From the rooftops to the underworld - September 2014
On the rooftops
Steve with Nipper at HMV
It's been a whirlwind these last few days, completing several of the tracks for my new album, and taking a break from it all last Thursday for the Prog round Table discussion followed by the Prog Awards.
The Prog Magazine Round Table discussion at the HMV building in Oxford Street, London involved Jerry Ewing who runs Prog mag, Thomas Waber from Inside Out Records, Arjen Lucassen, Kavas Torabi of Knifeworld and Peter Hamill. I was thrilled to see Peter Hamill again. I spent many an hour with him in the early seventies when Van der Graaf Generator toured with Genesis and Lindisfarne in the UK. I particularly enjoyed the company of Peter and the other Van der Graaf guys, who loved to discuss everything from life and the universe to the price of bed sheets...
Once we had all convened in a room above the store, we posed for photos on the roof of the building. Extraordinary feeling to stand there amidst the rooftops, high above the throng of Oxford Street. I think the discussion that followed will be of interest to many.
And so on to The Shakespeare Globe theatre for the Prog Awards, held in an amazing room beneath the theatre. Here you see pillars, statues, a huge tree in full leaf and strange ancient symbols shining on the dark blue ceiling. It is indeed Shakespeare's underworld. It was a wonderful evening and fabulous to catch up with a ton of friends, including Pete Gabriel who deservedly won the Prog God award, Ant Phillips, Rick Wakeman, Steve Rothery, the Transatlantic guys and Nick Magnus.
A day and night of Prog magic...
Prog Round Table discussion
Peter and Steve at the Prog Awards
Underworld tree beneath the Globe Theatre
