Page 58 - Classic Rock (January 2020)

“TO BE A

POP STAR

YOU HAVE TO BE A NARCISSIST.

I’M NOT REALLY”

Over the past decade, Steven Wilson has shifted through a range of musical guises. Here he

reflects on the genius of Bowie and Zappa, married life, and why it’s good to talk bollocks.

Interview: Polly Glass

n a large, sun-dappled living room in a leafy back from that and saying: “You know what, this I don’t know. That’s an interesting record. It’s one
outpost of North-West London, Steven could be really big now, but is it what I want to be of my most popular records, and I had fun doing
Wilson expounds the decade over really big?” and coming back with the answer: it. But in my mind it was always going to be a one-
peppermint tea and muffins. The latter “No.” Retrospectively I can see it took a lot of guts off. There are fans of that record who’ll tell you
I were made by his Israeli wife Rotem, who to do that, and a lot of people said I was stupid that’s my best and they wish I’d carried on doing
he married four weeks previously. Two weeks – managers, record companies. So stepping back that, but I can’t see myself ever making another
before that they moved here. The decor is minimal a few levels in terms of audience, ticket sales… In archetypically classic progressive rock album,
and stylish and looks out on to a spacious back that sense it was a very poor business decision, but because I’ve done it.
garden where they had their wedding reception. throughout all this I felt happier than I had been for
Rock’s dark, jazzy enigma; 21st-century prog a long time. I am by nature a bit of a control freak, In 2015 you released Hand. Cannot. Erase.,
god; master of melancholia; pop star inspired so I wanted to have that control again. inspired by the 2011 documentary Dreams Of
by the likes of Peter Gabriel, Prince, Kate Bush… A Life [about Joyce Carol Vincent, who lay dead,
Wilson has been all these things over the past 10 You quickly had your hand in a number of undiscovered, in her city apartment for three
years. Now there’s another side to him; pairs of projects: Grace For Drowning, Storm years]. What was it like to immerse yourself in
children’s shoes sit by the door, belonging to his Corrosion, Blackfield… a protagonist like that?
two stepdaughters. I saw myself ultimately withdrawing from a lot of I could completely relate to her. And that’s the
“I think I have this reputation of being this these. I thought: “I’d love to have one project to beauty of that story; I think everyone can see
incredibly melancholic person,” Wilson says. concentrate fully on, where I can bring any of these something of themselves, or the potential to end
“I understand that part of that is my own doing sounds, and I can change from album to album.” up like that. This is not a story about the little old
because of the music, but I’ve bag lady at the bus stop, this is
always been happy. And I think about a young, attractive woman
now I’m not only happy, I’m with lots of friends and family too,
content. It’s another thing, to be “When you have massive organisations who for whatever reason was not
content with your life and no like Spotify actively ignoring rock music, missed. If you live on your own it’s
longer striving all the time to be very easy to start asking yourself:
somewhere different.” as they admit they do, it is a problem.” “If I didn’t reach out to any of my
family, or my friends, or I didn’t
After years of keeping your personal life under The people I grew up really admiring were people update my status on social media, how long would
wraps, how did it feel to share news of your nuptials like David Bowie, Kate Bush and Frank Zappa, and it be before somebody got worried about me?”
on social media? when you bought the new record you didn’t know
To be honest, a lot of that was partly the choice what you were going to get. That was one of the You’ve become more comfortable being up front, to
of my previous partner, who was a very private frustrations I had towards the end of Porcupine the point of having your face on the cover of To The
person. Rotem is still very private, but not as much, Tree: we were painting ourselves into a corner. Bone, appearing on BBC breakfast TV… How
and I think we felt like it was a very special day for A very productive corner, but sometimes that’s have you found the pop-star experience?
both of us and wanted to share it. But I’m still not what the wider world doesn’t necessarily see. Your When I was thirteen or fourteen years old I wanted
the kind of person who’s going to post pictures of fan base, they’ve walked through the door into to be a pop star, even though I had none of the
myself doing the laundry or anything. your world, and whatever that album was when qualifications. Ultimately, to be a pop star you have
they discovered you, they want to recapture that to naturally be a narcissist. I’m not really, but I like
With Porcupine Tree put to bed by 2010, this was feeling, time and time again. to be the centre of attention on stage now. In the
the decade in which you really became a solo artist. early days of my solo career I would do anything
How would you describe your head-space at the Well, in terms of records that generated these to deflect attention away from me, which is partly
start of all that? kinds of expectations, The Raven That Refused why all the big visuals started to develop. And I’ve
That’s a good question. I think the transition To Sing (And Other Stories) was a landmark. learned to enjoy it, because I’ve understood that
from being in a band that was fairly well known, How does a love letter to classic prog tap in to such the people that come to my shows are on my side.
just beginning to play big venues, taking a step a zeitgeist in 2013? I began to realise that one of the things I could

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