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He is perhaps one of the hardest working man in Rock music, Arjen Anthony Lucassen.
It seems that way, but I'm rather lazy really!
No other than the man behind Ayreon, Ambeon, Star One, Stream Of Passion, and now with another side project called, Guilt Machine. I have been fortunate enough to have him agree on an interview for Power Of Metal and talk about the new album and so on.
About your new project Guilt Machine. Can you tell us a little bit about it. Who are the musicians on the album and how it differs to Ayreon?
Jasper Steverlinck (Arid) on vocals, Chris Maitland (Porcupine Tree) on drums and Lori Linstruth on lead guitar. The big differences with Ayreon are that this time there's only one singer and there is no continuing storyline. Musically it's still a part of the Ayreon sound.
How did you meet Lori Linstruth?
She was a member of the Ayreon mailing list. One day I saw a video of her playing guitar and liked it so much that I contacted her immediately!
What does the album title 'On This Perfect Day' signify?
We basically want to leave that up to the imagination of the listeners. It's a line from the lyrics of the song Twisted Coil. The cover art gave us the idea to use this line as the title of the CD. Is it the perfect day to fly...or to die?
You had asked your fans to submit messages and their proverbs for the album. You've received over 200 audio messages and only included 19 messages on the album. But, you decided to make an 8 minute instrumental as a bonus - filled with the rest of the messages. You're truly a man to who doesn't like to disappoint.
That is true, I hate disappointing people.
What gave you the idea for this and will you be doing anything like this again involving the fans?
Because I'm in such close contact with many of the fans we wanted to include them on the album somehow. I think it worked out beautifully. I would love to include fans again, but it would have to be in a different way.
I heard the first track online the day it was posted. It sounds great!
Thanks for the compliment, glad you like it!
Can we expect any live shows like what you did back then with Stream of Passion? Perhaps even a tour to the States?
No tours planned, sorry... Playing live just isn't my passion anymore. I much rather spend that time creatively, writing and recording new material.
I see. It seems good opportunities just come knocking on your door. Christophe Dessaigne (Album artist) is a fan of Ayreon, Jasper Steverlinck and his band Arid played a gig near your area etc. Do coincidences like this happen often?
Not really...it must be a sign!
Now about Ayreon...
Sounds familiar :-)
Are you influenced by Rush or Greg Lake at all?
Absolutely! Permanent Waves is my fave Rush album at the moment, and Trilogy my favourite ELP album. But that changes all the time :-)
I have never seen you mention them anywhere, but when I listen to Ayreon I feel there must be some connection in there.
I definitely mention them in my 'favourite artists of all time' list on my website: http://www.ayreon.com/aal/aa_biography.html#faq
You've answered this a lot and I apologize, but I'm sure you've updated your list. Who else would you like to sing on your future albums? Any new singers on the wish list?
At the moment I'm not looking for singers, because I'm not planning another Ayreon. But my ears are always open of course.
I understand you want Alice Cooper to take part in this. Somehow, no response or maybe he thinks it's just not for him.
I don't think I've gotten through to him yet, he's very well shielded off from the world.
Will you continue to persuade him 'till the last breath of Ayreon?
Of course! Only in death will he be free from me :-)
Into the Electric Castle was supposed to be made into a movie, whatever happened to that idea?
It's just too expensive and my music is not commercial enough to reach the big masses. I'm a perfectionist so if there's a movie it would have to be perfect. Of course we're talking about millions of dollars here.
Are there any offers lately on making your albums into a movie?
I get offers all the time. But as I said, it would have to be very serious. So Mr Lucas or Spielberg, if you read this? :-)
How did you like working with Devin Townsend?
He recorded his vocals in his own studio, so I didn't really work 'with' him.
Has he heard of Ayreon beforehand?
He heard of it because we have the same record label, but I don't think he actually heard it.
And how did you feel about him writing his own lyrics?
I'm a huge fan of Devin and my mind was set on having him on the album. I would have done anything to get him! In the end I'm glad he wrote his own lyrics, I could never have done it the way he did.
Can you explain who was using the Dream Sequencer at the end of The Human Equation? I'm not sure if it has been specified. Is it the Mars Colonist?
No, it's Forever who was learning more about Human Emotions by playing the Dream Sequencer program 'The Human Equation'.
I know you don't like to be too vivid when telling a story, so it keeps the listeners guessing, it makes it more exciting. Do you think the next album will give more light to everyone's unanswered questions and less of 'Oh, so vague...it hurts my head!!!' kind of album?
I explained the whole story on the Timeline album (the Ayreon compilation CD with 3 cds and one dvd). There's a poster included with the whole Ayreon timeline and the last track The Memory Remains ends the story. But it's probably still quite confusing, haha!
Off topic...
You were in bands; Bodine and Vengeance back in the day. How did your involvement with those bands help you and improved your composing? What did you learn from past experiences and performances?
It didn't help me in composing. Quite the opposite, it limited me. I had to write stuff that the other band members liked as well so I had to do concessions and compromise. I basically learned to do it all myself, haha!
You are known to be very close to your fans. How important do you think it is for a musician to have a good relationship with their fan base?
I can't speak for other artists, but for me it's very important. Since I don't play live anymore I like to stay in contact with them and hear their thoughts. Let's face it, without them I would be nowhere. Also because I don't play live anymore I have much more time to answer them.
What Sci-fi movies do you recommend?
TV series: Blakes 7, Star Trek, X-Files, Firefly, etc. Movies: The Thing, Blade Runner, Stargate, 2001, etc.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to take on music as a Profession?
Do it only if you have no other choice. Music should choose you, not the other way around.
How do you come up with such great ideology and concepts? What is your secret? Perhaps kitty magic? (I was referring to his cat Mousy)
I have no real life and I live in a dreamworld. Eh...what's Kitty Magic?
What bands are you listening to nowadays?
The new Devin Townsend is great again.
In your lyrics you state your distaste in computer and technology abuse. Is there any message (if any) in your music people should take account? Anything you are trying to get across?
No, I hate messages in music. I just want to entertain people. I'm just stating the obvious in a nice sci-fi fantasy setting.
So there you are in space: you realize that your rocket (unknowingly) came across the horizon of a black hole. You have just about enough time to put on one song before being completely taken in, what song would it be?
Stargazer by Rainbow. No doubt about it.
Now for some silly questions from the fans...
I like silly :-)
You want to 'break' the equation E=mc². Can you show us the direction to the right equation by making your own?
E>MC2. Time travel will be possible then!
If you were given the chance to travel through time, may it be the future or past, where would you go?
I'd be very curious what the distant future looks like. It won't be pretty I'm afraid... No, maybe I'll just go back to 1980 and prevent the murder of John Lennon.
What shampoo do you use?
I have very thin hair so I use Andrélon 'every day shampoo' which doesn't damage my hair even more. Hey, who gives a shit anyway, haha!
Do you believe in UFO's, extra terrestrial beings, the big bang theory, anything?
I believe the big bang theory is the best option so far to explain the birth of the universe. I also believe there must be other life in the infinite universe, but unfortunately we will never meet them. The distances are just too vast.
You won't eventually write a book and make your Sci-fi stories into a religion to quench your thirst for world domination...right?
I haven't even read a book in my whole life, let alone write one! World domination sounds good though...better start now :-)
This space is yours. Tell us about the release of the new album and when we can get a copy.
I think it's my best side project so far. It's very consistent in my opinion. I was very inspired and focused when I wrote and recorded it. It's very emotional and very honest.
Thank you so much for this interview. I did not mean to take too much of your time, but you are so kind as always!
You're welcome! Cheers!
Interviewed by Haydee G.
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