taken up with long, unwashed, straggly hair... It's Ian, a person whose presence was completely unknown to the rest of the game until then! Of course, you (the reader) and us at the PRSC have been aware of his citizenship in The Arena for days as he has been harboring David, but this is big news to Chris!! Sadly, his attempts to convince Geddy and his other peers of this sighting are futile. Geddy said he’s just tired, hungry and seeing things, and Alex suggested it might not have been Ian that he saw, but bigfoot (Rick laughed). The other members of the Conglomerate insist that he needs to:  

do less work  

relax  

EAT HIS GODDAMN FISH OR HE’LL STARVE 

And get some sleep 

Chris is still pretty set in his ways about what he saw, but what can he do? 

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

A Letter to the PRSC 

Dear respectable people of the PRSC, 

I have enjoyed your recent installments of the PRSC and have been following them avidly since the first. That being said, I am writing to complain about the representation of myself and my band.

We are not awful people and the fine institution of The Court of The Crimson King should not be presented as an equal to Stalinist Russia. I do not appreciate the negative tone angled at myself and my heads of Foreign Intelligence and Defence. Nobody within the Court is afraid of me, nor do I intend to kill anyone who is not one hundred percent deserving of such treatment. I also notice how much kinder you are to less structured or organized ‘establishments’ such as the ‘Conglomerate’ and Genesis’ camp. I will not expect any more of this writing style. It is biased, unjust and most of all untrue and misleading.  

Yours sincerely, 

His Highness the Crimson King, Robert Fripp  

(p.s. if you continue to refuse to use my full title in your articles, I will halt any custom that I currently give you) 

A reply

Dear The Frippster,

Thanks for your useful letter of feedback. You will be reassured to know it is currently being read, enjoyed and considered by our office shredder.

Up yours sincerely,

-- The PRSC

(p.s. How in God’s name are you reading our updates in the middle of an isolated Scottish wood in the 70s?)

[the-prsc]

Day 10

Previously on PRSC... 

Things are not going well for The Court as both of Fripp’s right-hand men chickened out on their missions. 

Genesis continues to deteriorate, with Peter’s condition worsening. 

Meanwhile, The Conglomerate still appears to be going strong, at least in their survival efforts. Most of the camp is united in their cause for survival, except for one. 

We also had a short update on Jon and Alan, who are utilizing a… unique method of survival.

Finally, our new competitors still have not been discovered by the others in The Arena.

Death Count: 2

The Return of the Jesters (to The Court) Late last night marked the return of Broof and Muir to The Court. When questioned on why they were back so early, as it was apparent that Fripp expected them to return the next day (today). Neither were able to provide an explanation. We are now mere minutes away from when Fripp, the “Crimson King'' himself, requested a meeting with his two henchmen. Regretfully, the PRSC has been denied access to the actual structure known as “the court”, however from what we can hear outside, there appears to be quite a bit of yelling and name-calling. Specifically, we can pick out the phrases “useless imbeciles” and the sentence, “What do you MEAN you didn’t talk to them?!?!”. It is apparent that this meeting may last a while, hopefully (not) long enough for the rest of The Court to wake up. It appears this meeting has concluded, and everyone has made it out alive (somehow). It is clear that the “Crimson King” is certainly seeing crimson, as he has apparently demoted his henchmen to regular labor. It is unclear whether or not he has figured out that there are unknown elements in The Arena, but one thing is clear: he is going to find David, with or without the help of his “Foreign Intelligence” and “Defense”.

Also Without The Knowledge of The “King”... In the Conglomerate Simultaneously, an argument has broken out in The Conglomerate, of all places! It appears, jealous of the new friendships forming, Keith has decided to leave The Conglomerate, in favor of trying to survive on his own. Most were puzzled with his decision, but let him go… except for Rick, who has started the argument with him. He seems to be of the opinion that he covered for Keith’s entry into The Conglomerate, and the least he could do is stay. Meanwhile, Keith feels betrayed by Rick’s friendship with Alex, and isolated from the rest of the community.

Despite the argument, Keith went through with his decision to leave The Conglomerate, marking the first major problem for this group, and also raising the question of how he will survive by himself, and how his role in The Conglomerate will be filled.

Apocalypse in 9/8! Meanwhile, in “Epping Forest” things go from bad to worse: it appears Peter has gotten some sort of illness, on top of his already deteriorated mental state. At the moment, it is unclear what exactly his symptoms are, but it does not look good for Genesis. Due to his illness, Mike and Steve have asked Tony to take up some of the work, or to at least look after Peter, as he still has not contributed anything towards their survival. He has agreed to at least look after Peter. Still, progress has been slow at the Genesis camp, after grinding to a halt for a few days. Steve and Mike are working hard, but not necessarily efficiently, which may hamper their chances.

