Steven Wilson: the Innerviews interview

photo: Joel del Tufo

Anil Prasad interviewed Steven Wilson about his new album The Overview for his Innerviews website. About creating the two long-form compositions:

I wouldn’t say it was easy, but it was easier. The first side of the album is 70-percent derived from a single 19-note sequence and bassline that goes with it. So, you’ll hear the same musical material interpreted like a classical form, along the lines of what Wagner would have called a leitmotif or what Stockhausen would have called a formula. It’s the idea of variations on a theme. So, you’re not having to reinvent the wheel with every piece of music you write. Essentially, you’ve established the harmonies and melodies you’re going to use, and now it’s a question of how many ways can you approach them. That’s what Mike Oldfield was very good at. He’d have two or three melodies that he’d explore in any number of different ways.

So, that was a little bit easier, because I wasn’t starting with a blank page every time I was going to write a piece of music. It was more a question of “Where does this movie or novel go next? I’ve established my characters and the scenario. Now, what’s going to happen to those characters?”

Some new Porcupine Tree material, or a full album, might see the light of day:

It’s a bit too early to say, to be honest. Again, they’re different. I think a bit like my solo career, Porcupine Tree has reached a point where we don’t want to try to do anything except be ourselves. We don’t want to worry about what people expect of us—not that we ever did.

We’re enjoying the process. I love working with Gavin Harrison and Richard Barbieri. And the obvious thing for me now is that because the solo career is established, I’m much more able to be part of a democratic band in a way I wasn’t back in the day. I used to feel the need to control it more. Now, I don’t. In fact, I relish the idea of giving up control and perhaps not getting my own way all the time. I’m open to not necessarily doing things the way I would have done them myself.

I think Porcupine Tree going forward won’t be incredibly prolific. We may not tour again. But I think we’ll definitely make at least one more record. It could even be the next project, possibly. But that’s as much as I can say at the moment.

The Overview will be released on March 14th.

» stevenwilsonhq.com