Steven Wilson
“I think To The Bone was a big move away from his previous albums, and I thought that in itself was really progressive. He’s made comments before and said there’s no point in doing the same album twice, and that he wanted to have his voice in other areas. I really appreciated the way that he has all of his influences, from Pink Floyd to ABBA to everywhere, and you can hear it. I love that he made that move.
“Permanating is a tune, I reckon. I really enjoyed seeing him in that light. I like the idea that he’s like,
‘See, I’m not just miserable - I don’t just write sad songs, I know how to write a good tune.’ And to be fair, he really does know how to write a good tune. I thought it was really refreshing. I find that kind of thing really genuinely progressive.
“His writing, particularly the storytelling aspect of it – he’s very good at captivating the audience. I went to see him and the whole show was so thought out and the visuals, everything about it, was just so right. We loved the whole thing. He did do Permanating, and everybody in the room loved it. You really get it in the room that he’s done it for a bit of a laugh and to say that, ‘I don’t always do this serious progressive music all the time – sometimes music is just a bit of fun,’ and I like that.
“Because he’s made comments about trying to appease Pink Floyd fans and regretted doing that, as much as he makes it clear that he loves that music and loves progressive music, I like his standpoint on not labelling himself as progressive. I get the impression that the prog bands of back in the day, like Yes and Genesis, they didn’t call themselves prog bands either.
“I really like that he’s not trying. It comes across sometimes that he’s not trying to write a song in seven and he’s not trying to do all this mad stuff, it’s just what seems to come naturally. From my own point of view, I try to treat music in the same way. Whatever comes out comes out, and if it happens to be prog then that’s absolutely fine, because I love that too.
“I think his storytelling is the main thing for me, particularly in songs like The Watchmaker and Drive Home. They take you on a journey. I get the impression that with these songs, he’s not the main character - he’s not talking about himself, but it doesn’t matter that he’s the one telling the story to me. I’m not expecting him to be the main character, I just like that I’m there with it. On Hand. Cannot. Erase., he’s been very open about the concept, but a bit closed about why that’s the title. I don’t mind that – I don’t want to be spoon-fed all the time and I like that he gives people the opportunity to have a little bit of their own take on it.
“My first introduction to Porcupine Tree was In Absentia. I love Blackest Eyes, I love The Sound Of Muzak. And then I got into Fear Of A Blank Planet. But I would say that for me I personally connect a little bit more with his solo material. When Pariah came out, I sat alone in my bedroom and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve never had someone speak for me like this before.’ And he doesn’t even know I exist.
“I like that there is someone out there who is a figurehead for now. I’m the hugest Genesis fan, but you can fully understand why someone who is getting into it now would feel like no one is speaking for them now. I find a lot of Steven Wilson’s influence in my own writing, and a lot of his choices to me personally are so tasteful and so lovely, I’m annoyed that I didn’t write it.
“I’ll be totally honest, in my first year of uni I was like, ‘I’m going to marry Steven Wilson.’ I’m pretty sure never in his life he thought he would have that kind of fanbase. I’ve chilled out now a bit, so if I ever did meet him, I might be alright.
“As a writer, he is someone who I admire very, very much. Even the remixing of the old stuff, I find that really interesting. Steven’s thing, as well as being an artist, is being a producer and a very, very good one. I know what I want my music to sound like, but I don’t know how to achieve it, and I get irritated that I have to rely on other people to do that. That’s something that I really envy about him.” CC
“I think his storytelling is the main thing for me, particularly in songs like The Watchmaker and Drive Home. They take you on a journey.”