And One Thing Going Right Far away from the other groups, Ian has made David feel somewhat comfortable. He has been trying to urge David to leave the bungalow, in order to get over his fear and to assist with survival (although Ian doesn't need his help). Still, they have formed an unlikely friendship, and David has now caught him fully up to speed with the events of the game. While he is still too nervous to leave Ian’s bungalow, much less his camp, he appears to have taken at least a vested interest in keeping it clean. That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Day 9 

Previously on PRSC... 

David has abandoned the ‘Court of the Crimson King’ to stay with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, a man whose presence was not announced to the other bands. 

As a result of this Fripp has become more paranoid and sent out his, ‘defense’ and ‘foreign intelligence’ secretaries out into the wood to find him 

Genesis have spiraled out of control at the loss of Phil 

On a lighter note, Rick and Alex have formed a comedy duo, ‘Two Dumb Blondes’ 

Death Count: 2 

In the Conglomerate... 

For the most part, progress and comfort in The Conglomerate continue smoothly. They have by far the most efficient workload distribution of any of the camps. Everyone has a particular job to which they can dedicate all their energy, and the new addition of the ‘Two Dumb Blondes’ comedy troop is keeping almost all of them in good spirits. Their strong points at this stage of the game are community, attitude and numbers.

Sadly, however this is not the case for everyone in the camp. Since his murder of Greg on day 3, Keith has not been trusted by any of his peers and has been emotionally exiled from their community. His pain and loneliness are brought to the front of his mind with the formation of our jolly duo of blonde gentlemen as he feels a great jealousy for the companionship they share after only a week of pleasantries. 

All the while in perfect time... 

Genesis’ tears are falling on the ground! There is less humor within the Genesis camp, especially where Tony (who hasn’t picked up his Etch-a-Sketch since Phil’s death) is concerned. Peter has progressed further in his insanity and has begun wearing his flower hat while prancing and leaping around the forest exclaiming, ‘I am the prettiest sunflower in all the isles!’ We at the PRSC believe this is some form of act of denial brought on by his intense grief. A more obvious sign of his growing delirium is his refusal of food. The rest of the band have tried to feed him, but he doesn’t even seem to listen to them as he just leaps off into the shrubs. We theorize that he is attempting to photosynthesise…

Steve and Mike are still knuckling down to their work, albeit far from efficient. They are the only camp (other than David and Ian) who only have only two functioning members and neither of them have done any sort of camping since Mike’s ‘combined cadet force’ days back in 5th form at Charterhouse. Does Phil’s death spell doom for the boys in Genesis? They will have to start making friends before it's too late or survival in the plummeting autumn climate will be impossible. 

What do you do when the old man’s gone? 

A question David regularly asks himself since his departure from the court (Fripp’s real age is unknown to the rest of the band, but he makes sure they know he’s older than them to establish a good pecking order). Ian has become a protective figure for David reassuring him that he is safe from Fripp where they are, and he’ll never find them. He has been stern but gentle with him. He doesn’t want to show any weakness around David, but Ian has grown very fond of him in recent days and their unlikely friendship fills in the hole he didn’t know needed filling with human interaction. 

Back in the court... 

Muir and Bruford continue their search for David unaware of Ian's presence in the wood. Bruford believed that following his ‘dispute’ with their ex-drummer three days prior, it would be best for Muir to handle the visit to the Genesis camp. 

*Written in retrospect* Sadly, I was out on my lunch break when this meeting took place, so am unaware of all the details. From what I have heard through my colleagues, Muir turned up with his sheet metal ready to ‘fuck shit up’ and find wherever they have stashed David but got overwhelmed by their negative vibe and a bit freaked out by Peter so ran for the hills with a plan to come back another day with backup. 

The rest of the court continue their labor works under the (false) impression that Fripp cares for them and that the court is a democracy and isn’t entirely run on his word. 

And you and I reach over the sun for the river... 

In case any of you fine readers have forgotten, Jon Anderson and Alan White are still in The Arena. We haven’t been reporting on them because, quite frankly, we couldn’t find them! They have figured out how to light fires pretty well and have been setting up new camps most nights making them rather difficult to track. By the time we’d found them, they had ventured far from the other bands and their relationship had deepened exponentially. We only managed to locate them when following Fripp's secretary for ‘Foreign Intelligence’, Bill as he got lost in search of David. A VERY awkward encounter ensued as he was met face to face with Jon or as he calls him, ‘Napoleon’ (because he is short and autocratic) and his Yes replacement, Alan. Bruford was the second king crimson spy to chicken out during intelligence missions today as he scurried back to the court to find Muir. 

Otherwise, Jon and Alan, this game hasn’t been so bad. The reason being, they chilled the fuck out! For almost a week they have strived not to get bogged down in the shit. Luckily, Jon has had (and probably will keep having) amazing luck with cosmic connection to nature and hasn’t had to try for things just to go his way. One area of concern is their new reliance on ‘special’ mushrooms that grow in this forest. Unbeknownst to them, most of Jon and Alan’s diet for the last week has been magic mushrooms and they have been asphyxiated most of that time. At least they're happy. That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Day 8 

Previously on PRSC... 

