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- Eclipse Magazine, USA - February 2001

- US Expose magazine interview with Steven Wilson

- US Expose magazine interview with Richard Barbieri

- Voyage 35 interview with Steven Wilson (2000)

- Classic Rock Society Magazine - June 2000

- Voyage 35 interview with Steven Wilson (1998)

- Voyage 35 interview with Steven Wilson (1996)

- Record Collector November 1996, issue 207

Eclipse Magazine, USA - February 2001

Edited version of an interview with SW printed in US metal magazine Eclipse, issues 5 and 6,

By Chris Dick

We put Porcupine Tree on DigitalMetal for a variety of reasons. One of the most important is that Porcupine Tree's music, like Opeth¹s, incorporates decades of influence into one solid, profound expression. We got a chance to hear some demos for the band¹s upcoming album, which so far is one of the best rock albums we've heard in ages ; it's moving, expansive, borderless.

So, now for a bit of explanation :

England's Porcupine Tree have been jamming their brand of experimental rock for the better part of 10 years. Within that decade, the Tree, founded by the illegally prolific Steven Wilson (I.E.M.), have defied the preconceptions of progressive rock and pulled the genre's parameters in almost every direction; much to the dismay of purists who maintain rock that falls under the category 'progressive' must adhere to strict guidelines. Porcupine Tree fell (intentionally) off the map and started charting their own course by their own rules - or lack thereof. Not to say the music of Porcupine Tree is the rock equivalent of improvised jazz. Not even close. In fact, over the band's numerous critically acclaimed albums, the Wilson-led Tree have plied pop sensibilities into their amorphous framework, creating a 360 degree, multi-dimensional musical vista where the moon and sun play cosmic chess with one another. Porcupine Tree's newest album, Lightbulb Sun, is by far their most filmic yet; the album's songs transcend mere picturesque rock music. Don't be fooled by the melodious beauty that surrounds much of the band's work. Inside, there's a strain of darkness, an edge that cuts imperceptibly. Therein lies the force that drives Wilson's honeyed melodies past mundane love songs and into the stratosphere of reality, where experiences are real and, furthermore, personal. DigitalMetal and Steven Wilson invite you to fall off your map.

Since you're speaking primarily to a metal audience, please tell our readership about the evolution of Porcupine Tree and, furthermore, how you found Maitland, Barbieri, and Edwin?

Ok, well the band started out in the late 80's as a solo, studio-based project. I was in other bands at the time, but PT was a vehicle for exploring the other influences I wasn't able to explore in my other projects; namely my interest in psychedelic music and progressive music from the late 60's and early 70's. Initially, I started making recordings in my own studio just for fun, but as with many things that start out as a bit of fun, somewhere along the way people started to take it seriously. I found I had a record deal with a small label based in England called Delerium Records. The first thing that came out was a very small, low-key release double album on vinyl of the best music I'd been making at home. It was pure self-indulgence, but it started a slow burn as I found that I had something that people liked and were interested in. So very early on, I decided there was no point continuing with it unless I made it contemporary; unless I made it as important to bring in modern influences, inspirations and sounds, whilst continuing the basic premise of drawing from psychedelic and progressive music. From that point on it became a very gradual building process. Later, around the time of the second and third album, I realised I had to go and play live if I wanted it to continue to build. And that was the point the other musicians became involved. Initially, it was just to play the existing music, but once we played live we all enjoyed the experience so much that we became a proper living, breathing, four-headed democratic band unit. We have made three albums since then and it continues to build.

So, the first full-length with the four of you was Sky Moves Sideways?

Well, there was a transition period, which encompassed the Sky Moves Sideways album, which is half solo, half band. I kind of think of that as a solo record, although the band were coming in at the end of the sessions. So for me the first real band album is Signify.

Going back to the first full-length, On the Sunday of Life, you were already experimenting with pop sensibilities, especially "Jupiter Island." However, as each album progressed it got darker and darker then moved back to the pop ideas on Stupid Dream. The new album seems like a mixture of both.

Yeah, Lightbulb Sun is a very introspective album. It's dark in a superficial way, but there are some beautiful and light moments on the record too. Certainly lyrically and subject-wise it's an introspective, dark record. As you know because you heard some of the new demos it's moving further towards a darker, edgier sound. The thing about Porcupine Tree is that it's always evolved from album to album, and there's never been one album that has sounded like the previous one. And that's been one of our greatest strengths and also one of our greatest weaknesses, because every time we make an album we tend to lose some of the audience we acquired previously because we don't stand still. I can't do that - I'm very impatient. I move on very quickly in terms of the kind of music I like to make. For me, we've got to the stage now where we have a fanbase who expect us to change. It's been quite hard to build up that kind of following because most people tend to like a certain type of music and don't move greatly from that. But I think there is more of an audience in 2001 that's appreciating sophisticated music in all it¹s forms. So, they can be listening to anything from Morbid Angel to Porcupine Tree to Portishead - whatever! There seems to be more diversity in people's listening tastes at the moment. I certainly hope that's true.

The general trend seems go in that direction. In a way, heavy music fans have been synching up with Porcupine Tree. It's just been smaller numbers, which, of course, doesn't equate to obvious commercial success.

Yeah, I've seen the gap between PT and the metal scene really narrow. Over the last 18 months I've been getting invites from a lot of extreme metal bands to produce and work with them. I'm constantly astonished that these bands love what we do. Similarly, on my side, I'm listening to a lot of metal stuff, and people are amazed that I do. So, it's kind of a two-way thing. It's symptomatic of the fact that the barrier between the various genres of rock music are breaking down a little bit. And there's respect for the different genres.

I think that you helping Opeth to find different sounds in their music surprised a lot of metalheads. Realistically, the fans of that band know they self-produce and they're curious to know who this new guy is. In general, people that listen to more adventurous types of extreme music are a little more open to change.

I think it works really well. I know people who were really sceptical when they found out I was going to be working with them. They thought I was going to water-down their sound - they wouldn't be metal enough. What they didn't know is that I was pushing them to be heavier all the time and they were pushing me to do the more textured things! For me, if music is going to move forward and progress, it's important that this cross-pollination starts to happen. It's been great to work with a band like Opeth because it's really influenced my music to go in a heavier, darker direction. I gave a textured, sophisticated production element to their sound and I think it works. The gap between the two is narrowing and maybe something completely new will come out of that fusion.

It's not like you were never heavy before. Signify is certainly heavy.

I've always loved really heavy riffs, but I was never really impressed with metal music until the mid-90's. It became something more to my taste. It became more sophisticated, more ambitious and less formulaic. People call us progressive and a lot of other bands progressive, but I reckon the real progressive bands right now are from the extreme music genre. I got heavily into the whole thing - it reached a new level of sophistication, which appealed to me. It was less about visceral noise and energy; it was as much about progressive and psychedelic music as it was about Black Sabbath and Slayer. I appreciated that and I saw a great affinity with that to what we were doing. We were coming at it from slightly different direction. Obviously, there's a different blend of ingredients in our music, but basically the principles are the same. We are as much influenced by the Beatles as we are by Black Sabbath. All those things get mixed up in a different way, but the fundamentals are still the same.

I don't think Porcupine Tree were ever too accessible. You've always blended the pop elements of the Beatles with the psychedelic traits of Pink Floyd. The end of the "Moonloop" has an aggressive burst at the end. It seems like you signalled heavier times to come with that. Is "Cut Ribbon" the follow-up to that?

I suppose so. Yeah, I'd say the end of "Moonloop" is influenced by King Crimson, more so than anyone else. I always see King Crimson as forerunners - almost the way Black Sabbath is the forerunner to the extreme, complex metal scene. King Crimson had these incredibly grinding, atonal riffs. I wasn't listening to a lot of metal then, but I am now, so it's all going into the melting pot. The ingredients are starting to blend in a way that I hope is uniquely Porcupine Tree whilst obviously having more inspiration from the metal scene. "Cut Ribbon" was my first attempt to try and blend those elements in a way that was still indisputably Porcupine Tree.

The double bass hits you unexpectedly. I can only imagine what it's going to sound like sonically when the material is professionally produced.

Hopefully, it will be huge. I can't do the death metal vocals and I wouldn't want to anyway. For me that would be taking too many of the clichés for comfort. What I've done is take elements from what I like from the metal scene and combine them with my own vocal style. It was hard search to come up with the right fusion, but I think I've found it.

I know you've played it to the other members, right? It's distinctly a different style of playing than, say, "Piano Lessons".

The last two records were the two records with the pop sensibility and I feel we've done that now and it's time for something else. All four of us feel it is time for something else. There's no reason why we couldn't make a record in a few years time that had the same pop sensibilities as the last two, but for now, everyone is committed to a darker, edgier record.

I thought I read on your website [www.porcupinetree.com] that you were moving in this direction. That was before I learned that you were approached to do the Opeth record.

It all came together at the same time. The reason I wanted to produce Opeth was because I was exploring that kind of music already. Opeth is the kind of band, I'm sure you'll agree, you would never come across in the mainstream. You have to be looking in the right places to come across them. The fact that I produced Opeth is indicative of the fact that I ensconced myself in the extreme metal scene. I have to be honest, a lot of bands I've heard from that scene are bands you could only like if you just couldn¹t get enough of that kind of music. For me it's a question of finding the exceptional bands and Opeth was a band that totally blew me away: great melodies, grinding riffs, great musicianship and great songwriting. I thought, "Oh, my god. This band is far too good and all I can do is ruin them by offering to produce their record!" It obviously backfired horribly [laughs]. I think we've made one of the best metal records ever.

It has that Court of the Crimson King atmosphere to it.

Yeah, absolutely. It just seems everything came together really well. The influence I had on the production has worked better than I expected. Doing that record has had a very symbiotic effect as it's come back into the music of Porcupine Tree as well; it gave me an insight into how those guys work.

The antithesis of that is "Imogen Slaughter." That track has this very Beach Boys vocal harmony to it with a sludgy guitar riff.

This is it! This is where it really gets interesting for me. I love the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson is one of my great influences. I don't want to lose that element of Porcupine Tree. So, you bring in the metal element and you're fusing things that should never go together. And, yet, if you can find a way to make them gel and make them work, ultimately you create something original. That's always been the case for me. I've searched a lot to find people that have the same kind of eclecticism and diversity to their influences and tastes; I've not found many people - I don't think there are many people. I'm not being arrogant as it's neither a good or band thing. It's just the way I am. I listen to everything from the Carpenters to Andy Williams to Morbid Angel to Opeth, and everything in-between. For me, musically, when I sit down to write music, very naturally, organically all these influences and ingredients mix up together. If you describe that mix on paper you'd think it's never going to work. I think it does work.

Porcupine Tree has solved that equation for the better part of your career. There's this amalgam of pop, psychedelic and metal that's never easy to describe. Like "Hatesong," for instance. It's very light and airy, but the lyrics are somewhat negative. At least to the pop world.

It's not something that happens consciously. It happens organically. It's an extension of the influences of the band. Lyrically, the one thing that disappoints me about metal is the lyrics are usually versed in cliché. The thing that surprised me about Mike's lyrics was that they subscribe to the blueprint of Black Sabbath's first album; everything had a dark image and didn't have to mean anything. I try to make my lyrics very personal and really mean something. Metal bands tend not to write from a personal perspective. They write about more abstract concepts. So again that's something else that's very different that you don't see in experimental rock music. Actually, we did lose some fans simply because some people find my lyrics too personal now. They'd rather me write about abstract concepts like nuclear war or science fiction. Those are the staples that people who make progressive and psychedelic music are supposed to write about. Obviously, there are exceptions. Roger Waters wrote very personal, very direct lyrics and he's a much stronger influence on me. There's more influence lyrically and musically from my personal life, or from films I've seen, books I've read and from the lives of my friends, as there is directly from other music.

Now that you mention film, every new Porcupine Tree is a different cinematic journey. Each album conjures up what I like to call, 'audio movies.' The "Piano Lessons" video is the first video I've seen and it kind of takes away from the mental picture the song created for you in the first place.

I do follow you and unfortunately it's been a bit of a hindrance for us. The opportunity to make a video is great, but of course the only real reason to make a video is in the hope that it will act as a promotional tool. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot, because we didn't want to make a standard, cheesy video that MTV would like. We made something that is surreal, dark and very much an extension of the music and the band's records. So of course we find it really hard to get it shown because it's too strange and dark. But you just have to keep on doing your thing.

Porcupine Tree, in a sense, proves that theory because we've been going for six years as a band and although our record sales have never gone through the roof, we've steadily built and built and we haven't fed off the back of any genre or scene or any other bands. We've created our own audience and not catered to anyone else's audience. In doing that, what we have is much more loyal audience and one that expects us to change and continue to evolve. We will try to throw in a curve ball, not do the obvious thing. "Piano Lessons" is about as commercial as we've ever got, but it's still too strange to get played on the radio. So be it. I can't help that.

Is "Four Chords that Made A Million" representative of that? It's the most obvious example, lyrically, of what you described above.

Indeed. We had a lot of major label interest about two years ago when we had the "Stupid Dream" demos. We took them around, but they just don't get it at all. There's always the cliché that major record companies are only interested in obviously commercial stuff. You think, "Maybe, that's just a myth." Well, it is true. They just don't get it. At the end of the day, the worst thing we could have possibly have done is sign to a major label, deliver Stupid Dream and have them not release it. We'd still be sitting here three or four years later still arguing with them to put the record out. I've seen that happen to friends of mine - they sign to a big label, deliver a record and the record company refuses to release it, cos it doesn¹t have a "hit" on it. For me, that's not why I started making music. I started making music because I wanted to make records. I've made 20 records in nine years. That's pretty prolific. I do lots of different projects. I didn't sit down to say, "I wanna sell a million records. I wanna make an album every six years." I'm quite happy to put out a lot of records, and if none of them sell, so be it. It's what my life is about - making music. Having that kind of attitude, you discover there are people out there that feel the same way. We've built up a following that's not interested in the commercial mainstream of music. It's hard to get to those people. Obviously, without the promotional clout of a major label and visibility it's hard. God knows, every day bands get the benefit of that and get in everyone's face, but I just don¹t feel they have the talent to be worth that. It is frustrating because if Porcupine Tree just had a fraction of that... In the days when we used to get compared to Pink Floyd all the time, I used to think that if people had the chance to hear Signify and the Division Bell the majority of them would have preferred to buy Signify. I think it's a superior record, and there's the frustration. We're not the only band to have that frustration, but I think what I'm saying is that our music does have the potential for a mainstream, cross-over appeal unlike, perhaps, Opeth's music. On the other hand, perhaps I'm glad we haven't had that major company push because it may have had too much effect on the politics and music of the band.

It's boggling to me how a band like Porcupine Tree who write pop songs when bands like Radiohead can put out a record like Kid A to mass acclaim.

