Interview with a Progressive Rock legend: Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson - Part 2

Editor's note: Watch the full exclusive interview using the video embedded with this story. This is part 2 of the series detailing the experiences of Cadets Adam Cioffi II ' 26 and Alex Dieffenbach '26 who attended a concert by progressive Rock and Roll legend Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, on October 30, 2023 during his "Five Decades Tour". Their adventures along the way, as covered in previous and future articles, included, riding along with the Fairfield, Connecticut Police Marine Unit, savoring the delights of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, experiencing Katz's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a visit to the tall ships and other attractions at the historic Mystic Seaport, a view of "how the other half lives" at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), and meeting a former astronaut, before breaking bread with the Ian Anderson, his wife, and the band themselves. At the concert Cadets Coiffi and Diefenbach received the rare privilege of spending the afternoon with the band and crew, learning what it takes to put on and perform a rock concert. Following the trip, Mr. Anderson sat down with Cadet Dieffenbach for an extensive, in-depth, far reaching one-on-one interview covering his life, music, the media, The Cadet, and more. In this, the secod part of a series from the interview, The Cadet covers Mr. Anderson himself those who influenced his career and life, his charity work, the war in Ukraine, conflict in Gaza, connections to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI)and his advice to those seeking to make their careers in the world. The Cadet: So you've opened and played with some great rock and roll legends like Jimi Hendrix, but what are some examples of ways that they've impacted you? Ian Anderson: Well, they impacted me at the time. My earliest musical heroes died. In most cases, shortly after encountering them, Hendrix being one of them. I met him in 1969, and we played together in a few festivals in the next couple of years, and then, of course, he died. And a British artist, I mean, a British musician called Graham Bond, who had a band called the Graham Bond Organisation, featuring himself along with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. These were other people that I greatly revered. But Graham, shortly after I met him, I suppose I was by then about 22, 23 years old when I actually got to know Graham Bond briefly, and he stepped under a tube train in the London Underground to end his life a week or two after I met him, which is very sad. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, who were both dead, did live on for a while. I didn't get to know them at all until much, much later in their lives and my life, but it seems looking back on it now, most of the people that I did revere were either already dead by the time I became a musician, because they were people from the world of jazz and blues who had expired in the period before I started music. And many of them then subsequently, either through old age, through drink, through drugs, through illness, have passed away. So I do get increasingly the feeling that at the moment I'm left behind, but not to worry, I'm quite happy to be able to carry on doing what I'm doing for a little while. The Cadet: So the fictional newspaper the original Thick as a Brick album talks about Little Milton, who is credited for the lyrics saying that his poem, Thick as a Brick, has been disqualified in the annual literary competition organized by the Society for Literary Advancement and Gestation for its anti-Christian views. Instead of him, the award went to a girl, Mary, who wrote a piece on Christian ethics. Little Milton is also referred for psychiatric treatment. Do you see any parallels today with the lack of tolerance for competing views of issues such as gun control, the Israel-Hamas conflict, the equity movements and others? Ian Anderson: There were parallels back then when I wrote the material for Thick as a Brick. It was based on some of the post-war personal experiences I had. I wasn't born until after World War II, a couple of years later. But I certainly grew up in a world that was still very much caught up with the very recent history of the world's most enormous war. And that took on various guises in my life, and particularly in children's comic books and in children's literature, where there were some, what seemed to me, quite outmoded and hierarchical views, hierarchical views that were unpleasant. But this is long before the Age of Woke. It just seemed to me that you had to read between the lines. You had to try and differentiate between the traditions and the general worldview of things that you grew up with, those values that were passed on by the society in which you were growing up as a child. And try to see between the lines that this was a product of its time and it would change and indeed it did. Because the '70s was a huge period of change in society and culture all over the world, but, you know, particularly in the UK and European countries and in the USA. I mean, it was an enormous period of time during Vietnam and onwards, where the rights of Black people, of women, and moving on to the more obvious aspects of those who have a different sexual orientation. It's all been very positive, but perhaps in the minds of many people not as positive as it ought to have been. There are always going to be complainers who are saying, oh, we're too slow to do these things, or we're still living in a racist society, and so on and so forth. Well, compared to how it was, it's certainly a whole lot better now. But it does tend to be something that you can continue as a creative writer, a writer of lyrics, to draw upon some of those issues and put them across in the way that perhaps it's light entertainment, perhaps it's humor, perhaps it's halfway serious