away.” But I did get away with murder at
this school because they knew that I’d
already gotten a scholarship to the Royal
College of Music, and there hadn’t been
anyone who’d gotten a scholarship to go
there before. So they probably felt, “He’ll be
gone soon. Let’s just leave him be.” But I
stole the deputy headmaster’s car one day,
and that didn’t go down very well. On my
ing my hair since I was 17 or 18 years old. I
was playing in different bands, and people
were starting to grow [out] their hair.
Because what was considered long hair
then was if it touched your collar. So I start-
ed growing my hair, but then when I went
to the Royal College of Music, I had a piano
professor who I did not get on with, and
she says to me one day, "What's all this fur
newreleases
October 4
Angel Olsen All Mirrors
Blood Orange Angel's Pulse
North Mississippi Allstars Up And Rolling
The Menzingers Hello Exile
Wilco Ode To Joy
October 11
10•2019
last day of school, on my last report card,
the headmaster wrote, “Wakeman will end
up in one of three places — onstage at the
London Palladium, in Westminster as a
member of Parliament, or in Wormwood
Scrubs Prison.” My mother was not
impressed. But I did do two of them — I’m
not an MP, but I am an advisor on intellec-
tual property rights for the government.
And I have been onstage at the London
Palladium a number of times, so I’ve got
those two out of the way, at least. But then I
have gone into prisons to entertain, just not
Wormwood Scrubs. So he wasn’t that far
off.
IE: Outside of Shawn Phillips – who had a
nasty run-in with an outboard motor -- you
always had the longest hair in rock. How
did that tradition start?
RW: I did some albums with Shawn
Phillips, funnily enough. But I started grow-
growing on your head then, it's touching
your collar -- you'd better get it cut. In fact,
don't come back to me until you've got it
cut." So I said, "How does the length of my
hair affect my piano playing? I pass all my
exams; I learn everything I'm meant to
learn, how can it affect my playing?" And
she said, "I don't like it! And don't come
back to my lessons until you've cut it!" I said
I could practice, do everything I needed to
do to get through the next set of exams. But
there was no way I was cutting my hair.
And she just went mad. And I never went
back to her. So by the time I got to Yes my
hair was really long, because I never got it
cut again after that. So I was already four
inches ahead of everybody else in hair
length. All thanks to this miserable piano
teacher.
Appearing 10/4 at Arcada Theatre,
12 illinoisentertainer.com october 2019
Tom Lanham
808 State Transmission Suite
Babymetal Metal Galaxy
Elbow Giants Of All Sizes
Kim Gordon No Home Record
Lacuna Coil Black Anima
Starcrawler Devour You
The Menzingers
October 18
Alter Bridge Walk The Sky
Foals Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 2
Jim James The Order Of Nature
Rob Halford Celestial
Third Eye Blind Screamer
White Reaper You Deserve Love
Jimmy Eat World Surviving
October 25
FKA Twigs Magdalene
Grace Potter Daylight
Mayhem [Title TBA]
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Colorado
Norma Jean All Hail
Swans Leaving Meaning
Underworld Drift Songs
808 State