Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson: Prog-rock is antidote to 'frivolous' iPod era
Progressive rock couldn’t have been more unfashionable when Steven Wilson formed Porcupine Tree in the U.K. more than 20 years ago. He knew then that the chances of sustaining a career based on prog-rock ideals were pretty slim.
“I started in the ‘80s, which was the worst possible time to make the music I make,” he says. “The idea of guitar solos was anathema, it was outlawed. And here I was making 20-minute pieces with 13-minute guitar solos. So having any degree of success, let alone a fan base, was the furthest thing from my mind.”And yet Porcupine Tree has not only endured but flourished, with a steadily growing worldwide audience sparked by a series of ambitious albums that blend everything from metal to ambient music. Wilson knew he wanted to make progressive music since he was a kid, and he remains resolute in pursuing his dream. But his definition of “prog” might surprise some purists. Though he loves originators of the genre such as King Crimson and Yes, Wilson casts a much wider net stylistically.
“Growing up in the ‘70s, I would hear my mother constantly spinning Donna Summer albums produced by Giorgio Moroder, which included 17-minute tracks like ‘Love to Love You Baby,’ ” he says. “And my father listened to [Pink Floyd’s] ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ repeatedly. Those records became my cornerstone.”
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