lecturing. But nonetheless, you are communicating something and you hope that it is with a sufficiently broad brush that it's not going to alienate people. It will cause them to think and make up their own minds about issues rather than just believing what somebody tells them when they're sinking a couple of beers in a bar late at night, or indeed, perhaps it is part of family tradition. It's good to question the values of your parents. It's not good to really deeply upset them by deliberately messing them around. But it is good to question those values. And it may be that they are, you come to the conclusion, hey, you know what, mom and dad were perfectly right about this particular issue. Or my headmaster at school was perfectly right about this issue. But I think you've got to... As a young person, you do have to question and try to evaluate. Just don't get your knickers in a twist, as we say in the UK. It's good to try and keep a level head and be questioning those values, coming up with your own conclusions, which may result in you having a very differing view about the world compared to other people around you. But at least you've gotten there through having thought it through rather than just accepting that what people tell you must be right, or because that's part of your background or your culture. That applies to religion and it also applies to politics. Most of America will soon be going to the polls and they will be ideological voters. There will be those who vote Republican because they always have and their parents voted Republican and their parents before them. It's ideological. And there will be those people who similarly, are ideologically Democrats. My view is that you should try to understand the sides of your two parties. We come from a world over here where we have had at least three, if not four or five parties in Europe, goodness knows, in some countries, there are 10 different parties. But at the end of it all, I think it's good to hear what other people have to say and not simply take what I think is perhaps the easy way out, which is to take that ideological position without really questioning it. And the floating voters, those who haven't really made their minds up, are perhaps those on which the next election will be won or lost for those who do have the ideological point of view. A very good friend of mine was an ideological Republican. He was a man by the name of Tony Snow, who was a broadcaster and speechwriter. Originally, when he left college, he wrote speeches for George Bush, Snr. And ended up working for George Bush, Jnr. In the White House as the press secretary. And Tony was a guy who was really appreciated and valued by people on all sides of the political spectrum. And he was someone who seemed to be a straight player, someone who was a decent and honest guy, as much as he could be, being a press secretary for the White House. I mean, he couldn't necessarily tell everybody everything they wanted to know, but they respected that he would do his best to try and give them a sensible, grown-up response. And I know that for a fact, having seen the way some people talk to him. And I always rather appreciated the fact that you could have a really big argument with Tony Snow. My wife would take quite an opposing view about a number of subjects, but Tony would always listen and talk it through and think it through. And you always had the feeling that you were talking with a guy who was prepared to change his mind. A guy who sat in his office with multiple television screens playing everything from Al Jazeera to the BBC to CNN, as well as the Fox channels. So he was someone who was... Had open ears. And I think those people sometimes are a little bit rare. And it's important to have a viewpoint, even if you do have an ideology, that you're still prepared to listen to the other side of the argument. I think Tony was a great man. I had him down for being one day president of the United States. Sadly, he died of colon cancer towards the end of his period of time working with Bush. And in fact, just before the election that put Obama in, Tony was employed by CNN to be the Republican in-house to cover the elections from the perspective of, as I say, an ideological Republican, which was, you know, I think a good thing. Unfortunately, Tony became too ill too quickly, and was unable to actually take on that role publicly. But I often think if he hadn't had such bad luck with his returning colon cancer and had survived, he would have been a great president of the USA, because he really did have the ability to see the bigger picture and to listen to people and understand people. And then, you know, with authority to put forward his own argument. He's kind of the guy I think would have been a credit to the Republican Party. He would have been a great credit to the Democrats too, if that had been his political will. But sadly, he's no longer with us. He was a flute player like me, which is how I got to know him. Ian Anderson is not known as well for his philanthropy as he is for his music, but is arguably dedicated to the former just as much as the latter. On numerous occasions he has donated the proceeds from shows to many different charity organizations, as well as organized events aimed to aid veterans and diminished groups in need internationally. In 2018 Ian Anderson donated the money made from a concert in Israel to two different organizations; the Polyphony Foundation and the New Israel Fund (NIF). According to their website, "The Polyphony Foundation believes music has a unique power to transcend cultural and social boundaries. We support music education programs which create common ground for Jewish and Arab youth to come together around classical music in Israel". The NIF is another social justice non-profit charity, founded in 1979, promoting equality for all Israelis. In 2014, Ian Anderson organized a concert to help veterans wounded from IEDs. On his website he said, "WE DON'T ALWAYS ASK OUR LEADERS TO TAKE US INTO WAR, BUT WE ALL SEEK TO HELP BRING DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS – ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN – TO TROUBLED NATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ON BEHALF OF THE BRAVE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR TROOPS ABROAD, I URGE YOU TO SUPPORT THE VICTIMS OF IED MADNESS, NOW IN NEED OF REHABILITATION AND CARE. FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES, PLEASE SUPPORT THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST IEDS". It was at this concert that the VMI Commanders Jazz Band was able to play a few songs with him in honor of American veterans, a memory that former VMI band director John Brodie held dearly. