IAN ANDERSON Jethro Tull’s RökFlöte

BY RANDY PATTERSON, BOOMEROCITY.COM

JETHRO TULL: A band that has been in existence for nearly 60 years and spanned seven decades and 23 albums. Yet, inexplicably, they are still not inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That said, the band - under the steady leadership of Ian Anderson - is still touring and recording quality music.

To that point, the band has just released its twenty-third album titled RökFlöte . I recently caught up with the band’s iconic flutist and leader to chat about the new album. Because some call Jethro Tull “a thinking man’s band,” I asked Ian if he was ever concerned about essentially playing over the fans’ heads.

“Honestly, I’ve never really thought about writing with the view of trying to please fans or in terms of lyrics,” he said. “I’m really not thinking about impressing the members of the band, let alone fans or anybody else. I’m doing what I do because it’s something I feel I have a passion for, and I’m trying to do it as well as I can. But I’m not really worried about losing fans at any time. I’m sure it must happen. Inevitably, there are some people who just think, ‘Well, that’s not for me, I don’t really want to listen to this or read the words.’

“But I think you can have things that work on more than one level. So, it’s not really just a question of making the assumption that people are going to read the lyrics. I think the majority of people don’t - I mean, I know when I hear music, I quite often have to correct my way of thinking and try to examine what the lyrics really are because I either just don’t take the trouble to listen, or I listened but it doesn’t actually sound that interesting. And so, I ignore it and then I have to come back to it and say, ‘No, I must really read these lyrics and see if they make some better sense if I apply my time and effort.’

“So, that’s happened to me on a few occasions with bits of music I didn’t think I liked, and then I decided after reading the lyrics that I did like them. So, I guess that could happen anytime with my music - my lyrics, too - but it’s not going to drive me to write in a certain way. Never has, never will.”

Jethro Tull’s previous album, The Zealot Gene, was met with critical acclaim. When one listens to RökFlöte , there is no sense of listening to Zealot leftovers but to fresh music written just for this album. I asked Ian if that was the case.

“Yes, you’re quite correct, because The Zealot Gene really began in 2017, and by the time 2018 rolled around, I only really finished four of the seven tracks that we’d recorded. And then, in the following year, we were really busy. Covid came along. And so, it was just a long wait really before The Zealot Gene was finally finished - or the last five tracks being recorded during the lockdown period when I just had to work alone from home. The delivery to the record company meant that the record was released in January 2022. On the first of January 2022, I began work on a new album, which was just recently released.”

I asked Ian about tour dates in support of the new album.

“Well, we’ve been hitting the road since the summer of 2021,” he said. “So, we’re all in reasonably fighting trim. And, you know, physically and mentally. I think you really got to do what you can to stay in good shape, because two hours of aerobics at my age is not to be taken lightly. I try and make sure I’m well prepared and well rehearsed before I start doing any concerts - especially if I’ve had a week or two off, you know, then I have to get back to that level of mental and physical fitness again. So far it seems to work. So far it’s I might fall off the bicycle, but I can still get back on and pedal away.”

There is a lot more to this interview where Ian explains how the album name and concept came about, the misappropriation of the umlaut, and his current world view. Visit Boomerocity.com, the Boomerocity YouTube channel, or your favorite pod cast platform to hear the interview in its entirety.

There are North American tour dates scheduled, beginning around the end of the summer, so be sure to visit JethroTull.com for dates and locations.

Randy’s first interview was at the tender age of 13 with none other than Col. Tom Parker. Thirty-six years later, he founded the webzine, Boomerocity.com, and has conducted more than 400 interviews with some of the most interesting people in music.