We're here talking with Nick Magnus, keyboardist extraodinaire and probably best known for his amazing work with Steve Hackett of Genesis fame. Nick, let me start out by saying how big a fan I am, I still have those Hackett albums on vinyl that you were featured on, and I remember playing Cured to a drummer friend when it first came out and him being furious that a machine had been used :). I've looked over your other recent reviews and I'm trying to not duplicate my questions, so Nick, enough groveling and on to the interview:
Q. You recently sent me a copy of your latest solo album Hexameron, thank you very much. This is overall a very nice album, I enjoyed it quite a bit, I have some questions though. How long did you spend writing/recording it? Did you accomplish what you set out to do? and what the heck does "Hexameron" mean?
A. OK, let's start with the last bit - 'Hexameron' is the Greek word meaning 'the six days of creation'. The overall concept of the album is based upon various creation mythologies, and sets out to explore aspects of them in a musical way. I saw this idea as being very much a prequel to the previous album's title track 'Inhaling Green', which is a mini-concept piece in itself, taking a sort of science-fantasy look at the end of the universe. So it made sense to travel to the other end of time for 'Hexameron' and see what those ideas inspired. So for example we find a metaphor for the Big Bang (Singularity), and an ancient Babylonian mythical thunder-god (Marduk) who slays the dragon of Chaos, thereby creating the heavens and the earth. Then there is the creation of DNA (Double Helix) and the subsequent attempts of medieval alchemists to manipulate the elements, often with fatal consequences (Brother Sun Sister Moon). Finally all the major themes come together as a metaphor for the resolution of chaos into order (The Power of Reason). The 'Hexameron' concept was largely due to Dick Foster, who wrote the lyrics. Before I started work, we got together and drew up a route map (quite literally) on the back of a huge piece of wallpaper, which was pinned to the studio wall for the duration of writing the album. All in all it took about a year to complete - there were the inevitable 'time out' periods where we both needed to take a break, make adjustments to the route map, do other things, get some sleep, even! Another factor that added to the time was the availability of the guest artists. At the time when I was ready for people to come in and work their magic, it was autumn time - which is when many bands are out on the road touring! Steve was on tour, Geoff was on tour, and those who weren't on tour had other commitments - so it was a question of waiting until each person became available. It goes without saying that the waiting was well worth it!! In terms of accomplishing what I set out to do, from a personal point of view as a writer - the answer is "I hope so!" I wanted to make an album that was symphonic in its overall structure, but where each piece has its own identity, its own flavour, yet still fits into the whole and is musically relevant to all the other pieces. Because I wasn't formally trained in composition, I was faced with the challenge of working out how to do that - hopefully the album succeeds in that respect.
Q. How was it working with the brothers Hackett again? Was this the first time since you stopped working with Steve?
A. It was a real blast! Yes, it was the first time Steve and I had worked together since 1989 - yet it was as if no time had passed at all. Steve put so much enthusiasm and hard work into the tracks - he brought more to them than I could have hoped for, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the sessions! John and I have worked on many things together over the years, playing on each others' projects and demos. He's a delight to work with, bringing a touch of class to everything he plays on.
Q. This makes me ask the question that I've never actually seen an answer, or been asked - why did you stop being in Steve Hacketts band?
A. Firstly, it was a totally amicable arrangement! At the end of 1989, Chris Cozens and I were offered the job of producing an album for Telstar records, called 'The Synthesiser Album'. We took on the name Project D, the album was a success, and so began a series of albums under that name. At the same time, Steve called me to say he was getting the band together for some live gigs (we hadn't played live band gigs since 1984) and was I interested in doing it? It was a very difficult decision to make, but the Synthesiser albums were just beginning to take off, and I was optimistic about this career 're-invention' that was happening. So I opted to continue with the production work, which has pretty much carried me through the last 10 years - punctuated by the occasional solo album! Steve understood, and so our paths diverged as we set off to do our own things, whilst still keeping in touch as friends.
Q. I see that Hexameron is on the Camino record label, which was started by Steve Hackett as I understand it. Are they a full service label for you getting distribution and all of that, or just an online store? I want to let people know the best way to buy your album.
A. Hexameron is actually the first of the solo albums to be released on my own Magick Nuns record label. Camino are acting very much as a primary outlet, and are doing a fantastic job and being amazingly supportive, as you can see if you visit their website. I'm currently trying to source as many outlets as I can around the world, but it's still early days yet. Compact Disk Services are another primary outlet, and Camino are currently supplying 'Hexameron' on my behalf to The Artist Shop in the US, in addition it is being sold in the US at www.synphonic.8m.com and in the UK at www.classicrocksociety.com. However, I'm discovering that it can be difficult to get any response from online vendors or distributors, especially in the UK and USA. Maybe it's because many of them simply don't want to deal with an individual, preferring to deal with larger outfits with a sizeable catalogue of albums to sell. If this is true, it is a major problem for the many artists out there with good products who choose to 'go it alone' because getting a record deal with a third party has become an unviable proposition. You come away with the impression that some so-called 'specialist' prog sellers aren't as interested in the actual music as they might appear to be, which is surely contrary to the 'free enterprise' spirit of the internet. And on that point I really would like to be proven very, very wrong!
Q. What's next on your plate for projects or solo albums, there seems to have historically been a fair bit of time between solo albums.
