Steve
course has his signature sound. I was
thrilled to get him on what I think was
the favorite song on that album, so that
was an unexpected bonus. The roll call
is endless and other friends are in danger right now and I think “here’s me
still going about and gallivanting
across the world.” I had an uncle who
lived until he was 108, so hopefully I’ll
inherit some of those genes and still be
doing it. It’s a joy for me.
Steve Hackett, 2015
Continued from page 6
cause. You think to yourself “that
album did well” or “this album didn’t
do quite so well and the other one did.”
You chart a graph that’s like waves
going up and down on a sea, but then
when you get the collection all in one, I
find myself a bit like being a proud
IE: Let’s talk about Wolflight. How
would you describe the album for those
who’ve yet to hear it?
SH: I think the best way to describe it is
it’s diverse. It’s not any one style or
genre. It’s across the board and almost
out from the end of the pier into the
12•2015
father of all my kids and I don’t really
mind which one went to Harvard and
which one became an alcoholic.
Basically I love them all and all the people that I’ve worked with, though I find
in my mid-'60s I’m losing more and
more friends that I’ve worked with
very closely. I had a great friend of
mine die completely unexpectedly- a
singer called Jim Diamond- who had a
wonderful
voice
and
[Yes
bassist/Squackett collaborator] Chris
Squire all this year. I think the last thing
Chris recorded is actually “Love Song
To A Vampire” on Wolflight, which of
drink and across the sea. There are lots
of styles of music from far placesinstruments and influences as diverse
as Australia, [America, Greece, the Far
East and beyond]. There are a lot of different styles and it’s all a big musical
adventure as surprising as guerilla
warfare really.
IE: Can you dive a little deeper into the
“From Acolyte To Wolflight” tour and
give us a sneak peak of the set list?
SH: Well I’ve got that and then also the
Genesis Revisited stuff, so it’s about a
three hour show, sometimes with a 15
8 illinoisentertainer.com december 2015
minute break. There’s quite a bit from
Spectral Mornings, Voyage Of The Acolyte
and Wolflight, and then quite a bit from
Genesis. “Get ‘Em Out by Friday,”
“Can-Utility And The Coastliners,”
“After The Ordeal” and “The Cinema
Show” gives you an idea of where
we’re headed with that and we get
around to doing “The Lamb Lies Down
On Broadway” and the ubiquitous
“The Musical Box.” It’s hard to get
away without doing that!
IE: So many of those songs introduced
the Steve Hackett sound to the world
at large. How would you describe your
playing style that has been so integral
to the classic Genesis sound and influenced other guitarists along the way?
SH: Well perhaps it’s the idea of intonation. I came up with the tapping technique in 1971, which is on many
Genesis albums and Eddie Van Halen
also mentions me as an influence.
Tapping allows you to play very fast on
one string or to use the fret board pretty much like a keyboard. You can’t tap
on the numbered strings simultaneously. It’s a great way of playing fast.
Beyond that, I think at times I’ve tried