Limited Edition of One: An Autobiography

by Steven John Wilson

The more I thought about it, the more I realised my career has been unusual. How did I manage to do everything wrong but still end up on the front cover of magazines, headlining world tours and achieving Top 5 albums? How did I attract such obsessive and fanatical fans, many of whom take everything I do or say very personally, which is simultaneously flattering but can also be tremendously frustrating? Even this I somehow cultivated without somehow meaning to. My accidental career.

Limited Edition of One is unlike any other music book you will ever have read.

Part the long-awaited memoir of Steven Wilson: whose celebrated band Porcupine Tree began as teenage fiction before unintentionally evolving into a reality that encompassed Grammy-nominated records and sold-out shows around the world, before he set out for an even more successful solo career.

Part the story of a twenty-first century artist who achieved chart-topping mainstream success without ever becoming part of the mainstream. From Abba to Stockhausen, via a collection of conversations and thought pieces on the art of listening, the rules of collaboration, lists of lists, personal stories, professional adventurism (including food, film, TV, modern art), old school rock stardom, how to negotiate an obsessive fanbase and survive on social media, and dream-fever storytelling.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Audiobook, Music Biography

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Steven John Wilson is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, most closely associated with the progressive rock genre. Currently a solo artist, he became known as the founder, lead guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands.

Wilson is a self-taught composer, producer, audio engineer, guitar and keyboard player, and plays other instruments as needed, including bass guitar, autoharp, hammered dulcimer and flute. Despite being mainly associated with progressive rock, his influences and work have encompassed a diverse range of genres including psychedelia, pop, extreme metal, electronic and jazz, among others, shifting his musical direction through his albums. His concerts incorporate quadraphonic sound and elaborate visuals. He has also worked with artists such as Opeth, King Crimson, Pendulum, Jethro Tull, Andy Partridge, Yes, Marillion, Tears for Fears, Roxy Music and Anathema.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Wilson has made music prolifically and earned critical acclaim. His honours include four nominations for the Grammy Awards, twice with Porcupine Tree, with his collaborative band Storm Corrosion and as a soloist on one occasion. In 2015, he received three awards at the Progressive Music Awards in London for his services to the genre, where he was crowned "the king of prog rock". Nevertheless, his work has largely stayed away from mainstream music, and he has been described by publications such as The Daily Telegraph as "the most successful British artist you’ve never heard of."

Reviews

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of years ago, The Telegraph described Steven Wilson as “probably the most successful British artist you’ve never heard of“. Despite spanning well over thirty years, which included the rise and fall of a silly solo-project-turned-legendary-cult-band, his professional career has, in Wilson’s own words, been an accidental one, so you’d be hard-pressed to find anything in Limited Edition of One that follows the conventions of a rock star autobiography.

"I lie a lot in interviews. (...) Even the untruths tell you a lot about the subject. Which lies did I tell? There will probably be some in this book, too. Some of them will be accidental untruths, things I even believe myself, because memory plays strange tricks on you, plus I've been telling them for so long. Maybe this is a lie too, and everything that follows is completely true, but I want you to doubt it just enough."

Limited Edition of One, written with the help of Mick Wall, who has in turn been described as “the world’s leading rock and metal writer“, is an intriguing collage, somewhere between memoir, music journalism, and interview, and even includes a pretty good piece of short fiction, The Harmony Codex, which is supposedly also going to be the title of Wilson’s next solo album, set for release in 2023. This book is for the fans, or rather, I think that being one is a prerequisite to get anything out of it—there’s nothing in here, despite the authors attempts, that will appeal or transcend to a wider audience who isn’t already familiar with or interested in Steven Wilson and what he has to say. And, as anyone who’s ever seen/heard/read a Steven Wilson interview or listened to his podcast with Tim Bowness, his partner in the distinctive but hard to categorize No-Man, will be aware of, he has a lot to say; Steven lives and breathes music, has the most eclectic taste imaginable, and definitely knows his stuff.

My best friend first introduced me to Porcupine Tree’s In Absentia sometime in the late aughts, but I didn’t dive into their discography properly until many years later, after getting into Steven Wilson’s solo stuff and discovering his myriad of other projects in my own time. I saw him live all over Europe, had tickets for several shows on the cancelled The Future Bites tour, and will be seeing the reunited Porcupine T(h)ree twice later this year, so I still consider myself a big fan… and yet, I feel compelled to preface this review by saying that I was so profoundly disappointed by some of his political comments in the past year (which culminated in a spectacularly tone-deaf social media post in support of Israel in which he used the phrase “All Lives Matter”), that I haven’t been keeping up with him too much, even removing myself from many of the fan-spaces I used to be quite active in. All this to say that despite having been looking forward to this book since he first teased it some years back, I approached it a little warily. Thankfully, while his love for Israel shines through on several occasions, it stops well before stepping into Zionism, and I enjoyed Limited Edition of One a lot more than I had dared to hope: It was an all-around fascinating romp through his formative years, career, and musings on the music industry and more or less obscure artists from every genre imaginable.

I really liked how the book was tackled, even the cheesier chapters that broke the fourth wall, and how it unfolded—just about every chapter contained a revelation, and was often prefaced by snippets of lyrics from many years prior, showing an odd sort of prescience for how his life and the world would end up going. He can occasionally come off as a bit snobby, and I felt that this was amplified in writing, but I appreciated that he didn’t try to paint himself in a better light, especially concerning how difficult he can be to work with and what caused Porcupine Tree to go on hiatus, as well as his romantic relationships. He may have started with a caveat lector about him being a liar, but I felt this was quite genuine, authentic, and brutally honest in parts—surely he would’ve otherwise sugarcoated certain things?

If you’re a fan hoping for verifiable hard facts about the history of Porcupine Tree, I’d suggest picking up Rich Wilson’s unofficial biography Time Flies instead, but if you’re interested in the thoughts and unusual experiences of a music fan making and enjoying music, this is a worthwhile, fascinating, uncompromising, and rather illuminating contemplation of today’s “music biz”. I've since revisited it in audiobook format, which might actually (and surprisingly, as I'm usually not a fan) have been the better-suited medium—I could just listen to him wax poetic about music for hours on end.