A. As explained earlier, the production work that I was doing during the 1990s meant that there was little opportunity to do my own thing. And when the bills have to be paid, they have to be paid! Making an album with no external funding can be a scary prospect, especially when you take as long about it as I seem to do! Now that I am dedicating more time to writing and recording, I can begin planning the next album. In the meanwhile, I'm continuing to work with John Hackett on his next album project.
Q. You've been around the block a time or two, what's some of your favorite "classic" music and is there anything new on the scene, progressive or otherwise that is catching your interest and its way in to your CD player?
A. I suppose that's one way of saying that I grew up through the 70s progressive rock decade :-) Like many others who grew up then, I still look back on the 70s as an extraordinary era of great musical treasures. There was so much to enjoy - Yes, PFM, Refugee, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Greenslade, Gryphon, lots of bands beginning with "G"... In recent years I've found movie scores to be a huge source of inspiration - almost like an alternative form of 'progressive' music. Composers such as John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, John Barry, James Horner, David Arnold - they've all found their way into my CD rack. It's a musical art form in itself, which has also crossed over into some of the better TV music (almost always American) like Stargate SG-1, the Star Trek franchises, Six Feet Under, Alias - the list goes on and on. The first five Spock's Beard albums have had a lot of airing, and I'm also getting into some of the newer pop artists like Keane and Tom Baxter. It's good to see that the occasional gem can still make it through the mainstream record industry net!
Q. Are you still playing live? Was it something you enjoyed doing or more of a burden?
A. The last live gigs I did were a couple of UK tours with a band called Cry No More back in 1987 and 1988, but nothing since. I wouldn't call playing live a burden at all - but I think it's an 'imperative urge' that drives some people more than others. I always enjoyed the tours with the Hackett Band very much - we were a very sociable bunch, I was deeply attached to the music, and it was a very happy time for me. But I have to admit that I've always been at my most contented when recording - something about being involved in the act of creation that is hard to beat. A child substitute, perhaps? Psychologists discuss...
Q. Is there anything you draw inspiration from particularly? Life, movies, books, dreams?
A. All of those things, really - movies certainly. My all-time favourite movie has to be 'A.I.' It's so hugely sensitive and moving, and a mystery why so many people responded to the movie with indifference, or even boredom. I just felt you'd have to be made of stone not be completely involved and emotionally stirred by that story. Dreams are definitely an influence, and boy - some of those are so weird! Just last night I had a dream involving a pink mutant seal that lived in a derelict hotel and a snowmobile that could fly through solid rock... What would Jung have made of that? Last year I read Phillip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, and found them to be perhaps the most awe-inspiring books I've ever read. They are epic in proportion and the subject matter is groundbreaking. On the one hand I really can't wait for the movie version. On the other hand, I'm almost dreading it because it's one of those books where you form such vivid pictures of your own, and someone else's visualisation of it is almost certain to be a disappointment.
Q. what's your opinion on the webcasting as a way to get your music heard and how would you like to see money work? do you ever get a check from BMI/ASCAP/SESCA/SOUNDEXCHANGE? you should because we pay the bills for it and play your music. we think that efforts and money would be better spent in trying to get people to actually buy the CD with as few middlemen as possible so the artist makes more. any thoughts in general on the music industry?
A. I think that the idea of web radio stations playing 'alternative' music (such as prog) has to be a good thing - there are already a number of you out there who have been kind enough to play bits of 'Hexameron'. It's becoming very difficult in the UK - if not outright impossible - to get national radio airplay for prog rock, so webcasting is fulfilling a vital role in that respect - and it's to a global audience. However, the question of the downloading of music still raises various concerns, not least of which is sensible and guaranteed remuneration for such sales. For example, despite the growth of legal download sites such as Apple's iTunes, these sites seem to be geared up primarily for pop music, concentrating on albums typically having 12 or more songs of around 4 minutes each. The prices for downloading are on a per-track basis, so that might equate to around $12 to download an entire album. But what about a prog album that has perhaps only 3 or 4 long tracks on it? Does that mean the whole album can be downloaded for a mere $3 - $4? And what proportion of that actually makes its way back to the artist? I think a lot more thought needs to go into this, otherwise making albums will, for many artists, cease to be a viable way to make a living, especially if predictions that the physical CD will disappear come true. Like anyone else, I need to be able to make sufficient returns on an album to enable me to afford to make the next one! That was the main reason for having my own record label this time around - to retain some sort of control over the finances, and to take ultimate responsibility for the fate of the album. Unsurprisingly, more and more artists are doing exactly the same thing - assuming, of course, that they can convince anyone to stock their CDs.
I'm heartened to see that you're involved with BMI/ASCAP/SESCA - it would be good to know that all webcasters are as conscientious about supporting the artists they play! My albums are licensed through ASCAP in the US - and these things always take some time to come through the system to PRS in the UK, so it will be interesting to see how 'Hexameron' performs...
Q. In closing, what is something that you'd like people to know about you and your music?
A. That's a tricky one! OK, here's a thought on behalf of anyone whose passion is for writing and recording music. What's more important - enjoying the music, or trying to identify what make of violin the soloist used? If the listener becomes obsessed with the latter, he's unlikely to enjoy the full musical experience. So forget what type of synthesiser, or which software version was used. Resist the urge to 'spot the studio wizardry'. Listen to the music, not the technology.
