Thursday, March 05, 2015

Steven Wilson interview


Photo: Lasse Hoile

I'm occasionally asked what my worst interviewee was. Without hesitation, my response is "Coldplay." When I interviewed the band's guitarist, Johnny Buckland circa the release of the band's debut album, his reponses were mostly monosyllabic and he couldn't have been less effusive or articulate. After he hung up, I had to figure out how to write my Coldplay article with hardly any great quotes or insights from the musician. Not a fun day.

By contrast, I can tell you exactly who my best interviewee is: Steven Wilson. I've interviewed the British musician many, many, times since 2002 and he always offers thoughtful, intelligent, articulate responses to my questions. That's certainly the case with my latest interview with Steven Wilson about his new album, Hand.Cannot.Erase., for Under the Radar magazine. For example, read what he has to say about Facebook's impact upon human relationships or his philosophical musings about how to get the best things out of life by remaining proactive in all areas of life.

Never heard of Wilson? Here's how I introduce him in my piece:

He's almost never played on the radio despite the fact that his previous album, The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories), sold well over 100,000 copies worldwide. He's seldom mentioned in the press even though he plays for crowds of over 2,000 per night and can sell out London's Royal Albert Hall. And Wilson has yet to be regularly compared to musical polymaths such as Trent Reznor and Damon Albarn even though his wide-ranging side projects include No-Man (art rock), Bass Communion (ambient electronica), Blackfield (indie pop), Storm Corrosion (psychedelic folk), and Porcupine Tree (progressive rock).
Steven's fourth solo album is his best work to date and I'd be surprised if I hear a better album in 2015. (Here's a taste of what it sounds like.)

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