[Alison Mcauliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will confess to being a diehard Steven Wilson fan since I first saw him perform with Porcupine Tree back in 2007, so I may be slightly biased. I picked this book up today and finished it in one sitting. I love the way it’s not strictly autobiographical nor when it does stray into autobiographical territory the timeline is not linear. Much of it is really about the way Steven ticks. Fascinating insights into his early influences, views on music today, fans and even an intriguing short story. A must read for any fan.

[Vlad Pîrvu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pink Floyd este trupa care a reușit să mă transpună pe niște coordonate de existența cărora nici nu bănuiam. Odată cu muzica și versurile lui Gilmour și Waters, am făcut cunoștință cu un nou univers și am crezut că, „gata, asta a fost, de aici nu mai am unde să mă duc”. Dar, nu cu mult timp după acel moment, mi-a intrat pe radar Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No Man, Blackfield), care a luat noul univers floydian și mi l-a spart în milioane și milioane de galaxii, fiecare cu identitatea și personalitatea ei. Și mi-a pus capac.

Steven Wilson e genul de artist care vorbește cel puțin la fel de bine precum compune. Vine din rândul acelor filosofi ai artelor, care reușesc să pătrundă atât de adânc în vintrele ocupației lor, că te poți trezi ascultându-i zeci de ore pe YouTube cum vorbesc despre muzică, teatru, film și viață. Fără să te plictisești, doar hrănindu-te. Din acest punct de vedere, îl așez lângă Sergiu Celibidache, Andrei Șerban, David Lynch sau Frank Zappa, oameni fascinanți care mi-au modelat personalitatea și mi-au schimbat viața în bine, oricât de cheesy ar suna asta.

„Limited Edition of One” nu este deloc o carte pretențioasă (ba chiar e foarte accesibilă) și, deși nu se ridică la nivelul muzicii pe care o compune Wilson (dar puține lucruri o fac), este bine scrisă, onestă și, în dese rânduri, captivantă. Reușește să spună povestea de succes (sau…?) a unui englez tocilar și încăpățânat, pe care nimic nu îl recomandă pentru a fi un mega star rock. Mă rog, nimic în afara talentului. Oferă detalii picante din cariera artistului, pe care fanii precum sunt eu le vor devora pe nemestecate. Are umor, autoironie și nu se ia foarte tare în serios.

Chiar dacă sunt mai mult decât subiectiv, sunt sigur că această autobiografie îi va încânta până peste cap pe fanii lui Steven Wilson. Asta în vreme ce nici celorlalți nu văd să le facă o impresie proastă, deși ei ar putea fi ceva mai rezervați.

[Bence Varjú · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to recommend this book to people who are either not fan of Steven Wilson or just know a few of his tunes. This is a guy, worth knowing. A talented and complex musician, who gets inspiration from basically everything, likes to re-invent himself from time to time and has a storytelling attitude.
If one's a fan of Mr Wilson, I would say this is a nice few pages to get some recommendations and nice stories about the dawn of Porcupine Tree or his own family / school background. Yet the author does not to express his genius. Or at least most of it was already told in interviews. Tells the stories about In Absentia but seems like he skips the rest of his records. Also fails to properly mention his ex-bandmates which seems like an egoistic move. The whole book is on some level.
It was nice to get inside Steven Wilson's head for 369 pages, yet this is merely an artistic product meant to please himself.

[Andrin Albrecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steven Wilson has been my favorite artist— and by that I don’t just mean musician/composer, but also lyricist, video artist, performer, creator of albums as sublime multimedial books—ever since the Porcupine Tree album “Deadwing” fell into my hands in early 2015. I’ve adored the metal and prog-rock sides of his many projects, the ethereal pop of “Blackfield” and the almost radio-friendly electro pop of his newest solo albums, the noise and post rock of “Insurgentes”, the witchy folk ambient of “Storm Corrosion.” I’ve been fascinated, if never as deeply touched, by “Bass Communion” and the violin pop of “No Man”, and have been one of those Opeth fans enthusiastic about the new trajectory in their music after they worked with Steven for a few albums. “Hand. Cannot. Erase” remains my single favorite album of any time or genre to this day; there’s no way for me to listen to it without being transported onto an entirely different plane where everything that I love about music is present in perfection. No question, then, that I ordered Steven Wilson’s autobiography “Limited Edition of One” as soon as it came out.
Having read it now, over a bedridden weekend due to covid, I sadly need to report that I might as well not have. “Limited Edition of One”—a beautifully heterogeneous work that includes autobiographical chapters, but also transcripts of interviews, a great many lists and thoughts on everything music, reviews of films and Netflix series, snippets of Steven’s private life, and even a short ghost story written by him—is not exactly bad: It has an undeniable charm, is competently written (Steven Wilson, it should come as a surprise to no one, can have a way with words, and he collaborated with renowned music biographer Mick Wall on that one), but then again not written as well or poetically as one might have hoped given some of Steven’s most outstanding lyrics: “Come back if you want to and remember who you are / There’s nothing here for you my dear, and everything must pass / The world doesn’t want you, it will never tell you why / You can shut the door, but you can’t ignore the crawl of your decline” is just on a completely different echelon as “Great musicians understandably resent having to play second fiddle to the guy at the front getting the attention and the songwriting credits (although I do split these: not evenly, but everyone gets a fair share of everything the band records).” Then there’s the fact that—as Steven, to his credit, rightfully notes several times throughout the book—neither his own life and career nor the story of Porcupine Tree are of the sort worth writing a book about. There are some interesting anecdotes, sure, and there’s always something enticing about catching glimpses of the private life of a person you look up to, but 90% boils down to “Well, I had this idea for some songs, recorded them, released them, and they were moderately successful.” Now, diehard fans (including me) might have loved to read about the conception of these songs in a lot more detail—about thoughts that went into them, variants that were tried out, surprises that occurred … But there are traces of that at best. Instead, several chapters read mostly like Steven defending his creative freedom as a an artist, the freedom to not forever be pegged as the “King of Prog Rock” but write and play drone, disco pop, synth rock, minimal music, Britpop or folk that he loves just as much. And fair, I get how jarring it can be for him, facing the vocal internet backlash of having “betrayed progressive rock” with every new album he brings out, I really get it. But he’s brought up the same defenses time and again in interviews already; any fan who will be swayed by them has been so long ago, and the handful of reactionary idiots shouting on Twitter will most definitely not become more civil because they have their preconceptions challenged in book form now. The result, sadly, is that this book at times comes across as petty and self-indulgent while in others its really only interesting if you care about learning what vinyl singles Steven was obsessed with as a child. Add to that a regrettable undertone of Old Man Yelling at Cloud (once again, to his credit, Steven makes that connection himself, only it doesn’t really change anything about how he proceeds) lamenting a changed music industry in which albums are becoming increasingly obsolete, genre-bending artists are barred from stardom because of Spotify algorithms, the mystery of the artist is traded in for performative authenticity, and rock music is ghettoized not least because of a fearsomely conservative baby boomer fanbase. I’m not going to get into a counter argument here, even though I firmly believe that Steven is wrong about at least as many things as he has a point about. But be that as it may, laments about the decline of an industry simply do not make for particularly enticing reading, no matter how right or wrong they might be.
In summary: “Limited Edition of One” might be an interesting enough read for long time Steven Wilson fans, and it might let you discover some great underground music along the way, but for anyone else, there are far better music biographies out there on pretty much any count. Far better ghost stories too, I’m afraid. Some of them even penned by Steven Wilson himself.

