A press advert for Steve Hackett’s second solo album 1978’s Please Don't Touch, showed the recently ex-Genesis guitarist, eyes closed in concentration, fingers shaping a chord, beneath the headline: “There’s a thin line between madness and genius. Which side is Steve Hackett on?”
Nearly 40 years later, that question remains unanswered. But the Steve Hackett who arrives this morning at a rehearsal studio in Putney, south-west London, seems to be straddling the line rather well. Shy, polite and quietly witty, this 67-year-old possible ‘mad genius’ has hidden depths: a man with a deep interest in spiritual matters who claims to have healing powers – or “Nurofen hands” as he jokingly calls them. But more on that later…
