Ian Anderson: "Judaism is not the only thing because of which Israel exists and because of which it will continue to exist"

On the occasion of Jethro Tal's appearance in the country, Ian Anderson kills the Rolling Stones ("generic and geriatric"), offended by the statement that he used another singer ("not because of vocal problems"), and explains why he refused to shake hands even before the corona ("Men do not wash their hands after Touched the penis ").

Interview

Sagi Ben Nun

06/03/2022

Sunday, 06 March 2022, 00:00

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Good hand condition.

Ian Anderson Jethro Tal lead singer performing in Canada, July 2018 (Photo: GettyImages, Mark Horton)

Ian Anderson, lead singer of the band Jethro Tal, was a pioneer not only in musical terms but ahead of his time on another level - he refused to shake hands decades before the corona eruption, and serves to fans who turn only to his elbow.

"I'm been doing this for 20-30 years," Anderson says in an interview with Walla!

Culture ahead of his return to perform in Israel.

"As a joke, in 2004 I did a couple of shows called 'Rubbing Elbows with Ian Anderson.' "Sometimes people don't wash their hands after being in the bathroom and messing with their penis, assuming it's just their penis they messed with. It's not for that reason, because I can always wash my hands."

"The main reason for avoiding handshakes is that in many cases people shake hands really hard," Anderson explains.

"I had many years ago, 25-30 years ago, a wrist injury which is a very worrying thing for a side flute player. Also as a guitar player but mostly as a side flute player. I remember being in Russia and shaking hands with big Russians who feel it is a symbol of masculinity to crush the hand hard More than you do to them. And it's bad that it happens, because then there are two or three days of pain and injury, and that makes me worry about my profession. So I stopped shaking hands as much as I could. I remember hosting Prince Charles at the reception and I was embarrassed for him because he Had to shake hands with all the locals. At the end he apologized and said he should go to the bathroom and the reason was not to empty his bladder but he wanted to wash hands. People have sticky hands especially when they get stressed and sweaty. But I see he still shakes hands with people even today, And recently he got sick in Corona so obviously there is a connection.

Prepare your elbows for Anderson and his legendary British rock band, Jethro Tal, to return to Israel for two performances on April 19 at the Haifa Congress Center and the next day at the Tel Aviv Hall of Culture.

The performances are in the wake of the band's new and 22nd studio album, "The Zealot Gene" named, which has caused a great deal of excitement among fans as it is their first in nearly 20 years.

The previous one was "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album" which was released in September 2003. This is the longest break between studio album releases in the history of the veteran band.

The production of the show is signed by Encore and the Productions Forum, ticket prices range from 1999 to 499 and can be purchased here.

Previous interview with Ian Anderson for Walla!

Culture in October 2018

"When I'm photographed at shows, everyone's hands look like a Nazi salute."

To the full article

When still shaking hands.

Ian Anderson vocalist Jethro Tal, 1973 (Photo: GettyImages, Hulton Archive)

We are very happy about your return to Israel.

About two years ago you found out you had incurable lung disease.

How are you and what is your state of health?

"I'm healthy and whole every morning when I get up. That's all I can ask for. I'm fine. I was again tested and assessed for my health condition and the condition improved and did not deteriorate, so it's good."

"There has been some criticism over the years that I perform in Israel, and that I do it consciously. I tend to donate money to local charities every year, including shows in Israel. I do not advertise it because I do not feel people should know I support some charities both in Israel and around the world. And I also do some charities in churches and cathedrals in Europe. I'm not really interested in people who are prejudiced based on prejudice. "Regardless of their background, beliefs and cultural heritage. Everyone is entitled to equal opportunity and Israel is no exception."

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Over the years, on all of your albums you were the lead singer, and if there were more singers these were background singers.

During a performance in Israel in 2012, you came with a singer who sang a large part of the songs.

In 2016 you came to Israel with "The Rock Opera" and it seemed that in places you could not reach vocally - a live singer with pre-recorded singers.

Even today you use tricks to deal with your vocal problems?

"I was offended by the question. There have always been other singers, since Jethro Tal exists, I am not the only singer in the band. Other singers have performed on stage not because of my vocal problems. When I perform in Israel in a month I will sing on stage, the guitarist sings a few lines, the bassist sings A few lines but most of the singing is done by Live. In many cases I am the only singer in the performances. It depends on the songs and the set list and if there are lines that others sing in. Sound, usually mine sings in the background.Of course I can not do both on stage, so another singer on stage singing a few lines is very useful.I have never been a great singer but I do my best, and I find it easier for me to perform now than before Ten years because I spend a lot of time in vocal preparations, and make sure I'm healthy at 74 and a half. "

"When I sit down to work on a new album, I do not really think about the changes or the style. I believe in an organic approach to writing music. I go after my notes, go where the wind blows. I do not want to be too tuned. I have to have some sort of. A structure in my writing, and uses this structure.It's like there are road signs, in this direction turn left, here go straight, but that does not necessarily mean that if you see an interesting side road, with some path covered with beautiful leaves or beautiful flowers growing on the side, you will not decide to go down From your route and go there to observe.