They're not the first mainstream band in rock history to release a 'weird' album. The first thing to say about Radiohead is that they would never have got a major record deal if OK Computer had been their first album. I think we can agree on that. They basically paid their dues. They started out as a fairly mundane British indie rock band, had one fantastic song on their first album which made them internationally famous, and that gave them the platform to explore musical areas that major labels are not normally prepared to tolerate. They've done that well, and it's admirable they've done that. However, it's important to recognise the way major record labels work is like this: a band like Radiohead come along, have a huge success and Mr. Record Company/A&R man thinks to himself, "Hey, here's a band that sounds quite strange and yet they're selling millions of records." At that point, he should say, "Lets go out and find other bands that are completely unique and have their own ideas." But he doesn't say that. What he says is, "Let's go sign a band that sounds *exactly* like Radiohead". What they really want is a watered down Radiohead or Jeff Buckley. When a band like Radiohead are successful, it doesn't open up the floodgates for lots of other unique bands to come through. All it does is open up the floodgates for lots of copycat bands to come through and that's the tragedy.

Well, when you really get down to it people really just want different flavours of Coke.

That seems to be case. People like what they know and it takes time to re-educate them into liking what they're not expecting to like.

I'm guilty of that myself. I have musical parameters that I rarely venture out of, and it takes strong recommendation by a 'trusted' friend for me to be adventurous. That does change as you grow older and meet new people.

Yeah, I guess we all have musical parameters. I like stuff now that I used to hate on principle. When I was 15, if you would have told me I would be a massive Frank Sinatra fan I would have laughed in your face. I think some people's tastes have a tendency to arrest at a certain age, but other people continue to develop their taste, so fortunately we're not all gonna end up buying Whitney Houston records! I think some people always maintain their thirst for something unique, something original, and something a little bit different. At the end of the day, there are only so many heavy metal records you can listen to before you start to think, "There must be something more out there."

Going back to when you were growing up. What were the factors that pushed you in this direction musically? Now that you're listening to Sinatra records, is it something you're picking up from your parents?

Not really, no, although my parents did have Sinatra albums. I grew up in the mid to late 80's and that was a very bad time for contemporary music. The 80's was a horrible decade for music! It was very much dominated by the major labels. Everything became very plastic. If you were a teenager in the 80's, you tended to look back, and I found the music of the 60's and 70's. I listened to the Beatles, the Doors, and some of the German bands like Can, some of the progressive bands like King Crimson and Tangerine Dream. It seemed to me to be incredibly ambitious and special music. Ultimately, in doing that I acquired these, as you say, "musical parameters". I had my parameters and if a track was under 4 minutes long it couldn't be any good. I went through that in my late teens, and I grew out of it. One of the things I really missed was people who were capable of writing melodies that could destroy you with their beauty. I found people like Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Frank Sinatra, the Carpenters - some of the melodies were so devastatingly beautiful. I realised what I had been missing. That happened in the early 90's, and I'm still coming across things I dismissed for years. I'm amazed by the beauty of some of this music.

Where do you think it all went wrong from the musical exploration of the 60's and 70's to the plastic, shrink-wrapped music of the 80's? When did it end, and why?

One theory I could put forward is that for a time punk killed that level of experimentation. It became very unfashionable to play ambitious rock music. I suppose the 80's as a decade was a period of self-indulgence, selfishness, but from a superficial perspective not a musical perspective. So, it was all about how expensive your video could be, how big your drum sound could be, how big your hair could be; it was not about how ambitious your music could be. What changed that was two things: firstly, in the early 90's, the emergence of bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and the grunge scene made people realise they missed honesty and unpretentiousness in music. The image was irrelevant. Almost overnight you saw the collapse of great untouchable icons like Prince, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen, and the re-emergence of music that was real. The other important thing that happened around the beginning of the 90's was the massive advance in the recording technology you could buy for your money in order to record at home. Certainly it gave me the opportunity to put together my own studio and record albums for next to no money in my bedroom, that sounded as good as those that major labels were putting out. We still record a lot of music at home. Lightbulb Sun was recorded for a very small budget relative to most major label releases, and yet I think it sounds better than many major label releases. And that's really down to the fact that the technology is available now to make records that sound as good as anybody's records for a fraction of the cost. Those are the two main things that changed music in the 90's for the better.

Do you still feel like a kid in a candy store when you go to record new material? Any one song on Porcupine Tree record always has different instruments used to achieve the sound(s).

Yeah. I do. For me, every track is like a challenge to come up with a new sound world for that track to inhabit. That's one thing I don't like about the metal scene; perhaps a same-y-ness to a lot of records. With Porcupine Tree and certainly what I tried to do with Opeth is to give every track its own identity - its own personality - so you feel like you've been on a journey. You've been through many different terrains, many different landscapes. Every time I sit down to write a new record I try to go out and buy some new instruments. On the last record, Lightbulb Sun, I went out and bought a banjo and hammered dulcimer. They crop up on couple of tracks, and they do tend to give you an inspirational spark, which can set you off in a different direction.

It's healthy for musicians to explore different instruments from different parts of the world. To hear exotic instruments played by a Westerner is a bit misleading, but it at least gives you some picture of the tonal range. It's a bit different, but when people first heard Ravi Shankar on a Beatles record, I'm sure they didn't quite know what to think of it.

Absolutely. I think things like these can give an album so much more depth. I remember when I first heard Sepultura's Roots. I thought, "My God, this music has really moved on. It's not just hateful music in order for 15-year-olds to rage against their parents anymore! This is really quite special." They combined metal with music from their own culture, and that's what I like in music. I like bands that have a hook into something that means they are not just regurgitating their own record collections. There¹s something from their own culture, their own personality that really sets them apart.

Now that you've produced Opeth, how do you think Opeth fits into that idea? Realistically, they're not writing from the folk end of their culture.

No, they're not. The good thing about Mike is that there's a lot of influences in there other than just metal. That's what keeps it sophisticated. Knowing Mike as a I do, metal isn't his favourite music at all. It's 70's progressive music and that kind of stuff. At the end of the day, I think I could tell that from the music even before I worked with him. There's a much greater sense of musicality and sophistication in Opeth than there is in most metal bands. I've seen them called progressive metal, which I guess is a fair description. Also, Mike isn't afraid of melodic singing. There are a lot these metal bands that are probably not able to make that jump from death vocals to melodic vocals. Mike does that effortlessly. I think he's got a great melodic voice and he's got a great death voice. And, for me, those are two of the things that set Opeth apart and make them so distinctive.

I'll agree with you on every point. There are other bands out there that convey metal with the same sensitivity for tone colour and overall dynamic. Of course, most bands into other bands rarely speak quite like Opeth about their influences.

Quite recently we've become more of a musician's band. Mike and the guys in Opeth were fans of PT, but I don't think most of their fanbase had ever heard of us. I've come to find out that some bands in that scene are massively into Porcupine Tree, but probably their fanbase don't know who the hell we are! And it works both ways - I really hope PT fans see that I produced Opeth and decide to check out the record.

To move on to Porcupine Tree again, for the last two records you've released a frustrating amount of singles. Is that a record company decision to release so many different singles?

Well, we make an album without any commercial considerations whatsoever and we deliver it to the label. And the label, quite rightly, say, "How can we promote this the best we can?" Certainly on Stupid Dream, and less so on Lightbulb Sun, there are two or three things that sounded like they could be radio hits: "Piano Lessons," "Pure Narcotic" and "Stranger By the Minute." And so we go into this pattern of releasing singles with radio in mind. Now at that point, if we're going to do that and if we're going to expect our fanbase to buy these singles, let's at the very least put as many out takes and extra tracks we can, across many different formats and give them lots of new music. So, in the end we ended up putting out 11 different formats of five different singles and every one had elsewhere unavailable music. We just got into it, because it was a way to get non-album music out to the fanbase. I think all those things are good in a way because it does encourage the collectibility of the band. When it comes to certain bands, I like to collect everything, and I particularly love bands that put out a lot of records with exclusive and unreleased tracks.

Much to the disadvantage of those without import capability or, as it happens more frequently, a limited budget.

I know. That's what I feel about people who collect Merzbow! Merzbow puts out so many similar records, I have to admit, but people get into the collectible mentality of wanting them all. I don't feel any of the music we've put out has been poor quality - I think it's all good stuff. Sure, we get some fans that complain about us exploiting the fanbase, but I think the opposite is true. I think we're being quite generous. I talked to Mike of Opeth about this: they don't put singles out and they put an album out every two years. So, every time they put out an album, fans have to wait another two years to hear anything more from Opeth. I'd find that a bit frustrating if they were my favourite band. I'd like to see them put out an EP or two in-between, a live album and exclusive tracks. That's part of what being a fan is all about.

When I first bought the limited edition of Four Chords that Made a Million, I was pretty excited to find it. Then, I watched your website list more and more singles. I started to think, "Now, come on. How many are there?"

I think it probably did get a little out of control. I bet you started to get a bit mad when we started doing three different formats? Originally, we did a vinyl format and CD single format, as in the case of Waiting, but the last marketing ploy by the record company was to do two different CDs - one of which would be limited - and a vinyl release. Maybe that got a bit silly. I don't know, but I rarely turn down the opportunity to put new music out. If someone says to me, "You've got another format to fill", then come on!

You've been involved in many projects (No-Man, I.E.M., Bass Communion). At what point, do you realise, "Ok, this is it. The project is finished. Time to release it."

Usually by the time I finish a record I'm totally bored of it. The last time I have to listen to one of my records is when I have to check the mastering, but I rarely go back and listen to the record again. I still haven't listened to my early records since I finished them. Having said that, there are certain songs and recordings that I'm proud of. Usually, they tend to be the ones I've just written. So I'm really pleased with the new demos. In the past, it's tracks like "Stop Swimming" on Stupid Dream, which I¹m really pleased with. Most of the last album I was really happy with: "Shesmovedon," "How is your life today," "Feel So Low," and the song section of "Russia on Ice." The more recent music tends to be my favourite. The Moonloop EP I was really pleased with. I didn't really like the Sky Moves Sideways album, but I thought the Moonloop EP was satisfactory.

I listened to "Stars Die" over and over. It's still quite enchanting to hear.

Yeah. That really should've been on the album - it was on the American version. I made a mistake. I left the best music off the U.K. version.

I think Signify is still one of your best records. I've always really liked the song "Light Mass Prayers." It comes out of nowhere. It's like a sonic ice-floe.

Yeah. I think that's one of the things we left out of the last two albums. I think we're going to try a couple of completely ambient pieces again. They do work quite well, certainly in the context of that album. There are certain aspects we've lost on the last couple of albums that might come back in future and ambient is one of them.

What about the lyrical themes explored by the band. You appear to have a profound, outspoken dislike for Evangelists, organised religion and commercial Christians. Or religious opportunists as I like to call them.

I wouldn't say I have a profound dislike of organised religion, but I have a profound dislike of the exploitation of people. It's something you have a lot in America, these religious cults, and I find that fascinating and sickening in equal measure. I've written a lot of songs about religious cults. These are people that prey on human weakness and insecurity. I really despise those people. I'm always fascinated when I come to America and watch these religious channels. These people are just evil. In my own little way, I suppose it's my way of exposing them for what they are. Of course, I don't think most people who listen to Porcupine Tree records would feel that differently. I think they'd agree with that. The others are just unreachable. You can¹t argue with them, I've tried. They think they're in on some information that you're not party to. It makes me sad and frustrated. There are some Christian fans of Porcupine Tree, and they said to me, "Why do you always diss religion?" But I'm not dissing religion - if it makes you happy and you have a strong faith that's great. In some ways, I'm a spiritual person. I believe that there is a God, but it's something that's within all of us. I don't think it's an external being. I think the Devil is something inside of us all too. We can all believe in the concepts of good and evil and the concepts of God and Devil and I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem with people who turn religion into power, who turn religion into politics. Unfortunately, there's a lot of that.

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US Expose magazine interview with Steven Wilson

Reviewing the Porcupine Tree Discography with...
Steven Wilson
By David Ashcraft

Steven Wilson is one very talented and prolific guy. In addition to being lead guitarist, vocalist, producer and primary composer for Porcupine Tree, Wilson has a number of other projects. He plays in a quirky pop band called No Man, a wild instrumental psychedelic project named IEM (The Incredible Expanding Mindf*ck), the ambient Bass Communion, and also various other production gigs and guest appearances. Clearly Wilson is a very busy fellow. Despite all of the other creative outlets, Wilson's primary focus is Porcupine Tree. With the "band" now having been making music for nearly a decade, and with five studio albums plus numerous other releases to their credit, it seems that a look back at their recorded output is a good idea. Reviewing the Porcupine Tree discography is a true delight as the albums represent some of the best music that has been made during the 90's. The journey through the five studio CD's is also rather exhilarating, as one can watch Wilson (and later on the entire band) progress and grow in leaps and bounds.

Expose had the opportunity to catch up with Steven Wilson during the May/June ten date tour of the US and Canada and asked him about the background behind each of his recordings. Here then, is the inside story of Porcupine Tree...

Our story begins in 1989 with Steven Wilson working at a computer for a large aerospace firm. His paychecks are all invested in building up a home studio set-up that essentially allows him unlimited studio time. Thanks to a record deal with his band No Man, Wilson is able to leave the 9 to 5 world for something far more creative. Meanwhile, as a side project, Wilson started writing and recording songs at a rapid pace while playing all of the instruments himself. As he puts it, "Porcupine Tree started out as a labor of love simply because I had access to the studio equipment". The two 90 minute tapes that he recorded, "Tarquin's Seaweed Farm" and "The Nostalgia Factory", came to the attention of Richard Allen of the psychedelic magazine Freakbeat and he became an instant convert. Allen also founded Delerium Records and his first signing was Porcupine Tree. The reaction to the release of the tapes was very positive and Delerium ultimately asked Wilson to combine the best of the two tapes into a double album (later a single CD) entitled On The Sunday of Life, which came out in 1991.

Cut to Steven Wilson: "The thing that I like about that release is that it is ridiculously diverse". The album does in fact veer from tuneful pop to wild psychedelic excursions with some spacey experimental interludes tossed in for good measure. Wilson pointed out that debut albums are special since there are no preconceptions of the band, and this allows for tremendous freedom regarding future direction. "I've got fond memories of On The Sunday of Life. When I re-mastered it a couple of years ago I still found that I was really enjoying it". The press in the UK was extremely enthusiastic and Wilson suddenly found that a solo project to amuse himself had become more successful than his "real" band, No Man. And thus Porcupine Tree was launched...

Wilson had plans to follow up his first release with another double album, but Allen asked him to split up the material for release since double albums are notoriously difficult to market. The first piece that came out in late 1992 was a thirty minute CD single entitled Voyage 34 which shocked many people due to the shift in mood from the first album. An aural depiction of an acid trip, Voyage 34 combined Orb-influenced electronics with Porcupine Tree's fluid guitar style and rock direction. The result was a mind-blowing track that became an indie smash hit and really brought Porcupine Tree into the public awareness. The track has aged well and in fact was played live during the recent tour. It will be re-released shortly in both the original as well as re-mixed versions for those who missed it the first time around.

The next CD release was 1993's Up The Downstair, with the title coming from the 60's era documentary on LSD that had been sampled in Voyage 34. Wilson describes the album as "a consolidation of what Porcupine Tree were going to be about", and "the first cohesive Porcupine Tree statement". The album clearly showcased Wilson's rapidly evolving songwriting skills as well as his searing, effects-laden lead guitar. The result was a disc with a wide variety of styles from melodic acoustic tunes to space rock to even a few elements of trance. Wilson considers the album to "have some good songs on it" while maintaining "kind of a dreamy psychedelic feel". His only regret is that the production isn't quite up to his later standards since "I was playing all of the instruments myself and having to rely on things like drum machines more than I would have liked". The album also marked the first appearance (on one track each) of ex-Japan keyboard player Richard Barbieri and old school mate Colin Edwin on bass. This was to foreshadow the formation of the actual band two albums later.

