Damian Wilson

Marcel Haster
Date: unknown

His first appearance on an Ayreon album was as the Knight on "Into The Electric Castle". And he returned on The Dream Sequencer with a beautiful song. Now he will once again work with Arjen on the forthcoming metal album. Since he came to Holland for recordings, it was a good opportunity to meet him in The Electric Castle and have a chat with him. This turned out to be a very pleasant evening with talk about music, Ayreon, Iron Maiden, chocolate and of course Damian's latest album Disciple...

Profile

Name: Damian Wilson
Date of birth: October 11
Nationality: English
Residence: Woking
Married: Single
Children: Yes, 2
Hobbies: **See below**
Favorite 3 albums:
David Bowie - Honky Dury
Talk Talk - Color of Spring
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Favorite 3 books: Not a great reader...
Favorite 3 movies: Same as the above...

Before the interview started Damian explained something about a few of the so called standard questions like "what are your hobbies"...

I just get on with the things I want to do. Everything I do is all part of my life. My work is my hobby as it were. I run because of my work. Running is a part of my day. It's like cleaning your teeth. So I don't really have hobbies as such, no. I suppose hobbies are things you do in your spare time, and I don't have any spare time.

Another question that causes an interesting discussion is the question of his favorite albums...

It's not a musical thing; it's more of a memory thing. I love the Beatles. Yeah sure, Abbey Road, for example, is an album to me that has a very significant part with me in my life. Because I can remember when I was a kid, buying that album with melancholy and all...

Free, what a great band...Small Faces, great band...They're all great bands and I love them. But to me it is not a musical thing, but it's a fact that it was a part of my life. I listen to an album that would take me back there.

Then we started with the real interview...although we already chatted about some great music...

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you became a musician?

I've always been in music and I've always sung. My family encouraged singing. Whenever we had a family get-together, we always would pass on the guitar. So it has always been a musical family, in that sense. My uncle was a folksinger, so he was a great influence to me. And then I just formed a band at school...and I've always done...and never made any success...[laughs]

After that, what was your first professional band?

You mean my first money-earning band? That's quite a while ago. The first album I did was with Landmarq. The first band at school had a big management. We recorded with EMI, fantastic. But we never did an album. I've always been busy with music. The first band I ever was in was called the Button Clutchery (?). We just left school and never really got far. But when we received all the support, we decided to go to all kinds of cross-over projects, then we had a chance to do something.

But then you started singing with Landmarq?

Yes, I came to Landmarq in, what was it, 1990. We recorded Solitary Witness. That was my first album.

I remember getting one of the SI Music compilation cd's and there I found the track "Terracotta Army". That was the first Landmarq song I ever heard.

Wasn't that "Sweet St. Helens"?

Arjen:
I thought it was Gaia's Waltz. That was the first song I ever heard. My first introduction to your voice.

You earlier said something about you being inspired by your father? Do you have more inspirations?

Actually it was my uncle. He was a folksinger. As for other singers, who like come in the charts: Paul Rodgers has been my favorite vocalist.

Arjen: Have you seen him lately?

No, I haven't...good?

Arjen: Good! I have seen him on television. He looks weird though.

Also Kenny Jones, who had a band called The Law, also with Paul Rodgers. I never met him, but he is very good. Talking about great kind of records. Bad Company stuff, Free stuff... When I was a teenager, it was like shooting stars, I'd dream about that.

I used to have a copy of the album by The Law. But I lost it.

Amazingly about The Law were the tracks on the album: there are some amazing tracks, but the record company, Atlantic, said it wasn't contemporary. But it had some amazing tracks on it. One song with Eric Clapton and it was just...amazing.

How long did you sing with Landmarq?

I don't know actually? I did a couple of albums with them. And then I was asked to do another album with them. I was really touched. And so we did another album. I also played live with them.

I read an other interview with you, in the Dutch magazine iO Pages. This issue had a picture of you on the front cover!!

Some things touch me and being on the cover of the first issue of a magazine really touches me.

Arjen: Yes, he was young, pretty...(laughter from everybody)

In that interview I read that you auditioned with Iron Maiden? That was a bit of a surprise to me, because I was not familiar with Iron Maiden. I always thought there was a big difference in the musical styles of Landmarq and Maiden?

What happened was that...this is a very long story. I have never said this...this is a long story. What really happened was: People always ask: Who is Albert? Steve Harris called me up. Big Bell, who works for Sanction, pointed me out, which is quite nice. Because Steve had got a copy of one of the albums. He thought the music was quite similar to Iron Maiden and what they were doing. Which was quite nice.

That's a kind of how it came about, with a phone call from Steven Harris. So when Steven rang me up, I actually thought it was Steven from Landmarq. Because they sound exactly the same, since they come from the same part of London, which is very confusing.