We are now over a week into the competition: two deaths have occurred so far, and we had the arrival of a surprise guest: Ian!

As for our regularly scheduled groups, Genesis appears to have made a major backslide in their progress following the death of Phil. It is unsure when or if they will recover.

The Conglomerate is still going strong, although running into some minor issues. 

The Court has seen its first departure!

Death Count: 2

One More Red Nightmare at The Court!

We pick up where we left off yesterday at The Court: our self-appointed “Crimson King” has awoken to discover David’s escape. He called for a long meeting at his “court”, the strange structure built at the north end of his camp. We are unsure of what went on at this meeting, but it appears to have lasted several hours. However, everyone exited yesterday’s meeting alive, so it couldn’t have been that bad. Today, it appears that “His Royal Highness”, Fripp, has sent out his “Foreign Intelligence” and “Defense” scouts once more, this time to figure out where exactly David went. “Defense”, or put more accurately, Fripp’s Merciless Mercenary, Muir, probably has other plans for David if their paths meet. He has brought his sheet metal with him on his journey. Meanwhile, Fripp is trying to make up for the loss of one of his slaves workers , which does not look very successful. Does David’s escape spell the end of The Court? From Genesis to Revelations?

Conditions have not improved much at the Genesis camp, as they are now reduced to an equal number of useful and useless members. While they all have been heavily affected by the loss of Phil, they have been reacting in completely different ways. Tony seems to have entirely abandoned his Mona Lisa recreation, and has not left the shelter he claimed to himself for some time. Peter, on the other hand, seems to be suffering from a full-blown mental breakdown. He has been walking around the forest and muttering to himself, in full Slipperman costume. We are unsure why he picked that particular one. Meanwhile, Mike and Steve have thrown themselves into work to try and make up for their missing member (that is not a Lamb pun, we assure you!), however, it is rather disorganized: instead of dividing up the work like the other groups, they have been doing the same thing, leading to an overproduction of fish, but not enough shelter or firewood. News Spreads to The Conglomerate

As the day draws to an end, The Conglomerate is visited by Broof once again, this time informing them of Phil’s unfortunate demise. He hasn’t disclosed his role in it, of course. But that is not the reason for Broof’s visit: he has come to question them. He isn’t letting on it’s about David’s escape from The Court, but the others are able to put together that something is going wrong. Unable to find proof that The Conglomerate is harboring him, Broof moves on. As for the rest of the day, things have still been going rather smoothly, falling into a sort of routine: they each go off to do their roles in the morning, and return late in the afternoon, where they meet around the campfire, talk, and discuss the next day. These campfire sessions have included various forms of entertainment, bringing a homely feel to The Conglomerate. Most notable is the formation of  “Two Dumb Blonds” a comedy duo comprising of Rick and Alex. We will have the transcript of one of their “shows” posted shortly! And a Song from the Wood… Perhaps the most exciting news to come out of yesterdays’ events was the addition of a new competitor to the PRSC! We have uncovered that Ian has been in the woods since the very beginning, and perhaps before, by complete coincidence! He has established his own base on the west side of the river, where he ran into David defecting from The Court. After a short confrontation, he has decided to take David into his camp, and join the game. David, however, isn’t doing quite so well. He hasn’t left Ian’s bungalow today, perhaps all-too-aware of his search. Thankfully for David, Fripp seems to be unaware that a new competitor has entered The Arena, so he will be safe… for now. Will this be the self-sufficient camp that wins the Prog Rock Survival Competition? Stay tuned to find out! That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Day 7 

Previously in PRSC... 

Disaster strikes between The Court and Genesis as Bruford (The Court, King Crimson) fights Collins (Genesis, AKA Illcoll). Sadly, only Bill survived.

This leaves Genesis in a state of fracture and disillusionment 

David is in BIG trouble from Fripp after Steve (The Court, Yes) reports his plans to evacuate the court. He plans an escape... 

Death Count: 2 

Afterglow in Epping Forest 

"Peter! Pete!" He’s not answering. "Christ, Steve he’s not gonna say a word. Just leave him." Genesis have been struggling since Phil’s death. All progress has come to a halt and Peter spends most of his days curled up in a ball on the forest floor muttering to himself. He’s been having worse dreams recently too. He’s been having the ones about revelations again. This is seriously getting to the other three members of the band as it was Peter who signed them up to this stupid ‘nature retreat’. Does this indicate a loss of hope for Genesis’ run for victory? 

