The one criticism that upset Ian Anderson most: “It obviously hurt”
Apart from being critically derided, there’s nothing worse for artists than being lumped in with a sound or movement they feel completely distinct from. Whether it be Deftones rightfully refuting their links to nu-metal—whatever that actually is—or Dickey Betts saying The Allman Brothers Band hated the ‘Southern rock’ label, the list of artists denying associations is extensive. It might seem astounding, but Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson vehemently rejects the “prog” tag.
Although the flute-playing Blackpudlian does not doubt that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, his band were “progressive” and had a key hand in pulling psychedelic into a more refined area, he denies any links to what he deems as the utterly separate entity of “prog”. For him, progressive rock always had substance, a clear sense of self-awareness, and a dose of surreal, wry humour. In contrast, prog is what followed when it became ostentatious, self-important and far too “self-indulgent” for its own good.
Ironically, one of Jethro Tull’s classic efforts, 1972’s accomplished concept record, Thick as Brick, was his attempt at parodying the likes of Genesis, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Yes. However, his successful attempt at utilising that form of odd British comedy, typified by Monty Python, was so subtle that many deem the record a staple of the prog genre.
It’s since that moment that Jethro Tull have been unable to escape the prog tag. This meant that they were also in the firing line when the punk insurrection swept the land in a ball of flames in 1976, and had the genre as its primary target. As you can imagine, this was a touch annoying for Anderson, but in his mind, he’d already experienced a much worse public trashing from an artist he loved, so by that point, nothing was shocking.
When speaking to the Montreal Mirror in 2002, Anderson said that in the early 1970s, when his band was at its peak, Frank Zappa, the avant-rock maestro he respected greatly and was inspired by, declared he didn’t like Jethro Tull. For him, this was a far worse sleight than the young Johnny Rotten saying he hated their work. After all, in the years since the punk pioneer has even retracted his statements and called 1971’s Aqualung one of his favourite records.
Anderson explained: “It didn’t upset me particularly when Johnny Rotten lumped Jethro Tull together with a bunch of other things that he despised at the time. In recent years, I’ve heard him say Aqualung is one of his all-time favourite records, so who knows? It upset me more in the early ’70s when Frank Zappa said he didn’t like us. I was quite a fan of Zappa’s music, I admired and revered him as a contemporary, and yeah, having him turn around and suddenly slap us down obviously hurt a little bit.”
What was Zappa’s issue with Jethro Tull? In the early 1970s, Anderson read that the outspoken ‘Cosmik Debris’ singer resented prominent British bands like Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple going to America and making lots of money while he struggled to keep his going. It was a stark shift, as in 1969, he’d gone on record, saying that Tull was one of his favourite British groups.
This ill feeling didn’t stop there for Anderson, and it would trudge on for years as a sore that never healed. Heightening the original blow, it took an even more depressing turn when one of Zappa’s sons called him and informed him he was terminal. He said the American icon wanted him to call him, so his son left Anderson his number.
Anderson stared at his number for a while and then dialled it a few times but hung up on every occasion. He just didn’t know what to say to a dying man, particularly one who had so publicly slammed his work. Deep down, he wanted to speak to his hero, but ultimately, the complexity of the situation nullified letting the phone ring until it was picked up. Sadly, Zappa died in 1993, aged 52, after succumbing to his illness, which Anderson found out about on the news. It prompted an immediate and immense sense of loss and regret that he never made the call. For him, that feeling was far worse than anything punk could have elicited. Since then, Zappa’s criticism has been the major blemish on his life story.
