Steven Wilson says he aims to get the audience onside by reminding them that he’s “just an idiot.”
The prog hero says humility is the key to forming a bond with gig crowds and adds that he goes out of his way to remind them that he’s just a regular guy.
Wilson tells Musicradar: “I’m just trying to highlight the fact that I’m no different to them, except the fact that my job happens to be – if you call it a job – writing and performing songs.
“I’ll put on the best show I can, but I will always go out of my way to remind the audience that I’m just an idiot, basically.
“I do try to talk to the audience and I think it’s important, when you’re on stage. I mean, there’s something inherently bizarre about the idea of being on stage in front of a couple of thousand people. So, between songs when I’m talking to the audience, I’m kind of just joking with them.”
Wilson – who is working on the follow-up to last year’s Hand. Cannot. Erase. – also discusses life on the road as a vegetarian and reveals he feared his bandmates would react badly when he suggested having a 100% vegetarian rider.
“I’m vegetarian and for years I was terrified about imposing my vegetarianism on the rest of the people I tour with because I don’t like to be preachy about it,” he says.
“But about a year ago, I went to my tour manager and said, ‘How do you think the guys would feel if I said, can we have only vegetarian food on the rider in future?’ And, to my surprise, everyone loved the idea.”
Wilson’s Transience compilation will be reissued next month on CD, via Kscope.
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