Same as it Ever Was! (Drat, Talking Heads should be in this game so that reference would make sense) 

The Conglomerate continues pretty steadily along. News of Phil’s death still hasn’t reached them yet as there aren’t many camps near them. There have been two (only minor) problems: Chris is still refusing to eat fish as, "It’s cannibalism! It’s not cool, guys!", and the other two members of Rush are beginning to worry for their third bandmate, Neil and if he’s pushing himself too hard. Other than that, all is going as planned for the unlikely team and we speculate that a member of The Conglomerate may win the PRSC! 

Outside the Court of the Crimson King... 

In light of David’s clear impending doom in the form of a meeting with Fripp, he has chosen to leave the court by cover of night. He knows that Fripp has murderous potential (look at Phil) and that may become an issue if he plans to be on Fripp’s wrong side. He runs East into the thickest forest he could find, fording the river in the process, taking a few provisions from his ex-camp. What will Fripp think of this in the morning? 

In the thickest part of the forest, he hears a strange metallic noise. Almost flute-like. He’s sure it's not Peter because he left his flute at home. He said so on the plane. Suddenly, he spies a dramatic amount of wild hair, but it vanishes amongst the plant life. A rustle of leaves.

"Excuse me, but what the fuck are you doing in my wood?"

It's Ian, that is, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull????? Now this hasn’t been expected by any of the competitors nor even us reporting for the PRSC! After explaining himself, David is allowed into Ian’s small, basic, wooden bungalow. They sit down around a fire on some furniture Ian made and David explains everything from the beginning, which is difficult as he’s not entirely sure what happened himself! This adds another competitor to the tournament, and a possible live wire at that! 

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Day 6

Previously on PRSC... 

The newly-formed Conglomerate is off to quite a successful start! 

Genesis has finally gotten their stuff together, and now have the most elaborate fishing system, as well as constructing a sort of primitive… cooking rack?

Tensions appear to be growing in The Court… will our prediction be proven correct after all?

Death Count: 1 A Battle of Epping Forest!!!

In the early morning hours today, it appears that there was a confrontation between Br00f, Fripp’s right-hand messenger (err… “foreign intelligence”), on his way back to The Court, and Phil. It appears that there was some sort of disagreement between the two of them prior to arriving to The Arena (our theory), and that was exacerbated by their confrontation a few days ago, when Broof was sent to check on Epping Forest.

Dear readers, we will spare you the details of such a confrontation, as it ended quite violently. Needless to say, “The Crimson King” must have gotten inside Br00f’s head, leading to Phil’s unfortunate demise. Broof was last seen running off into the forest with a pair of… overalls?

Meanwhile, this has sent shockwaves through the Genesis camp, and we suspect that the news will make its way around the entire forest by midnight tomorrow. They have been utterly demoralized by the news of Phil’s murder, and have begun questioning Peter, the one that signed them up for the Game. Peter has not been answering any of their questions, instead rocking back and forth on the forest floor, in full costume. Will this reverse all the progress they have made? Meanwhile, at The Conglomerate

Things are still going smoothly at The Conglomerate (how boring). With the addition of their new members, a second shelter has been built: they seem to favor community shelters in order to provide warmth from body heat, a necessity in the autumn. New friendships (see special report) seem to be forming between the newcomers and the Rush members, injecting a sense of liveliness into their community. Back at The Court

As if the antithesis to The Conglomerate, The Court has begun to show fractures. With Br00f’s return in the afternoon, he brings news of both the going-ons of the other bands, and the deadly confrontation with Phil. Fripp is more than pleased with Br00f’s work, and suggests a promotion. However, the others are less pleased: David, already having been feeling odd about Fripp’s control over The Arena, begins to make plans to leave, and attempts to share this with Steve, his gathering partener. Sometime later, it appears that Steve has ratted out David about his plan to leave The Court, as Br00f has approached David with a “summons” to see Fripp the next morning. There is no telling what may happen in The Court now!

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Day 5

Previously on PRSC... 

The second cross-band camp is formed, The Conglomerate. This is the combo of Rush (as a whole), Emerson and Palmer of ELP, and finally, Chris and Rick from Yes.

Keith has (for want of a better term) lost his shit following the murder of his friend and bandmate, Greg. He’s racked with guilt and angst. So far, this has led to attempts to loot the Rush camp. This makes the other bands put him into isolation.

Death Count: 1 

In the Conglomerate... 

The prog supergroup of a camp is flourishing with the increase of personnel. Chris (of the Yes group) has remembered that he brought his lighter with him into the arena and has had it with him all along. This has made a large number of differences. Chris has been making himself useful, making basic torches that he can light easily with his lighter. This of course means that the bands can work longer hours and then have more relaxing evenings afterwards. The others have democratically been assigned positions in the Conglomerate: 

 Alex oversees hunting/fishing, working (reluctantly) with Keith 

When Chris isn’t working on light sources, he and Geddy gather resources like wood, mushrooms and vegetables. 

When the four of them get back from these missions, Alex meets Rick around the fire, and they cook it all to be eaten later (while also having a great laugh!) 

