Weirdo Wednesday: Watch Rick Wakeman Take On Prog Extravagance & Eccentricity Live at Wembley 1975 (opens in new tab)

As we continue on Yes release week, few figures in progressive rock embraced eccentricity quite like Rick Wakeman. His reputation as the “weird one” wasn’t simply a stage persona—it was a natural extension of a musician whose imagination rarely operated within normal boundaries. Part of Wakeman’s oddball charm came from the sheer scale of his ambitions. While most rock keyboardists were content adding texture to songs, Wakeman released sprawling concept albums about subjects as varied as the ...