Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson: ‘Dressing up was fun – but my codpiece was distinctly unfragrant’

Australia News News

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson: ‘Dressing up was fun – but my codpiece was distinctly unfragrant’
Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines
  • 📰 GuardianAus
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 90 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 39%
  • Publisher: 98%

Playing the flute on one leg, Anderson’s jester-like image turned the prog rockers into global stars in the 70s. With their first new album in 20 years, he talks about the passion behind the pomp – and why he could never be ‘generic, like the Stones and the Who’

hen I last interviewed Ian Anderson, leader of multimillion-selling prog rockers Jethro Tull, in 1993, he told me that 2000 would be a good time to hang up his flute. “I think I was confusing myself with British Airways pilots who, when they turn 65, are out,” he counters today. “If you’re a professional tennis player and fully vaccinated, you might manage to play on until you’re in your late 30s.

Crucified by rock critics for his ambitious conceptual thinking when Tull were in their 1970s pomp, Anderson is loath for The Zealot Gene to be labelled Tull’s biblical album. “The interest I have in a whole variety of subjects, from hard science to the cruel world of politics, is part of who I am,” he says. “I’m an observer, which comes from my brief art history education – I see a picture in my head and I want to illustrate it musically.

The 22nd Tull studio album is the first the current lineup has recorded under the band’s name. When Anderson dismantled the previous incarnation in 2011 – ending guitarist Martin Barre’s four-decade tenure – Tull seemed over. But having made two solo albums in the intervening years, Anderson revived the name for The Zealot Gene, since seven of its 12 tracks were recorded live in the studio by the whole band before the epidemic struck.

The band were distinctly un-glam amid the glam rock of the early 70s, but shed their scruffy look to embrace flamboyant mummery. Anderson’s cavorting bug-eyed troubadour was rooted in court-jestering with its mockery of cant and hypocrisy. Anderson still plays on one leg occasionally, but not to the extent it compromises his elder statesman’s dignity. Dressing up “was fun,” he says, “and looking back on it, it was too much fun.

“Luckily back then, I had slightly muscular legs and a firm, trim bum, and I looked like some demented Nureyev with a flute. The codpiece was a good investment for getting noticed, but it became a real pain in the arse because I had to truss myself up in it every night to go on stage. Plus, it required very careful dry cleaning, beyond that of the local laundry service. It ended up like a Hell’s Angels original – it just didn’t get washed.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

GuardianAus /  🏆 1. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Tax breaks spark video gaming bonanza, as Aussie start-ups cash inTax breaks spark video gaming bonanza, as Aussie start-ups cash inGovernment tax breaks have turbocharged Australia’s gaming industry, with video game developers eyeing the much-hyped metaverse raking in venture capital.
Read more »

PM ups the ante with $1b Barrier Reef pledgePM ups the ante with $1b Barrier Reef pledgeScott Morrison’s government says it will commit another $1 billion towards the health of the Great Barrier Reef.
Read more »

Final vaccine blitz for children before term oneFinal vaccine blitz for children before term oneThis coronavirus article is unlocked and free to read in the interest of community health and safety. Tap here to see the latest great value offer for full digital access to trusted news from the Herald Sun and Leader
Read more »

An unexpected hurdle in the path to getting my child vaccinatedAn unexpected hurdle in the path to getting my child vaccinated“I’m an anti-vaxxer,” our son shouted across the kitchen the other day. “Oh no you’re not,” I rebutted, deftly, from the dishwasher. That ought to settle it. But “Oh yes I am,” he returned, chin jutted forward in defiance. | OPINION by Ian Rose
Read more »

‘Fun to watch’ the White House ‘squirm’ at suggestions of Kamala Harris’ unpopularity‘Fun to watch’ the White House ‘squirm’ at suggestions of Kamala Harris’ unpopularity
Read more »

‘The rowdier, the better’: Special Ks give tennis a glimpse of an alternative future | Emma Kemp‘The rowdier, the better’: Special Ks give tennis a glimpse of an alternative future | Emma KempThe type of tennis played by Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis is hardly traditional but it is also fun. The two things do not have to be mutually exclusive
Read more »



Render Time: 2025-03-15 22:58:45