The next Porcupine Tree release (in 1995) was a ground-breaking effort that brought a new audience to the band but also saddled Wilson with baggage that he is still trying to rid himself of to this day. The "problem" was that The Sky Moves Sideways contained a 35 minute suite, soaring guitar solos, and some blissed-out music with multiple allusions to space. This resulted in countless comparisons to Pink Floyd, and even Wilson concedes that "the Floyd influence is pretty heavily ingrained" and that the album was "veering dangerously close to the Floyd blueprint". In reality it is far better than anything that Pink Floyd have recorded since The Wall and is a true classic. The album takes the listener on a 65 minute journey through space but is also grounded with some superb songs such as "Stars Die" and the smoldering instrumental, "Moonloop". By the way, the former track was left off the UK version of the album (Wilson calls it "the biggest mistake I've ever made") so you should search out the US version. Wilson comments on the success of the two tracks mentioned above: "I don't think that it's coincidental that they were the first two pieces where I used real drums and other musicians". The interaction of the quartet (with drummer Chris Maitland) convinced Wilson to form a band both for playing the music live and also for the recording of subsequent albums. The direction for future recordings would also take a decidedly non-Floydian direction since Wilson has said "I hate the idea that I'm living in the shadow of someone else". As he puts it, "ever since then with the band we've made it our mission to try and be as original as we possibly could be and transcend influences so that people just start talking about Porcupine Tree".

Signify was released in 1996 and in many ways is a transitional record. While it is the first Porcupine Tree album to feature a group, it essentially placed Barbieri, Edwin, and Maitland in the role of session musicians. As Wilson put it: "I'd written all the songs, I'd demo'd all the songs, and they were just replacing my parts almost". Despite the lack of arranging or compositional input from the band Signify is a strong release with some great songs. "I think that there are some of the best pieces we've ever done on that record" muses Wilson. He is referring to "Every Home Is Wired" and "Waiting" in particular which he views as establishing a "sound" that is unique to Porcupine Tree. The album is transitional in the sense that Wilson was "getting more interested in singing and good songs, and less interested in long drawn-out spacey instrumentals". As such it is a perfect link to his most recent work.

It became clear that as Porcupine Tree kept evolving that they would eventually outgrow Delerium Records. It was a mutual parting since the label simply couldn't afford the type of studio budget that the band required. Wilson's parting gift to Delerium in 1997 was the live album, Coma Divine, which was recorded during a three night stand in Rome (one of the several European cities where Porcupine Tree had grown quite popular). The album features material from all four studio releases with versions of "Radioactive Toy" and "Not Beautiful Anymore" that develop into powerful extended jams. As Wilson puts it, "many of the versions of the songs are incredibly different, with much more dynamic". It is an outstanding record and an excellent document of the strength of the band as a performing unit. As anyone who has seen the band can attest, they are extremely powerful in concert and they do complete justice to the studio versions, often improving upon them in the process.

The band's 1999 release is entitled Stupid Dream, and it is quite possibly the best album that they've ever done. It is absolutely jam-packed with tremendous songs, superb instrumental excursions, and it features crystalline production. It is also very consistent from track to track and even features three tracks with serious radio potential (the warped pop of "Piano Lessons", and haunting beauty of "Pure Narcotic", and the shimmering aura of "Stranger By The Minute"). As Wilson puts it, "Stupid Dream is the culmination of working towards getting the group sound for the first time, and with songs that I'm really proud of". He acknowledges that the album contains several pieces that are more straight-forward pop songs and notes: "the best albums for me fuse great song-writing, experimental production, and good playing. They stand the test of time". While Wilson's tunes have a great sense of melody and addictive hooks, they are also filled with loads of subversive psychedelic touches that make them successful on multiple levels. Wilson has gone for the "classic, timeless sounds of Hammond organ and strictly analog keyboards on the new CD since digital synthesizers tend to date things rather badly". The guitar playing on the new release (and in fact all of the Porcupine Tree releases) is also deserving of special recognition. Wilson consistently delivers majestic, inventive, and melodic yet intense solos that to many listeners are somewhat reminiscent of David Gilmour's playing. Wilson's actual influences are early Peter Green, Robert Fripp, and Hendrix, but he has certainly assimilated and transcended these influences to arrive at his own distinct style. If you are interested in hearing consistently superb guitar playing you owe it to yourself to check out Porcupine Tree!

Where can we expect the unpredictable Wilson to head next? As he states: "I never set out to make a left field turn-it's only when the album is released that the fans tell ME that there has been a change in direction!". The next Porcupine Tree album is already two- thirds written and it should contain at least three tracks that are over ten minutes long as well as a number of shorter pieces. Wilson plans on bringing in other musical colors just as he did with the excellent flute and sax contributions from British jazzer Theo Travis on Stupid Dream. "I want to do loads and loads more of that such as dulcimer, banjo, orchestra, and some of Colin's ethnic instruments". Wilson has enlisted Dave Gregory of XTC for some string arrangements and the album could come out as soon as Spring.

Porcupine Tree is a truly great band with a very strong back catalog that is well worth exploring (there will be a double CD compilation out soon on Delerium with lots of rare stuff as well as studio material). The band has absorbed and transcended their influences. As Wilson says, "we're as influenced by what we've done in the past as we are by other musicians". They are now on the forefront of a movement that continues to progress while maintaining some of the best elements of 60's and 70's psychedelic rock. If you haven't yet discovered them, the time is now!

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US Expose magazine interview with Richard Barbieri

Another Limb off the Porcupine Tree: ExposÈ speaks to Richard Barbieri: Analog! Keyboardist for Porcupine Tree. Interview by Jeff Melton

Jon Davis and I originally planned to speak Richard during his sound check at Progfest 1999 in San Francisco, but unfortunately it was not to be. We collected our best questions together and sat waiting patiently to get the go ahead after a few hours of delay. The keyboardist was experiencing severe technical difficulties which found us re-scheduling our conversation at a later date. Undaunted, we finally conducted the interview via e-mail. Special Thanks to Veronique and Richard from Delirium.

ExposÈ: In reference to the equipment problems you had in San Francisco, Steven Wilson described you as an "analog purist." Could you explain this? What are your thoughts about new digital technology?

Barbieri: "Realizing at an early age that I was never going to be a technically gifted keyboardist led me to experimenting with synthesizers. Sounds became more important than the notes on the keyboard and I developed an approach that set me apart from other keyboard players. Apart from preferring the sound of analog to digital, I like the physical interaction that comes with playing and programming as opposed to working with numbers on a screen and scrolling through pages of parameter settings. There's nearly always somebody working in the studio working with digital technology so I feel my approach adds another dimension to the overall sound, another option if you like."

How did you come to be involved with Porcupine Tree?

I worked in the studio and live with NOMAN (Steve's other project) in the early nineties. Steven asked me to contribute to "Up the Downstairs" and from that point I became more and more involved with Porcupine Tree."

Steven Wilson has said that with Porcupine Tree, he was trying to bring progressive rock into the nineties. Do you think of the band as progressive? How do you see the band in relation to the "progressive" bands of the past? Do you look to those bands for inspiration?

"The real meaning of the word (see dictionary) could apply to us. The link between ourselves and these seventies bands is that we are experimenting with rock music against the musical backdrop of our particular decades. Problem is they didn't know when to stop and their music became more regressive."

Of the many differing projects you've been involved with, which are your favorites?

"All of the projects I've been involved in have been enjoyable experiences and I see value in each of them for different reasons. On a musical level I would say the Rain Tree Crow album was the most stimulating."

In your collaborations with others, you've done music that varies from quiet ambient pop to jazzy instrumental music and many other styles. How do you change your playing to fit these widely varying situations?

"We (Barbieri, Jansen, Karn) have an album (-"ism") which is currently in release in Japan on Polydor but this will be available soon in the states through DNA. It's the first time that we have worked on an album as a trio from start to finish, so I guess it's our debut. Guests include Zoe Niblett (from UK band Locust) and guitarists David Torn and Aziz Ibrahim. The style is quite contemporary/instrumental but "Rain Tree Crow" and "Beginning to Melt" influences are also apparent. I don't feel I change my style or approach particularly. It may sound different though in the context of the overall style of music."

What projects do you have in the future that we can look forward to?

"Apart from "ism" there is a Medium label sampler CD coming out soon. It will feature tracks from all the ten releases on the label and will hopefully give the uninitiated listeners and overview of the Medium sound. An unreleased live track recorded with Theo Travis and Steven Wilson is also included as a bonus track."

As a keyboard player, you tend to assume more a supporting role rather than a flashy soloist. How do you view your position as a player, especially with Porcupine Tree?

"With Porcupine Tree I would say fifty per cent of my input is playing the structured parts that were there at the demo phase and re-producing this live to serve as a secure backing for the music. The other fifty per cent is my own original contribution to the recordings and to the live arrangements, which can take the form of atmospheric melodies, chord structures, solos and textural stuff. In the studio I'm more interested in the subtleties of sound and harmony and in live situations I go for more dynamics."

How much input (and what kind) do you have in the band?

"... the band members have input on most things like choice of tracks for albums, live sets, and we'll all take part in arrangement ideas and bring our own musical personality to the project."

On Stupid Dream, you are credited simply with "analogue keyboards." What instruments did you use?

"I think the credit reads "Analog synthesizers, Hammond Organ, Mellotron and Piano". The synths I used were a Prophet V and Roland System 700 Lab Series Modular synth."

Porcupine Tree on the whole does not shy away from such techniques as sampling. Does Steven Wilson handle all that sort of thing and leave you to the more traditional keyboard roles? Do you have an interest in that technology?

"Steven tends to handle all the sampling and the digital manipulation and he is well versed in modern technology which is probably why he appreciates my input which is more primitive and analog based. I am interested in new technology but until I find my own particular way of working with it I will stick with own methods where accidents happily occur and nothing ever sounds the same twice."

What opinions do you have about the Rain Tree Crow project you were involved in?

"I'm very proud of the work we did on that project; to get together after seven years and discover that the musical chemistry was still there was very satisfying."

Are there any other artists you would like to work with?

"Robert Wyatt, Scott Walker, Kate Bush, David Bowie."

Do you have any solo projects in the works?

"I would like to make a solo album soon, but I've been saying that for fifteen years."

Has the Medium label website been a worthwhile vehicle for your work?

"Yes, Medium works well for us in a modest way. We have world wide distribution and although it's small scale, it's allowed us to me more prolific and to get our own music across to those who care and to reach new listeners as well."

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Voyage 35 interview with Steven Wilson (2000)

QUESTIONS FOR STEVEN WILSON

Hi Steven and thanks again for taking time out of your no doubt busy schedule to answer some questions. As you are aware I asked for questions prior to the knowledge that Lightbulb Sun was to be released. Some questions therefore may appear ancient by comparison with other interviews you are doing to promote the new album, but are still relevant, I feel in the realm of fandom. I have included some questions based on the new album at the end to bring this interview up to date.

Before we start 2 questions which have puzzled me for a while. Firstly where do the samples from Voyage 34 come from, and on what format was this (TV documentary or recorded)?

They come from LSD propaganda vinyl albums that were issued in the late 60's - some were pro-LSD (the one's made by Timothy Leary) and others against (including the one that features the transparently contrived 34th bum trip of "Brian"). The cover to V34 is a pastiche of the cover to a Timothy Leary album called L.S.D. which some of the samples are taken from. These albums are very rare in original vinyl pressings, but I believe some have been reissued on CD - mainly the Leary ones.

Can you give us any info on its availability past or present?

The 4 phases were originally issued in Nov 92 (1+2 CD and vinyl) and Nov 93 (3+4 vinyl only) as long play singles and were deleted shortly afterwards. A slightly remixed version of Phase One appeared on a CD given away free with a Japanese cyber-lifestyle magazine (no really !) and later was included on Delerium's Pick n Mix sampler CD. A remixed edit (without the voice samples) was included on a compilation CD called "The Phenomenology of Ambient" released on Crammed Discs in 1994.

The new CD compiles the original versions all 4 of phases in new, sonically improved mixes.

And what was the significance of the numbers at the end of Even less?

The counting is taken from a recording of a shortwave numbers station. It is understood that these stations are used by intelligence agencies to transmit coded messages to overseas operatives, although no government agency has ever acknowledged the existence of these stations or what their actual purpose might be.

(taken from the FAQ page on my web site).

Now for some readers questions:-

Andy Ashton asks:

Given that your music with PT, No Man and various solo projects is very structured and obviously has a lot of care and attention put into it, do you ever get the urge to simply plug the guitar in and create an album of rifts and solos (or whatever) without worrying too much about the production/atmospherics side?

Yes - this for me would be the IEM material which by my standards is quite rough, ready and indulgent. Most of the tracks are recorded in 2-3 hours at most, but I still try to make sure the production quality is high. None of the tracks are composed in the traditional sense - I just set up rhythm tracks and blow over the top. I've recently completed the second IEM album which is even more indulgent than the first and has lots of speech cut ups and audio verite tracks spliced into the music. It's quite inspired by Zappa's Lumpy Gravy in that respect (anyone who has the Escalator to Xmas 12 inch EP will know what to expect).

Why wasn't "Coma Divine" released on vinyl? Judging from the success of the various limited vinyl releases I would have thought it would have made a great double album with an opportunity for maybe a couple of bonus tracks etc? Andy Ashton

The market for vinyl is fairly small and even smaller if the music is already on CD - the limited editions have all been things not available or long deleted on CD. However, we are discussing doing a double vinyl edition of Coma Divine which would also include the 20 minutes of music on the information service subscriber only Coma Divine 2 CD. This will only happen if we are sure that we could sell enough to make it viable as the cost of doing double vinyl in a gate fold sleeve is high and the profit margin non-existent.

Do you plan your career and where do you see yourself, PT and other projects in say 10 years time? Martin Gallagher / Andy Ashton / Fernando DiDonato

No and I've no idea. I'd like to work with other musicians and more as a producer in the future as one thing that does get boring is working on my own so much of the time.

What are your thoughts on "Stupid Dream" and how easy/difficult was it to write in comparison with other PT releases? Martin Gallagher

At the time I felt it was the strongest thing we had done. In retrospect I think the sound was generally too smooth and some of the quirks and psychedelic aspects of the band were lost. The new album for me is a much better combination of songwriting and experiment. Stupid Dream I think will be seen as a transitional album. I'll probably get in trouble with the rest of the band for saying that because they think I have a tendency to dismiss all of our previous records within 6 months of making them and will fully expect me to do the same with Lightbulb Sun !

As regards the writing - it's always easy and it's always difficult.

How do you feel Lightbulb Sun has progressed and differs from Stupid Dream? Steve Freight.

Better in every respect. The major improvement for me is in the production which is not as "shiny" as Stupid Dream. The sounds are much more organic and less treated and you will particularly notice this on the vocals which - as befits the lyrics - are much more up front and raw.