[Michæl Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read Chapter Twenty-Five, interestingly titled The Harmony Codex - A Story, I listen to Porcupine Tree’s 2000 album Lightbulb Sun. The soundtrack to this short story was not so much of a conscious decision as an intuitive one; having flicked through my record collection, something in the back of my head urged me to pick this one, even over In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet - it could be that I wanted to see the clear vinyl (to my horror it turned out that my copy was sealed, revealing that I never took the time to even look at it after I bought it - insert some kind of The Future Bites-style consumerist statement here). Anyway, I digress. This short story was mentioned as being included a few chapters earlier, and I’ve been looking forward to reading it.

Now, an unexpected catastrophe begins as our point-of-perspective characters ride up in an elevator (in a skyscraper which includes the offices of the hilariously named Globatronic Solutions) and I am simultaneously warned about the effects of human ways, human behaviour, human ignorance and human misinformation during the track Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before it is Recycled.

I include this to outline an important detail of this story. It is so Steven Wilson. A short fiction story may seem like something new for him, but it fits so neatly into his canon of works that a record picked almost at random from his back catalogue can provide the perfect soundtrack, despite sharing little in the way of narrative. I wonder if I’d have picked To the Bone or Deadwing, would I have the same sense of things clicking into place? Probably.

The ending of the short story, naturally, was frustrating. Perfectly so. And frustratingly perfect - leaving more to question as many great short stories do. The Harmony Codex - A Story would have fit in perfectly in one of those collections curated by someone like Chuck Palahniuk, where you have no expectations from each story, but still you’re left a little dumbfounded.

I’ll also briefly acknowledge the fact that in Chapter Seventeen of the book, Lists #4, Steven has included The Harmony Codex (2023) as number 11 on a list of his 10 favourite albums of his own. Speculate away.

Coincidentally, the following and final chapter Arriving... begins with a lyrics from another Lightbulb Sun song, Where We Would Be. Many of the chapters begin similarly; foreworded by a younger Wilson in the form of his own lyrics; while some begin with the autobiography classic of a nostalgic photograph, to set the tone and theme of the forthcoming pages.

The bulk of the book up until this point has been a collage of autobiography and musical journalism. Anybody who has listened to Steven’s podcast with Tim Bowness, The Album Years, will be unable to contest that he knows his stuff (disregarding the hilarious errata sections of each episode). I’ll admit to having read through SW’s wiki page a fair few times over the years, as well the individual pages for each album... band... single etc. I also follow him on Instagram, though that mostly provides me with pictures of his dog, Bowie. With this in mind, there was still a lot more to learn about the life of this man who has, in his words, an accidental career. Insight into his early years, his relationships with family members, mostly his parents and his brother.

Some of the most interesting chapters are where he and Mick Wall, who has earned himself a with credit for his input, are in conversation and bouncing off of each other like old friends. Two people with decades of experience of the music industry talking over Zoom about where the book is going, perhaps not realising at the time that the transcript itself would be provocative enough to make the book.

My personal highlights:

• Any mention of Mikael Åkerfeldt (my friend, Mikael, from the Swedish band Opeth / The singer from Opeth, my friend Mikael Åkerfeldt / my friend from Opeth (the Swedish metal band), Mikael.)
• Reading about the inventions and contraptions that Steven’s father had built for him when he was younger (the sequencer with nine steps - as his father had no idea about common time signatures).
• Anything that hinted toward the future of his musical output (not that I consider it to be reliable information. Steven himself warns of his tendency to lie, this book being no exception.)

My personal lowlight:

• Disappointed to discover that Steven Wilson's dad is not Richard Wilson. I don't believe it.


In short; if you’re a fan of Steven Wilson in any of his numerous guises, this book is definitely worth a read. Simple as that.

[Yevgeny Tarabanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful treat for die hard fans.
This is a rare autobiography that goes beyond the information you can usually find online.
The book truly feels like a peek into the life and thoughts of Steven Wilson in a way that previous interviews and behind the scenes footage never captured before.
Sure, he can sound like a bit of a snob sometimes and he’s also brutally honest in certain places in the book. But that’s part of the magic! He is what he is - as uncompromising as ever. And that’s some of the best qualities of his art and this book.

[Richard Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I just read corresponds with what did I just listen too when hearing PT and SW music. This artist is certainly one of a kind.

[دانیال عماری · Rating 4 out of 5]

همراه شدن با مسیر حرکت خلاقه یک هنرمند طی سال‌ها فعالیت‌اش، نه تنها لذت‌بخش بلکه بسیار رشد‌دهنده‌است. این روند را با طرفدار بودن یا به قول انگلیسی‌زبان‌ها فن بودن نباید اشتباه گرفت. در طرفدار بودن، نوعی تعصب حاضر است، که نگاه انتقادی و پرسش‌گری مخاطب را کور می‌کند. اجازه نمی‌دهد شناخت از مسیر هنری هنرمند، به شکلی پرسش‌گرایانه و بی‌واسطه حاصل شود، بلکه بیشتر در راه تغذیه نوعی رابطه آینه‌ای عمل می‌کند که راه به هیچ نمی‌برد جز ستایش‌ها یا نفرت‌های بی‌واسطه.

