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INTERVIEWS
Arjen Lucassen
You have asked Damian to work on your last two projects. When did you first hear of
Damian?
"I first heard Landmarq in a record shop and liked certain parts. But he really convinced
me with the song 'Homegrown' on a progressive sampler".
Did you see him live before deciding to ask him to become involved in the projects?
"Yes. Before asking him I saw him live with Threshold, and after seeing and hearing him I
was 100% convinced".
What was his reaction when you asked?
"He had just thrown up after the show because he gave it all he had on stage, but I shook
his hand anyway! I asked him and he was interested straight away. But I don't think he
knew my music yet, he heard about it though and I was introduced to him by his German
record company so he gave me his address".
What was it about his voice that convinced you that you wanted him for the albums?
"At first the sound of his voice reminded me a bit of my favourite singer Robert Plant.
When I saw him live screaming his balls off during the whole show *and* singing a
beautiful ballad at the very end of the show I knew I had to have that voice on my
project. His voice is so powerful and it doesn't get tired. There is also a lot of
feeling in his performance and he doesn't need to distort his voice as many singers do
nowadays".
Will you be asking him to feature on any future albums?
"I think Damian has become a part of Ayreon. His dramatic voice fits my style of music
perfectly and I know that he loves my music too, in other words: the perfect combination.
He is also one of the favourite Ayreon singers among my fans. So the answer is yes. I
just hope he won't be asking for more money after all this praise..."
Rick Wakeman
How did you get to know Damian. Did you meet him first or meet him through your sons Adam or Oliver?
"Through Adam when he was in Geronimo Road"
What made you choose Damian to do the Glastonbury concert?
"I have used a girl singer for years and years, Chrissie Hammond, but she is now contracted to the Andrew Lloyd Webber
Organisation for 'Cats' so she cannot work with me anymore. I telephoned Adam and asked him for suggestions and he suggested Damian. As I know that Damian does a cracking version
of 'Starship Trooper', that was good enough for me! As there are other tours lined up, South America, Europe
and Japan next year, this is a good opportunity to try and put a new line up together and Glastonbury is a good way of getting to know each other. We only have to play for forty
minutes there, but the South American tour will be two hour
sets".
Did you see Damian when he was appearing in 'Les Miserables' and were you surprised to see this other side of Damian?
"No, I Didn't but I'm not surprised that he did 'Les Mis'. Anyone who has a good and distinctive voice would be foolish to
put all their eggs in one basket".
I know you have appeared on numerous albums by other people, have you any particular
favourites?
"David Bowie- Hunky Dory, Cat Stevens-Tea for the Tilerman, Elton John- Madman
across the Water and Black Sabbath-Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath".
Interview with Damian Wilson by Martin Hudson which appeared in 'Wondrous Stories' Issue 103
From the theatre of Les Miserables to the studio and Disciple........Martin Hudson looks at the next phase of the Damian Wilson Story
For the past couple of years former Threshold and Landmarq vocalist Damian Wilson has been leading a very different life to that of fronting a rock band. His role in the touring
version of the classical theatre of 'Les Miserables' has been well chronicled in 'Wondrous Stories' and when the show hit the Sheffield Arena last year we were there to tell the
story. Since then the show has moved on to other provincial cities and Damian has moved on to the lead role understudy of Jean Valjean to actually being the lead man himself. Those
of us who know him are well aware that this is well deserved; over the years he has always been there or thereabouts when the votes have been added up in the annual CRS Male
Vocalist of the Year.
He achieved much in his time in 'Les Miserables', something that he is mighty proud of.
"Yes I achieved all I wanted but I would have liked to have done it in the West End. I couldn't have faced another year of it though because there are too many other things I want to do. Two years in 'Les Mis' is enough for the time being but who knows what's in the future. It was brilliant though, I loved it every time I was out there. It wasn't that I was tired of the show, I still love it and still listen to it".
Now he has left the show and is, for the time being anyway giving all his attention to his up and coming solo album 'Disciple'.
The departure from 'Les Miserables' has, yet again, led to another adventure, the time finally getting the go ahead to record a John Lennon track, but not just in band format but with the Sheffield Youth Orchestra. This was done back on July 7th at London's famous Abbey Road Studio and covered by the BBC for the Yorkshire region. He was to be joined on the recording by the wonderful female voice of Alex Sharpe, who he had long admired in 'Les Miserables' I spoke to Damian prior to the recording.