Neil does all the heavy lifting jobs and manual labor. He is the strongest (in body and mind) of the guys at the conglomerate, and he rarely shows any sign of weakness. Carl (from ELP), helps him with these tasks and tries to make himself useful elsewhere 

They were visited by one of Fripp’s messengers earlier this morning. This caused something of an awkwardness as this messenger was Bill, previously of Yes, Bruford. Needless to say, Chris kept his distance, and the others didn’t give much information away to "The Court".

Over In Epping Forest... 

Genesis, are doing surprisingly well considering their somewhat rough start and two pretty much unusable members (Tony due to his boredom and Peter as he is too whimsy). Tony’s Etch-a-Sketch Mona Lisa is coming along nicely, with the hair pretty much complete now! They have the most efficient food gathering of any of the bands because of their new advancements in fishing "equipment". They are also cooking the fish properly on a cooking rack that Phil, Steve and Mike put their heads together to create. Not bad, Genesis! 

Politics In the Court... 

Robert Fripp has been sending scouts to various areas of the arena looking for other bands so he can learn of their progress (and make sure to be one step ahead of anything they may try). These chosen people are possibly his most brainwashed band mates, Bill and Jamie(referred to as James by Fripp). Fripp’s endless control over the arena is worrying David rather a lot. As you may know, he has been demanding to be referred to as "The Crimson King" for some time and now with his men in charge of "Foreign Intelligence" and "Defense", our violin playing friend is worried that The Court may not be as democratic as he was encouraged to believe... 

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Special Report: Introducing The Conglomerate! (Day 4)

Today was quite the eventful day, and we couldn’t do the major event of the formation of The Conglomerate justice in our overview of the entire day, so we are giving you a special insider view of their first night together!

The Rush hosts provide their new companions with a lovely fish and not-quite-chips (no potatoes in the woods, unfortunately) dinner to celebrate their new union. Most of them gratefully accept the food, except for Chris, who is convinced that because of his nickname (“The Fish”) it would be cannibalism. Note: it is not cannibalism, he’s just an idiot.

The majority of the group seems to be getting along swimmingly (pun absolutely intended), sharing various stories from their careers, often in great detail. They seated themselves on 3 logs around their central campfire, with the only outlier being Keith, preferring to stand at the edge of the group, watching their conversation. Some sort of humorous conversation, strike that, some sort of… comedy improv (?) has been struck up between Rick and Alex, involving a story about a mother-in-law, the postman, and the milkman. It is quite the… explicit tale, so we’ll leave that to your imagination.

Meanwhile, seated across from those two and their shenanigans, are Geddy and Chris. The former is attempting to “play it cool” around Chris, but he can’t really hide the fact that the whole reason he signed up for the supposed “camping trip” was to meet him, and he can definitely tell. When Chris complains about the fish, Geddy is the only one to defend his decision, and offers to trade with him. When they begin to assign jobs to the newcomers, he also offers to work with Chris, who begrudgingly accepts due to the lack of other options. Although, truth be told, he doesn’t appear to be entirely turned away by Geddy’s… eagerness (and various rants and questions about the bass parts in Yes’ music), especially as the night goes on.

As the light of day fades, the conversation turns to the plans of the next day. The three members of Rush unanimously agree to give their new companions a day of rest, if they so desire. Carl (speaking on behalf of the other three newcomers, presumably) turns this down, however no one protests. Perhaps that is a good sign (or maybe they didn’t hear him)? Either way, they have been assigned to various tasks, and everything seems to be off to a good start for The Conglomerate!

[the-prsc]

Day 4

Previously on PRSC... 

ELP disintegrates after a shocking and vicious murder! Upon disposing of the body, Keith and Carl return to their campsite, only to find two familiar figures waiting for them. 

These two figures are none other than Chris and Rick, who have abandoned the Yes camp to go and join their buddies in ELP. 

Carl instead informs them of what has occurred, and they plan to abandon Keith and leave for the Rush camp.

Meanwhile, in the Rush camp, they are still doing quite well, figuring out how to boil water to get rid of bacteria! Smart thinking all around, there!

Genesis finally managed to do something useful, like gathering food and making fishing rods. 

Death Count: 1

In Epping Forest!

Still not too much going right for Genesis! Peter has apparently recovered from his state of shock, and is attempting to help the others to the best of his ability, but even four days in, Tony still refuses to do anything. The others are trying to coax him to at least decorate the lovely shelters they have built (perhaps with his Etch-a-Sketch Mona Lisa?), but he refuses, instead writing some sort of musical score in the dirt. They have at least erected some shelters, and have begun to fish in the nearby pond, using those left-over guitar strings to make fishing rods (no thanks to Tony). Later, they were visited by Br00f, Fripp’s messenger, requesting details on their progress. They declined to provide any details, most likely because their progress has been minimal at best.