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he partnered with local distilleries in Virginia to make Jethro Tull branded hand sanitizer to give out to frontline workers to help them stay safe while they worked the jobs that kept our country functioning in an time of uncertainty and fear that affected everyone. The Cadet: So during the COVID pandemic, you raised money for people on the front lines in the battle against the COVID-19 virus. In Virginia you lent your name to the official Jethro Tull Hand Sanitizer to help small Virginia breweries and distilleries, making it remain an operation. You didn't accept a penny for your support. How did you get involved in the project, and why was it important for you to support these programs helping small businesses? Ian Anderson: Yeah, that was another Colonel Bob Morris's efforts to try to expedite the supplies of hand sanitizers and other aspects of protection against COVID. And so he had come upon a source of, if I recall 80% proof alcohol-based hand sanitizer. We were having difficulty in getting that in the UK at the time, but subsequently I did manage to buy, I think 10 litres of [laughter] of 80% hospital grade sanitizer, which I'm still... I still, to this day, I still never leave home without it except when I'm getting on an aeroplane, I don't take the one that actually says it on the side of the bottle. I take a blank one just in case they think I'm going to do something bad to their aeroplane. And of course, if you're flying on a Boeing, then they're likely to do something bad to themselves. But I noticed with some horror that I have some flights coming up on a Boeing 737-800 series. So hopefully, they will all have been checked over a bit more thoroughly by the time I get to Brazil, I think it is where I have to do that. Yes, so yes, doing all that stuff, it's just part of the job. I don't endorse anything. I would hate to be paid for doing something either as an endorsement or advertising something. If I play on somebody's records, for example, I never ask for money. If I choose to do it, it's a gift. And I don't really feel... If you're lucky enough to make a good living doing your own music and you play on somebody else's record, then fair enough. It's something that if you do it, and you enjoy it, and it pushes you beyond the kind of music that you are more comfortable with, then it's a challenge and something you can feel good about and that there's reward enough in doing that. Yesterday, I was at a Salisbury Cathedral, one of our greatest, biggest cathedrals in the UK just meeting with the people there because they asked me to return after 12 years to do another fundraising concert for Salisbury Cathedral in December. And so, those are things I've been doing for about 20 years, doing fundraisers in our great cathedrals and churches, not only in the UK, but sometimes in Europe as well. And I don't do it because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to persuade people to join the cause. I do it because again, it's part of maintaining a tradition and the culture and the values that I think come with Christianity, in my case, since it's the religion I grew up, at least on the periphery of. But I'd feel the same thing about doing the same thing in a mosque or a temple. But the Jewish religion and Islam do not welcome people like me to come and do secular concerts so, I am stuck largely with Anglicanism because they're a little more easy going. And with Lutheranism, the Protestant religion of Europe, but I have done a few church things in Catholic churches in Europe under the radar, because they don't as a rule, encourage, as I say, secular music to take place in Catholic establishments, but the rules get bent whenever they're desperate, there's been an earthquake and something is falling down. They do appreciate a little bit of financial help to keep the fabric of the building going. So, I've done quite a few of those things in Europe. In fact, I was at the Vatican, I did the Vatican Christmas concert a couple of years ago. Again, something that is an annual event to raise money for various causes. So, again, I'm very happy to do these things when it brings some tiny little bit of financial aid, but it also, for me, being a Christmas concert, it is trying to maintain those values and traditions of the Christian church by bringing in an audience who perhaps would not normally go into that particular building. Even if they live in that town, they may not be regular visitors to their cathedral or go there to worship. And so, I rather like the idea that we encourage people to support the values of that particular aspect of very material tradition, the fabric, the reality of these great buildings, which could never be built again in this day and age. They're fine to do it 800 or 900 years ago when many of the great cathedrals were built, but it would be out of the question to think that this could be built today. So, important to try and keep them going. Next question. The Cadet: All right. So, a lot of your work seems to be grassroots, giving back at the community level. Do you feel that supporting these groups has more effect on people in need? Ian Anderson: Well, let's not overreact to this. Most of the time I'm out there