This is not your typical music autobiography as it is not full of stories of excess. Steven Wilson's addiction is music and he has made a lot of it.
I think I became properly aware of Steven Wilson about fifteen years ago when a friend of a friend got us on the guestlist for a gig by his band Porcupine Tree. That got me listening to and enjoying his music. He has had various other musical projects and collaborations. I have by no means heard all of it. I did get to meet him this year when I bought this book and got it signed. I know @slobberchops did the same and I will be interested to hear what he thought of it.
He is only a year younger than me and grew up not very far away. I find lots we have in common such as the cultural references of people growing up in the UK during the sixties and seventies. He got into music early on and discovered various types of obscure and experimental music.
So the book has lots of details of how he grew up and formed bands, but it also has lists of his favourite music, books, movies, record shops and much more. He talks of his frustrations with Porcupine Tree not making to the mainstream attention. He is generally classed as a progressive artist, which some may say is not an easy way to fame, but bands like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes and Rush have been massive. Maybe they came along at a better time when people had longer attention spans.
It is interesting to hear his view of how Porcupine Tree stopped being a band and then came back just recently. He makes it clear that his solo albums have sold better than the band's did and he does not want to be stuck in a rut doing the same old thing. Although he appreciates his fans he is not going to let them dictate his next move. I know many of them were not so keen on his last album which moved further away from the guitar rock that they preferred, but he always says how much he loves pop music. His next project could be completely different.
The book comes right up to date with the build-up to the release of the latest band album this year and also his fairly new family with young kids after a life when he claimed to be too busy for such things.
I really enjoyed this book. It will inspire me to check out some of the culture that influenced him. These days that is easier now that most music is available to hear online. When he and I were young you really had to seek it out. He went far further than I did with that.
Rock on!