Steven Wilson: the Tape Op Interview

Posted on the 07 June 2021 by Hctf @hctf

Steven Wilson discusses fan expecations in an interview with Tape Op Magazine:

Anything that I do, any new song I release, any video, anything I say or do, can get an immediate wave of negativity. Not all, but there’s always a small contingent of extremely negative feedback to anything that we do. Of course, that’s very much a 21st century phenomenon. Bowie and Zappa never had to deal with that. They would get professional journalists reviewing their new album, but they wouldn’t have this instant wave of, “Oh, I don’t like this. I’m not sure about this. This isn’t what I want him to be doing.” As you say, to be able to feel I’m someone who’s not boxed in, I’m constantly fighting these preconceptions and confronting the expectations that others have of me. I believe if you do earn that right to be that kind of artist, it’s the greatest thing of all. I do realize how lucky I am in not having to be beholden to my audience in that respect.

On working with David Kosten as co-producer on his latest album, The Future Bites:

I’ve known David for a long time, more than 25 years now. We both started out in the music industry about the same time, in the early ‘90s. To try and make ends meet in the early days we were both doing music for TV commercials, so we would find ourselves going up against each other in a job for Sony PlayStation, M&Ms, LEGO, or something. We got to know each other through this friendly rivalry. I’ve been such an admirer of his production sound and his musical aesthetic. What I love about him is that you can recognize when you listen to any of the records he’s made, whether it’s Bat for Lashes, Keane, me, or whatever he’s done, you can hear he’s someone who has a very wide taste and a very wide knowledge in the history of music. But his records always sound fresh, contemporary, and “now.” I say that because if I do have an Achilles’ heel; it’s that I tend to sometimes disappear down the rabbit hole of homage, in the nicest possible way.

» stevenwilsonhq.com
» thefuturebites.com