Now that you have moved to a new label, will you be required to release so many albums within a given time period or have you been able to retain full artistic control over what is required from you? Martin Gallagher

There is no time frame stipulated in the deal with Snapper -albums will be recorded as and when the material is ready and deemed good enough. There's no question of Snapper having any say in the content of the albums.

Are there any plans for a video release? Martin Gallagher

No.

Do you think the band will ever record a full concept album, or are you opposed to the idea? Simon Mills

I doubt it. In my opinion the "concept" albums that do work tend to be simply a group of songs that share a theme (e.g. - Hawkwind's Space Ritual, Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile or Dark Side of the Moon). The one's that try to tell a story very rarely work for me because the narrative by definition has to be more important in the structure of the album than what would naturally work musically. There are one or two that are good, but generally the end up sounding like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

What's your full equipment set up? (i.e. make of guitars, effects pedals, amps etc) Simon Mills

I play an ESP Stratocaster guitar. This goes through a wah-wah pedal, volume pedal, Rat distortion, Boss distortion, compressor, Alesis Quadraverb and TC2290 digital delay. My amplifier of choice is a VOX AC30..

Do you plan to issue further material by "Bass Communion"? Simon Thomas

Almost certainly. I don't plan any of my projects too far in advance in the same way that I didn't plan Bass Communion to happen in the first place. I just found myself working on a different kind of music which did not fit into any of the existing projects so I invented a new one. But of course once a project has been instigated it will always be there for me should I want to make another album in that style.

Have you any new projects in the pipeline and if so can you give us an idea of what to expect? Simon Thomas

I have just completed the second IEM album which will be out later this year. Also there is still work to do on various reissues/compilations by both PT and NO-MAN. I don't have any new projects of my own, but I am producing 2 albums for other artists this year.

Did "Periscope Studios" exist and if so, where? Jerry Furneaux

This was part of the entirely fictional history of Porcupine Tree from the booklets accompanying the first 2 cassette releases, so the answer is no. Sorry if that disappoints you !

Why don't you play Middlesborough (not the football team.though you'd probably win!). or somewhere close? Graham Canwell (Middlesborough can be changed for many "out of the way" areas according to questions received. I seem to recall a similar question in a previous issue from Norwich. Do you feel there would be benefit in playing different areas, or is it just not cost effective for the exposure you will receive? - Steve)

Unfortunately we don't and can't choose where we play. We have to play at the venues that show interest in having the band and are therefore prepared to promote the dates properly and pay us a fee which at least goes some way to covering the losses we incur every time we play. Some promoters still don't know who we are since there knowledge of what is worth booking comes from the NME and Melody Maker. On the other hand if there is a venue that does want the band but they are in a place "out of the way" or near another show we sometimes turn it down because with the possible exception of London WE ALWAYS LOOSE MONEY WHEN WE PLAY IN THE UK! We have to concentrate on shows that cover the most ground in as economical way as possible.

Do you find it easy to keep finding the inspiration to write new songs etc, if not is there anything you usually do to try and stimulate ideas. Steve Bowden / Mike Newall / Andrew Miles

I always expect the inspiration to dry up, but so far (touch wood) it never has. Sometimes I can go for 3 months and not produce a single decent song, but then life starts happening to me, inspiration strikes and 4 or 5 songs will come in a relatively short space of time.

Can you describe if your way of composing and recording is primarily a skill of making new original songs or is it (also) a process of translating your emotions/feelings into melodies? Leendert Flyer

Well, both. Even when I am not conscious of channelling my feelings into the music, they are of course still there, whether I want them to be or not. I hope this gives all the music I'm involved in a recognisable personality.

Were your hopes in sale terms realised for "Stupid Dream" and will you be hoping that Lightbulb Sun will reach the Top 40 Album Charts or doesn't it worry you? Steve Freight / Steve Bowden

I shouldn't care if we get in the charts or not from an artistic point of view, but it seems to matter a lot to the rest of the industry and that is why it is also important to me. If Lightbulb Sun does reach the album top 40 we will find we have offers of gigs, festivals, TV..etc..that we previously did not. It is an unfortunate thing that most people in the music industry are too fickle/stupid to actually decide they like something until they see that lots of other people like it first. It's the major tragedy of trying to be an artist with integrity.

What is a day in the life of Porcupine Tree like (working day). Fernando Didonato

That's really impossible to answer as every one is different.

How do you see the band progressing in the future, are you prepared to sell out (so to speak) to become commercially acceptable. Jeremy Buchan

God no. Musically we've never been prepared to make any compromises - I know some people consider the more song orientated direction to be due to record company pressure or market forces but that's not the case. As regards methods of promoting the music to a wider audience, we have no problem with doing things like videos and making use of other marketing tools.

Did you get the idea for fictitious band members names from XTC's "Dukes of Stratosphere" incarnation? Pete Millar

Yes - well spotted. And the first ever PT song I recorded Jupiter Island was heavily indebted to the Duke's Bike Ride to the Moon !

Was there any significance in the words "cream cakes", "pate" and "cream cheese" as heard backwards on Queen Quotes Crowley or was it just your shopping list? Pete Millar

Ah - is that what the words are ? I suspect that Malcolm Stocks (for it is he) was just coming up with the most ludicrous words he could think of so that people couldn't read any significance in to them ! Perhaps he failed on that count.

Do you ever feel that you, or your various projects, works would benefit if you concentrated purely on one of them. Gordon Elcock

No - quite the reverse. Inspiration soon dries up if I am working always on the same project. Coming back fresh after working on something else does wonders for the vibrancy of the material.

Do you think that you have a recognisable musical identity although you express yourself in various styles of music (PT, No Man, SW, IEM)? Leendert Flyer

It's difficult for me to say because a lot of my personality probably comes through without me intending it to. I think that Bass Communion (ambient music) for example has nothing in common with Porcupine Tree (a rock band), but other people tell me that they hear strong similarities. So you tell me !

There are many definitions of "producer". Can you tell me how you worked with Fish on the "Sunsets" album and do you have any plans to produce for him again or any other artists? Leendert Flier / Jeremy Buchan

For me a producer is someone who comes up with ideas that affect the overall sound and direction of an album -it;s not necessarily someone who has any technical involvement at all. On Fish's album I also wrote and played on many of the songs. In that instance I was involved in every major decision - how the songs were structured, how the musicians would play on them, how the sounds would be "treated", the running order..etc...

I have 2 production jobs lined up this year - one with a Norwegian singer Anja Garbarek and one with a black metal group Opeth. I'm particularly excited about the latter as I've been wanting to do a seriously HEAVY album for a while now.

Are you still producing music and incidental music for Sky and Adverts? Leendert Flier

Not telling (-:

If so do you ever use any of these musical ideas in any of your projects. If so can you give an example Steve Freight

Yes - but again not telling. It would only spoil it for you !!

Onto the new album and related topics (questions by Steve Freight)

I've been privileged to hear the music on the new album and find it quite an eclectic mixture (you've seen my review). What music were you listening to at the time and do you feel that it had an influence on the end product?

Certainly it will have had an influence on the sound of the new album, as much as what was happening in my life at the time. I can't be specific because when I hear the album I just hear Porcupine Tree, but I was listening a lot to Nine Inch Nails "The Fragile" when we were recording. And I remember going home and writing "Russia On Ice" after going to see a Red House Painters concert.

Many of the songs seem to have a theme of loss of one sort or another / broken relationships, and the lyrics seem very emotional. Was this deliberate and were they based on personal experiences. Am I right to read this into the lyrics?

Firstly if they are from personal experience then what is in the songs is as much as I can or am prepared to express at the moment. Secondly, don't assume that everything written in the first person must be autobiographical.

Was this album more of a group contribution than past albums or are the &songs very much your creations, and recorded as you demoed them?

The songs are my creations but some of them have evolved a lot in the studio with the contributions from the other members (and also with the addition of the string arrangements). As a rule I would say that the more tightly arranged songs (such as Lightbulb Sun, How Is Your Life Today ? and 4 Chords..) are very close to my demos and the more extended instrumentally based pieces (such as Hatesong, Russia on Ice and Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth...) have strong group contributions and changed a lot in the studio.

Did you have any guests on this album, and if so in what capacities?

Dave Gregory (formerly of XTC) has written and arranged strings for 3 tracks. These parts were performed by 6 musicians on cellos, violas and violins.

On Stupid Dream, Even less changed enormously, especially the lyrics. Was there a deliberate reason for changing the lyrics from the "religious" lyrics featured on tour. Did you ever record a studio version with the alternative lyrics.

Yes - a demo was recorded with the original lyrics, but after playing the song live I felt they were too "preachy" and overblown so I rewrote them. I'd already explored anti organised religion themes on Signify anyway.

Were other lyrics changed from their original form on that and the latest album? If so is it a question of getting the music down and filling in with incomplete lyrics to see how the song "sounds"?

That's exactly it. When inspiration strikes I use whatever words fit musically sometimes without too much consideration for content. Afterwards it is sometimes necessary to rewrite completely (for example the demo of Piano Lessons used nonsense words) and sometimes not at all - for example Feel So Low was a stream of consciousness lyric that came fairly automatically and had a raw emotional power that would have been watered down the more I tried to refine them.

You seem to be moving towards including a number of acoustic numbers in the Live set and indeed on record (something I enjoy by the way). Is this something you are comfortable with, as I understood originally you did not enjoy performing in this way.

Originally I never intended to be a singer and the early albums and live performances featured much less singing than they do now. This is really a consequence of increased confidence in my abilities as a singer - I'll never be a particularly good singer technically but I think I have realised that I can deliver a song with some emotion even in a stripped down acoustic format. It's also fair to say that the songs are better now and can stand up on their own without the full production.

Will we see a complete set of Steven Wilson Acoustics issued from the various store (there are live tapes of these around and they sound very good) and radio appearances you have done (perhaps as a Transmission gift?)

It's possible. I played my first solo acoustic show in Holland recently and enjoyed it. It would be nice to write some songs especially for the format and combine it with some PT favourites and cover versions for a live or studio recording.

How do you feel when you read negative comments on the Albums and Live performances? Do you take these as personal comments, or criticism which will enable you to go on and produce new material, with these comments in mind?

I don't read reviews as a rule and the criticisms I get from fans tend to say more about that person than it does about the music. For example some people who think we are a "progressive rock" band have been very critical about the song direction. Of course I don't take it seriously when one of these people tells me Stupid Dream or the new album is "crap". What they mean is that the direction does not appeal to them. So I would be foolish to listen to anyone else's opinions but my own or the rest of the band. Better to create an audience, not cater for one.

Are you happier now that you are playing larger venues and getting the audiences (especially in the UK) who appreciate the music, and are not just out for the evening down the local venue?

Of course - I hope that we have paid our dues now, in England at least.

I thoroughly enjoyed the split set you performed at the Scala last year. I know the initial reasons for doing so was to promote the band the interested parties, but did you enjoy the format and will you repeat it?

Yes we did and yes I think we will.

How do you compare the working arrangements you have with the rest of the band and your collaborations with Tim Bowness on the No-Man albums. What procedures do you go through with each, and whilst you have said you "lead" Porcupine Tree, are you and Tim equals or does one of you "lead"?

No - definitely in NO-MAN it is an equal partnership. It seems to work that way. Interestingly although the sound has changed radically over the albums we have made as NO-MAN we always seem to be totally in sync as regards when and in which direction we should be moving.

How did the Muslimgauze collaboration come about and were you happy with the results?

I was a fan and contacted Bryn myself. Originally I only sent him some CDs of my own work for his interest, but after about 3 days I received about 2 hours of remixes and reconstructions of the material ! As it was not possible for me to make use of all of his mixes I suggested to Bryn that we use them as the starting point for a collaboration. I am very happy with the work we did together. On the forthcoming second and final part of the collaboration, you can actually here that one of the pieces started life as a Muslimgauze remix of PT's Moonloop.

Do you like remix works based on your originals? I often feel remixes (in general) are so far removed from the original there is nothing left and can often be totally new creations.

I like the principle of remixes and reconstructions but like anything they can be very varied in quality. For example I love what Astralasia did with PT's Voyage 34 but what Scanner did with No-Man's Housewives Hooked on Heroin was not so good. Sometimes remix albums can destroy whatever was special about a track in the first place, sometimes enhance it and sometime improve on it !

Would you ever consider letting remixers loose on various songs to compile a Porcupine Tree / No-Man or IEM remix album?

There are a few artists I would love to hear rework Porcupine Tree (Nine Inch Nails and Front Line Assembly for example) so maybe one day there will be a remix album. Of course NO-MAN have already done a remix album and may well do another. I can't imagine combining mixes of more than one of my projects onto one album though.

Will the Band be undertaking a full scale tour this year or keeping appearances to low key one offs?

There will be a lot of touring throughout the year.

Did you record many new songs for this album which were not ultimately part of the final product? If so will you be keeping these back for the next album or will all be released as additional tracks on singles?

There are 4 or 5 other tracks which will appear across the various formats of the next 2 singles. Some of these are songs that didn't quite make it, others are studio improvisations in the style of the Metanoia album.

How many singles are planned for this album?

Three - probably Shesmovedon and The Rest Will Flow, though not necessarily in that order.

Can you give us some idea of what the Delerium Years CD will feature which has not been previously released or is it too soon to say?

I'm still discussing the format with Delerium so don't hold me to this but at the moment the plan is to do a double CD and a triple vinyl edition. The CD will include 3 or 4 tracks from each of the first 4 studio albums, any non-album single tracks including B-sides, plus 3 previously unreleased tracks. There will also be an hitherto unheard 8 minute version of Synesthesia.

The triple vinyl will be the same except it will substitute alternate versions of the tracks wherever they are available. For example it will include the Pick and Mix version of V34, the short radio edit of Radioactive Toy (with a different guitar solo) and the work in progress mix of Fadeaway. Most importantly one side of the the vinyl will feature a completely different longer take of The Sky Moves Sideways Phase One which has totally different lyrics and much music not included in the album version. I worked on this piece during the best part of a year and it went through many versions before I arrived at the finished one. To preempt anybody who may complain that this is not on the CD : the set is supposed to represent the best of PT from the Delerium Years. I do not consider this version to be as good as the album version, but as the vinyl edition is intended more for the collector rather than the casual buyer I seems appropriate to make it available on this format.

When Metanoia is released on CD will you include some more of the studio jams as bonus tracks?

Maybe the track "Insignificance" from the cassette of the same name, since this comes for the same source. Otherwise no.

And lastly can you explain the reason for the missing 6 minutes from Voyage 34 (Phase 4).

Listen to the original version and the new version one after the other and tell me if you can honestly hear what has been edited out. I think you will find it very difficult, the reason being that the new version has not omitted any of the content, just compressed into a more compact form. As the original 12 inch was meant more for use in ambient clubs it could go on a bit without so much concern for making it so interesting to listen to. For the CD I have just tightened it up a bit as it did go on a bit.

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Classic Rock Society Magazine - June 2000

Prior to the Sheffield Boardwalk gig on 4th June showcasing the new album 'Lightbulb Sun', I had the chance to chat with Steven Wilson at length. With all previous media attention, from this mag or others, ringing in my head, I had my own image of a large, intense, opinionated individual. I actually met someone smaller and slighter than I imagined, thoughtful, eloquent with a dry sense of humour and clearly focused on his music.

