# “Rod Stewart was pissed. I thought, ‘That’s something I could do!’” Fish and the making of Marillion

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/rod-stewart-was-pissed-i-thought-thats-something-i-could-do-fish-and-the-making-of-marillion/
- Published: 2026-10-29T10:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T02:57:47+00:00
- Original publisher: Louder
- Original article: https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/fish-marillion-early-days
- Topics: Art, Culture, Entertainment, Music, UK, World

## Key points

- Fish joined Silmarillion in 1981, before it became Marillion.
- His lyrics helped shape the band’s early identity.
- “Grendel” was a 17-minute B-side in 1982.

## Summary

Fish says his teenage love of progressive rock, particularly Genesis and Pink Floyd, led him towards singing and lyric writing, even though early attempts to learn instruments left him discouraged. In 1981 he answered an advert from Silmarillion, moved south and joined the band that became Marillion, helping shape its sound and lyrics as it began building an audience.

Fish’s first live performance was a covers set at a pub in Galashiels in 1980, when he was 21. He brought lyrics to the band, including ideas that fed into *Script for a Jester’s Tear*; Marillion’s 1982 debut single, “Market Square Heroes”, had the 17-minute “Grendel” on its B-side. Fish says the group shared a strong 1970s prog influence, especially Genesis, and that he later came to hear the resemblance critics had pointed out.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.