Meanwhile, in The Court…

Fripp, hearing rumors of a death, has sent Broof out as his personal messenger (or, as he calls him, “foreign intelligence”) to find out more information. He has also switched Muir’s role to “defense”, and has sent him out to protect The Court. Disturbingly, he has brought the pieces of sheet metal that he smuggled onto the plane with him in his “defense”. It is unclear what he plans to do with these. Meanwhile, Fripp switches the roles of everyone else in The Court in order to make up for this loss: David and Steve are now on gathering, and he sent out John on hunting duty. Fripp has fashioned himself a sort of… head garment made out of branches, and has taken to calling himself “The Crimson King”. We are still not calling him that. Has he gone mad with power? Perhaps…

And a new beginning…?

Today marks the departure of the new Yes-E(L)P alliance to the Rush camp. Unfortunately for Chris, Rick, and Carl, Keith has overheard their conversation, and decides to follow them there. Making the roughly 4-mile hike northwest to the camp, they arrive sometime in the afternoon to find it empty, because Rush are busy at work, of course. Chris and Rick, exhausted by their journeys, have simply decided to sit and wait for the Canadians to show themselves, meanwhile Carl tries to get them to help out and make themselves look somewhat useful. This effort is not very appreciated. Keith, on the other hand, has mysteriously fucked off for now…

After a period of around 15 minutes, the others begin to notice Keith’s absence, and although initially grateful for it, then begin to wonder if he has completely lost it, and slaughtered their new companions as well. They all agree, after much hassling from Carl, to go out and look to see where he’s run off to. Thankfully, it is revealed that he has not slaughtered anyone (today), but is instead simply raiding their supplies. While the others are busy interrogating Keith, three figures have emerged from the woods. It appears that during their argument, Rush have returned from their own errands. The Canadians, despite their usually agreeable nature, are not pleased that Keith has decided to help himself to their shit.  They begin a calm verbal confrontation, trying to ask him politely why he has their things, to which he begins threatening them with one of the knives he has strapped to him. His traveling companions, taken completely off-guard, attempt to restrain him, and de-escalate the situation. 

While holding him back from attacking their potential companions, Rick attempts to explain their predicament to Rush: both of their bands have fallen apart, and they need help to survive, otherwise they will all die (excellent observation!). He also emphasizes that Keith’s behavior is unusual for him, and tells them that if they got him on a hunting job, he would probably calm down. Sensing that the situation has de-escalated, Rush ask for a moment to talk amongst themselves, in order to consider their admission to the camp. In their conversation, it appears that they come to the unanimous conclusion that since they have the resources to help these weary travelers, they have a duty to accept them into their camp. Anything less would be immoral. While all of them agree on the moral aspect, Neil additionally reasons that they could help out around the camp, and lessen the load on the three of them, meanwhile the other two simply wanted to meet Yes. No matter their reasoning however, they have been accepted into their ranks, and thus form what they call The Conglomerate (in true pretentious prog rock fashion). 

Around a nice dinner (detailed in our special report on the group), The Conglomerate discusses the newcomers’ roles going forward. They seem to have taken a liking to each other, so only time may tell how this will go down. That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition! 

[the-prsc]

The main ruling on this post was ESH, despite one person being a murderer . What do you think?

— The PRSC

For context: Day 3

[the-prsc]

Day 3: 

Previously in PRSC... 

The boys in Genesis, Rush and King Crimson continue to progress and gain a tiny bit more comfort in their… difficult conditions.  

Tensions within the Yes and ELP camps reach an all-time high. Steve Howe does a runner and reaches ‘The Court of The Crimson King’ by midnight. (Keyboard wizard) Rick Wakeman and (Fish) Chris Squire plan their well-needed escapes... 

Death count: 0 

In The Court of The Crimson King...  Steve reached the camp late last night and has since been welcomed by all members of it (except Broof, who tries to ignore him following his awkward exit from Yes). He is put to work with John and David in doing various dull, laborious tasks overseen by Fripps right-hand-percussion-men, Bill and Jamie Muir who are ‘keeping them in check’. Although Steve feels tired, he also finds the structure, safety and sense of community that he felt was lacking with Yes. We cannot say the same for John and David.

Meanwhile in ‘Epping Forest’...

This is the supper of the mighty one! Genesis eat well tonight as (during a particularly long prance around the woods) Peter found nice, ripe fruit on the forest floor (little does the band know that Jon dropped it earlier that day, made clumsy by his consumption of the mushrooms). Tony is spending hours a day perfecting each detail of the entrancing face of his Etch-a-Sketch recreation of the Mona Lisa.  Phil, Steve and Mike have managed to make primitive fishing rods out of the spare guitar strings that Steve forgot he brought (also forgetting to bring his guitar). Good one guys!