First topic - the mini tour of 3 dates in Britain they were on.

"We're not going anywhere else in the immediate future. The album came out a couple of Mondays ago and the idea was to do a launch gig in London. When you release an album, media people want to see the band live. Having booked a London show we thought we ought to do a couple of others as well to cover Scotland and the north of England. Aside from these we are going to do some festivals over the summer - none in England unfortunately as we couldn't get on any as usual. But we are doing some quite big festivals in Italy, Greece and Germany. And then we are coming back in the autumn to do some support slots for other bands. We're doing shows with Dream Theater in September/October in Europe and we're playing with Sonic Youth in July. The idea this time was, rather than go out and do our own tour, to actually try and build up the profile by playing to other bands' audiences for a change. We've never done that before and it's part of the reason why it's taken us so long to get where we are. We've relied totally on word of mouth."

Are you suggesting that you've not progressed because of trying to do it on your own?

"It's not so much trying to do it on our own. It's just that, in a sense, there hasn't been anybody else (long pause and sigh) to hook up with. Obviously there are some bands who we have an affinity with but they are way out in front of us, like Radiohead and those kind of groups. They are way out in front of us and we could never hope to be playing on the same bill as a band like that. But if you look at the level we are at, there are progressive rock bands, psychedelic rock bands, space rock bands but we didn't want to align ourselves with any one genre or movement, and that's why we've always been very reluctant to go out with any generically orientated groups. With Dream Theater we want to do it because not only are they are a fantastic group, but they also have a very wide audience of rock fans of all types. So that's always been our concern and it has got nothing to do with the question of whether we like the band or not because most of the time we do like these groups. It's just that we have always been very careful not to align ourselves with any one 'label' or category of music, because I don't think our music fits into any one category. Some people say we are a "progressive rock" band, but unfortunately that presents an image to most people of something very old-fashioned, quaint and permanently rooted in the seventies. So that's one reason why we've steered away from touring with other bands in the past - that way we are not giving any kind of impression of allegiance to one particular movement.

Sonic Youth have got nothing to do with any genre at all, so that's a very good thing for us to do - they're just a very hip band from New York. Their audience will hopefully have no preconceptions of what we do. We could get bottled off (smiles) I don't know, but we'll give it a go anyway."

You have a good knowledge of the music scene. What were your original influences?

"I get asked the musical influences question quite a lot. I always evade the question and I'll do the same now. I think people read too much into it and if I told you what I listen to now, you'd probably think 'how the hell does that relate to what he does in his own music?'. It doesn't. I listen to Miles Davis, Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails, black metal.I listen to almost anything except stuff that sounds remotely like it might be similar to what I do. There are two reasons for that. The first reason is that the music that I play now is more a consequence of what I was inspired by when I was growing up, not what I listen to now. It's ingrained in me, if you like. I grew up in the eighties, which was a hideous decade when the industry was all about glamour, image and nothing to do with music. So me and my friends would look back to the '70's and '60's, discovering the Doors, Tangerine Dream, Can, Funkadelic and other seventies groups. And so a lot of that music got into my system, into my soul if you like and it still comes out in what I do now. But I don't really listen to it so much now. I think a lot of people interview me expecting me to be a fully paid up member of the Pink Floyd fan club but I haven't listened to Pink Floyd for years! Yes, I used to love them - I think you can hear that in my music. What they do now is as dull as dishwater.

The second thing to say is that it is important to recognise that as a songwriter, an artist, a creative individual, I am as influenced as much by film, books, literature, art and most importantly what happens to me in my life, as I am by other music. I don't just write music as some kind of tribute to the music that I listen to. There are some bands that do that and you can quite clearly hear that on their records, but I have no interest in that. Oasis are a great example of a band that just fashioned their whole sound as a tribute to a band they loved. To me, the end product, the music of Porcupine Tree and indeed all my music is a combination of influences, inspiration, events in my life, emotions, feelings, aspects from film and literature and it all goes into the melting pot. I think, as long as the input is fresh, the output will be fresh. I am constantly discovering things, having new experiences and as long as those things are inspiring me, then I think the music will still progress. When artists begin to repeat themselves it tends to be because they have stopped listening to music, they've stopped being actively inspired by other art forms and have become too much of a prisoner of their own back catalogue or fan base expectations. You can hear that clearly in so many groups, Pink Floyd being a great example. The music they make now seems to me to be purely a consequence of their fans' expectations for a 'Floydian sound'. That is anathema to me, that people can make music to cater for their audience. Porcupine Tree constantly change, constantly upset people, constantly disappoint fans who expect us to keep doing the same thing, but at the same time we surprise people, take them with us and attract new people as we continue to evolve as a group."

Does that attitude enable you to produce a wide range of music through your many projects?

"The fact that I have many other projects and musical areas is another consequence of the fact that I have no particular allegiance to any one style of music. If you ask me what kind of music I like I'll say good music, you know! I don't dislike any genre on principle. If there's a good reggae band or country artist I will like it. Similarly I don't like all progressive music - I like the good bands, not the third raters. In that sense, it is important for me to have lots of musical outlets, because it is not always possible to do everything with Porcupine Tree. There are several reasons, the main one being that it is a band, a democracy, and not everything I contribute gets through. Although I am the 'leader', whatever that may mean, I cannot force them to play something they don't like. So it is important for me to have the outlet for playing with other musicians. In fact it's essential and not even a conscious decision. I go to the studio or go home and start writing music and if it comes out sounding like something I have never done before, then the chances are I'll start a new project to accommodate that aspect of my work. That was the way Porcupine Tree started. I was in No Man before I was in Porcupine Tree and one day I started making music, which did not sound like No Man music. Before I knew it, I had an album's worth of material and Porcupine Tree came into being. The same thing happened with Bass Communion. Every project I have instigated has been the result of having an album's worth of material that did not fit into any of my existing projects."

There are a lot of artists forming 'supergroups', with the project driving the music e.g. Transatlantic, whereas with you it's the music that drives the project.

"Well as I understand it in the case of Transatlantic Mike Portnoy decided he wanted to make an album in a specific genre and he got the people together who would be most able to do that. Conceivably I could imagine wanting to do something like that - to form a band to play music in a particular genre, just for fun. But that is not the way it has happened in the past. Every project, with the exception of No Man, has started out as a solo project. In the case of Porcupine Tree, other musicians came on board afterwards."

So how did the other Porcupine Tree musicians get involved?

"It has always been this line up. It started out as a studio based solo project, very much a vanity thing, an opportunity for me to be self indulgent and explore certain styles I wasn't able to with No-Man. I made two to three albums like that and the reason the band came together initially was because it had got to the stage where there were always questions about when the band would play live. People didn't know it was a solo project because I just said 'all music by Porcupine Tree'. I agreed with the record company to put a band together to play some shows. So I just cherry-picked from all the musicians I'd worked with in various sessions and projects over the years that I thought would be best, most efficient in terms of learning the material, most proficient in terms of playing the material, and people I could get on with and who would be sympathetic to what I was doing. I knew Richard (Barbieri) and Colin (Edwin) liked the kind of music I liked. Chris (Maitland) not so much, but I knew that he was a great drummer, more than capable of playing the material and would perhaps grow to like it - which he has. So it was very easy from that point of view. I didn't have to go off and interview 52 musicians - I just picked good musicians that I had already worked with. I suppose I was in a fortunate position of being able to do that. It has proved to be very compatible musically and personality-wise. We are still together six years later, which is quite unusual in itself!"

You say the band is now a democracy, yet it started out as a solo project?

"The first time we went out and played live, they were being paid, but pretty soon after that happened, I decided that a band was what I wanted. I didn't want to go back to being a solo artist, so I asked each of them if they wanted to make it a permanent thing. We had all had a good time rehearsing, playing the music and doing the shows and so they all came on board. They were prepared to take the risk that it was going to be worthwhile. I'd say that gradually, over the years, it has become almost as if it has always been this way, that we formed the band together from day one. People say that because I produce the records and write most of the material then it must be a solo project, but it is not really at all. I have always felt that every good band has got to have a captain. With one or two exceptions, bands that have more than one creative centre tend to end up with a problem of compromise. You don't get a strong personality or vision because one person's vision is being compromised by the other and vice versa. Lennon and McCartney are an exception, although even in that case it ultimately led to the group's implosion. So it is important for me to retain final say, if you like, on certain things. I still do the writing, but beyond that point, the band decide what tracks go on the album, the individual band members decide how they play and what they play on what track, the band decide when they go on tour, where they want to play, how long they want to play, what goes on the album cover...etc... So it is a band - a band with a captain!"

The new album seems to have a lot of emotion within its lyrics.

"(Long pause) I don't want to explain too much about the lyrics because I do think, of all my lyrics, these are the most simple to understand, the most direct and most emotionally wrought. There isn't much I can add to them other than to say whether they are based on personal experience. Yes of course they are, but my songs - and I think this is true of lots of songwriters - are not necessarily all fact, but not necessarily all fiction either. It's somewhere in-between, so you have a situation where you are drawing on your own situations and experiences but you are also creating something and can and do borrow from art, novels, films and the experiences of friends and family. All of those go into a melting pot to make something that sounds as though it was written purely from my experience. But that is not necessarily the case. Yes, I am in there, but so are lots of other things too. I decided a few years ago that I wanted to write very personal lyrics. This mainly started to happen around the time of the last album 'Stupid Dream' and has reached its zenith on this album, if you like - or its nadir, depending on your point of view (smiling). I don't think it is something that a lot of bands playing this kind of music do. A lot of my early lyrics tended to be about abstract concepts - space, religion, war - and I decided I just wanted to write about more personal subjects. I found with this album that some men have found it quite difficult and don't like the lyrics, finding them too depressing and emotional, but women ask me a lot more about the words. A few men would rather that I was still writing about space and hobbits - not that I ever did write about the latter ! The music that touches me tends to be very personal and sometimes quite sad music. I've always found sad music is the most beautiful and uplifting and ironically I find happy music very depressing and Steps I find extraordinarily depressing! (smiles) "

You changed record label for this and the last album - why?

"Delerium was a small label dedicated to psychedelic music that started about the same time as the band. Porcupine Tree were their second signing. As the band grew, so the record label grew, but it got to the point where 'Signify' sold about 20,000 copies and that really stretched Delerium as far as they could go in terms of their resources. When you get to a certain point, you consider what you need to do to take the band to the next level. Make videos, run publicity campaigns in the music press, employ radio pluggers, press people - you are talking about a massive financial outlay before you have even sold a record. And for a label like Delerium to do that, and for the record not to have done considerably better than previous one would have meant that they would have ceased to exist. They obviously couldn't do that. So what we agreed was that they would manage the group but we would look for financial backing from a bigger label. So that is exactly what happened. Delerium still manages Porcupine Tree but we are with a label that can provide the time, money and resources that we need at this stage in our career"

So how did Stupid Dream perform for the new label?

"It sold about 40,000, so it doubled the sale of the previous album. And of course the stakes go up every time. Snapper are what you would call a big independent, not distributed by or affiliated to any majors, they have got several million pounds behind them but they are still independent. So, in that sense, they are an ideal label to be on. But even Snapper have to justify the expenditure, so for example this album, 'Lightbulb Sun'; they are probably expected to double again the sales for the last one. It is a pressure situation !"

Does that put pressure on you then?

"It does and it doesn't. It doesn't put pressure on me or the band musically in any way. I think a lot of people immediately assume that it does. Unfortunately, what happened is that the first album we did with Snapper was the first that had a couple of real pop songs on it. I think people put 2 and 2 together and got 5, which is understandable, but in fact the album was written and recorded before we even signed to Snapper. It was just another artistic development, not a commercial consideration. We still make the albums in a vacuum, for ourselves, and it is only at the point when we finish an album and deliver the album to the record company, that we start to consider things like 'is there a single ?'and those kind of things, things we would not have concerned ourselves with before. But I've always been as fascinated by the business side of the industry as I have by the musical side. It has always been of interest and I don't mind getting involved, as long as it doesn't affect the music."

It appeared that Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun came out in quick succession

"They did. There was actually a two and a half year gap between Signify and Stupid Dream, and in that time I was writing and we were recording Stupid Dream. We started recording it in January 1998 and it didn't come out until March 1999 because of the time it took us to find the record label. By the time Stupid Dream came out, I had loads and loads of new ideas for songs and my batteries had recharged already because there had been such a delay. So I wouldn't anticipate there being an album quite so soon again. I think we will be looking to take two years to do the next one."

The limited edition of the first single 'Four chords..' Has an extended and quite different version of 'Even Less' on it. Do all your songs develop in such a state of flux?

"In that case, yes, but I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from one song. We are putting a demo of the track 'Russia on Ice' on the collector's CD single for the next single release, and you'll hear that this one didn't change so much. It happens both ways. Some tracks get extended, some get shortened and some get thrown away and recycled. I'm sure that's the case with any group."

You once said your live performance can change the songs you play.

"We don't try to produce the songs note for note, simply because we are lazy (smiling) and I simply could not be bothered to sit down and work out every guitar solo I played on the record note for note. Usually the guitar solos are improvised every night, which is nice because it keeps it fresh for me. The other reason is that, just because it works live in the studio does not mean it will work live, and vice versa. I have never been one who subscribes to the view - and I know there are some people that do - that if you cannot play it live, then you should not do it in the studio. I think that is utter b******s. I think some of the greatest records ever made, would never have been made with that attitude. Take Sgt Pepper. How could the Beatles have ever played 'A day in the life' live? Of course they couldn't. The Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds'..some of the greatest albums and pop records could simply not have been played live. Well, they could have done, but they would have had to have a cast of thousands! So why restrict yourself in the studio? The studio is a wonderful musical instrument in its own right. You can do lots of things - play a guitar solo, flip the tape over and hear it backwards, you can slow things down, speed things up, overdub 37 different vocal overdubs to create vocal harmonies (and I have done all those things) - and of course we can't do that live! So what we tend to do is come up with an arrangement of a song that doesn't necessarily stay very faithful to the studio arrangement of the song at all, but works in the live context. We used to do that a lot more than we do now, I think we stay slightly closer to the album versions now - I don't know why that should be the case. Stuff on the new album, for example, we are playing quite faithfully."

Are you satisfied with the new album or are you one who is never satisfied with their work?

"Usually, by the time I have finished an album, I never want to hear it again in my entire life! (smiling). And actually, that is still the case. Usually by that time I am already disappointed with it and have moved on. I have to say, with 'Lightbulb Sun', it is the first time I have ever thought 'yes, I'm proud of that. That's a good album and I don't think I could have done that any better.' That doesn't necessarily mean I ever want to hear it again, because I don't (smile) but I am proud of it."

So what made that record different?

" Lots of things. The quality of the songwriting, the quality of the production. Also I think I have improved as a singer. That is the main thing for me. I never wanted to be a singer or a lyric-writer and it was almost something I fell into by default because it started out as a solo project. I never even thought of myself as a singer, but having been thrust into that situation and encouraged by the group to improve, I felt for the first time on this album that I was cutting out all the crap, saying what I wanted to say in an eloquent way and hopefully singing it in an expressive way. Some may disagree, but I feel very happy with what I achieved from that perspective on that record." You come across as a serious, controlled person in interviews.