استیون ویلسون را سال‌ها با این پرسش مرکزی دنبال می‌کنم: این موزیسینی که نوای آثارش به دل من می نشیند، در قدم بعدی به کجا خواهد رفت و چه قلمرو‌های ناشناخته موسیقایی را کشف خواهد کرد؟ بی‌شک خود مولف هم باید اجازه ایجاد چنین نگاهی در مخاطب را فراهم بکند. در هنرمندانی که نوعی تجربه‌گرایی و ساختارگریزی دیده می‌شود، امکان پرسش این جنس سوال‌ها محتمل‌تراست تا کسانی که به آداب و روش‌های تولیدشان سال‌های سال تکیه می‌کنند و تغییرش نمی‌دهند و در نتیجه حال و هوای آثارشان زیاد دچار تغییر نمی‌شود.

استیون ویلسون شاید از معدود هنرمندانی باشد که با دقت و شیفتگی تمام آثار و مسیر حرکت هنری‌اش را دنبال کرده‌ام، و همواره مرا شک‌زده‌کرده‌است. موزیسینی که طی سی سال فعالیت، با شعار فهم موسیقی فراتر از دسته‌بندی‌ها فعالیت کرده و دم به دم هوادارن متعصبش را ناامید‌ می‌کند. پروژه‌های موسیقایی‌اش، آثار فردی‌اش، همکاری‌های مقطعی‌اش با نوازدگان و هنرمندان دیگر، نشان از روحیه‌ای ماجراجو در موسیقی دارد، که گویی هرلحظه به دنبال صدای جدیدی می‌گردد و از تمام تواناییی‌هایش بهره می‌برد تا آن را بجوید.

این جنس شخصیت‌ها، به پرسه‌زن‌ها می‌مانند. عمدتا درگیر یک شکل خاص از فعالیت نمی‌شوند. آثارشان آلبوم به آلبوم متفاوت است و نگاهشان مبتنی بر کشف ترکیب‌بندی‌های ناشناخته‌است. می‌توانند با طیف وسیعی از افراد همکاری داشته باشند، هرلحظه ممکن است دست به کاری جدید بزنند، و آزادی و خلاقیت بزرگترین آرمان‌های آن‌هاست. آنچه برایشان اهمیت مرکزی دارد، نه شهرت در سطوح وسیع است نه ثروت غیرقابل شمارش. بیشتر مبتنی بر نوعی خودخواهی هنری عمل می‌کنند. انگار می‌گویند: من می‌خواهم در این مسیر دست به جستجوهای مدام بزنم، و نتایجش را به اشتراک بگذارم. می‌توانی با من همراه باشی یا نباشی.

استیون ویلسون در دوران همه‌گیری ویروس کرونا، دست به نوشتن زندگی‌نامه‌اش زد. زندگی‌نامه‌ای که به قول خودش حرف زیادی برای زدن ندارد. کتاب را بعد از مدت‌ها پشت‌گوش‌اندازی خریدم و بلافاصله‌ ترجمه‌اش را هم آغاز کردم، هرچند به احتمال بسیار زیاد امکان انتشار آن در ایران وجود ندارد.

اساسی‌ترین نکته در ساختار کتاب، نزدیکی دقیق ترکیب‌بندی آن بود با آثار موسیقایی مولف. کتاب با ترتیت زمانی آشنا پیش نمی‌رود. هر لحظه جایی از زندگی او فرود می‌آییم و مسیرش را از آن‌جا دنبال می‌کنیم. شخصیت درونی او بسیار به کتاب وارد شده‌است. علاقه‌اش به لیست‌نویسی، جمع‌آوری آثار موسیقی قدیمی، علاقه‌اش به شکاندن دیوار چهارم روایت و… همه و همه از روحیات او، به موسیقی‌اش، و بعد به خودزندگی‌نامه‌اش وارد شده‌اند. نوعی انسجام بیان میان کتاب، آثار موسیقایی و شخصیت او در مصاحبه‌ها دیده می‌شود، که نشان از یک دستگاه فکری فردی می‌دهد. این سوال را پاسخ می‌دهد که این فرد چگونه فکر می‌کند و کار می‌کند و چه نگاهی به انسان دارد. گویی بزرگترین مهارت او این بوده خیلی خوب فهمیده چگونه می‌تواند رشد کند، چگونه به روابط، شغل، موسیقی، تنهایی، ثروت و... نگاه می‌کند. روحیاتی که با وجود ماجراجویی‌های گسترده در موسیقی‌اش، همواره ثابت مانده‌است.

کتاب مرا یک قدم بیشتر برای پیگیری مسیر هنری او کنجکاو کرد. این همان چیزی‌ست که شاید بتوان نامش را گذاشت لذت مخاطب خلاق بودن. این هنرمندان به مخاطبانی نیاز دارند که درست به اندازه مولف در ساخت نهایی اثر همکاری و فعالیت داشته باشند. برای همین آثارشان سخت و ناآشنا می‌شود. اما گویی در مسیر رشد کردنشان فهمیده‌اند که لذتی در مخاطب خلاق بودن پنهان است، که می‌خواهند آن را حفظ و بازنشر کنند.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steven Wilson is kinda my musical Elvis (then again, so is Jeff Buckley) - though a loner & weirder one. (haha...not really, he's actually quite the anti-rock star & kind of normal in a music nerd kind of way, if anything.)
4.5 stars.

This autobiography is one of the most unique ones out there, not quite Springsteen's Born To Run (amongst the best i've read), or the usual social outcast becomes famous rock star & develops a drink, drug & sex addiction (usual drink & drug fueled shenanigans ensue & celebrities are name dropped) & somehow survives it & is now living a pretty normal life, NO! He's not that at all. He's just always done things...differently. Whether tinkering with sounds on tape as a child, hunting for weird & obscure music, whose cover looked or name sounded cool as the vinyl era was originally ending, or making "progressive rock" when it was no longer cool or commercially successful to do so, seen more as an awkward musical genre that deserved to die, as it was for fat & balding middle-aged men. Steven has always just done what was near & dear to his heart. Whether making ambient drone, progressive pop/rock, dark & depressing alternative piano electronic music to a very sad pop/rock collaboration with an Israeli singer (Aviv Geffen in Blackfield), amongst many other pies he's had his finger in.

The book also dispels a lot of presumptions about him that have scoured the internet for years by music super nerds on prog forums & blogs pre-social media in the late 90's & 00's. It also features chapters of his favourites lists (stuff he's always asked about in interviews).

