One on one: Steven Wilson

The character I choose to have a "one on one" conversation is Steven Wilson, composer, guitarist and frontman of the progressive-rock band from Britain "Porcupine Tree". Steven is one of the most inspiring musician in the musical scene those days and particularly for me, my favorite one.

His musician background was very simple. Far from those conservatory musicians, he start to experiment with music when he was a child on his bedroom, making lovely pieces that now are considered brushstrokes of psychedelic music. Afterwards they were developed into progressive rock.

The first question I would ask him is:

1.- What thing, experience or certain event in your life motivate you to write songs?

I wonder what things motivate him to pick up the guitar and start writing songs. I have always admired people who besides of playing an instrument, can write music too. Steven is one of this persons, so I really feel the need to ask him that If I ever saw him.

2.- Some composers tend to write in some melancholic mood, and when they are asked what thing produces that feelings, they answer that it is just the way their creativity rolls. Is this your case too? or you have some different point of view.

3.- You have worked in the past as a producer with great artist like Björk and Opeth. Your work in those records In my opinion is impressive. You have considered to develop that aspect of your habilities?

I respect him a lot, and I think these questions would clear a lot of doubts I have always had in my mind.

Cheers!

Travelling from Punta Arenas to Vallenar

When I was twelve years old I moved to the city of Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile. My family moved to that city due to the job of my dad at the time, every three years we had take our bags and move into another city. Both of my parents are from Vallenar, so all my family has always been there, and each summer we used to travel from Punta Arenas to Vallenar by car to see them. 3664 kms separate both cities, so the journey by car was quite a long for a impatient child like me at the time. The only way to arrive Santiago from Punta Arenas is through Argentina, so that was the first time I visited another country. The journey was great, the argentine portion of patagonia have a lot of cities and small towns aswell, and they have developed the commercial tourism into some brand new levels that we as chileans have not explored in our lands yet. When we arrived to Caleta Olivia, I remember I saw the Atlantic ocean for the first time and I run just to touch the water, I don't know why but that is something I still remember very clearly. The argentinian people treat us kindly, and we enjoy the three days of our stop there. A lot of things called to my attention, like the money they use, the several petroleum extractors, the police cars and the funny armadillos (little animals known for having a sort of leather armor covering their entire body) walking near the road. In the fourth day we arrived to Vallenar and we met our family. I still remember this journey as the best because of all the new things I saw and because it was the funniest thing I have ever done with my family. We repeat this journey three times, and when my parents announce we will go to Vallenar again, were always excellent news.