In interview to Brazilian website Wikimetal, legendary ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett talked about many subjects and he also revealed that John Lennon listened to Genesis.
Read what he said:
“I think music does what politicians fail to do. At the moment, most countries seem to be headed for nationalism, but I think music has the opportunity to build bridges between people, “he begins by saying.
The strength of his belief that “music heals the differences between people” is transparent in his album, especially in the track “Behind The Smoke” where in his clip he shows the difficulties of the Middle Eastern population and creates a connection with the Western world while singing “We’ll find our future soon / A knife in our hearts / While the world is shattered.”
Steve has worked with more than 20 artists from different countries and is proud of his work: “People from Israel and Palestine working with people from Azerbaijan, Iceland and the United States and working with instruments from around the world, that’s what I think it is. the role of music.”
Night Siren
He reveals that all those who have come together to make The Night Siren possible are his friends and colleagues, people he met during his travels since the time of Genesis, “It was a natural extension of friendship. Working with people from outside and home people [UK], “he says,” Sometimes working together in the same place, sometimes sending ideas to the other side of the world, “he tells me when I questioned the process of creating the disc.
With pride and happiness, the guitarist explained that the work was entirely based on knowing new cultures and exploring different musical styles and instruments: “The idea is the same everywhere: a passion for music. everyone is amazing. You come together and strive to understand the person and understand their language and eventually you understand.
In speaking more about his work with different artists, the question of where his influences came from was raised:
“When I was young, I listened to a basic Rock and Roll and then I heard Segovia when I was 15 and it was as if everything I I had learned in Rock was something I could play one day for an audience and then I started to listen to classical music and it became a secret pleasure and I never thought these two styles of music could come together but I began to notice some influences like George Martin’s work with the Beatles, the use of orchestra, the influence of [The] Moody Blues … All these bands, including Genesis, we all study how to mix different genres. ”
John Lennon
Recalling the unique Genesis sound that Hackett said was influenced by a variety of backgrounds, he tells of the moment when he and his colleagues discovered the strength of the band: “In 1973, John Lennon gave an interview where he said that listened to Genesis so we were all very proud in that moment that our influences were beginning to hear us.”
The importance of Genesis today is unquestionable and in the time we live today that revivals and meetings are springing up every day, many fans still hope for a comeback, but Hackett reveals that “being in a band is competitive and we do not have much room to grow in person. Our [Genesis] music was recorded in England or Holland and the music I make today is recorded in several different places. It’s a privilege to be able to do that, it’s an honor. I think it’s the best job in the world, getting paid to play, it’s wonderful. We make noise and we get it for that. ”