This really isn't the usual music autobiography. It has an interview with his collaborative writing partner (not the usual ghostwriter you'll get with autobiographies) about the music industry & music in the modern age, as well as releasing a new album during the pandemic & the lessons learned. There's even a short novel that Steven wrote himself included in the book, which will be the basis & title for his next solo album. No one else has done that yet. Funny what you can find time for when you can't tour the world for 2 years.

A thoroughly enjoyable read if you're not like one of the others & you foster an eclectic taste in music. An introverted & somewhat reluctant rockstar, if ever there was one, but lots of us are sure glad that he is. Just don't go getting too big in the mainstream now Steven, ya hear?!...haha.
*tongue firmly planted in cheek*

[Jacob Stephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly necessary for fans (such as I), but potentially interesting for anyone interesting in how a relatively successful musician perceives himself, his history, the craft, and music in general. Steven Wilson seems an affable fellow, if a bit overly intellectual at times - that's at least what I could gather from his book, which provides interspersed pieces of interview, autobiography, lists (my favorite part of the books), and general pontifications. Included also is the short story, "The Harmony Codex," which was written years before the album of the same name was resulted in 2023.

I admit this book has a weakness of feeling a little slapped together. It almost reads like a series of blog posts, or like a collection of posts Steven may have made on a forum years ago with the veneer of a published book over it. The parts are there, and their inclusions make sense, but a better balance of segments would have helped the flow. I also don't know if this book went through many rounds of professional editing, as Steven has a habit of repeating stories and explanations in more than one chapter. None of these critiques are too problematic unto themselves, but it leaves the product with a jerky, stilted flow.

In any case, I had a blast reading this book over a few days. I haven't read anything like it in a long time, as I'm unjustifiably averse to most nonfiction, most of all to the autobiography. At the core of it, Steven Wilson succeeds in portraying himself as a fairly down-to-earth guy. This is fitting, as he often reminds readers that your idols, your bigger-than-life rockstar objects of adoration are "just bloody people." I'm glad I read it, and I'm glad I have an insight into how one of my favorite musicians views himself.

[Jochem Wessel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mainly know Steven Wilson for his solo work and Porcupine Tree. I discovered his ambient project Bass Communion only very recently and I might have listened to No-Man, Blackfield and Storm Corrosion once or twice. The point is that even though I only actively listen to a few albums from a few of his projects, I still loved the book.

The way the book gives an unfiltered insight into Steven's life is incredibly interesting. The disappointment that he never got as big as bands like U2 or Pink Floyd juxtaposed with the fact that he feels like he doesn't deserve the recognition he has now paints an honest picture instead of one that glamorizes the life of a musician.

The recurring chapters 'Somewhere But Not Here', named after the Porcupine Tree song, were by far my favourite, though the decade chapters representing his age were a close second. The second to last chapter was a welcome surprise, and one that makes me wonder/hope that we might one day get a fictional novel written by the man himself.

Overall the book is a must-read for anyone who likes any of Steven Wilson's music projects. You don't even have to be a hardcore fan because, in his words, "'Fan' is a hopelessly inadequate word"

[Jim Dennison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Wilson’s music but on occasion I’ve wondered if he’s one of those prickly, controlling, egotistical people based on a couple quotes I’ve read.

This book has put my mind to rest … sure he’s opinionated and (not unlike me) a 50-something who worries about the way society and culture is going. But he comes across as open and likeable and the book itself is original and compelling.

Not least because although it has a strong biographical element it’s also full of deep musings and diversions into music, culture, technology … you feel like you’ve spent the night having a damn good geeky chat down the pub with him. Plus there’s a short story he wrote in it which is interesting too

Recommended especially if you’re also a 50-something British geek (lots to relate to) and a fan of his work

Borderline 4.5 stars rather than 4 stars

[Rod Sedgwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I could’ve hoped for and more. A very thoughtful and illuminating read about one of my most treasured artists and their thoughts, musings and experiences of a life well-lived.

[Stephan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been a lot better. Contains some interesting parts, but also quite a lot of pretentious ramblings about internet destroying the music industry etc.

[Raistlin (Rai) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what I wanted in an auto-biography from Steven Wilson! Walking away from this one with a list of new music to check out, some insights on inspiration for some Porcupine Tree and solo albums, and a better idea of who he is behind the curtain of celebrity.

A recommended read for fans of any of his work!

[Gallifrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Steven Wilson is my favourite musician of all time, and probably the only "celebrity" I even come close to idolising, although I try to stop short of that. Take from that what you will

-

I felt a lot of things reading this. Steven has been a bit of an enigma for most of his career, and he is right when he describes it in this book as being reasonably unique - whilst most artists burn bright and fade out, he steadily got better over a span of 30 odd years, before releasing arguably his best works at the age of 45. His recognition as a generational artist was even slower than this. So he has quite a unique perspective. Never inside the mainstream, but always close to it. Worshipped by thousands but a complete unknown to the vast populace.

And in true style, this is a fairly non-standard book. He does do brief passages of the personal history routine (and I personally wished he did more, as these were quite interesting), but a lot of this book is dedicated to general musings about art and culture, some of which are a bit old man yells at cloud, but some are quite illuminating, especially given that he is one of the very few of his generation that has actually tried to stay in touch with modern music.

But I have to say that a lot of my emotions in regards to this book are incredibly subjective, and probably not that useful to anyone but me. I have a lot in common with Mr Wilson, and this is something I learned even after I became a huge listener of his music. There's a spiritual connection I have to so many parts of this book, to the point where it's like reading my own diary.

I'm going to give a copy to my mother. Not because she'd like him or his story, but because she doesn't really understand me. There is so much of what I'm trying to achieve written out from the perspective of someone who has achieved it, and even if I don't get 1% as far as he did, I still think it's a path worth leading. I learned a lot about myself from reading this, which is something I can't say about any other book. I've made life choices inspired by what I read here, after taking a chance to reevaluate where I'm at.

I don't feel that's particularly relevant to anyone else. But yeah, it's got some cool bits about music in it too.

[Dimitris Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll obviously be pretty biased when it comes to anything related to Steven Wilson, my favorite musician bar none.

In a way, Steven Wilson is like Marina Satti. Their use of their art as a proof of continuously mutating self and self-expression has made them dismissive of older iterations of themselves, the ones that rightfully earned them their fame. In this process, they keep banging on about how "pop" they are now - "look at us, we're really not these 'highbrow' artists, we want to live with common people!"' Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't really.

