IS PORCUPINE TREE DUNZO?
Photo credit: Lasse Hoile
If you’re wondering why Steven Wilson has been focusing so much on his solo career (and even Storm Corrosion) instead of Procupine Tree as of late you’re certainly not alone: Rolling Stone asked as much in a lengthy interview published last week. The tl;dr version is that Wilson is just happier focusing on his solo stuff right now, but he admits that the future of Porcupine Tree is very much in doubt:
Does that mean that there is a danger that Porcupine Tree might fall by the wayside?
The honest answer is I don’t know. The solo career for me now is probably the most important. I think about it more than anything else, I’m more focussed on it than anything else, I enjoy it more than anything else and I’m brimming over with ideas. Whereas with Porcupine Tree, I’m not quite sure what to do with the band next. We’ve made 10 albums over a period of almost 20 years. The problem is, when you establish such a strong brand or trademark, and you spend years building it up, people expect you to become a machine, endlessly putting out an album, then touring. I promised myself many years ago that I would never ever allow myself to let this become a job. For me, it’s still about being very selfish and doing what I want to do. I know I’ve been fortunate that there seems to be enough people out there who respect me enough and still want to listen to whatever I do. Right now all my thoughts and energies are wrapped up in the excitement and the buzz I’m getting from the solo work.
Does this mean Porcupine Tree is done forever? Probably not. I’d take this statement at face value without reading into it a whole lot: Wilson really is just enjoying his solo stuff more right now. It’s kind of like when MetalGF asks me what I want for dinner when I haven’t even eaten lunch yet; how the hell am I supposed to know? I’m still focused on lunch! That and Wilson doesn’t feel inspired to write for Porcupine Tree, whatwith all the baggage that brandname carries; no neat lunch/dinner metaphor here, sorry!
Lots of great bands goes through this kind of dormant period; if nothing else, it’ll help to recharge the batteries and get Wilson stoked on Porcupine Tree again. I’m sure they’ll be back… just give it a couple years.
-VN
[via Heavy Blog]