Rushing over to another camp…

Their fishing may be less effective (standing in the river and lashing out at any passing fish. In the event that one is caught, the band all stress out as to how to kill the thing) but, the three companionable Canadians of Rush continue their hygienic progress. The band have exhausted their camping supply of bottled drinking water and sadly, in the wilderness the band cannot dine on honeydew or drink the milk of paradise. Luckily Neil remembered a 7th grade science lesson he had where he was taught that boiling water kills all dangerous microorganisms and disinfects it. He removes the camping stove and small pot from his bag, fills the pot with water from the cleanest part of the river he could find and begins to boil…

Close to the Edge, Down By the River…

Near the ‘pretty view’ of the river Jon selected, Yes are crumbling to some extent. Steve asked Jon if he could go over to The Court yesterday and Jon reluctantly agreed and let him go. Steve didn’t mean it personally but I think Jon took it that way (poor guy). Meanwhile, Rick is getting fed up with waiting around for Jon and Alan to get vegetarian food when he could eat as much meat as he likes (though in reality, he is far too lazy to do so). Chris isn’t a fan of Jon’s leadership style. Its a sort of strange hotchpotch between Hippy and autocratic that he doesn’t like. All the while, it doesn’t help that Jon has found some magic mushrooms and spends quite a lot of his time in ‘dreamland’. He and Rick have planned to leave the camp to find ELP next time Jon and Chris go out gathering together.

In the ELP camp... 

The last few hours have been somewhat monotonous at the ELP camp. The band’s relationship is fractured (particularly Keith and Greg’s). Morale is dipping sub-zero, and Carl still hasn’t figured out the drum part for Karn-Evil 9 so instead of making useful progress to prolong their lives, the half-starved threesome chose to discuss new project ideas for ‘when all this forest crap is out of the way’. One could call this a useful conversation to keep up hope and distract them. They could also call it valuable time and energy wasted that will eventually lead to their doom. Either way, in their hungry, delirious state discussion is getting heated quickly. Carl leaves early to actually try and help them survive, and is also hurt by the two of them calling him a ‘shit Buddy Rich knockoff’. 

The issue on the table currently is Greg’s suggestion, ‘Love Beach 2 (Electric Boogaloo)’. This thought seems to be sending Keith into something of a violent frenzy. 

I will spare the details of the real-time commentary for the next few minutes. This passage is written in retrospect: Keith and Greg got into a physical confrontation which included a lot of punches from Keith and in the process, Greg hit his head on a large protruding rock in the wood’s undergrowth and by the time Carl returned from his mission of trying to keep them alive, and managed to pry Keith away from his friend, it was too late. 

The two of them aren’t talking as they submerge the body into the dark, cold river water. What he has done is beginning to dawn on Keith and he has been battling with his tears since they left to the water. All Carl can think about is that his friend and bandmate is a ‘fucking murderer’. He must negotiate a way away from this knife-wielding maniac. Luckily, upon return to the camp, he recognises two new, trustworthy silhouettes, CHRIS AND RICK!!! He is currently having a private discussion with the two of them featuring sentences like, ‘Guys please get me out of here. He’s a crazy madman with a knife. I’m gonna die’. Chris sensibly responds in a hushed voice, ‘We could always give those Canadian kids a go?’. And that is the plan for the three of them... 

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!

[the-prsc]

Day 2:

Previously on PRSC…

Yes attempted to light a fire and failed, and are struggling to do much of anything. Everyone wants to go home, except for Jon, who is still gathering fruit and has discovered mushrooms…

ELP also have achieved absolutely nothing, except pissing each other off. Good job, guys. 

Genesis are making some progress, no thanks to Tony or Peter, both of which are contributing nothing helpful. 

Those darling Canadians, Rush, are doing just fine so far, and showcase the best cooperation and coordination. They’re giving us hope that they all won’t die in the first week. 

Fripp is using his “leadership abilities” in King Crimson, and has dubbed his camp “The Court of the Crimson King”, although no one uses the full title. Death Count: 0

Departures occur at the Yes camp…

Fed up with the shenanigans of the Yes camp, Steve tells the others that he’s leaving, and departs sometime in the morning to go and join The Court (King Crimson’s camp). It being a difficult 10-mile hike to the north and east, as well as across the river, he arrives around midnight. After a short “trial” at a mysterious structure built by Fripp himself, he accepts Steve into this camp, and puts him to work with the others. Meanwhile, back at the Yes camp, Steve’s departure has individually inspired both Chris and Rick to try and leave for the ELP camp the next day, figuring their chances are better there than with Jon, or with their other choice, Genesis. They ultimately decide to leave together, without informing Jon or Alan.

