Steve Hackett, singer, songwriter and legendary guitarist from early Genesis, continues to record and tour the world with new material and promote his new website, www.Hackettsongs.com.
With more than fifty years of music experience, Steve Hackett is both an expert electric and acoustic guitarist. Taking music to its extreme limits, Steve Hackett has toured the world with many band line-ups and recorded multiple solo CD’s.
With a world-wide fan base, Steve Hackett continues on his musical quest with a new tour and a new CD in the works. LAsThePlace.com caught up with the best guitarist Europe has ever produced for an exclusive online interview.
LA’s The Place: How do you feel about your new Web site, HackettSongs.com, and does it infuse some new energy into your career?
Steve Hackett: Absolutely! I’m thrilled with the look of it. We’re coming up with new ideas that we’d like to implement… there’s all sorts of stuff in the pipeline. It’s great to feel free enough to be the editor in chief of your own ‘virtual newspaper’ and a lot more besides. It’s wonderful to feel a closer connection with everyone out there.
LATP: With the Internet connecting the world electronically, how do you use the power of the Internet to expand your fan base?
SH: Even the Pope has to show up at the Vatican window from time to time! The great thing about the Internet is it’s a window on the world but it’s also a two way mirror where people can peer into my workshop ahead of time to see what I’m up to.
LATP: What is your opinion of the current online video craze which enables raw footage, of one of your shows for example, to be uploaded and broadcast within minutes after your performance?
Steve Hackett
SH: Having just returned from Italy where shows were being filmed on mobiles, it’s both thrilling and disconcerting at the same time on You Tube! But then rather than hold back the technological tide, I feel it’s better to embrace it.
LATP: What was it like performing with Nuno Bettencourt and Paul Gilbert and do you see any Guitar Wars in your future?
SH: It was great working together. We had lots of laughs and played a lot of notes between us. They’re great guys, fantastic guitarists and singers, plus I loved working with the rest of the team. As to the future, who knows? It’s always possible.
LATP: What is your current relationship with your old band mates in Genesis?
SH: Yes, we’re all still mates and hold a lot of affection for each other.
LATP: Selling England by the Pound is not only a progressive masterpiece but it showcased your excellent guitar work and Phil Collins excellent drum work. How do you compare your and Phil’s work from thirty-five years ago to modern progressive artists?
SH: It depends on your definition of what’s progressive. There are lots of talented newcomers out there and I’m thrilled at the way the current music scene, especially in America, throws up energetic young geniuses. When Phil and I worked together we were just starting out and when we were working in our own adventure playground we had no idea that it was going to become the museum of ‘prog’ that it eventually became! Having said that, we knew we were doing great stuff together and I still think that Selling England is the band’s finest hour.
LATP: You Tube has displayed an endless amount of cover versions, electric and acoustic, of your work as well as early Genesis. Some in particular are brilliant classical guitar Genesis renditions and a little kid playing Spectral Mornings. Do you ever watch these performances and do you have any raw footage you plan to upload for your fans?
SH: I think the kid you’re referring is James Macpherson, who also played an incredible version of Valley of the Kings. I think he was only nine years old at the time and not only did I feel so proud that he got his fingers around it, but he stood there so confidently doing it. As I’m a self confessed workaholic it’s difficult to keep tabs on all the tributes, but I do watch some of the performances and I am planning to upload various bits of footage on the website soon!
LATP: I saw you play a couple times in Redondo Beach, California several years ago with an all electric band. I believe the last time you played the states was with an acoustic line up. Was this a cost effective way of playing in the U.S. or was it just something new you wanted to try?
SH: There have been two parallel paths with my music for a long time now, my electric and acoustic passions. Equal gods that deserve to be honored! But currently I’m touring with an explosive electric band.
LATP: You seem to be extremely busy these days. What does 2009 and beyond have in store for Steve Hackett?
SH: I’m often up at 6am writing, ready to work with Roger King by 11am. I have my own stuff and also a work in progress project with Chris Squire. I’m also working on band material with Nick Beggs, Roger King, Gary O’Toole, Rob Townsend, plus with Gary Husband recently, who manages to drum for Level 42 and plays keyboards with John McGlaughlin… and I always enjoy working with my Hungarian friends Djabe. I’m planning on a solo album release in the autumn and with my electric band I’ll be touring in Europe and the UK at that time. I hope to come to the States next year.
LATP: Some of your early commercial videos such as The Show, How Can I and Cell 151 have made it on You Tube. Fans in the United States in particular have probably never seen these. Any previous videos yet to be broadcast on the world-wide-web?
SH: I have to be careful for legal reasons. It’s not possible to go jaywalking here at this point!
LATP: With so many things on your plate, what do you like to do outside the music business and do you have any plans to strap on a hang glider and jump off a cliff in Brazil again?
SH: I’ve tried hang gliding, scuba diving, riding horses and powering speed boats, but right now I’m enjoying extremely dangerous guitar work! I love exploring. The Mojave Desert is one of the most beautiful natural gardens on Earth. I love visiting exotic places such as Sarajevo with its two hundred minarets, Penang Island’s extraordinary Buddhist temples… Standing right next to the Sphinx in Egypt inspired me to write a whole new guitar tune there and then on the spot. Time traveling is a must for the musical imagination, and don’t underestimate the power of walking, even in LA!
To see what Steve Hackett is up to go to his site: www.hackettsongs.com
