A little something from the goldmine that is the In Absentia Making Of documentary...of course, it's not mine to steal from but that's what RU-vid is all about--unoriginality!
I think it's safe to say that SW is a polite guy when interacting with fans and such - but his expressing of his opinions on contemporaries and other groups (especially ELP), and his own work, is another story entirely.
I think the fact that he is a producer and composer ar the same time reflects that, the guy trust himself too much, Even if he has amazing musicians arround him, he just can't be a second wheel, he has to be in control and make his view the most dominant in the project
True, he was absolutely scathing about Yes's output in the late 90s. And then toured with them. 🤣 I think that paradoxically it's because he loves these bands and hates it when they underperform, so his harsh criticism is 'cruel to be kind'.
Gavin is always magnificent, he must be super hilarious over a beer in a pub!!! I don't know how Steven is in his private and everyday life, but considering his career as a musician, his boundless musical culture and the level of absolute perfection of every note of his songs or those of the bands he has played in, I can definitely imagine that working with him in the studio is a great challenge. And, especially in his solo projects, I can imagine (and I can also understand) that if every single note doesn't come out exactly the way it sounds in his head he will make your fingers bleed until he gets his idea exactly right. After all guys, we all know he's a true genius, literally, and geniuses very often can come off as arrogant, despotic, overbearing, selfish and so on when pursuing their ideas. But that's totally fine, if the results are the music he's given us so far, that's really fine! However it must be wonderful to play with him, to participate and finish one of his albums, play to the last perfect note, hear the finished masterpiece knowing that you have been part of it!
he is talented, but you can see how his music gets much more simple when he is by himself, and not alongside virtuous like Govan, Minnemann or Harrison
