"Krone" interview

Marillion legend Fish on a big farewell tour

The old man and the sea: Marillion legend Fish is ready to retire live. Before that, he's coming to Vienna one last time.

(Bild: Kai R Joachim (BFF))

Derek William Dick aka Fish made prog rock history with Marillion in the 80s - he also excelled as a solo singer, label owner and actor. Now the 66-year-old is retiring from live performances, but will be coming to the Vienna Arena before then. With the "Krone" he recapitulates his impressive career once again.

Even if you're not actively into progressive rock, almost everyone knows the songs "Kayleigh" and "Lavender". They were created by a band called Marillion from the tranquil town of Aylesbury in England. With their intricate songs and frontman Fish's Peter Gabriel-like vocals, they successfully picked up where Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd and co. had celebrated their greatest successes a decade earlier. When Fish left the band in 1988, Marillion's success also plummeted. Fish, on the other hand, concentrated more on acting, his own label and a solo career which, although not the superstar status he had hoped for, resulted in a more than respectable success story. So far, the Scotsman has put paid to any rumors of a reunion right from the start.

Involuntary renunciation
"We were a band with good musicians who had a good time," he tells the "Krone" in a Zoom interview, "touring was too stressful for me and I focused more on my acting activities at the time. I always wanted to take on roles, but then I turned them down because otherwise the band would have suffered. For example, for the cult film 'Highlander', which I didn't end up playing in. Our visions diverged and that's okay." Today, the 66-year-old is on his way to musical retirement. His current tour, which brings him back to the Vienna Arena on October 17th after a 23-year absence from Austria, is also his very last.

"I never thought of myself as a singer, but as a writer who can sing reasonably well. The world of music has changed fundamentally. You no longer make money by releasing albums, you have to be on tour all the time and that tires me out too much now. I was lucky enough to have experienced the glorious 80s as an active musician. I never played the big arenas, but I had a nice and successful career that gave me a good life. As with Marillion, it's now time for me to step off the hamster wheel of the music business. 'Clutching At Straws' was the best possible Marillion album in 1987 before I left, "Weltschmerz" was the best I could release solo in 2020. Too many acts think they have to keep going even though they've already lost their fire. I know that's enough for me."

Famous soccer sheep
While Fish spent months preparing for the tour with hours of daily vocal rehearsals, he has been preparing for his new home. With his third wife Simone Rösler, he relocated to the tranquil island of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides - as the crow flies to the Danish capital Copenhagen. "Before I started the interview with you, I spent an hour watching a tractor tutorial," he laughs heartily, "I recently had one delivered. We live on a small farm there, ten minutes' walk from the beach. The nearest landmass to me is America. It's permanently cold, windy and often very dark there, but I like it. I'm Scottish, that's my life." He and his wife live there with 13 sheep, which he named after the 1972 team of his favorite club Hibernian Edinburgh.

It was not least the pandemic and the political situation on the island that prompted Fish to settle down in the countryside and stop touring. "In Scotland, 70 percent of voters voted to stay in the EU, but we're part of the UK and we've been overrun. OK, now the Labours are in power, but what will that change? My farewell tour is being made harder than anything before by the stupid Brexit. We've been governed and controlled by idiots for years. Instead of coming clean with people and making it clear that real change comes at a cost, they just keep faffing about. We are in a small community on the island, with less than 150 people living here. You can talk to each other and change things as a community. We Scots have it in our genes to go through the world with our heads bowed. We have a negative attitude. That's why the national soccer team is always more willing to lose than to win. But I don't want to live like that."

Big plans for "retirement"
 He is delighted that Fish, whose real name is Derek William Dick, is coming back to us for his farewell matinee. "I remember the last time very well. It was late in the fall and cold. Everyone was drinking mulled wine. I have no fucking idea why we haven't been to Austria for 23 years. Nobody booked us. I often even actively asked, but there was always only Germany, Italy or the Czech Republic - never Austria. I even thought you had something against us," laughs the likeable musician. Fish has plenty of plans for the rest of his life. "Not touring doesn't mean not making more music and writing songs. I'll find a few musicians on the island. Then I'll also be a farmer now and take care of my autobiography, maybe I'll write screenplays too."

Fish doesn't dwell on "what if" questions about the past. "I quit smoking about ten months ago, which I started as a 14-year-old. What if I had never smoked? What would my life have been like if I had made different decisions? Then maybe the success with Marillion would never have happened and I wouldn't have had such a great career. When you go back in your mind to change things from the past, you change everything that comes. I have a wonderful wife who I might never have met if things hadn't turned out the way they did. I prefer to focus on the present and enjoy life. Right now, for example, I'm looking forward to performing in Vienna to kiss the city goodnight. That's all that matters at the moment."

Live in Vienna
On October 17, Fish will be playing one more time in Austria on his "Road To The Isles" farewell tour, at the Vienna Arena. Tickets are still available at www.oeticket.com for the rock highlight, who will then take his well-deserved live retirement.