Although these journeys of artistic self-discovery are definitely revealing about their inner motivations, drives and desire for acceptance, on their own terms, for their "whole" creative selves (as an Enneagram 4, I can definitely relate), what's most interesting about these transformations is not always the end result, but the process these artists keep going through.

In the end, through constantly surprising their fans, they themselves become the ever-changing work of art.

This book is another such surprise. It takes us through the mind of Steven Wilson as a "work of art". Even its format, the way it's written, the things Steven chooses to share with us ("everything in this book is a lie. Including this sentence") ends up being another medium he's utilized to express himself alongside his music, trying to take advantage of the written word in some unexpected ways.

By that, of course I mean the part around the middle of the book where he draws back the curtain on the process behind the real creation of this book, the obligatory postmodern wink and breaking of the fourth wall in book form. But what he writes about is also interesting in itself - the lists (his favorite movies, his top 100 songs "he would give his right hand to have written himself"), his life story told in 10-year intervals, Porcupine Tree's semi-rise, fall, and relegation to cult legend status...

The man is not only a treasure trove of knowledge about music - his taste is truly what you'd call eclectic - the book is full of insight about the state of the music industry, about art, about self-expression, about finding the balance between creating for an audience of fans and the value of never stopping to discover and reinvent one's self through one's creative output. It makes one wonder what it means when an artist makes something they love, feel proud of and feel has hit the sweet spot regarding self-expression but which the fans don't know what to do with (looking at you, The Future Bites).

I would have liked more info about some specific parts of his prolific work rather than this feeling of indifference I got about, for instance, Fear of a Blank Planet. I thought it was interesting there are many songs he's forgotten he's even written (probably some of my favorites...) and I have to admit I felt uneasy when he said that he almost wishes he'd never made The Raven That Refused to Sing because it further pigeonholed him into the prog rock niche he's been trying so hard to claw his way out of. I believe it's one of his best records.

That said, I have to admit, there are worse things in life than making a true masterpiece and having it be what most people know or remember you by. Again, like with Marina Satti, I think this dynamic interplay between fame (or the thirst thereof), creativity, approachability, legacy and self-expression is what really makes these artists worth examining more closely.

However, unlike Satti, Steven Wilson never went to Eurovision. His life is the story of a man who was always one step away from achieving mainstream success but whose failure to attain his desired Bowie-level pop-star-meets-visionary status gave birth to a whole different kind of breathtaking, creative beast - one given the freedom to never stop exploring in whichever direction he chose. We wouldn't have had a Hand. Cannot. Erase if In Absentia had broken through to the masses as it almost did. Maybe Porcupine Tree walked so that Steven could fly.

To end this long review, I feel privileged to have followed Steven through this whole process in the past 20 or so years and I'm eager to see where he'll be going next. Thank you!

[Sjoerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

An autobiography (co written by Mick Wall) from one of my favourite musicians: Steven Wilson.

After reading Mark Lanegans autobiography last year, the story from Therapy? (band) and the diary / auto biography by Henry Rollins I understood that this would be different.

Wilson is a craftsman (imho), a very hard worker, very passionate about music and every thing it entails. I have seen and read a lot of interviews with him through the years and it is not that I was expecting anything shocking from this book. Yeah some mental health issues in his family, his dad died, his band never got successful or the recognition he thought he was chasing.

But not the super black and bleak stuff from Lanegan and Rollins. Nor the drug usage from some guys from T?. Ah who are we joking too? The T? book also wasn't really that shocking in those regards (Lanegans book though).

And because he and his cowriter recognized this they wrote it in an eclectic style. Not fully chronological, which does mean some parts are really skipped over. Lists, so many lists. Small reviews about record stores. A short story. A transcript, of one of the conversations between the cowriter and Wilson. An interview by numbers. Small excepts of lyrics.

This made the book very fun, but it did repeat some parts of his life multiple times, repeat certain sentences multiple time, repeat certain opinions multiple times. Maybe it is also because, except the part that Wilson wrote advertisement music, I knew already a lot, about his approach to music, opinions about the world and even some parts of his lists.

Parts which were skipped over: his love life. It's not that I am that interested, but he talks a lot about his wife, a little bit about his previous relationship and the timelines seem murky at best. It triggered me and I went into a Reddit rabbit hole, and after a hour forced me out of it. I have the feeling it was a journey, we are not meant to be part of (good, it's his choice and privacy) and I like the conclusion about reconnecting, being a stepdad and being happier then he ever was in live.

Another part is the (band) formation of Porcupine Tree. I don't know that much about it, and it is probably interesting where the heck he got all those insanely talented people from. For example the other day I was looking at a Richard Barbieri live thing for Dutch Television from the nineties (2metersessies JDK!) and only two of the comments are: is that guitar player Steven Wilson (answer: he isn't, this person has his shoes on). How did that happen? I want to know!

I only know one juicy story and that is the Marco Minnemann rant about SW, but maybe it is beter that he didn't go into that. That is something which really nice about this book: the general good vibes. Especially regarding other people he met. He doesn't really name-drop a lot. But only when he worked with the people, and he did skip mentioning some bigger names, while exploring in detail some "unknowns". Also he compliments Noel Gallagher, which is 180 from Lanegans book.

I enjoyed reading this and I finished it in 3 days. Which is very fast for me.

3,8/5

[James Everingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiographies are well outside my usual range of reading, but sometimes I like to experiment and read something outside my usual genre. So when I discovered Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson a few months ago and found I had quite the taste for the music, I started to think more about the people who produced that music and main name behind it all is Steven Wilson, and it turns out the guy wrote a book. So I doubled checked the reviews to make sure it didn’t suck, then I bought it on a whim. I must say, I’m quite happy with what I have read, and now I’m going to talk about it.

So this is an autobiography, written by Steven Wilson. Who the hell is Steven Wilson? You ask. Because chances are you haven’t heard of him. He’s been called the most talented musician you’ve never heard of. Which is a tall claim, it’s probably not true, but also the claim is not without merit. This guy is a total music nerd, and he’s produced some incredible music, and been involved in so many different music projects in some way or another that it would probably blow your mind. But also I’m not here to profile the guy, look him up on Wikipedia if you like.

I’m here to review this book and tell my readers (all 3 of them at any rate) if I think the book is worth reading for someone who probably hasn’t heard who this guy is.