What actually happened was that, was: I was traveling on a tube train up to town and remember buying a copy of the paper. And opening up this paper I was actually going to work with the band at the time. And in the paper I was reading about Bruce Dickinson leaving Iron Maiden. And it made me laugh and I said to myself: "I bet you that I will end up auditioning for Iron Maiden." And I just had this feeling and I thought: "I know that I'm going to audition!"

At the time I did not think anything of it. I went and worked with this band. And in the evening I was doing a gig. It was a little gig in London. And after the gig this guy comes up to me and said "I've got to introduce you to this bloke" and this guy was called Roland Holmes, that I was being introduced to. And we just chatted with this guy and we got on really well. And in fact he ended up...well it turned out to be quite coincidental. This guy Roland Holmes was actually the PR man for Iron Maiden. In fact he was the guy quoted in the very newspaper article I read about Iron Maiden.

It was really bizarre: I mean I bumped into this fellow who wrote the article. And he said to me, he is just talking...he is going: "Great, would you like to sing for Iron Maiden? Bizarre, fantastic...and Damian, what a great name!" Because Damian spelled with an e is actually an anagram for Maiden. Anyway, I sent him a copy of an album. And anyway, then a sort of long time, many months got past and then I got a call from this guy, Big Bell. He was quite proud of being able to find me. Then I got a call from Steve Harris.

At the time I was signed with a company and I wasn't actually thinking for a moment that I was actually gonna be singing for Maiden. I had a solo album doing and a deal with a band. And I wasn't really familiar with the Iron Maiden stuff. But doing songs like "The Trooper", one of the classic Maiden tracks...One of the highlights of my life!

Arjen: Apart from...

Apart from playing with Slade (Laughter)

But that is how it all happened.

Arjen: Did they tell you they had another singer? Did they ever contact you?

Oh yes, Steve Harris. Just before the announcement came. 23rd of December. I had a gig that night. Of course it had to be Blaze. Steve Harris talked about Blaze about as the best-known British singer. Blaze had toured with him. I don't think he'd ever auditioned anyone if Blaze was take up. Blaze had such a reputation. People had seen him play live. Obviously with his own band, it was really special.

But you can't beat a band like your school band; that is the ultimate band. I've been searching for that since I left school. The Button Factory was my ultimate band. It's like your first girlfriend...or is it just me? Your first love is fresh and special and new.

The Iron Maiden thing, were you still with Landmarq? Or was it after that?

Yes, after Landmarq. I think I was signed to LaSalle at that time. They thought I was going to join Iron Maiden. But I explained to them I was not. But when they ask you to come and do a jam, you don't say you're not going.

Arjen: Did they record this jam?

No. Unfortunately not. But it was also not possible because of legal stuff...Bollocks...

On your website I saw you played with Jeronimo Road. Wasn't there a Wakeman involved in that band?

There was, yes, Adam. I did a few gigs with them. And we did one recording for Magna Carta. But that was it.

Then you played with Threshold?

No, that was before. Threshold is like Landmarq. I did an album with Threshold and then I was offered LaSalle. And then I did another album with Threshold. But they both actually chucked me out. I never left Threshold and I never leave Landmarq. I did first leave Landmarq, because I was offered a deal I could not refuse. And it was the same with Threshold. But the second time it was different. Landmarq got Tracey, and they progressed better. It was really sad, because I was ready to do the "Science of Coincidence" album.

Are you still on speaking terms with Landmarq?

Oh yes, they are the greatest crowd. I love them. You can't meet a better bunch of people.

Then there was "Into the Electric Castle" in 1998. You played the Knight on this album. How did this feel?

I loved it. It was a really difficult timing as I was doing "Les Mis" at that time. But it was great! Excellent. We did record it really quickly.

How did you and Arjen meet in the way that you would work together?

Arjen came to a gig, a Threshold gig.

Arjen: I came backstage and shook his hand...with vomit...

It was at the Noorderligt in Holland. Great. They give you chinese food there. And I was fed up chinese food. Then all this jumping up and down, so during one guitar solo I was just like "Oh, I'm going to be sick!" So I went to the side, vomiting and back on stage just in time to pick up the mike for the final chords.

Arjen: He was great! He did a two-hour set and screaming. Then he had to do a ballad, very good. He was brilliant. And that was the moment I knew I had to have this guy.

You already mentioned something about "Les Miserables"?? You played in a musical?

Yes, it was great. I've enjoyed it. It sounded very emotional and I was pleased to do it. I'm sure it's not the last time. I'll get involved again at some stage. That's with musicals, it goes on and on.

How long did you do it?

Two years. That's really why I had to get out. These two years just flew by. And then you think "God, that's what I've done for two years!"