10 Things You Didn’t Know about Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett is a British musician who has been around for more than five decades. To most people, he will be most familiar for being the former guitarist of Genesis. However, Hackett has a solo career, which isn’t even mentioning the other acts that he has worked with over time.
1. Born in Pimlico
Hackett was born in London, England. To be exact, he was born in a part of Westminister called Pimlico, which started out as an extension of Belgravia but has since become its own things. There are a number of things that make the area stand out. For example, Pimlico has a reputation for its Regency architecture, which refers to the kind of building that was popular when George IV was Prince Regent in the early 19th century. Similarly, there are numerous individuals of note who have lived in the area, with examples ranging from the novelist Joseph Conrad to the inventor Major Walter Clopton Wingfield.
2. Spent Some Time Living in Vancouver, Canada
It is interesting to note that Hackett spent some time living in Vancouver, which is the center of the third most populous metropolitan area in the country of Canada. This happened when he was still a child in the 1950s. However, the Hackett family didn’t stay there for very long because Hackett’s parents became so homesick that they decided to return to Great Britain.
3. Has a Younger Brother Named John Hackett
Some people might be familiar with the fact that Hackett has a younger brother named John Hackett. For context, Hackett was born on February 12 of 1950 while his brother was born on March 13 of 1955. Both brothers have shown themselves to be quite artistic. After all, Hackett’s brother is a flutist who is also capable of playing the guitar, the bass, the bass pedals, and the keyboard. In fact, the two brothers have performed together from time to time.
4. Didn’t Develop an Interest in the Guitar Until Later
Both brothers became interested in music from a young age. Something that their parents supported them in. However, it is interesting to note that Hackett didn’t become interested in the guitar until the age of 12. Before that, he was more interested in other music instruments, with one example being the harmonica and another example being the recorder. In any case, while Hackett put an enormous amount of effort into mastering the guitar, he never did get any formal training for the music instrument.
5. Has Both Classical and More Modern Influences
Music-wise, Hackett has been influenced by both classical figures as well as their more modern counterparts. For the former, he has cited Johann Sebastian Bach as an influence. Meanwhile, Hackett has mentioned being influenced by Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, and King Crimson. Besides these, some of his other influences have been less predictable, with an excellent example being the American movie star Mario Lanza who was very prominent in the late 1940s as well as the 1950s.
6. Has an Interest in Books
Naturally, Hackett has other interests as well. To name an example, he has stated that books are a source of inspiration for them. In fact, it is interesting to note that Hackett was introduced to Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre by his first girlfriend Barbara. Both are French figures of the 20th century who remain quite well-known in the present time for various reasons. To name an example, the two have a strong association with existentialism, though Camus was known to have rejected the label of existentialist on more than one occasion.
7. Had a Fair Amount of Experience Before Genesis
Hackett had a fair amount of experience before becoming a member of Genesis. To be precise, he had played with multiple bands, which included some that had managed to secure recording contracts. However, Hackett didn’t stay with them for one reason or another, with the result that he posted an advertisement looking for a new band in a British music magazine called Melody Maker in December of 1970.
8. Replaced the Founding Guitarist in Genesis
Said advertisement was how Hackett winded up joining Genesis. In short, Peter Gabriel and the rest of the band had lost founding guitarist Anthony Phillips because of a combination of stage fright, bronchial pneumonia, and being worn down by the constant touring. As a result, Gabriel responded to Hackett’s advertisement in hopes of recruiting someone who could play with the band on a permanent basis. He did tell the latter to listen to Genesis’s latest album at the time Trespass before auditioning, which presumably worked because Hackett winded up performing his first concert with the band on January 24 of 1971.
9. Departed Genesis Because of a Desire for Autonomy
In 1977, Hackett departed Genesis because he “needed autonomy.” More specifically, he apparently had more ideas that he wanted to pursue, with the result that he left even though he felt some trepidation at the thought at the time. Regardless, Hackett has stated that he still feels fondness for his band-mates as well as the work that they created together.
10. Widely-Traveled
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hackett is widely-traveled. After all, he is a successful musician, meaning that he has been on a lot of tours to say the least. However, it is interesting to note that Hackett seems to have some personal interest in the topic as well, seeing as how he has mentioned being inspired by the Sphinx as well as the Coliseum. There are many depictions of sphinxes out there, but when someone mentions the Sphinx, there can be no doubt about the fact that they are referring to the Great Sphinx of Giza that is believed to have been built at the command of the pharaoh Khafre at around 2,500 BCE. Similarly, while there have been many coliseums, the Coliseum would be the famous amphitheatre found in Rome itself. In fact, the very term of coliseum is believed to have been derived from a colossal statue of Nero that once stood in the vestibule of his imperial complex before being moved besides the amphitheatre by Hadrian.