For my part, I actually quite liked what I read. SW’s a music nerd, and it shows. He talks about his life, his family, how he got into music, what sort of music he likes, how it influenced him, and his career as a musician which carries on until today (the book is a couple years old now, but SW is still producing music as he approaches sixty). The style of the writing is candid, honest, and introspective. It’s debatable as to whether you could call it humble. I think there is a degree of humility. It’s almost hard to describe. SW doesn’t strike me as a particularly egotistical person, but he’s a person who likes talking about his interests and also this is an autobiography, so what do you expect? But the point is, the guy isn’t hiding his flaws and he’s not singing his praises. I really like that sort of honest, candid style.

In that sense, I got very much what I wanted out of this. If anything, I might have appreciated a little more time taken to SW discussing his career and his music, but that’s only part of what this book is. Honestly, it’s just a nerd talking about his life, music and the industry, and his career. I enjoyed it, I liked it quite a bit.

One final matter remains, as I intend this to be a short review. Do you have to be a Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree fan to enjoy this book? Personally, I don’t think so. I think SW wanted this book to be able to be read by anyone. So he was at least partially successful. But also autobiographies aren’t exactly selling like Harry Potter. It’s a hard sell to read a book about someone you’ve never heard of, even if it’s well done as far as autobiographies go. If you’re a fan of Steven Wilson and his work and you’re tossing up whether to read this book, I’d say do it. Otherwise, if you’re a bit of a music nerd, I reckon there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy yourself. Outside of that, I still recommend it if you are interested, but I also don’t think this is the sort of book that will change your life if you read/don’t read it.

But even if you don’t want to check out his book, I recommend checking out his music. In Absentia is where I’d start with Porcupine Tree, which rides the line between rock and metal. Hand. Cannot. Erase. is where I’d start with his solo work, which is deeply rooted in the progressive rock vein. (I’m bad at describing music) Seriously, this guy is a legend. He may not have quite gained the popularity he deserves, but he’s one of the greats, and with any luck one day he’ll get the recognition he deserves. But hey, that’s just my plug for the guy. At the end of the day it’s just music, listen to what you enjoy.

In any case, I enjoyed myself and am glad I read it. Four stars.

[Shara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn’t just for fans of Steven Wilson, it’s for those passionate about sound, music history, and the culture of experimental composition in the world of audio recording.

Steven is not only not your typical musician, being more concerned about the technical structure and creation of an audio experience than a snazzy riff track, but he’s also not your typical music fan, and that’s why we love him. So much of this book is Steven talking about his life being made of moments spurred by finding experimental pieces of strange and intriguing sounds that developed into the repertoire of progressive sensibilities and sensations that we as fans can feel is the lifeblood of Steven. A frontman that could never be held down by a genre, we get the insider glimpse of the world of sound as Steven explains his career as a Grammy winning sound designer, the influence remixing old music had on him, and how the industry never seems to work the way you hope, but that may be the best thing for the creative part of your artistic soul.

Going over everything from his first vinyls he listened to growing up in the house of Wilson, his dad building him a wall mixing station where he would spend hours cutting up tape tracks we now know as Porcupine Tree and No-Man material, to his stumbling into a commercial career that paid out more than his bands ever did, the decades of struggle through holding integrity, and how his personal life is nothing like what people probably think it is.

Even if you’re not a fan of Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree or anything akin to prog music, his influence in the industry is something you’ve probably touched upon without realizing it, because that’s how Steven works; he lurks around this world collecting sounds, envelopes himself in exploring how these audio experiences are composed, constructed, how they challenge your perception and expectations of music, and how he can use them within his own stylings. He is not an industry man, he’s a man who knows how to use the industry to funnel what he needs to him. He truly is a Limited Edition of One in our history of music, and he’s charming, meek and a bit cheeky at that.

My only complaint about this book is that it wasn’t longer, but any fan of Steven can never get enough of him, so C’est la vie.

[Shreyas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been listening to Porcupine Tree and Steven’s solo work for a good part of my life. I must confess that I only engaged with the musical intricacies of the art, not so much the lyrical or conceptual aspects (of which there are plenty). Most of it is very melancholic and morbid and I think it did not resonate with me a kid . As I grew older, some of those very things started to stand out and improved my understanding of the music as a whole. There was a fair bit of speculation about Wilson, the musician, the auteur within the circle of my friends. We liked to guess what he’d do next, directions he’d go and wish more collaboration with the Opeth’s Åkerfeldt. There is no doubt that his music is as much part of my musical DNA as Pink Floyd’s was part of his.

This book is good way to start to understand the artist, the opinions and origins. The book builds on top of topics covered within the interviews and the Insurgentes documentary, and also references it. It addresses some common myths, offers readers an avenue into pursuing the very influences that made Steven the artist that he is today. The book also is an exercise in self awareness and keeps a healthy distance between the reader and the author, calling out parasocial relationships. I also appreciate the meta aspects of including Mick Wall into the narrative. All in all, it was a fun read, if you’re curious about the music industry and Steven Wilson, the musician. You will find things you disagree with, but its a fun read, all the same.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Steven Wilson since I first heard Porcupine Tree in the mid 90s. He's been described as the most succesful british artist you've never heard of. It's true that he's had a fantastic career so far, selling out big venues, touring across Europe and enjoying success in the States & with absolutely no mainstream support. He's very much a man of contradictions - crowned the undisputed King of modern progressive rock but professes not to be a fan of the genre. Disbanding Porcupine Tree when they were just starting to break (granted, it was after a 20 year slog) to carve out a very diverse and equally successful solo career. He comes across as a bit arrogant and spikey in interviews, deliberately contrary, refusing to retread old ground and seeming to delight in confounding listener expectations with every release.

I met him last year and was surpised at how personable and chatty he was & some of this does come across in this sort-of autobiography - more a collection of observations and stories about his fascination with music and sound throughout his life. While engaging and wryly humerous and genuinely interesting at times, parts of the book are a bit dry - especially the transcripts of conversations with his co-writer/editor, the legendary music journalist Mick Wall. If you're a fan, it's a must read but would be of little interest to the millions of people who've never heard of him.

[Tim Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don’t know Steven Wilson but he is the creative force behind a progressive rock band called, Porcupine Tree. He even admits it’s a wired name, but there again it was all made up. The records were all created in his bedroom. He has come along way since then, even called “the king of Prog”.

This is not your usual boring rock autobiography of drink and drugs in fact Steven admits he pretty boring. But he and Mick Wall (the ghost writer*) know that the modern reader needs to be engaged with more than just words.

