Claudia Richter, Photos/Layout: Claudia Richter
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No Fear of a blank interview By Uwe Häberle And Claudia Richter, Photos/Layout: Claudia Richter During the „Fear of a blank planet“ autumn tour 2007 Steven Wilson was ready to answer the questions of the editors from www.Voyage-PT.de on 13th Novem- ber 2007 at the „LKA“ in Stuttgart, despite the fact that there is no massive promotion effect for the band to be expected from a fan website as e.g. from re- spective music magazines or radio stations. Mr. Wilson presented himself as a deeply grateful conversational partner. And if he enjoyed the questions than the coverage of his answers exceeded the questions many times over. Steven allo- wed fascinating insights into his intellectual world, which significantly influences his creativity. And en passant he proved that he still is a down-to-earth person. There is probably nothing a blank planet“ tour in au- take several pictures. Our Well prepared we came on better for a diehard Porcu- tumn 2007 we retried our main goal was to conduct the dot to the „LKA“ to fire pine Tree fan (beside the miss out chance again and an interview that steps be- our questions at Steven. live events of course ) as to started a new inquiry at the yond the usual questions Not an easy undertaking, ask Steven Wilson exactly record label „Roadrunner“. and that addresses as- as it all causes a great those questions that you „Roadrunner“ arranged pects on which Steven, in excitement on ourselves always wanted to ask. Du- an interview appointment our humble opinion, never that we had to keep under ring the Blackfield tour in on the 13th of November commented on. We didn‘t control during the inter- February 2007 we already 2007 at the „LKA“ in Stutt- want a boring, cookie-cut- view. But Steven with his got the offer to interview gart where the band should ter interview; we wanted open minded and friendly Steven in Bochum, but due perform at the same eve- to engage Steven into an nature made it very easy to the circumstances of ning. We obtained a 30 inspiring talk. We wanted for us right from the start. the time we couldn‘t rea- minutes time frame to dis- that he also has fun with Our worries had vanished lize it. During the „Fear of pose our questions and to the interview. and we could focus on the Page 1 /// www.Voyage-PT.de - This Trip IS Really Necessary! /// interview. And Steven was And I.E.M. Any plans for a very talkative. Finally we new release? handed over a Voyage PT T-shirt to him which was SW: No, I´ve done anything specially designed for this with that for a long time. occasion and which he ac- No plans for that, but new cepted joyfully. things. And our most important ex- Can you give us some de- perience on this afternoon tails? was: if Steven has to have a say than in all detailed- SW: My first solo album is ness and at full length. For- the main thing I´m gonna tunately we were allowed work on in the new year. to record the whole thing I´ve got a lot of songs on a MP3 device becau- which I´ve not been able to se we were not be able to place with any of the other projects over the last four, write everything down fast five years. Some of which enough as the answers you can hear if you go to bluster out of Steven. And my MySpace Page, e.g. we gained a lot of thrilling Collecting space. And so fi- answers. Answers that we nally I´m gonna put all tho- didn‘t expected in such a se together probably on a way. Answers that reve- double CD and that will be aled us further facets of my major project for early the person Steven Wilson. next year. Along with a new Answers those were worth No-Man record which is to be read ... about half way written and Tim and myself will finish that off as well over the V-PT: You can choose your first part of 2008. It´s lots first question: envelope 1 happening, I´m not slackly. or envelope 2? I love both. And it´s like And the other projects Don‘t worry! trying to pick one of your from you, e.g. Bass Com- SW: Oh, wow, all the que- favourite children. In a way munion? The new album Okay, because we´ve heard stions are in that envelo- you can‘t. I guess I love all was delayed to January? some rumours that you will pes, aren´t they? Are the- animals. But I have a parti- make a rest, that you want se your questions? Where cular fondness for dogs be- SW: Yes, it all has to do to relax next year? are these questions from? cause I grew up with dogs. with packaging because From fans? that album was finished SW: Well I do. My idea of We heard some rumours in July of last year. I delivered relaxing is not the same as We both developed this in- the fan community about this the record company everyone elses´s. The main terview together. a new Porcupine Tree live but it has taken us so long thing is to take a break album from the “Fear of a to get the packaging rights. from touring because tou- SW: Ah, okay, so these are blank planet”-Tour. It‘s quite a special little pa- ring is kind of the most dis- all surprises! ckage and finally I believe ruptive thing to a personal SW: We are recording vari- they came back from the life because your not home. No, only the first question. ous shows across the tour factory this week. So, they I can´t write songs on the You can choose only the and we are hoping to put gonna be released official- road. I´ve tried, it´s very first one. together quite a nice pa- ly in the first part of Janu- hard, it´s not a very inspi- ckage next year as a basic ary 2008. ring context to write songs. SW opens an envelope and representation, as a docu- In order to write songs, to reads the question loud: ment of this tour. It might have a personal life, to do What is your favourite ani- even still yet end up being a all those things, to make mal? DVD, but if not a DVD than I cant´t write my music and to meet at the very least an audio people I have to be home. Well, that´s a very hard album. We haven´t filmed songs on the The main thing next years question to answer becau- any shows. It was still tal- is pretty much no touring. se I´m vegetarian, I love king about filming maybe road We probably do a trip to Ja- all animals really and I´m on one of the shows on this pan, to Australia in spring an animal lover. I grew up tour. So, some kind of live because we haven´t been with cats and with dogs. document of this tour, yes. there at this tour. But apart Page 2 /// www.Voyage-PT.de - This Trip IS Really Necessary! /// from that you won´t see us step for me. It took me on the road the next year. many years really to ac- cept that I was a singer. Could you describe a typi- Somebody said to me: “Oh cal Steven Wilson working you´re a singer” - I ans- day when you record an al- wered “No, I write songs, bum? Do you have a tight I‘m not a singer” - “But you schedule? sing” - “Yeah but I´m not a singer.” The same thing is SW: No. I´m very relaxed true with the guitar thing really, I don´t, because my as well. When people talk working method in terms about me as a guitar pla- of writing and recording is yer, I´m not a guitar pla- now the same. Apart from yer. Porcupine Tree, because it´s a band, there is no di- I love your guitar playing! stinction between the wri- ting and the recording when SW: I appreciate that but it´s just my own music, like I´m not a guitar player, I´m Bass Communion, IEM or a songwriter, producer that my solo project. I´m in the plays the guitar and sings studio, I´m writing and as as part of the process. I´m I´m writing I´m putting the a songwriter, producer that recording down. It´s all part uses guitar and voice as of the same process. two of the tools in order to achieve that vision of ma- I still have a studio at my king records. Recently I´m parents house which is just beginning to comes to about 30 Miles away from terms with that I have got where I live in London. something special about Each day I wake up the late my voice and my guitar morning usually and I drive playing. Maybe I should to my studio and I start And then suddenly on day On the “Fear of a blank pla- give myself a little bit more work at 1 or 2 o´clock in 15 or whatever something net” album and the new credit and confidence for the afternoon and I don´t will click and a song come “Nil Recurring” album we being a singer.