Do you have a sense of humour?

"Oh my God, yes! (laughs) I am quite an articulate person, but I don't mean that in an arrogant way. People tell me that I talk a lot. I think that tends to come across as quite serious. I know the interview you are referring to with Nick Shilton ('Classic Rock') where I slagged off a lot of bands. I was doing it with my tongue in my cheek - but of course that doesn't come through in print! (laughing) He would say a group name and ask me to tell him what I thought and I'd reply - it was all done very tongue in cheek. And then when it was printed, it became this great sensational thing that I'd slagged off all these bands - although some of the bands I supposedly mentioned were never mentioned at all, but added by the editor, which is very naughty (and they apologised in the next issue). I relentless take the p*ss out of myself. The band is a lot of fun to be with and we are always taking the p*ss out of each other and taking the p*ss out of what we do! To be a professional musician is a ludicrous thing to do (smiling). It is such a stupid job to do. The more you dwell on it you think 'what a stupid profession to be in!' Every day of your life you are setting yourself up to be ridiculed by other people, by exposing your soul, if you like. It is a very heartbreaking thing to do. In some senses, it's a no-win situation - whatever you do will disappoint people or not be what people expect you to do. It is really hard to sometimes stay focused on the fact that, to be a really great artist, you always have to be self-obsessed and self-indulgent. Not to a destructive extreme, but you have to make records for yourself and you have to be serious about making records for yourself and no one else. You then have to be able put up with the slings and arrows of the music press and the disappointment from the fans. I'm not suggesting that is all we get - we get a lot of positive feedback about what we do and we couldn't exist without that either. But to do all that, you have got to have a sense of humour - you really have! I have had so many disappointments and I still feel we should be a lot more successful than we are. We all do. We worked so hard for six years and we are playing relatively small venues, albeit we have a loyal following now. If we didn't have a sense of humour, for goodness sake, we would have given all this up (looks round the venue) years ago. We enjoy it - that is the important thing."

So, is this the point where you want to slag progressive rock off like you did with Nick Shilton then?!

"Ah!! (animated and laughing) I want to go on the record here about this. We had this long discussion about what progressive rock was. Nick Shilton asked me 'what do you think about other bands?' I said that I don't mind people calling us progressive, providing they mean it in the true sense of the word and not the old-fashioned genre sense of the word. He said 'OK, what do you think of the bands who do just recreate - the 'neo-prog ' bands?' He mentioned a few names, but I didn't mention any names. I said that, being honest, I don't think they have got any new ideas and it's just music without real inspiration. I said it like that, and it looks a lot worse on the page, as you know, but that's all I said. They made it even worse by paraphrasing me. The editor rewrote the question in the article to read 'what do you think of Marillion, Pendragon.' and a few others. He'd never asked the names! For a start Marillion are good friends, I've worked with them and think they are great band. Why the hell would I ..I certainly wouldn't have said that about Marillion!"

Of course there are certain bands that I do think are bereft of inspiration, but I don't want to get into a slanging match with them. It's not even as if I have anything against them doing what they do. It's just not what I want to do and so it upsets me a little bit when we get mentioned in the same breath as a group that I feel is a third rate impersonation of a great band from the seventies. I am also very aware that there are some people who think that we are a third rate impersonation of Pink Floyd. Obviously I don't think it is true, but it shows that I do get plenty of criticism as well as giving it ! There are some bands who, to me, sound like there is nothing that has come from themselves, it just sounds like it has all come from their record collections and that is not creative. That is nostalgic, and there is nothing wrong with that - absolutely not. I think the Transatlantic project is fine - I don't think any of the guys involved in that would claim that it is innovative, but that is not the idea. It was meant as fun for them, fun for those who buy the record, a bit of nostalgia and that is great. But if I saw an article tomorrow, saying 'blah blah progressive rock bands such as Transatlantic and Porcupine Tree', I would be upset. For me, one is nostalgic, and the other, is hopefully timeless. What I am trying to do with Porcupine Tree is make music that is 'out of time', not necessarily looking to past, present or future, but to all of them at the same time. What I have a problem with is bands that do one thing, but claim to do the other. Maybe some people think that is what we do, but I don't and will say so whenever given the opportunity. So that is where my reputation for being an opinionated megalomaniac has come from (smiling) - just not wanting to be associated with bands that I don't like or feel any affinity with! Is that so strange? I'm sure others feel the same way (shrugs)."

Who do you feel an affinity with?

"I feel an affinity with any band that has an understanding of the rich history of music, but does not dwell on it to the extent that their own music sounds like an antique. That could apply to any genre. Any band that is learning from the past but looking to the future - that is what we are trying to do. There are some bands that I think stylistically we have a lot in common with - Radiohead, I think we do. Jeff Buckley - that 'classic' rock sound has a lot of sixties and seventies, but has a contemporary edge as well. On a more philosophical level, anybody who has that timeless quality to their music. I don't like bands that go out of their way to ignore the past, nor do I like groups that permanently situate themselves in it and don't move forward."

So where do you stand with the Classic Rock Society?

"I know there has been some confusion about us refusing to do things for the Classic Rock Society. To be honest, I think that has never been a big issue. I think our management, for the reasons we talked about earlier, not wanting to be aligned to any particular organisation or movement, were very coy about agreeing to do a show for the CRS last year. I think that has again been taken as Porcupine Tree denying their 'progressive rock roots'. I know you are not just a progressive rock society, but I think that is probably the strongest element in the organisation. It is nothing like that at all and we have no desire to alienate any element of our audience. I think that may have been misinterpreted. All our fans are equally important to us, particularly those as loyal and enthusiastic about music as the members of the Classic Rock Society are. But if it's a choice for us to do a show for the CRS or a show for example here (looks round the Boardwalk, Sheffield), which I appreciate, may not be as nice a venue as you would probably put us on in, the difference is, it *is* on the standard circuit and people who come here would probably be from all sorts musical areas and interests. When we did the show for the CRS in 1996, we were very aware that we were playing to a group of people that liked a certain kind of music, in a certain age group, predominantly male. No problem with doing that at all, but we felt that the next time we came up to the north of England we wanted to do a show where we somewhere where we might get a more varied audience. We are talking about doing one for the CRS now. The stage we played last time had this backdrop of a pointing hobbit or something (slight bewilderment in voice) and things like that are not what we are about. But I am sure things like that can be sorted out. Of course we love playing to people who appreciate what we do."

Anything relating to individual songs worth mentioning?

"I don't know if I want to go into individual songs. This is why we have a problem with singles as a concept. 'Four chords that made a million' (first single from the album) is a great example. Taken out of context of the album, it makes no sense to me. It probably makes no sense to anyone else. But it does on the album. It is very different to anything else on the album but for me, it slots nicely into the album. Take it out of context and it is something that almost doesn't sound like Porcupine Tree in some ways. I think that is the thing about us - we have always been interested in making albums and when people zero in on individual tracks, it is sometimes misleading. We think of albums as jigsaw puzzles - you have the individual songs and it is how you slot them together to form the dynamics of the record. It is the way that one track links into the next, or one track dynamically leap off from the previous one, or drop down again. 'Lightbulb Sun' is no exception, in the sense that lyrically, a lot of the songs are connected. Someone said to me 'is it a concept record then?' It's getting me back to this progressive rock thing again! (smiling). Of course there are lots of bands from Oasis to Nine Inch Nails, if you look at the lyrics on their albums, a lot of them will have similar subject matter. It is not unusual for an artist to be in a particular state of mind when they write an album. 'Lightbulb Sun' is not a concept album, it does not have a narrative or tell a story, however all the lyrics are chips off the same block, if you like, in that they are all related and the album has got a unifying lyrical feel. So, no, I'd rather not talk about individual tracks."

What about new technology, sounds on the album - for the technophiles?

"The technophiles? (laughs) For me, the great joy is being to make use of the studio to make records. One thing I particularly enjoyed about this record is that is was a combination of new digital technology and scratchy old analogue technology. It is difficult to reproduce the sound of classic instruments and equipment. Everything was recorded on digital hard disk at 24-bit resolution, and edited in a way that got the best composite performances from multiple takes, but we still used things like a banjo, a Mellotron, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes and a string quartet. Colin brought back lots of instruments from Morocco so we've got a lot of ethnic instruments on there. Finally it was all mixed onto half-inch analogue tape. The best part of recording is being able to use all of these classic techniques that will never sound dated. I have never liked digital synthesisers. Synthesisers to an extent in general and particularly digital synthesisers, more than anything else, date music. That's why most eighties music sounds more dated than sixties and seventies music, because it was the era of digital synthesisers and the birth of sampling and digital synthesis. For me it's a question of using classic sounds and textures to create something new."

The vocal harmonies seemed more noticeable and stronger.

"It's something that has come in more and more on the last 3 albums. It's getting into stuff like the Beach Boys, CSNY, and Todd Rundgren. I don't think a lot of it goes on these days. Something is missing. People seem reluctant to learn from the past and good vocal harmonies seems to be a part of the past that people have almost denied ever happened. Great vocal arrangements, Brian Wilson - I've always liked that and I think you are right, it is an integral element to our sound now."

Any other projects on the go?

"I am producing albums for two other artists this year as well, so I'll be in Sweden doing an album for a metal group and over the summer I'm producing a Norwegian singer called Anya Garbarek - the daughter of Jan Garbarek, she's a very interesting artist I won't be looking at writing new PT material until nearer Christmas now. No Man have got a new album coming out in September which he have had finished for a few months. The thing is, I never try to look too far in the future because it all comes back to not wanting to get stuck in a particular sound or direction. When I come back to writing for Porcupine Tree my head will probably be in a different space again and I'll be writing in a very different style and drawing on new experiences. I can't tell you exactly how or when or what or where we will be, but it will be somewhere different. This year, because we think that this album really is our best, we decided to try to take the music to more people than ever before, which is why we are doing the support tours. There will be more singles - 'Shesmovedon' is the next single, and another one probably around the time we are out with Dream Theater. We'll just keep plugging away really."

I hope it brings you success

"So do I!"

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Voyage 35 interview with Steven Wilson (1998)

V35:

Many thanks Steven for agreeing to undertake another interview.

Firstly I'd like to ask how Karma was formed and if there are any other recordings you know of which are around other than The Last Man Too Laugh, The Joke's On You and the live Chesham Underground tapes.

SW:

Karma was formed in 1982 and comprised myself and 3 friends from school. I think we were very much inspired by the success of bands like Marillion to play in that particular style. We only ever made 2 demo tapes, the two that you mention. I have in my possession several tapes of live performances, although I was not aware that a cassette of a Chesham gig was in circulation (or even remember doing the gig !)

V35:

Did Karma do many live gigs and can you remember how you felt performing live in those days?

SW:

We must have played between 30-40 gigs in our 3 year existence. Since all of us were still at school and none of us were old enough to drive, it was very difficult to perform outside of our local area. So nearly all of these gigs were in Hertfordshire. I never really enjoyed playing live until Porcupine Tree. I was very shy and hated being the one who had to stand at the front and sing. Also our equipment was very basic as we had to rely on our parents to buy it for us. I remember having to complete a gig in Luton with only 4 strings on my guitar because I didn't have any spares !

V35:

Do you have any contact with or know what the other members of the group are doing now?

SW:

Mark Gordon (the drummer) is still a good friend of mine. He works for a company called Natural Audio who are specialists in digital recording technology. He has just helped me to upgrade my studio to a computer based recording system called Pro Tools 24, which I will be using to record the new Porcupine Tree album. I don't really have any contact with the other ex-members.

V35:

You said when I mentioned Pride Of Passion that there was worse to come. If you don't want to divulge who or what these groups were could you fill in the time scales illustrating by way of group 1, group 2 etc. interspersed with Karma, Altamont so that we know just how many different groups we need to look out for.

SW:

There weren't really any other 'groups' as such - at least none that played concerts or made recordings. However there were lots of one off tapes made by various combinations of friends from school. At least one of these was quite extensively copies and distributed - in fact I recall it made No 4 in the Sounds 'DIY chart'. I'm not about to tell you what this tape was though - it's bloody awful ! There were also several cassette compilations that I contributed tracks to, at least once under my own name. These kind of things were very popular in the early eighties in the wake of the 'industrial' ethic.

V35:

Are there any tapes to look out for by these groups?

SW:

I never recorded with Pride of Passion, the Karma and Altamont tapes you know about, so I think it's just the above I think.

V35:

As previously mentioned in V35 it was rumoured that you had sent out tapes in your own name for promotional purposes. Can you confirm this and tell us if any of the tapes you have mentioned have any songs on that we know from either Porcupine Tree or No-Man.

SW:

No - I don't think I ever would have sent out tapes under my own name. Tapes of No-Man and Porcupine Tree (and probably Karma, Altamont...etc..) would have gone off to all the usual suspects in the vague hope of obtaining lucrative record contracts, radio sessions and gigs - and some of these would almost certainly have included tracks that have been subsequently released or subsequently consigned to the dustbin.

V35:

How did you get the ideas for the booklets which accompanied the Tarquin's and Nostalgia Tapes?

SW:

That was purely for fun - and maybe slightly because I didn't want people to treat the tapes like they were just another guy making tapes in his bedroom.

V35:

On a recent Dave Allen, show one of his stories featured Porcupines and Trees. Are you a Dave Allen fan and was this by any stretch of the imagination where you got the inspiration for the name from?

SW:

No.

V35:

If not are you still remaining coy on this?

SW:

Yes.

V35:

I have been asked why No-Man releases are so low key. Could you let us know how we can find out about these when they are issued.

SW:

The reason they are so difficult to find is because we record for quite a small label and the distribution of small labels tends to be quite erratic. The best way to find out about NO-MAN plans is simply to get on our free mailing list - simply drop us a line at PO Box 628, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1PT and you will always be informed of forthcoming releases and details of how to obtain them via mail order.

V35:

What is the story about the non appearance of No-Man's 'Strip Wild EP?

SW:

I don't even remember what that was supposed to be. There are countless projected NO-MAN and P.T. releases that got cancelled or replaced by something else (e.g. - the 'lost' second single from 'Signify')

V35:

And the 7' single of Men Of Wood?

SW:

May still come out one day. This was originally recorded for 'Up the Downstair' and then re-recorded with live drums for 'The Sky Moves Sideways'. It was very much in the 'Jupiter Island' / 'Linton Samuel Dawson' vein and really didn't fit in to what I was doing by that time.

V35:

How do you feel about the move to Ark 21 for future releases? Will this affect the way you approach Porcupine Tree music in the future.

SW:

No - it certainly won't affect the music at all. It just means that we will have a lot more money and clout behind us than we did while we were on Delerium. Basically Ark 21 are part of EMI, but we would never consider doing a deal with a company who were going to try and change the way we made music. Porcupine Tree are developing anyway and I've no doubt that some people will view the changes in the next album as being down to label influence - but all of the tracks were written long before we agreed a deal and I hope our albums will always show a development from the ones that preceded it.

V35:

Will this affect the future release of 'collectors' items such as the tapes with Transmission and the LP's? The view is that these cater for the true fans desire for alternative and collectable items and are always welcome.