"Yes we're going into Abbey Road to record this Lennon track which was nothing more than a track I'd always wanted to do. Basically, what happened was that I was doing the solo album and it was the one cover I wanted to use because I related it to my children. My brother had done a version for his wedding. It's a song I used to listen to because my brother sang it and it brought out a lot of emotion in me. The song was originally released on the 'Milk and Honey' album in demo form after Lennon died and it's a classic song. I just wanted to do a really good version of it purely for the solo album" explained Damian.
The track in question is 'Grow Old With Me' and is part of the body of the album 'Disciple' and not just a bonus track.
"I was trying to get permission to licence it and I was thinking of all kinds of ways of putting in on the album because I wasn't having much luck at all. In the end, a lawyer friend of mine managed to get permission and it's going to be on the album".
Damian will be joined on the track by the Sheffield Youth Orchestra. Their appearance was encouraged by the landlady that Damian stayed with while in the city playing in 'Les Miserables', Tricia Lillyman,
"The whole thing kind of came up from there. I stayed at this lady's place in Sheffield and she's great, a real kind of eccentric, and one of the cast was staying with her recently. Anyway, she called me and said to have a word with someone who was with her and it was this lady. We talked and I told her about the license I'd got to record this track and it grew from there when she told me she would put me on to the orchestra and they got involved and then the BBC heard about it and became interested. She had rang the BBC and told them about the track, she's incredible. I have been up to Sheffield and sorted the Abbey Road session out. I'm not sure how many there are in the orchestra, but it might be about seventy and they have a great conductor, Chris Grayford".
At the time of talking to Damian he did not know who the band musicians would be on the new album.
"I think it will be the usual mixture but most of it is being recorded here at home".
One of those little anecdotal things then cropped up as I remembered Damian's last solo album 'Cosmas', where the strings were recorded in a friend's kitchen - and they sounded quite splendid. Damian laughed when we remembered this.
"No, we are going to a proper place this time. The reason that I'm recording a lot at home is that I'm finding that the performances are so much better, We spent a few days in the studio and haven't come away with things that I've been really happy with. What I'll do is record the tracks here at home on guitar and then go away to the studio when I sort out who is going to be playing what. There are still some tracks that we might have a band set up for and go to the studio".
It was at this point that we talked about the title track 'Disciple' and Damian sang the first few lines for me, albeit, as he pointed out, in a different key. Even while sitting listening to my own personal mini-gig I could hear the quality in the Wilson voice. "It's really a song that I can say is about my children" said Damian. Incidentally, his boys are Louis(5) and Sacha(4).
Some musicians describe their album releases as their children but Damian makes it very clear that he wouldn't exchange his kids for his albums.
"That must have been said by someone who doesn't have children. This album is very much my children's kind of album and I want to be true to that. I think there must be about forty tracks on the album at the moment and so there's some picking and choosing to do yet. I have no idea when it might be released either".
Meanwhile, Damian is doing other things, like linking up with Adam Wakeman for a Yes tribute track and maybe even with Adam's big brother Oliver sometime in the future. There's also the Glastonbury Abbey gig with Rick Wakeman later in the year and other orchestra related concerts.
"I just want to do what I enjoy doing and not just being pulled by one show. Of course, I want to do some heavy rock again, I'm itching to do that. I really want to do a heavy rock album, I've wanted to do one for a long time. I definitely want to be able to screech a bit".
This was confirmed when I spoke to Arjen Lucassen last month about his recent releases upon which Damian has done a couple of things. He said that he had restricted Damian to certain types of songs, but Damian still wanted to screech.
Damian Wilson has one of the most flexible voices that you will ever hear, equally at home singing heavy metal as he is doing a quiet and gentle piece in a stage show. If you haven't heard him yet you are in for a treat. If on the other hand you have, well you know that 'Disciple' will be well worth the wait.
Thanks to Martin Hudson for his permission to use this article
To find out how to subscribe to 'Wondrous Stories, go to http://www.birwood.demon.co.uk/crs.htm
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