being a very selfish and self-serving person doing what I enjoy doing for my own benefit, both intellectually, physically and mentally. And so, it just seems a few times a year, it's nice to do something where you're thinking about other people. But I'm not going to spend my life doing great charity work, so let's not give people the impression that I'm a nicer guy than I really am. [laughter] The Cadet: Any good deed I feel especially in today's world, is something to be cherished. And I'm sure the people that you've helped appreciate your work a lot. But the next question is, you've been the subject of criticism for donating the proceeds of concerts in Israel and the Middle East to charities supporting, bringing Arabs and Israelis together through social and economic justice, promoting democracy and civil rights, and programs to bring together Arab and Jewish youths in Israel. Why do you feel it's important to take the personal and professional risk by calling up both sides to come together rather than taking sides, as many musicians or public figures seem to do? Ian Anderson: Well, I haven't received a huge amount of criticism for it because I, again, try to do this rather under the radar. And when we have been many times to Israel over the years, and it seemed to me quite important there not to benefit personally from those concerts. I have to pay the band and crew and the air fares and all the rest of it. But, there's a meaningful profit that I can remit through a charitable organization in the UK without it attracting taxation in Israel. And so I've always... Not always, but in the last 15 years or whatever, I've done many concerts in Israel. But it is about making a... Again, it's a tiny, tiny, tiny little difference in supporting some non-governmental organizations who do, mostly through education, be it musical education or general school education, bring together Arabs, Jews and Christians under the same roof to work together as school children or young teenagers. And I think if people can put the problems of their parent's generation and the problems socially of the country or the city in which they live, and they can put that aside for eight hours in a day and work together with other people, there's more chance that they will grow up to be adults who do appreciate each other, regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds. That's the tiny hope. But you have two choices. You either do nothing at all and you sit and criticise and carp from the sidelines, or you actually do something. And I think doing something is better than doing nothing and staying away. It's not going to upset Mr. Netanyahu one little bit if I don't go to Israel, to somehow boycott Israel. It is not hurting anybody. I mean, sorry, it is not hurting the people who might criticize. It is simply through the lack of your effort that you are just doing less than nothing at all. So I think going and doing something positive, which in itself is a little bit risky because of... I'm essentially taking money from an audience who buy their tickets and playing Robin Hood. I'm giving it to hopefully very independent organizations who I have personally carefully vetted as being what they purport to be. And I think again, that it is better to do something rather than nothing, but it might well upset some of the people who buy the concert tickets to know that that's where the ticket money, the concert profits were going. So, you just have to accept that you're never going to be universally appreciated for doing anything of that sort. You are going to be seen to be taking sides, even though palpably that's not what I'm doing. My side is just taking all sides and trying to avoid the kind of partisan approach to these very, very difficult issues, exaggerated as they happen to be again, right at this moment. It's a really bad time. I was actually asked to go and do a concert just a few weeks ago in well, very few months ago now in the latter part of last year. And before I was able to really make my excuses, things started looking increasingly tense. And of course, it would have been probably a bad decision to have done that, just as I had to cancel concerts last... Actually in 2022 in several Russian cities and in Kyiv and Ukraine because of what was going on there. So you do have to accept there are some things much as you would like to do it. And I have volunteered my services to go to Kyiv and play any time they think it's safe enough to open the doors of a theater again. But as they pointed out, it's not a question of it being safe. It's a question of there being no one there to run those institutions because they're all in the military fighting for their survival as a nation. So it's not possible to do that. I'm hopeful that before I am forced through physical and mental realities to have to give up what I'm doing, that I will get to renew my commitment to doing that concert in Kyiv. I doubt that it's going to be ever possible for me to return to Russia, however. Mr. Anderson has often provided advice to the younger generations. As VMI is a place for those to gain direction in life both with leadership skills and higher morals, The Cadet pressed this question, looking to see how such advice might benefit the Corps as they read through this interview. The Cadet: So it's been said often that when you meet young people and aspiring musicians, you often challenge their worldview by asking them what their plan B is. How did this apply to you and What do you mean by it? Ian Anderson: Well, the advice that I've given to young musicians about having a plan B also involves having a plan C because if you commit yourself as a young adult, a hoped for career in music, you have to accept that there's quite a high likelihood that you will either not be successful because you are actually not good enough or that even if you're pretty good at what you do, that there are simply not enough vacancies in that world for new entrants to step in and immediately find that