"This is how it is in making music, there are always opportunities for experimentation and improvisation. I do not make an album with an idea for an extremely innovative approach. I do not want to recreate things I did in the past, I want to feel there is a starting point and different content. "

A variety of voices.

Jethro Tal Band (Photo: 18)

You say you want to express yourself without sounding like anyone else, and it's reminiscent of January in an interview with the Telegraph calling the bands The Who and the Rolling Stones "generic."

Why do you think so?

"Are you sure I said 'generic' or maybe I said 'geriatric'?" Anderson laughs and then gets serious.

"Generic in the sense of generic music, yes. Their music is generic. Let's remember it's their music. That's what the Stones do. I guess it's always going to be the big hits when they decide to perform again. They do not have the luxury that people like me have to make new records, new original music , Which is not always related to Jethro Tal's style, and which is difficult to put a finger on. We are inevitably a very eclectic band. The variety of music I am interested in is very wide. I like to expand and find different forms of music, which affect the structure of what I write. But you know, The Who sound like The Who. And the Stones sound like the Stones. In that sense what they play is the generic form of their music. They're not too diverse.

"You probably will not confuse my words with something that Mick Jagger or Neil Young wrote. My attitude is usually less about myself but more as an observer. It may come from an art school education. Drawing, drawing, observing and learning what is in front of me, and re-creating visually. In music, too, I try to look at what's around me, to take the visual and turn it into something musical. This is for me the natural basis for my writing process, I look more than a participant. I do not write about my feelings but more about the feelings of others. "In someone else's shoes. I sing in the first person but in a character like an actor, in a role in a show or a movie, and I do not think there is anything wrong with that."

"It would be simplistic and not true to say that the album is based on the Bible.

That when I thought of the idea of ​​songs and different human emotions then there is a reference of a biblical text, because it amused me from an intellectual point of view to make comparisons, and to hint at those comparisons on some level in words. When Moses tries to get from God what he wants in order to encourage the people to come to the Promised Land.

Then God gets a little upset about Moses always wanting something more and thinks, for God's sake, let me.

The point is that I do not believe in divine intervention and do not believe in the power of prayer.

I am closer to the idea of ​​pantheism and daisy in the sense of personal belief.

I do not practice a Christian or Jewish tradition or any other religion.

I tend to have a spiritual and broad approach to the world. "

"It is more accurate to say that it was described as Jewish wisdom and perhaps also Jewish mother-in-law. It was a period of a little over a year. It was a brief acquaintance with a Jewish family than a religious Jewish family. Certainly not Orthodox or Conservative. It was Judaism as a family power, Always a good thing. I do not feel particularly inspired by most religions, but I also see all the good things in religion. It gives support to people as individuals, families and society. Especially in a country like Israel, where the prevailing assumption is that everyone is Jewish, but of course not. And a lot of Arabs. And of course the Christian element. I know this because I supported multi-religious schools. There is a wide variety, Israel is still a great melting pot of different people, from different backgrounds and geographically different sources. And Judaism is not the only thing because of which it exists and why it is It will continue to exist. "

More on Walla!

Neta Barzilai's show was great, then came the climax of "Toy" and the audience shuddered

To the full article

"Generic and Geriatric".

The Rolling Stones (Photo: Reuters)

So hands have not been pressed for 20 years before the corona.

How did the corona change your life and your career?

"The hardest thing about the Corona era was knowing that the band members and my staff had no job, that they had no way to make money. Some had a hard time surviving and paying for food, bills, keeping warm and looking for ways to make some money. To keep the payments in. This has been a difficult time and this is perhaps the most significant thing.

"From the point of view of frustration was being out of work, and the more practical problems of spending hours in the office, changing dates of appearances and exploring all possibilities. To this day we continue to evaluate Corona's procedures in the different countries we visit. Everything changes every week, and we have new things we Need to do. Check, fill out forms. There are at least 4-5 pages that need to be filled out every time we board a plane. It's much more complex than it used to be. In my country (UK - UK), because of our Prime Minister, whether he Right or wrong, he decided to remove all restrictions.

I think this is a brave act but maybe also a dangerous experiment because the corona is not going anywhere.

There are still four times as many verified on average per day than there were a year ago.

While it's easier, and fewer people get to the hospital or die, there are still a lot of vulnerable people, whose immune systems are suppressed or who are very old or who have background illnesses, and in a society where everyone takes off their masks,

And behave as they did before the corona arrived, those who will pay the price are the very elderly and those with background diseases.

Two or three members of my band belong to this group.

