Steve Rothery is the original guitarist and the longest continuous member of Marillion. As a solo artist he recorded the instrumental album The Ghost Of Pripyat in 2014. He was also the founder of the British Guitar Academy in 2011. Recently he performed in Valkenburg during the Midsummer Prog Festival with the Steve Rothery Band. A couple of hours after the show I had an interview with Steve, one of my personal guitar heroes, so here we go...

Steve Rothery

Hi Steve, nice talking to you again. You have never been in this part of our country before, have you?
"No, I've never been here, but what a nice part of your country, indeed. I see much prosperity here: huge houses and many rather expensive sportscars..."

You played a completely different set compared with the one you gave last year in Weert. I was really surprised.
"Yes, you are right. The set had lots of surprises. It was a mixture of solo stuff and Marillion songs as this tour is meant to celebrate my 45 years in Marillion. We even played Forgotten Sons and for me it's almost forty years ago that I played that song. People always get very emotional when they hear those old songs, the ones they grew up with and listened to. So, I think that Forgotten Sons really resonated. It felt great to play that song after so many years."

What are your personal highlights in those 45 years of Marillion?
"Oh, too many to mention, really. I mean, the true memorable moments are when you hear yourself on the radio for the first time or when you sell out a proper concert, like the Hammersmith Odeon. But also, when you release your debut album or your first successful album, like Misplaced Childhood."

Were there also disappointments?
"Not that many, not really. I mean, we had lots of success with Fish being the singer, and initially we didn't have that success with Steve Hogarth, but that was allright as I saw how everything changed. However, if we wouldn't have had that success in 1990/1991 the pressure would become too great and maybe we would have ended the band then. But then again, any minor obstacle makes you stronger, so..."

What was the most embarrassing moment in your musical career?
"Ha, ha! Well, on the Clutching At Straws tour we played a show in Germany and for some reason Fish decided that he wanted his own personal security. When we finished the concert - I played my heavy double neck guitar - that huge German security guard guided Fish with a torch of the stage very carefully, but then it became pitch dark and I fell backwards of the stage ending up on my back, that was quite embarrassing indeed. Fortunately, I didn't break anything..."

The venue here in Valkenburg is quite nice, but what was the worst venue you ever played in?
"I think somewhere in Germany with running sewage through the dressing room, which was really awful, the limit actually."

Does your band still consist of the same musicians as last year?
"Yes, the same people indeed. We get on really well with each other. We have a fantastic time together, and nothing was ever a problem. It is an immense joy really to play with these guys."

Is there any new solo material yet in the pipeline?
"Well, there is some and I'm working on it. Actually, I am working on four different albums now: we work on a new Marillion album, new solo stuff for the band with my name, an album with Steve Hackett, and an album with a guy from Tangerine Dream, so I am keeping busy, ha, ha!"

Do you have any idea when the new Marillion album will be released?
"Well, maybe 2025 or 2026, we have all the Marillion weekends next year, so that will take a lot of time. Bassist Pete Trewavas is still recovering from his operation, so that slows things down a bit as well. Hopefully, we can finish the album after all the Marillion weekends and release it in the spring of 2026."

Can you tell me which album influenced you the most?
"Probably Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, but I also listened to early Genesis. Genesis Live was one of the first albums I bought. However, Wish You Were Here is the album that made me decide to be a guitarist. Then I knew what I was going to do with my life. I was sixteen years old, forgot school and I went for it. I just did it and I have been incredibly fortunate to have that success, to have a musical career for 45 years and to make eighteen albums. It's a dream come true..."

Do you still practise a lot?
"That depends, as life gets in the way sometimes. However, when you are rehearsing you practise a lot in fact."

One of my favourite albums is An Hour Before It's Dark. It was a phenomenal success and in my opinion one of the best Marillion albums ever.
"Well, thank you! But of course, that fact creates a lot of pressure since you want to match that success with your next album or even top it, who knows! Luckily, we still have a strong musical chemistry, and it all must come together really well. Some albums come together easier than others, but I'm sure that the new album will be a blast."

Steve Rothery and Martien Koolen (me)

What is the best thing about being a guitarist?
"Ha, ha, that's a nice question. Well, it's just a great instrument to play. I'm not a technical guitar player, but what I like to do is strike emotion, create atmosphere and it's amazing when I play the middle solo in the song Care to see how emotionally the audience reacts and how that solo resonates with the audience. It is awesome to communicate your emotions through your instrument."

Have you got any ambitions left to fulfil?
"Sure! I would like to make twenty Marillion albums. That would be a good momentum to end a career, but surely I will continue being a musician and still playing guitar. That is how I'm wired. There is nothing else in life that gives me the same satisfaction and I'm probably slightly dysfunctional to do something else."

Would you please react to the following statements:
Success is the enemy of freedom:
"Well, that depends on the amount of success. Sometimes success can be liberating, but too much success steals your privacy."
Ignore the rules of the game:
"We always did that, I think. We have never been a fashionable band, even when Kayleigh was a hit, we were a real anomaly. We didn't fit in with that pop world, they were glad to see the back of us, ha, ha. We did and we do it on our own terms. We make music for ourselves, and we just hope that people are going to like it."

You are a guitarist, but have you ever thought about writing lyrics for Marillion or for your own band?
"No, I have tried to write some snippets, but it is not really a talent of mine. Some people have a way with words, but that is not my strength."

What is the last thing you do before you go on stage?
"Pfff, well... ehh, I put my book down, as I read a lot on tour actually. I read contemporary fiction, science fiction, it depends."

Finally, if you were the journalist and I was Steve Rothery, what would be your last question?
"That's a very clever question indeed! Well, I would probably ask you the same question, ha, ha, ha!

Were do you see yourself ten years from now?"
"Hopefully, still playing in Marillion and perform shows."

Thank you for your time, sir.
"It was my pleasure."