Ian Anderson describes himself — and the remainder of his long-running, ever-shifting band, Jethro Tull — as “chilly fish,” typically extra snug observing than taking part.
“It at all times amuses me to be standing off on the aspect,” he tells UCR with fun. “Individuals assume I’m a party-pooper, and they’re useless proper.”
However should you occur to catch him standing by the punch bowl, be ready for a winding dialog: Whereas discussing Jethro Tull’s newest LP The Zealot Gene, a random query a few late bandmate spawned a prolonged thread referring to touring life, “light-weight porn” and why Anderson considers himself the “Clint Eastwood” of rock.
I wished to ask you in regards to the late John Glascock, Jethro Tull’s former bassist. Earlier than he joined, John performed within the flamenco-rock band Carmen, who opened for Tull on tour. Do you bear in mind a lot about how that connection occurred?
It was a advice by our U.S. agent – Frank Barsalona or Barbara Skydel, one of many two – who talked about Carmen as a potential opening act within the days after we used to have opening acts. They described them as “flamenco rock” — being a bit extra fascinating than simply one other pop or rock band. I don’t bear in mind if I heard any of their music, however I mentioned, “Yeah, OK.” They got here out and did a tour with Jethro Tull. It was somewhat esoteric generally for the Jethro Tull viewers as a result of it concerned a little bit of dancing and flamenco rhythms, which have been maybe not fairly rocky sufficient for a few of our viewers. So I wouldn’t say it was essentially the most profitable pairing of bands from the viewers’s perspective, however all of us have been very struck by their musicality and their dedication to [doing] one thing completely different from different bands. David Allen and his sister Angela Allen have been the principle focus of the band, and John Glascock – I suppose we met him, and he appeared like a pleasant man. [Jethro Tull bassist] Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, on the finish of that yr, determined to lastly undergo with what he mentioned he was going to do: “I’m going to do it for 5 years, after which I’m out.” We didn’t imagine him; we thought he’d be right here ceaselessly. He determined he actually was gonna go, and we tried to influence him to remain, however he was dedicated. He’d made sufficient cash to stash and make investments, and he thought he may survive on that, and he’s achieved so for the remainder of his life. However John was the final man, I suppose, we observed as a bass participant who appeared like he could be . We additionally had the particular feeling that Carmen weren’t going to proceed as a band as a result of they merely weren’t reaching any stage of economic success and have been discovering it very tough to make a dwelling as Carmen.
[Former Jethro Tull drummer] Barrie Barlow went on to work with David Allen on another tasks as a result of these two received on very properly. However sadly, [Carmen] was no extra. I didn’t really feel dangerous about asking John Glascock to check out for Jethro Tull as a result of I believed, “Properly, in any other case, he’s gonna be following certainly one of his different pursuits: being an occasional porn actor.” At the least, that’s what he advised me. I believe it was form of light-weight porn, however John had a wholesome sexual urge for food, to say the least, and I think that he was telling the reality when he mentioned he was in some porn motion pictures.
Take heed to John Glascock Carry out With Jethro Tull in 1978
Wow, I would by no means heard that.
Gossip and tittle-tattle must be thought-about as such, however that is what he advised me. I consider John in many various methods, with a combination of awe and as an extremely heat, passionate, loving, life-living human being. He wasn’t my kinda man as a result of he was a celebration man, and I’m an insular, chilly loner. I’m Clint Eastwood who performs a flute in a spaghetti western. I’m a man who doesn’t prefer to notably have interaction with different folks, however that’s my deficiency. John was a really gregarious and fun-loving individual. He simply liked to be round different folks and have a good time, which was, sadly, a part of his demise — his incapability to shake the social parts of his life, which have been main him slightly astray. I for one did attempt to shake him up and frighten him to surrender a few of these types of habits following his main [heart] surgical procedure and half recuperation as a result of it wasn’t going very properly. John simply didn’t have that self-will. He simply liked folks an excessive amount of. He simply hated to be alone, whereas a few of us actually do love our personal firm. Many people within the music trade go there as a result of it’s a 24-hour social occasion. They take the stage residence with them through a couple of hours of clubbing again to the lodge room and get dragged right down to the tour bus within the morning, sleep and get up in time for soundcheck. I can consider nothing extra horrific than dwelling that form of way of life. For me, it’s such a waste.
I wasn’t a part of John’s clique or his social life, however [he was] a heat human being and an excellent bass participant – and a superb singer. He by no means actually advised me he may sing till, sadly, it was somewhat too late to include him into the albums he was on. John was an unschooled musician — like me, should you mentioned “play E-flat there,” he’d have to sit down and rely the frets to work out the place E-flat was. [Laughs.] He may not have been fairly as dangerous as that, however each of us have been untutored, pure musicians. He had an amazing ear for concord and understanding how music labored. And he may be taught to play stuff and would buckle right down to studying issues, and a few of them have been fairly tough bass strains. He was an amazing man and an amazing loss to his buddies, his household and the music trade. I’m undecided he would have remained part of Jethro Tull, as a result of in all probability the tradition of Jethro Tull is simply too faraway from that celebration world and that idiosyncratic rock ‘n’ roll pastiche that we expect we all know from others. We’re chilly fish in Jethro Tull. We’re northern European, emotionless chilly fish. We possess not an oz. of Mediterranean, Latin blood. We’re simply not reduce from that material in any respect – and I discover it fairly good enjoyable being a chilly fish. It at all times amuses me to be standing off on the aspect, and other people assume I’m a celebration pooper, and they’re useless proper. [Laughs.]
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