Originally published in Total Guitar magazine 205 · September 2010
Steven Wilson interview (excerpt)
Interview1 min read
From an outsider’s perspective, playing progressive rock guitar can be associated with a high level of technical skill that might seem off-putting – is that inaccurate?
It’s like any good music – it’s about ideas and personality. You compare some of the guys in the progressive rock bands [of the 70s] with John Petrucci from Dream Theater, who are more a progressive metal band. The guys in Dream Theater are way beyond those musicians in terms of technique. Not necessarily for the better, though I have a great respect for those guys, but I think the great music was made by the people that had great ideas and strong personality.
I’m not a great player – I don’t shred and I don’t sit for hours practising scales all day. I’m a songwriter who uses the guitar to try and realise what I hear in my head. I think it’s more about your ideas than your technique.