Continuing Conflict at the ELP camp... Conditions have not improved much since yesterday. Greg and Keith have started an argument on whether or not to settle in one location, while Carl desperately tries to keep them all alive by attempting to build a fire, getting water from the river, and trying to do some gathering as well. His efforts go unnoticed. Keith is still yelling at him about the part in Karn Evil 9. It is a grim situation in the camp. To the East, Near a Pond… Genesis has improved quite a bit since yesterday. More shelters are erected, due to the work of Steve, Mike, and Phil. Peter is beginning to get a grip, and starts helping out as well. However, he has still not removed the flower costume. Tony still refuses to do anything, and claims the first shelter to himself. As for his Mona Lisa recreation, he is currently struggling with her difficult hair. The Rush Settlement It is only Day 2 of our Game, and Rush have already built somewhat of a functioning society. A sturdy shelter has already been erected, and they are working on a storage area. They have a steady campfire, and have used their camping gear to their full advantage: the tents they brought are being used as “lookout shelters”, they brought extra food and water (smart thinking!), first aid supplies, entertainment, including several books and an acoustic guitar, and “The Power of Friendship” (according to them). The only mildly off-putting thing about their camp is their insistence to tell terrible jokes. Finally, In The Court As mentioned in the Yes section, Steve leaves the disorganized mess of the Yes camp, in order to try it out in The Court. Prior to his arrival, Fripp allows John and David to pick their jobs in return for their cooperation. The Court is being built up rapidly, moving beyond the necessary shelters, and creating an actual “court”, from which Fripp does his job of overseeing everything. He has sent “Broof” out on an errand to find out what the other bands are doing, leaving Muir to have the all-important job of hunting and gathering. He journals his report each night.

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition! 

[the-prsc]

Hello fans and readers of the PRSC

We promised you an interactive account, so here you are! We at the competition are wondering who you are backing in this fight till the death...

[the-prsc]

Day 1:

Previously On PRSC... 

Five clueless bands have entered an unknown wood in Scotland claimed as "The Arena" 

They're not quite sure how they got there and they’re pretty cold (especially Peter Gabriel who decided to wear only a tight, black bodysuit) 

Death count: 0 

AAAAAaaaaand on with the game! 

After hours of bickering following the revelation that this is NOT a “nature retreat”, Yes have finally unanimously agreed to settle in a small clearing in the south of the arena. This is due to Jon’s connection to the ‘pretty view’. They are currently trying (and failing) to light the all-important first fire. Chris and Rick are crowded around what will be the centre of their campsite with two small rocks attempting to make a spark. It’s not particularly successful so far. The last remains of summer’s fruit are left on the early autumn vegetation so Jon goes on a mission gathering this valuable food into his only possession in the arena, his small thatch basket. Steve is mainly wishing for home, security and structure (unlikely Stevie!). They are making slow but evident pro(g)gress... 

Further North... 

Further up the same side of the river, Emerson Lake and Palmer (or as the fans call them, E L P) still haven’t decided on a camp location (but have decided on some mildly camp outfits). This is mainly due to their tendency to...errm...piss about. They have mainly been doing absolutely nothing but arguing for the last few hours, with it being difficult to tell what it's really about. Keith is currently trying to explain the drum part of Karn-Evil 9 to Carl (he still doesn’t get it. It's like this only in the woods): 

To The East... 

Genesis are...managing. It is obvious that Peter (Their esteemed vocalist) has either developed acute frostbite or doesn’t quite realise the gravity of the bands’ predicament. He is quite enjoying prancing around what we will christen after the beloved Genesis song (and actual forest), "Epping Forest", occasionally putting on various pieces of Headwear. Tony Banks is pretty much refusing to do anything, making his Tony face (you know the one) and focusing on his Etch-a-Sketch on which he has decided to recreate the Mona Lisa from memory. He is obviously pretty unimpressed by the situation and more importantly, Peter’s ridiculous behaviour. Steve, Mike and Phil on the other hand are getting their hands dirty, (successfully) making a fire and creating basic shelters for the band in the form of a cosy, semi-waterproofed den within the branches of a collapsed tree. 

Somewhere else... 

Rush are doing a frankly smashing job. They are fewer in numbers to most of the other bands and are outliers in their nationality, but have far more team strength and spirit (plus the camping gear helped!). All the guys are working together in perfect harmony. Neil oversees heavy lifting and jobs that need strength and commitment, Alex is in charge of fishing and cooking, and Geddy does all the important gathering (wood and possibly dangerous wild mushrooms). By the end of the day, we suspect the band will have something together and defined in the arena. Good job, Rush!

And Finally, Keeping Their Distance Across the River…

Robert Fripp has pretty much forced the other members of King Crimson to settle far North at the top of the river, away from the interference of others. Here he will establish a camp he refers to as, "The Court of the Crimson King" (God, he’s pretentious). He’s taking a “somewhat” autocratic approach to leading the others. It's working to an extent but John and David are angry that they weren’t in fact going to Disney World as he had promised, and what else would one expect?? Fire and basic shelter have (reluctantly) been built.

That’s all for today, so we’ll see you tomorrow for... 

The Prog Rock Survival Competition!