Rock Gods On Reality TV: Why Steven Wilson's Not A Fan Of Oversharing

Throughout three decades boasting numerous acclaimed projects (including Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, Storm Corrosion and his own solo endeavours), Steven Wilson has carved a niche and loyal following. The bespectacled English performer isn't playing arenas but he's certainly established a reverence within the prog rock realm. His latest solo album To The Bone's chart-bothering success and critical acclaim has only enhanced any semblance of fame he enjoys.

Despite this, the singer-songwriter, producer and go-to guy for remixing classic records readily admits that the one aspect he will not talk about is his private life, “and certain things that I don't think are relevant to my audience. But still they will ask me, and they will expect it.” Perhaps as a response to this, To The Bone even contains the memorable line, “I'm tired of Facebook”. “I think the social media thing as a whole, a lot of people are realising how empty it really is, and how in some ways it's the opposite of what it pertains to be,” he says.

The unassuming personality that Wilson projects isn't one that lends itself to posting minutiae such as photos of his breakfast on Instagram, anyway. “One of the things I really loathe about the modern, I wouldn't say the music industry, the whole industry of the creative arts, is that when I was growing up, there was a sense of enigma and magic about the musicians that I followed and the records I liked, in that I did not know much about the people who made them. That meant that I could project my own image onto the music, and it was magical. The best example of this is, bless him, Ozzy Osbourne. When I was listening to Black Sabbath as a kid, I had this idea of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne as these kind of gods, Viking gods making this intense, dark, rock music.

"I hate the fact that a lot of modern musicians now, in a sense you do know too much. There is no sense of enigma, and no sense of magic.”

“Fast-forward 20 years and you see Ozzy Osbourne on a reality TV show, trying to operate his TV remote control and not being able to while falling off his chair. It's like that whole magical illusion is smashed forever. Now inside of course I know it was always an illusion, but I liked the fact that I was able to create that illusion for myself, and the music had this magical, enigmatic quality. I hate the fact that a lot of modern musicians now, in a sense you do know too much. There is no sense of enigma, and no sense of magic.”

Wilson's self-effacing outlook extends to works penned about his career, such as the recent unauthorised biography, Time Flies: The Story Of Porcupine Tree. Wilson hasn't read said tome, or the several other books that have been released about him over recent years. “They're all unofficial, and that's not for any particular reason other than I would like to do my own book at some point, so I distance myself from these other books. If I was to contribute or become engaged in any of these projects then I feel like it would compromise what I would like to do ultimately, which is my own official book. I don't think it would be a biography. I think it would be more about - thoughts about music, the way I've gone about my career, and what's motivated me as a musician.”

This ethos includes buying more music than ever and remaining fascinated by the music that's “on the outskirts” and pushing the envelope. “One of the things I find interesting is most people I meet are still listening to the music they fell in love with when they were teenagers. And I've never been like that; I don't really listen to the music that I listened to when I was a kid any more. I'm always listening to the music I've most recently discovered. And I'm still very curious about what might still be out there that I haven't heard and experienced yet.

“It's funny, people always talk about Pink Floyd as being a big influence on me, and they were, but I haven't listened to Pink Floyd for 20 years. I almost don't need to; it's kind of in my DNA. It's there, I grew up with it, it's in my DNA, it will always manifest in my own music. But I don't listen to it any more; I'd rather be listening to something new. I realise that makes me quite different to a lot of people, who tend to still rediscover the music that they loved when they were young. And that's why those are the kind of people who will go out and buy the 25th reissue of Dark Side Of The Moon. I'm like, why? I'd rather listen to something different. I still find myself really curious about discovering music all the time.”