SW:

No - I definitely want to continue to cater for the collectors and loyal fans. It's good for us too, because there is always music that isn't necessarily right for a major release. As with the 'Insignificance' tape, there will almost certainly be a whole load of demos, fragments of songs and improvisations left over from the current recording sessions and I would like to put together another collection to cover these.

V35:

Whilst some of these items, like the IEM album was said to be Vinyl only there are now plans we hear of this appearing on CD. There are rumblings from some quarters that his is taking advantage of the fans, likewise with the re-issues without bonus cuts. What would you say to these comments?

SW:

I do understand this but it does put me in a very awkward position. I really was very unhappy with the sound quality and packaging of the first three albums, particularly in the wake of the high standards set by the 'Signify' album. I had been hassling Delerium for a couple of years to replace the old versions so that at least the people discovering the band from now on would be buying superior editions.

We made the decision not to put extra tracks on the new editions for two reasons ; firstly because it spoilt the continuity and completeness of the original albums (I do put a lot of thought in to this) and secondly because it would have meant that fans not so concerned with the mastering/packaging issue would not feel cheated at having to buy the remasters just for the extra music. However, I know that there are always fans who will re-buy CDs if they feel that there is any improvement at all, even if it's just cosmetic. I myself am the same, having bought for a second time all of the Marvin Gaye, Talk Talk, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis catalogues for the improved quality and packaging. But I have to say that I was happy to do this even though I might have moaned about the expense at the time !

With the Chromatic releases, I did say at the time that the 'Spiral Circus' album would NEVER again be reissued in any format, but that the I.E.M. album would be issued on CD at some point. When it does come out it won't have any extra material (there really isn't any to include), but I am hoping to persuade Delerium that it should be sold at mid price.

V35:

In Issue 7, I mentioned the rumours that there was going to be a 'Delerium Years' best of. Is this likely to happen and if so what is intended to be on this?

SW:

Yes - I think both I and Delerium would like to do this at some time in the not too distant future. I haven't really thought that hard about what format it should take or what should be on it (maybe your poll will help us there !), but we would certainly try and make it appeal to both the newcomer to Porcupine Tree as well as the established fans who have the albums already, by including rare EP and compilation tracks.

V35:

Did you play as a 3 piece in Coventry and did the set as rumoured consist entirely of Voyage 34? How long was it and who was missing?

SW:

Yes - Richard Barbieri has to fly to Japan to fulfill a prior commitment, so we did the whole of Voyage 34 with the keyboards on tape.

V35:

Regarding the new album, how is this progressing and what plans are there for releases from these sessions?

SW:

It should be finished by mid April. I think everybody involved feels it is by far the strongest album yet. There should be a single from the album out in the Summer (probably 'Stranger by the Minute' or 'This is No Rehearsal'), with plenty of non-album material also included. The album should follow in September-October.

V35:

While you have gained a following in the UK, do you feel you have suffered from a lack of press and / or poor reviews?

SW:

When the reviews have come they have been pretty much 50/50 for/against. However the reputation we had as a 'progressive' rock band did us no favours at all and set us back at least a couple of years. Incidentally it was a deliberate policy not to send out review copies of the live album except to MOJO and one or two others - that one was for the fans.

V35:

What is the press like in countries such as Italy and Greece where you have a larger following?

SW:

Obviously much better - national newspapers review our gigs and the style of music is not used as an excuse to prejudge the band.

V35:

Chris's antics in the studio and backstage have been mentioned a couple of times, but without any real specifics. What type of things does he get up to and do they help the band relax before a gig?

SW:

No Comment.

V35:

How would you ideally like to prepare for a gig, and does it get easier as time goes on?

SW:

It certainly doesn't get any less scary, especially as the audiences get bigger and more expectant. These days a couple of glasses of wine and a floor show from Chris help to relax me.

V35:

Well, I look forward to the new album and concerts this year. Thank you Steven for your time.

SW:

Always a pleasure.

<top>

Voyage 35 interview with Steven Wilson (1996)

V35
Thank you Steve for agreeing to be interviewed for this issue

I would like to start at the beginning if I may. You have said that you first got a guitar at the age of 12 along with a copy of the Wall. Did you know at that time that you had a musical leaning, and who or what inspired you at an early age?

SW
My love of music dates from when I was 8 or 9 years old. One Christmas my parents bought LPs for each other - "Dark Side of the Moon" for my father and Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" for my mother. I heard these two albums played in "heavy rotation" and in retrospect I can see how they are almost entirely responsible for the direction that my music has taken ever since. On one hand a love of experimental album based rock music as exemplified by Porcupine Tree and on the other a love of groove/trance music which is more the No-Man approach (that particular Donna Summer album contains just one continuous 17 minute shape shifting groove across the whole Side One).

I had actually been forced to learn the guitar when I was even younger, but like a lot of kids forced to play an instrument I got no real pleasure out of it and stopped having lessons when my parents realised they were wasting their money. However, round about my 11th birthday I rescued the nylon string classical guitar from the attic and began to experiment not so much with playing, but with pure sound. I recall scraping microphones across the strings, feeding the resulting sound into overloaded reel to reel tape recorders and producing a primitive form of multi track recording by bouncing between two cassette machines.

Eventually I formed bands with friends at school and started playing live - but my main interest is still sonic experimentation and production. I enjoy playing guitar but it has always been a means to an end for me. I never learnt all the requisite guitar licks and would struggle if you asked me to play anything but my own material - I can't even play "Stairway to Heaven" ! (Can do "Smoke on the Water" though)

V35
A number of tapes of Altamont and Karma have surfaced. I also understand you had an involvement in a group called Coltsfoot. Could you tell us about these groups and their history and any details of recordings which may have been issued.

SW
Having these tapes in circulation is a bit like a painter having his nursery school paint blots on display, but I guess it's testament to that fact that the Porcupine Tree fan base is growing all the time that these formative demo tapes are in circulation. The Altamont tape was a one-off tape I made in 1983 (I was 15 at the time), half solo and half with a keyboard player called Si Vockings. It makes use of Alan Duffy lyrics later used for the PT tracks "This Long Silence" and "It Will Rain for a Million Years", though in a very different context. About the same time I had a progressive rock band with a few friends from school - this was Karma. We recorded two tapes - "The Joke's On You" (1983) and "The Last Man To Laugh" (1985), which contained the original versions of "Small Fish" and "Nine Cats", though not "The Joke's On You" (played live but not recorded). Coltsfoot were some friends I helped out with some recordings in 1988 - I was never a member of this band, but I did play on their demo tape "Action at a Distance". I believe some of these recordings were included on their recent CD release, but I bet the cover doesn't tell you when they were recorded !

V35
A few of the early Karma tracks were reworked as Porcupine Tree songs. Do you have any more plans to dip into "the archives" as some of these songs sound very good.

SW
I can't think of any other Karma tracks that I would want to ressurect. However, there are other songs I wrote with Alan Duffy during the eighties which were never recorded but have subsequently made good PT tracks. "Jupiter Island" and parts of "Always Never" date from about 1982 and must rate as some of the earliest half-decent songs I wrote. There are a few more from this period that could make it on to a future PT release.

V35
What was the first song you ever wrote a) on your own and b) in collaboration with someone else? How do you feel these stand the test of time?

SW
It's impossible to answer this question as I honestly can't remember. Some of the early songs I wrote have turned out to be favourites of mine even though the original interpretations of them were very primitive - "Nine Cats" and "Small Fish" being good examples.

V35
When you write songs do you write to a formula? Does the music come first or the lyric?

SW
I certainly don't write to a formula. That would be very dangerous ! And there is no one way that I approach a new track. Some are written on the piano, some on the guitar, some develop from a drum pattern. Some are written lyric first, some music first and some are constructed from band improvisations.

V35
In an early interview I remember reading you stated you worked for Sky doing link music. Do you still do this and has any of this music formed the basis of any Porcupine Tree music (or No Man)? Do you intend to write more incidental music for instance for a film soundtrack if asked?

SW
I do a lot of music for television. Most of this work is very creative and can be a lot of fun, particularly when the ideas are interesting. You would probably not realise they were my work unless you were told as they are nearly always in a style dictated by the visuals. I think my themes for "MTV Hitlist UK" and "MTV Weekend News" are still being broadcast for those that are curious. All this of course makes it doubly ironic that we can't get any TV exposure for PT or NO-MAN on MTV or anywhere else.

V35
When it came to choosing the members of the band how long did it take you to get the right blend and what qualities were you looking for?

SW
Actually, I had a very good idea who I wanted to be in the band as soon as playing live became an issue just after "Up the Downstair" was released. Colin and Richard had both appeared as guests on that album and I knew, based on their musical tastes and personalities, that they would be the right people to ask. Chris initially joined in a session capacity, because I wasn't sure how much the music would be to his taste. But as time went on we realised that there were elements in PT music that appealed to him and that there was much more he could contribute if he was a full time member. This is best illustrated by the fact that he has the first solo writing credit on a PT album - other then myself - for the track "Light Mass Prayers" on the new album.

V35
On the latest tour at The Garage you seemed to be apologetic for not having been able to do a full gig in London up to this point due to "fabulously wealthy groups" asking you to support them. Do you find supporting groups a problem or a necessary evil to get noticed?

SW
Playing as support to more well known bands has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are the opportunity to play in a big venue with a big audience, most of whom are potential new fans. The disadvantages are not being able to use your own lights and equipment and the shortness of the set. Some support gigs are amazing (e.g. - Ozric Tentacles in Antwerp), some are horrendous (e.g. - Gong in Manchester), but then that's no different to doing gigs on our own which are similarly variable in terms of enjoyment. It's certainly not a "necessary evil" - in fact it's been great to have played with so many bands that we admire.

V35
How do you view the music on the new album? Do you feel the fans now expect a certain something from your music (i.e. a static feel immediately identifiable) or do you believe they will progress along with you?

SW
Well, I hope you will agree with me when I say that each Porcupine Tree album has been very different and distinct from any other and that continues to be the case with the new album "Signify". I personally felt that the last album was a little too ponderous and didn't have enough good songs on it. This album is much more "in your face" and has more songs and weird shit on it designed to keep your attention - I don't think anybody can describe this album as ambient ! It's also the first album to feature the whole band on every track, so by definition it has more of a rock ensemble feel.

Of course, every time we change our sound, or fail to make exactly the same album that we made last time, we run the risk that the new material will not appeal to some existing fans. But I hope and trust that most PT fans would want us to develop, without completely abandoning our "sound" (that would be as pointless as not progressing at all). It certainly what I expect from my favourite artists.

V35
How do you see Porcupine Tree progressing in the future?

SW
I have no long term musical plan, except to keep making good albums.

V35
It's been noted that you still have the writing credits. Do you still consider Porcupine Tree to be a solo project with the group bringing to life your "creations" or do the other members contribute?

SW
I now consider Porcupine Tree to be a band. However, I do believe that most good bands need someone in control of the ideology and direction of the project and that will continue to be me - I could never relinquish that control, particularly as the band basically was me for the first 3 albums. Colin, Richard and Chris all agree that the balance of control will remain with me, but having said that many things to do with the band are and must now be band decisions and I would be very reluctant to do anything unless I felt I had their support. As regards writing, it's very difficult for the others to write a whole piece in a style consistent with my idea of a Porcupine Tree track (diverse though that may be). It's much more likely that the number of collaborations will increase over the next few albums. Of the 12 tracks on the "Signify" album, 4 of them involve contributions from other band members.

V35
If (and hopefully when) Porcupine Tree become universally massive if the future, will you still continue your collaborations in No Man? And if the reverse happens will you still continue Porcupine Tree?

SW
I would find it almost impossible to concentrate on just one project, simply because I love working in so many different styles. As well as NO-MAN and PT, I have an experimental electronic album finished under the name of BASS COMMUNION, my Krautrock alter ego INCREDIBLE EXPANDING MINDFUCK and various collaborations with other musicians, such as the album I'm currently working on with FISH.

V35
I've previously asked who originally inspired you. Who do you consider today to be your main influences and who do you regularly listen to. What were the last 3 albums you bought?

SW
This is so difficult to answer because I listen to so many things. I buy about 20 albums every month, so I couldn't really answer you question about the last 3 - it would be very misleading ! However, here's a non-exhaustive list of some of my favourite albums of the last few months :

PHOTEK "Hidden Camera", NEU "Neu", KLAUS SCHULZE "Historic Edition", AUTECHRE "Tri Repetae", UNDERWORLD "Second Toughest in Infants", ENNIO MORRICONE "A Western Quintet", SOUNDGARDEN "Down on the Upside", OVAL "Diskont 94", MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO "Subliminal Snadwich", RED HOUSE PAINTERS "Songs for a Blue Guitar", SCORN "Gyral", BILL LASWELL "Silent Recoil", VARIOUS "Jazz Satellites", KEITH JARRETT "Solo Concerts 1973", ORBITAL "In Sides", SMASHING PUMPKINS "Melon Collie", RAPOON "The Kirghiz Light", ROBERTA FLACK "First Take", THE WHO "Quadrophenia", TORTOISE "Millions Now Living WIll Never Die", UI "Sidelong", JOHN WALL "Alterstill", FAUST "Rien", THE BYRDS "Younger than Yesterday", AGITATION FREE "2nd", BABY BIRD "Fatherhood".

V35
It was good to hear The Nostalgia Factory and Linton Samuel Dawson being brought into the live set on the last tour. I know these went down extremely well. Will we be seeing other songs being performed live which to date you have not done and if so which would you envisage?

SW
As time goes on it would be great to bring in some more tracks from previous albums - the problem is always having to concentrate on learning and playing the new material. I would be keen to try "Footprints" and "Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape". Any other requests ?

V35
Why have Fadeaway and Stars Die not formed part of the live set to date? (At the Garage there were many calls for Fadeaway) Could these not be adapted for live performances in some way?

SW
"Fadeaway" was performed live twice in December 1993 - it just didn't work as a live number, no matter what we tried - sometimes that happens. "Stars Die" was performed twice in Italy last time we were there (both broadcast on radio I think), but as an acoustic number, which is how it will be done if and when we play it next. The vocals are too subtle (barely above a whisper on the recorded version) to cut through a rock band going at it hammer and tongs - especially one with a drummer as loud as Chris !

V35
A number of gigs are known to have been videoed. Do you have plans to issue any of these as one of the questions I am asked most is "where can I get hold of a live video?"

SW
I expect that eventually we will do an official live performance video - we certainly have plans to do a proper live album so they could tie in together. I'd like it to be a bit different from a standard live album/video by maybe writing and performing some new tracks especially for the project as well as including other documentary style footage.

V35
You were due to play recently on the Internet but this was cancelled at the last moment. Could you explain why? I've not heard of this being done before. Would this have been the first such performance and would you have been able to monitor in some way the audience who tuned in?

SW
I'm afraid I don't know much about this - as I understand it our New York show was supposed to be simultaneously broadcast over the Internet by a company called Sonicnet, but I gather that the venue would not allow the broadcast to take place. I believe that Sonicnet have successfully broadcast concerts by other bands over the net, although I wouldn't have thought the quality would be that great (??!)

V35
I understand there will be a range of Porcupine Tree related albums being issued on vinyl. Could you give us more details on these and the thinking behind this venture.