So while you get an autobiographical story there are also lists of Steven’s favourite songs of all time, plus musings about various stages in his career, which keeps the book interesting,

I read the limited deluxe version which features a second volume of some “contextual” zoom conversations between Steven and Mick, some of Steven’s short stories as well as the detail behind the additional CD. The CD has tracks from Steven’s career, from school bands through to his work in the advertising industry. As well as Blazing Apostles, God, No man is an island and of course, Porcupine Tree. A great dive into Steven’s actual musical journey.

*I had a conversation with Mick Wall on Instagram and he said it was a collaboration with Steven, rather than ghost written. Mick went onto to say that Steve is a good writer.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other reviewers have given excellent synopses, so will share only my list(!) of key takeaways from this excellent memoir (I use the term loosely as this man has much left to do in this lifetime):
1. I put together a playlist of Steven's top 100 songs of all time (well, 98 because one was in a foreign language that I couldn't figure out how to spell from the audiobook and one was apparently just that obscure for the artist, not OCD friendly), a mixtape for the modern day (but promise to try to find some on vinyl!)
2. I took his suggestion to watch Bad News and it's one of the funniest things I've seen in eons
3. Our Mr. Wilson may have a budding career in nonfiction writing if this "music thing" doesn't pan out
4. I'm definitely stealing some of his well-articulated rationale for going vegan and hope he does decide to make the full switch and be a bit more vocal about it. The movement sure could use it as we are on the brink of a paradigm shift, hopefully
5. I'm making it my life's mission to get that Disney World sad Steven parade gif from the Insurgentes film to go viral. It's the least I can do.

Well worth your time, especially for audiophiles looking to commiserate with a fellow music nerd. Highly recommend the self-narrated audiobook format. Looking forward to seeing P/T for the first (last?) time later this year finally.

[Conrad Zero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a Porcupine Tree / Steven Wilson fan since Fear of a Blank Planet and saw him live on The Raven that Refused To Sing tour. So, I couldn't help but buy this book on sight and read it all in one sitting. Steven is a musician's musician, no mistake. And I do agree that he should be way more famous than he is. And if there's a place for someone to vent, I guess an autobiography is that place. But it is hard to feel sorry for someone who decided to make unconventional music on their own terms, keep all the artistic control and still go on to play a sold-out Royal Albert Hall, get a record deal, tour as opening act for prog-rock royalty, Yes, and be asked to remaster timeless classics like Marillion's Brave, repeatedly called out as a prog rock master... and yet, still feels unsatisfied that PT might never become "the next Pink Floyd."

The chapters of lists were unnecessary. I would have preferred to hear more detail about the songwriting and recording process. The chapters of translated Zoom chats with co-author Mick Wall were fine, but I would have preferred hearing more about his bandmates from PT who got little/no mention in the book, much less the chapter on ... wait for it... collaboration. But all told, this is a must for Wilson/PT fans, and a reasonable look under the bonnet of a musical genius.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband and I are big fans of the UK Band Porcupine Tree who make amazing progressive rock albums. The greatest band not many people know about here in the USA, and also one of the subjects of this book as for years many extolled they would be the next Pink Floyd. But even with a huge fan base, it never really came to be. And maybe that is a good thing.

Steven Wilson is a founding member and has many incredible side projects as well. In addition Wilson is a self-taught composer, producer, audio engineer, guitar and keyboard player, and plays other instruments as needed. I saw him interviewed with music producer Rick Beato which gave me a good idea of his personality and how his mind ticks to some extent. Steven shows his quick and major creative intelligence and insights over his long career. With glee my husband got me this book for my birthday.

The book is not your usual memoir. Every chapter is delicious, funny, different and did not disappoint in any way. I don't often keep books after the fact, but this is a keeper and will be added to my library.

For anyone even thinking about this book I would recommend it.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than a biography, this should be classified as a "Guidance to understand Steven Wilson".
Even though there are plenty of details on his life and personal environment, Wilson and Wall focus here on explaining Wilson's artistic motivations.
And this is very welcome, as I believe Wilson has been for a while now unfairly criticized for not keeping his songwriting within the nowadays' ironically well- marked boundaries of "progressive" music.
After reading this book, my thoughts on Wilson just being accidentally crowned as the "king of prog" are confirmed: progressive rock is just a part of a richer musical DNA... it just turned out his wider commercial exposure came with his prog output.
But the guy is much more than that, and this book makes it clearer than ever (though Steven has repeatedly stated this for years in his interviews).
Now, it's up to everyone if they want to try (maybe even enjoy!) the wider corpus of work of an intelligent and restless musician, or they are happy with sticking to the same 4 albums over and over again.

[Vanyo666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a huuuuge fan of Steven's or of Porcupine Tree. But the "Album Years" podcast and the musical culture and taste displayed there meant I was intrigued enough to give this a cursory once over.

I was not dissappointed by the book. It is entertaining enough and illuminating about the artist and his purposes. As I entered his work through Fear of a Blank Planet and The Raven that Refused to Sing, and have never listened to No-Man, I thought he was "The King of Progressive Rock" (such as he is called in the blurb of this very book). He spends the book dispelling this notion, making lists of his favorites, and telling us about all the cool devices his dad built for him as a kid.

There are only a few lines about "The Raven" (he even says he almost regrets making that great album) and pages about minor or obscure records. I guess this is all fair and the main point is "I am more of a techno-pop artist than the King of Prog, and that is a huge misconception", so "go listen to The Future Bites again: it is not a sellout, it is what I wanted to do all along". Fine.

[Michael Prather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read that offers a unique glimpse into the mind of Steven Wilson. The book goes beyond a typical autobiography, blending personal biography with engaging conversations between Wilson and his co-author. What makes it truly stand out is the inclusion of fictional elements, which adds a creative and unexpected layer to the narrative, mirroring Wilson's own artistic approach. It was particularly interesting to learn about his creative process and the influences that have shaped his work over the years. This unconventional structure keeps the reader engaged and highlights the multifaceted nature of his career.

For any devoted Steven Wilson fan, this book is an essential read. It provides a deep dive into his world, offering insights that a standard biography could never capture. The blend of real-life stories, candid dialogue, and fictional interludes makes it a compelling and distinctive experience. It's a must-read for those who want to understand the man behind the music and the creative forces that drive him.