Porcupine Tree

Interpretation wanted!

„The incident“, the current album of the English band Porcupine Tree, is surely nothing for mainstream listeners who just want to download a song. You need time to explore every detail and to make your own decisions. Steve Wilson, chief of the prog legende, about the meaning of recondite music.

Autona: What do you prefer … if a journalist is absolutely familiar with your band or if he’s rather indifferent regarding the band?

Steve: Well, it depends on the questions. If somebody asks you how I like the album that usually means that he hasn’t listened to it yet. There are just a couple of questions to unmask an unprepared journalist.

Autona: Your new album is like a big novel and you need some time to get used to it. Where do you get all the ideas for such a complex album?

Steve: Music really means a lot to me and I listen to any kind of music, from Death Metal to Ambient, from Electronic to whatever … When I was 20 I absorbed any kind, I was influenced and music became a part of my DNA, so a part of these influences have been integrated in my kind of writing songs. Right now it’s different, I also spend a lot of time listening to music. I’m still open-minded but my songs are not inspired by the music I listen to, my ideas come from the experiences, from travelling, from the people I met and from the curiosities of life. Honestly, I don’t even listen to my own music because I don’t want to repeat myself.

Autona: How long does it take to compose an album like “The incident”?

Steve: I think it took about two months to compose the songs but it’s also important to structure the songs. An album is like a movie script where you need different elements and a dramaturgy. A real album is more than just the songs as files!

Autona: I took a look of your tour plan, you’ll start September 15th and the tour will take 3 months with just a couple of days off. That must be really hard work, especially for you as the singer.

Steve: That’s right. Everybody thinks that’s all fun but especially in the fall it’s hard work and you have to take care of yourself and your health. You can easily get a bad cold and you should try to avoid this.

Autona: So you travel a lot but you’re not able to see so many different sights of different places?

Steve: Well, the problem is that if we have a day off we’re almost in the middle of nowhere … possibly in a bad town in the mid west of the USA where there’s just a mall and no culture. That’s boring. We play in so many interesting towns like Barcelona but then we of course don’t have a day off.

Autona: How do you keep yourself in a good condition while touring? Exercises?

Steve: I wish I were that disciplined but I’ve got a healthy diet, I’m a vegetarian, I don’t drink and don’t smoke. It’s too bad for the vocal chords and I cannot say “Hey, I need a break, let’s cancel the show …”

Autona: So you just don’t drink when you on tour but basically you’re no total abstainer?

Steve: Well, sometimes I like a good wine but not on tour. Your vocal chords need 3 days to reclaim.

Autona: You’ve got serious lyrics, do you even want to change the people’s position?

Steve: I don’t want to force opinions. I just want to raise issues. I’m not Bruce Springsteen.

Autona: Bruce Springsteen?

Steve: He’s famous for influencing his staff and fans and even tells them how to vote. If you sing about emotions like being down, lonely, depressed etc. everybody will be able to understand you … in an individual way. My lyrics are like a mirror. You look into this mirror and can make your own thoughts about what you see. Music is different from a movie or a novel. In a novel and a movie every character is described in details that you exactly know what these people think. Music is different. Even if I sing about personal emotions it’s up to you how you interpret the lyrics. It’s up to the listener. I don’t have a proper message. It’s up to the audience to get their message out of it.

 

© 2009 Dennis Rowehl