they can make a decent living out of it. Particularly for orchestral, for classical musicians and orchestral musicians, then I think having a plan B is a very good idea and plan B for many of them is to become a music teacher, but there's only room for so many music teachers too. And having a different career option in the back of your mind and something perhaps that you'd continue with as a hobby, if you're taking up music professionally. That you have some strong level of interest and passion for something else, perhaps a million miles away from music, that is a plan B. And plan B sometimes doesn't work out too well either because you may not have had the opportunity to study and develop yourself in that plan B world to be successful there either. So it helps to have a few backup plans I think as you go through life, at any point in your life. It doesn't necessarily mean that crucial period in your early 20s. It really means at any time in your life, you could find yourself out of a job. You could find yourself having to rethink for many reasons that are forced upon you, what it is you want to do to earn a living and play your part in society. So having plan B and plan C is a pretty good idea, not just for musicians, I think for anybody at all. In addition to the question about life plans and advice from Mr. Anderson, The Cadet found it pertinent to discuss freedom of speech with him. This is one thing which has been important not only to The Cadet, but to the younger generation across America and the world. The Cadet: So what do you have to say to the college presidents and administrations regarding allowing freedom of speech in student media on college university campuses? Ian Anderson: I think it's always a matter of balance. In your own world, I think it's important to have the feeling that you are part of a democracy and you are part of a world where expressing yourself is not only acceptable, but is valued by all those around you. But you have to moderate that by common sense and not overstepping the mark. It's not an opportunity simply to go out and challenge authority by courting confrontation. So I think on both sides, both for the organizations, be they military or educational and for students or young soldiers, sailors and airmen, I think it's important to find that balance. And the balance clearly has shifted, at least it has in my part of the world, to people having the feeling that they can express themselves. But there's always a question of dissatisfaction that rebellion is stamped upon when it is seen as being that. And so I think it is a question of tact, care and moderation on both sides. But I think broadly speaking, as long as you don't make either a nuisance of yourself or a complete fool of yourself, because we all change our mind about things along the way. So I think as long as you don't overstep the mark, I think a questioning approach is not a bad thing to have, but it doesn't meet with, I suppose, the traditional idea of utter subservience and obedience that is part of military tradition. And knocking that out of you is very often part of training. But I don't think I could have been a soldier because I probably would have been saying, well, yeah, okay, I'll do what you're asking me to do, but you need to explain to me why I'm doing this. [laughter] It would not have gone well with some drill sergeant who might have had me mopping the floors of the toilet for the rest of my life. So I would like to think things are changing and being a little bit more open to discussion than they might have been 10, 20 or 100 years ago. But it'll be slow and it will be something where I think both sides have got to learn to give a little and not to be at loggerheads. Everybody's there for the same reason and doing the job with the same motives in mind. And so I think getting to the end result is the important thing. Sometimes a little bit of testing the ice, feeling the temperature of the water. It's something you need to do along the way. And I think everybody has to accept that that is part of the world we live in today that you should have that feeling of being in a democracy that you are presumably there to give your life for if called upon to do so. And I think it's important that democracy extends all the way through such organizations, be they military or educational or otherwise. But don't be a pain in the ass and don't make a nuisance of yourself because, I think it's... Making a little bit of a nuisance might be something that has a positive result, but moderation, common sense, think it through and above all, keep the communications open. Hopefully there are people that you can talk to face-to-face and not end up being someone who is seen to be simply a troublemaker for the sake of it. So I think that extends again, not just in the world of the military, but throughout society in any job. You could say exactly the same thing about being a member of a road crew in a rock band. There are going to be some things that you're not happy about and I've always said, look, if you've got a problem, come and talk to me about it. But at the end of the day, you're going to have to do what I tell you, but what I tell you to do might conceivably be moderated by something that you've communicated to me. And we do have that discussion, but I think it's important to do that. You still have ultimately a sense of there being a hierarchy and there being orders and things that you are obliged to do, even if you don't necessarily believe in them, you have to trust that other people have got the right handle on it and are making the decision in a knowledgeable way. So I think it extends in all walks of life. Troublemakers are not welcome if they're just being troublemakers. And from time to time, somebody, not so much in the band, but certainly in my road crew, I've had a few of those. And over a period of 55 years, it is only a few, but it does sometimes happen. So, you know, you first of all, sit down and talk it through. I know