SW
I'm setting up a label with Delerium called Chromatic which will concentrate on limited edition (and exclusively vinyl to start with) Porcupine Tree related releases. I wanted to do this because there is always music which "happens" which is not necessarily for mass consumption but which would probably be of interest to the more fanatical fans. I know for example that there are a number of other artists doing special collector or fan club releases which could not be mainstream releases for a number of reasons - too self indulgent, archive material, bootleg quality or sheer quantity of output. King Crimson's series of archive live recordings, or Baby Bird's series of 4 track demo CDs are two of my fave examples. The first two releases on this new label will be the Incredible Expanding Mindfuck album (500 copies) and a one off vinyl pressing of the now deleted "Spiral Circus" cassette (750 copies), both on coloured vinyl I hope. Future planned releases are a 7" of the "Sky Moves Sideways" out-take "Men of Wood" (left off for reasons of context rather than quality) and a Porcupine Tree LP of improvisations and "cosmic jams".

V35
and finally before we finish I've had a couple of country bumpkins (their words not mine) from sleepy Norfolk asking when you intend to put some life into that part of the country by playing somewhere close to Norwich?

SW
OK - here's my hopefully not too feeble explanation : When the band and record company decide that it's time for Porcupine Tree to go out on tour, our agent begins to contact promoters and venues to see which of them are most enthusiastic about putting a PT show on. For a show to be booked, we need a fee which will cover as much of our loss as possible (we never make money) and we need to know that the show will be advertised well (this bit doesn't always go according to plan !). It also helps if the venue have a good sound system and engineer (e.g. - not like the Garage in London). I can only assume that the reason we have never played in Norfolk, which after all does contain a number of major towns, is that no promoter has ever expressed enough interest. Hopefully that will change and we could be rolling in to Norwich any day now.

V35
Thank you Steve for taking the time to answer the above questions. I'm sure it will be much appreciated by all readers. Thank

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Record Collector November 1996, issue 207

A New Album, A New Tour, But New Progressive Psychedelia? You Bet, Reports Chris Williams

Porcupine Tree offer a rich mix of ambient soundscapes, with soaring space rock, rampant psychedelia, complex symphonic rock and dance sensibilities. It's a uniquely eclectic musical fusion that can be called progressive in the truest sense of the word.

Currently enjoying a back-door renaissance, whether via avant-garde acts like Tortoise, fusion DJs or mainstream prog-pilferers like Paul Weller, progressive rock is back in at least as many guises as it had during its mid-70s heyday. And Porcupine Tree, currently on tour promoting their new "Signify" album, have long been at the forefront of this rejuvenation - with a suitably wayward and wonderful discography to prove it.

When their debut album, "On The Sunday Of Life", was issued in 1992, this near perfect psychedelic/progressive masterpiece seemed to come from out of the blue. In fact, both record and band had a tangled and complex history, further obscured by myth, rumour and untruth.

Initially the only fact known about Porcupine Tree was that the name supposedly masked the involvement of a well-known dance act (the Orb perhaps? - the end product was certainly polished enough.) Actually, the name hid the identity of Steven Wilson, the leader of a rather obscure progressive pop act, No Man. That band's sound was radically different to that of Porcupine Tree, as it consisted of well-written and well-produced music, skilfully played, but without any real hint of psychedelia.

Steven Wilson was a musically precocious teenager who taught himself to play guitar and keyboards. In 1983, at the age of 15 he recorded "Prayer For The Soul", half solo and half with Si Vockings on keyboards. Credited to Altamont, it was released on the Acid Tapes label run by future Imaginary Records boss, Alan Duffy, and featured five Wilson compositions, "Altamont", "Watching Statues", "Telltale Heart", "Split Image" and "Prayer For The Soul".

A shared interest in Syd Barrett had prompted Duffy to send Steven a batch of lyrics for which he could provide musical backing; and "Prayer For The Soul" featured lyrics that would later appear on Porcupine Tree's "This Long Silence" and "It Will Rain For A Million Years". The tape was available until quite recently but has been deleted at Steven's request (he has likened it to "a painter having his nursery school blots on display").

Steven was also in a progressive rock band called Karma who recorded two tapes: "The Jokes On You" in 1983 and "The Last Man To Laugh" in 1985. These featured very early versions of two Porcupine Tree tracks, "Small Fish" and "Nine Cats".

Following Karma's split in 1986, Steven compiled - and privately released - a progressive rock compilation, "Exposure", with the costs being shared by the eight bands who appeared on it. The album featured one of his songs, "From A Toyshop Window", credited to No Man Is An Island Except The Isle Of Man. The number of bands who responded to the request for material for "Exposure" was so large that Steven was able to release a double album, "Double Exposure", the following year. Alongside relatively well-known prog acts like Anthony Phillips and Nigel Mazlyn, this featured Steven's first collaboration with No Man vocalist Tim Bowness, "Faith's Last Doubt", as well as two tracks by Tim's previous band Plenty. No Man Is An Island continued for another two years, releasing an obscure 12" single, "The Girl from Missouri", and appearing on a Plastic Head Records sampler LP. A private cassette of material from this period, "Speak: 1988-89", was issued in 1993.

The name Porcupine Tree had started out as a joke - a fake progressive band with a silly name, a line-up of non-existent people and a string of fictitious albums - but Steven had a stack of Alan Duffy's far-out lyrics and some musical ideas more suited to a psych/prog band. The resulting home recordings were issued as a tape, "Tarquin's Seaweed Farm", and credited to Porcupine Tree, complete with fake history and personnel. The music represented several years' work, with the earliest material recorded on a four-track which lacked an erase head, but was nevertheless remarkably coherent and musically mature. The tape featured several PT favourites - "Jupiter Island", "Radioactive Toy" and "The Cross/Yellow Hedgerow Dreamsrcape", its first part a superb cover of a Prince song, the second a deranged freakout with guest vocalist Malcolm Stocks attempting to hypnotise the listener.

"Tarquin's..." was released in 1990 and was followed soon after by the short-lived "Love, Death And Mussolini" cassette. That featured another Porcupine Tree favourite, "Linton Samuel Dawson", alongside two tracks that have never been reissued, "Out" and a completely different version of "It Will Rain For A Million Years". Both releases are now extremely rare, particularly "Love, Death And Mussolini", which was limited to just ten copies.

Although the tapes received rather lukewarm reviews in 'Freakbeat' magazine, the editors were sufficiently impressed to include "Linton Samuel Dawson" on their "Psychedelic Psauna" compilation. By the time this appeared in late 1991, Steven had lengthened "Love, Death And Mussolini" and released the results as "The Nostalgia Factory". The nascent Delerium label reissued both this tape and "Tarquin's Seaweed Farm" in runs of 200 copies. Like the original private issues these are now very desirable, but sold well enough at the time for Delerium to consider releasing them as two double albums. Instead, Steven decided to take the best tracks on both tapes, re-record, remix and rename them where necessary and sequence them into a cohesive package. The result was the incredible debut LP. "On The Sunday Of Life", issued as a single CD or a double album in a beautiful (and expensive) gatefold sleeve.

The remaining material from the cassettes received similar treatment a couple of years later, being issued as "Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape" on Delerium's collectors' offshoot Magic Gnome. Because all of the best music from the cassettes ended up on "Sunday", "Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape" is by far the weaker of the two despite the inclusion of the excellent title track and the original version of "Radioactive Toy". But it's since become the most valuable item in the Porcupine Tree back catalogue.

The follow-up to "On The Sunday Of Life" was completely different to what had gone before. The "Voyage 34" 12" was a deeply strange hybrid of dance beats and pulses, ambient textures, space rock and searing guitar with hints of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall" and Jeff Wayne's "War Of The Worlds", which told the story of a man called Brian and his 34th acid trip, the first bad one he's had. This was a true underground classic and typified the dissolution of boundaries between musical genres that has been characteristic of the best music of the decade.

Issued in November 1992, "Voyage 34" received mixed reviews from a bemused press but appealed to the eclectic tastes of psych fans and the festival rave crowd and sold well. Reissued a year later as a very ambient remix EP (featuring new versions by Steven and Swordfish from Astralasia), it managed a six week run in the 'NME' indie charts, peaking at No. 19 - not bad for a 30-minute song about LSD! A fifth mix found its way onto an obscure and expensive Japanese CD magazine 'Intro 0.0', although it was made more widely available a couple of years later on Delerium's "Pick'N'Mix" sampler.

Incidentally, the first 100 copies of the original CD single featured slightly defective artwork - the green lettering on the front had a bluish tinge, the black was not true black and the typeface on the spine was different.

The dance and rock fusion of "Voyage 34" was apparent on the second album, 1993's "Up The Downstair", particularly in the heavily-sequenced "Synesthesia" and the lengthy ambient title track. Contrast was provided by the lyrical songwriting of "Always Never" and "Fadeaway" (which used the last of Alan Duffy's lyrics) and the ferocious psychedelic guitar workout, "Burning Sky". The album's strange title came from a line in "Voyage 34": ..but on Voyage 34, he finally met himself coming down an up staircase...".

Initially, it was going to be a double LP but this idea was scrapped because of the cost. While two of the rejected tracks turned up on the promotional "Radio Active" CD EP, all the out-takes later appeared on the now-deleted "Staircase Infinities" mini-LP, currently available only as a reissue CD on Blueprint. The music on "Staircase Infinities" is inevitably inferior to that on "Up The Downstair" and is only recommended to completists.

"Up The Downstair" featured a guest appearance from ex-Japan member Richard Barbieri, who had played with No Man, and bassist Colin Edwin, an old school friend. Steven recruited drummer Chris Maitland, who'd also played live with No Man, and the band made their live debut on the 4th December 1993 at the Nag's Head in High Wycombe, followed by a handful of live shows in London. On the 6th they recorded a Radio 1 session for Mark Radcliffe, playing "Radioactive Toy", "Always Never" and a scorching version of "Burning Sky". Tracks from the session and the early concerts can be heard on "Spiral Circus", a promo cassette given away free with subscriptions to the Porcupine Tree newsletter, 'Transmission'.

The 'NME' Indie Top Ten beckoned with the next single, the "Moonloop" EP, which peaked at No. 7. This was also released in the U.S. as "Stars Die" with "Always Never" (from "Up The Downstair") as an additional track. The extended improvisation of "Moonloop" itself was indicative of the band's new direction, which was apparent on their third studio album, "The Sky Moves Sideways", released in January 1995. This was dominated by the 35-minute title track which has an airy, expansive feel not dissimilar to Pink Floyd. Initial copies of the LP came on blue vinyl with a poster, while the CD, which featured an extended version of "Moonloop" as a bonus track, was a picture disc. However, the black vinyl pressing is rarer - it didn't include the poster, but only 500 copies were ever pressed. The American issue was different again, replacing "Prepare Yourself" with "Stars Die" and featuring a shorter version of "Moonloop". Porcupine Tree promoted the album with a tour of the U.K. and Holland in the company of Delerium stablemates Kava Kava, and recording a second Mark Radcliffe session on the 30th January 1995, playing "The Sky Moves Sideways" and "Moon Touches Your Shoulder".

Over the next 12 months, it had become clear that Steven was not content with the band's musical direction, and after a lengthy lay-off, the "Waiting" single, issued in April 1996, marked a return to a more song based style. Boasting different track listings on the CD and 12", it peaked at No. 8 in the 'NME' indie chart, although it failed to dent the national chart.

Both parts of "Waiting" appeared on the band's fourth and latest album, "Signify", which is much stronger than "The Sky Moves Sideways" and is the first album to feature the full band on every track. "Signify" is also much heavier - check out the ferocious title track, the heavy prog rock of "Sever" and the outstanding "Idiot Prayer", which combines driving rhythms, cutting guitar and paranoid samples with quieter passages. Steven is in no doubt that this represents his best work: "For me tracks like 'Every Home Is Wired' and 'Dark Matter' totally transcend both genre and comparison. Finally, I think we are making a completely original and 90s form of music, but which still has its root in progressive music."

The Porcupine Tree also has a twisted Krautrocking alter-ego, the Incredible Expanding Mindfuck. The IEM was one of the spoof bands in the early fictitious histories, but a track credited to them, the excellent "Gospel According To The IEM", appeared on the 'Pick'N'Mix" sampler. A limited edition vinyl-only album by the band is apparently imminent on a new label, Chromatic, alongside a vinyl reissue of the "Spiral Circus" live tape and a 7" of out-takes from "The Sky Moves Sideways" sessions. Steven also has an electronic music project called Bass Communion, who are due to release a CD on the New York-based Obelisk label.

That brings matters firmly up to-date, but it's hardly the end of the story. The career of Steven's other band, No Man, has run concurrently with that of Porcupine Tree. The line-up stabilised in May 1989 as Steven, Tim Bowness and violinist Ben Coleman, and they issued a cassette EP, "Swagger" a few months later. Frustrated by the lack of record company interest, the band privately released "Colours", a cover of the Donovan song. Both the initial pressing and its reissue on Probe Plus are now rare. "Colours" became Single Of The Week in 'Melody Maker' prompting One Little Indian to sign the band in June 1991. Their first release for the label, "Days In The Trees", was another 'MM' Single Of The Week and was followed by the "Lovesighs - An Entertainment" mini-LP, a collection of romantic pop songs.

October 1992 saw No Man's line-up expand to include bassist Mick Karn, keyboard player Richard Barbieri and drummer Steve Jansen, all formerly with 80s synth band Japan. An EP, "Ocean Song", featured four non-album tracks and was followed by the second No Man album, "Loveblows And Lovecries". One Little Indian lifted three singles from the album, "Sweetheart Raw", "Only Baby" and "Painting Paradise", none of which sold particularly well despite receiving radio airplay. Note that the single version of "Painting Paradise" is completely different to that on the album, while "Sweetheart Raw" was only available by mail-order.

Steven was resentful of the label's commercial ambitions for No Man and consequently their next album, "Flowermouth", was a far more experimental affair, notable for a guest appearance by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. Ben Coleman stayed in the band for the album completion but left in March 1994 prior to its release. Although nothing was considered suitable for single release and no budget to tour and promote the album, "Flowermouth" still became No Man's most successful record.

Perhaps inevitably, the band parted company from One Little Indian in February 1996 and began working on a new album. Meanwhile, two CDs of related material were issued later that year on the Resurgence label: "Heaven Taste" was a collection of B-sides and "Flowermix", a set of radical remixes of material taken from "Flowermouth".

By now signed to what they felt was a more sympathetic record company, Third Stone, and freed from commercial constraints No Man's latest album, "Wild Opera", issued in August, was more experimental and their best release by far, adding hard rock, trance and industrial elements to their sound. Its release was preceded by "Housewives Hooked On Heroin", a truly outstanding single.

It's likely that No Man will continue to exist alongside Porcupine Tree, who, after years of obscurity, are finally poised for real commercial success without compromising their artistic principles or alienating their fan base. A measure of the band's growing following is their high appearance in this year's 'Record Collector' readers' poll and the prices being asked for their rare material. The band's music is up there with Sun Dial's "Other Way Out" and Ozric Tentacles' first two albums as essential 90s psychedelic/progressive music, and they're getting better all the time.

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