Prog Me 57: Andy Tillison

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Five things that rock our prog stars’ worlds…

This Month: Andy Tillison

Ok Computer

I need a big, fast desktop PC which doesn’t move and has an enormous hard disk on it. I used to take it on tour but it got a bit problematic getting it to America! I don’t touch Macs – they drive me bonkers!

Mastermind

Tropical fish or British steam locomotives, but I won’t tread on Big Big Train’s feet! I’ve been keeping tropical fish since I was about six years old and I’ve got nine at the moment.

Relics

I have a genuine 1960s Hammond organ and a Leslie speaker – it smells great, it sounds great and it looks great. I have a fantastic girlfriend who allows me to have it in the living room with my guitars and the fish tank.

**Sound & Vision **

We’re living through a golden age of TV at the moment. Things like House Of Cards and Breaking Bad are really floating my boat – they’re good quality drama. Music-wise, Close To The Edge was the first record I ever bought and I still love it. Also Van der Graaf Generator’s The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other – I got into it when I was 12.

Supper’s Ready

I love Indian and Chinese food, but the best I’ve ever tasted is in France. It’s all bloody amazing there! I’m teetotal so my favourite tipple is San Pellegrino Pompelmo [a sparkling grapefruit drink] and I love proper Italian espressos.

Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.