that's probably wishful thinking when it comes to some of the more extreme elements in the military who don't want to have a discussion with their underlings, but you would hope that things are changing a little bit and there is a greater sense of being able to sit down and have a little chat out of uniform, off duty. Everybody goes home to their families, hopefully from time to time and becomes just a regular person and wearing... Going and doing the supermarket shopping, wearing an out of fashion leisure suit. I think sometimes you have to think of people in that light rather than necessarily how many pips they've got on their shoulder or stripes or medals they've got hanging on their hairy chests. Next question, I'm running out of time, so we gotta push on. The Cadet: So, final question. You're aware of the issues cadets from the Cadet Newspaper encountered just trying to get permission to attend the concert and interview you. So the efforts by the VMI superintendent and the administration and the media and directly against the cadet and its supporters as one of the oldest independent college newspapers in Virginia. What is your message to the superintendent, administration, and board of visitors regarding free speech of student newspapers and the right to challenge the decisions of those in authority? Ian Anderson: Well, as I've already said, I think it's a matter of being there to be a pair of listening and understanding ears that when people do challenge authority to encourage them to do it in a practically responsible and a morally responsible fashion. And so, my message would always be, sit down and talk it through, but don't go bulldozing through life by just telling people these are the rules, you have to stick to them. Or on the other hand, going through life, challenging authority just because you like to make trouble. I think having a cool, thoughtful, and sympathetic approach is the most important thing to do. But once you're out there doing the job that you're being trained to do, at that point, you really do have to stick to the rules. Hopefully, the rules are maybe written in stone for only one generation, but may be slightly modified, with the passing of time. And so, I think everybody has to keep that in mind. These are the rules as they are today. They may not be the rules 50 years from now. There may substantially be still the rules, but there will be some modification and changes that come as a result of the changes in society and the appreciation of what people are there to do, why they do it, and most importantly, how they do it. So, yeah, sit down and talk it through. This is my advice to everybody. Blanket smothering of views and emotions doesn't do anybody any good. But as I say, it's something to do privately, man to man, woman to woman, he, she, it, they to they, depending on your degree of wokeness in the world today. You sit and talk it through, and then you think it through in a practical way to try and be an honest person without necessarily just being a troublemaker for the sake of it, or to be a bullying boss, demanding total subservience just for the sake of it. That doesn't work. I think you have to be able to rationalize it. But it's easier to do that out of uniform than it is, as I say, when you're all dressed up and ready for a parade, then it's a little difficult to have those thoughtful conversations then. But I would hope that people in authority would be open to having a discussion. And it's in there... It's for their benefit, too, to continue to evaluate the people they're working with in a way to better understand them. So, yeah, advice is talk it through on all sides, and hopefully the sides are not too far apart most of the time. The Cadet: All right. Well, thank you for your time today. Ian Anderson: Good to talk to you, take care, and best wishes to Colonel Bob, and we hope to see you all soon. The Cadet: Thank you so much. If you're ever in the States again, and maybe in Virginia, stop on by VMI and we might have to give you a tour of the place if you have the opportunity. Ian Anderson: I hope to come back as a civilian rather than in my own musical battle dress. Now that I have a little more time ahead of me in the next couple of years. I'm looking forward to returning to the USA without having to work all night, to come and actually be a tourist for a change because in all these years I've only on maybe one occasion I can think of been to the USA just to be a tourist, just for four nights. So, I'm hoping that I have more time to do that in the future and remember, finally to remember the USA in a way that is hard to do when you're just doing what I do in a typical day's work as a musician, that's a very narrow world. So, we'll let the dust of the next election settle. I shall be back to see what I can make of it all and enjoy my New England clam chowder soup without having to feel that, whoops, it's sound check in half an hour. Anyway, great to talk to you! All in all the band was a pleasure to be around. Ian Anderson was a warm and generous host to us, having extended an invitation to us to be able to come up and see the show. We arrived just before their soundcheck began and got to tour their facilities at the venue, as well as properly introduce ourselves to them. Soundcheck began and we had the opportunity to watch them practice their set. Afterwards they returned to their rooms to prep before the show began. The show itself was a great time. The set list was the best part, bringing together the best of the old and new Jethro Tull, playing older hits like "Aqualung" with newer releases like "The Navigators"; with the band topping off the show with "Locomotive Breath" as their encore. After the show we had the chance to talk to the band again, unwind with them, and take some photos before we all departed back to our hotels for the night. The following morning Adam and I made our way back down the east coast to VMI, stopping in Manhattan for a quick breakfast at Katz' Deli.