"We are super careful on tour, always putting on FFP2 masks, both between us and strangers and with everyone we meet. The only times the mask comes off the five band members is when we're on stage. The rest of the time we're wearing a mask unless we'm alone. It's pretty boring and unpleasant. But we must do it. The punishment is not just to get infected and get sick in the corona but to get infected in the corona and make people out of work again. If one of us gets infected in the corona, we all have no job again. And that means potentially canceling.

" There comes every opportunity to keep working.

We all depend on each other not only when touring but also when we are not on tour.

"If someone decides to be stupid and goes to a pub, meet with the guys to watch a football game, then he is irresponsible, and there is a high chance that he will be exposed to Corona and a great chance of getting infected."

More on Walla!

"I suffer from post-trauma from Ivy's sexual assault. I can not believe he has changed."

To the full article

Guarding each other.

Ian Anderson and Jethro Tal (Photo: 18)

Jethro Tull, defined by Rolling Stone as "one of the most commercially successful eccentric rock bands", was formed in Blackpool, England, in 1967, and released its debut album "This Was" a year later.

Ian Anderson is the band's founder, leader, lead singer, lead composer, flutist and guitarist, and also the only one left today from the original line-up.

Anderson, known for playing the flute while standing on one leg, continues to perform even after he was close to losing his vocal cords.

Since its inception, many musicians have replaced it.

The oldest member after Anderson in the band was Martin Barr, who served as its guitarist and flutist from 1968 to 2011.

Initially, the band played blues-rock and fusion, and soon combined elements of heavy rock, folk and classical music, creating an exceptional progressive sound.

The band's first commercial success was on their second folk album, Stand Up, which was released in 1969.

In the first half of the seventies her musical style moved towards progressive rock, and in the second half of that decade they moved again to the folk areas.

In the 1980s she underwent a major change in composition and moved to electronic rock.

She won her only Grammy Award for her 1987 album Crest of a Knave, which returned to heavy rock.

Since its inception, the band has sold about 60 million albums worldwide.

During an interview with Walla!

Culture in a video chat with Ian Anderson, lead singer of the band Jethro Tal, was joined by a big fan of his, the blind musician Gidi Aharonovich, who fulfilled a dream to talk to him and play a flute piece, and a short compliment from Anderson (Photo: screenshot, Zoom)

During the interview, which took place in a video call via Zoom, I attached one of his biggest fans in Israel to Anderson's permission.

His name is Gidi Aharonovitch, a talented and blind musician who began playing the flute following his admiration for Anderson, became a teacher and lecturer in music.

"Actually, I make a living playing the flute thanks to my love for Ian Anderson," Aharonovitch tells us.

He has been to every gig in Jethro Tal's country since 1999, and has also traveled after them around the world, and it's hard not to notice his screams at gigs.

"I think I remember Gidi from the shows," Anderson said, "it's always very exciting to have strong support from people from different countries. Sometimes they come from afar to see you."

Aharonovitch later fulfilled a dream when Anderson responded to his request to hear him play the flute from Jethro Tal's works.

At the end of his playing, Anderson applauded him with great enthusiasm, saying to him: "Well done, well done! Say, do you happen to have blue tights and a bandana? If you find them - your job. I can stay home and you'll pretend to be me. How is that? ? ".

Aharonovitch did not know his soul from happiness.

More on Walla!

Seeing the light: Both "The Gemstone Family" and "Someone Somewhere" were disappointed - and yet they were great

To the full article

The powerful opening song from Jethro Tull's new album, "Mrs Tibbets"

Do you miss Martin Barr, the former lead guitarist and oldest band member after you, who left about ten years ago?

"There's no drama about Martin not being a member of Jethro Tal. Our relationship goes back many years, and for the past 20 years I have encouraged Martin to do things outside of Jethro Tal alone, just as I did solo records and out-of-band performances. Martin took a lot. Time to do it.In 2011 I told him and Don Perry that I was going to do another project.Martin took the opportunity to work with his band, performed more and made records, and on several occasions since I looked at his show schedule to see maybe he was available to perform with Jethro Tal "In a certain show, but he is always very busy. We corresponded in an email last week, he had to cancel a lot of dates because of the corona, and we talked about the difficulties it poses."

"I would not rule out reunion, but the thought of Martin Barr returning to Jethro Tull as a full - time band member - I think the chances of that are zero. I'm sure he enjoys being his own boss more and I have a new guitarist again. Are you married?"

"And you had more than one wife?"

"So let's imagine you and your wife broke up, and after a few years you meet someone new. You really love her and get married again. After a few years you suddenly say to your new wife: 'You know, I think I'll go spend time with my first wife in the Bahamas.' Will work? It will not work, right? The same thing happens when you have to be loyal to whoever commits to you at some point in time. I would have a hard time telling Joe, our guitarist today, that Martin is back to play in two shows. to do".

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