Quotes from Steven Wilson

I've always wanted to make some kind of music that was universally appreciated.

I never wanted us to be an exercise in nostalgia, living in the shadow of other artists.

I have a thing for major 7ths. They've got a very mournful, nostalgic quality to them.

I think most people can relate to the feeling of love spilling over into obsession.

I think anybody who likes Cardiacs, they tend to be quite evangelistic about them for obvious reasons. They're not a band you can be on the fence about.

If I want to do an orchestral record, if I want to do an acoustic record, if I want to do a death-metal record, if I want to do a jazz record - I can move in whichever direction I want, and no one is going to get upset about that. Except maybe my manager and my record company.

Is it sad that Storm Corrosion needs to be explained to people before they can accept it? I don't think it's sad; I think it's inevitable. I think it's just human nature.

We had an extreme reaction to Storm Corrosion. We were proud of it, but it divided the audience. The metal fans were divided. Some went with it. Some hated it, since it wasn't the progressive metal supergroup they were waiting for.

I think I've become a better storyteller over the years.

I think my fans are much more open-minded than some other bands' fan bases are.

It's one thing to fail with something you utterly believe in, but to fail with something you don't believe in? You just feel so sordid.

I grew up listening to bands like the Cure, Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance - these are the bands that I actually grew up with, and I always had these things in my taste, too. And I always loved industrial music as well: I listened to Throbbing Gristle, SPK, Cabaret Voltaire. And shoegaze bands like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.

You will hear ambient in our music. You will hear trip-hop.

The nature of music fandom and music fans is that, very often, they fall in love with a band or a particular artist, and they really would like... I'm talking generally; that's not everyone. But a vast majority of the fan base would prefer the band to keep making the same record and the same style of music over and over again.

People have asked me about doing an autobiography, but I don't think my life is that interesting.

Jazz drummers traditionally are not always prepared to just hold down the beat; it's like they're soloing the whole time.

When I did 'Hand Cannot Erase,' I didn't have a specific singer in mind.

The truth is I got rid of 100% of my vinyl in the '90s. All the vinyl I have is re-bought.

Owning vinyl is like having a beautiful painting hanging in your living room. It's something you can hold, pore over the lyrics, and immerse yourself in the art work.

I grew up with vinyl records and remember the pleasure and the kind of buzz that I got from buying a beautiful vinyl record with the sleeve and the lyrics - all that kind of tactile experience that you could get from an old vinyl record.