Jethro Tull: hopeless devotion or hatred

I know exactly what you mean about a kind of blind loyalty to a certain artist - in this case Tull - and I even wrote a review about exactly that;

http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=197109

I've never thought of Tull as being that clinically devisive before.

I've seen and/or heard a few Ian interviews and nothing gave me the impression he was a douche. 
The notorious Genesis three have come across that way in interviews.

I'm not really hopelessly devoted to Tull though I am certainly a big fan.


Edited by Slartibartfast - May 16 2009 at 08:52

Yeah I guess I was being political or something when I said "comes off like a jerk I guess."  I'm saying this is what some people say who've also heard it.  But me, I don't really think so.  He sounds like a composer if anything; call that pretentious and you insult high musical art.  But what do I know...

As for my mention of 'derision', you can see that I didn't say it was in that interview.  It's something I swear I remember either hearing myself, or someone said he said.


Edited by American Khatru - May 16 2009 at 08:12

Hey all.  I recently made a new friend with whom I can talk endlessly about prog, which of course is a real joy in life.  I got around to bringing up Tull and he just went feh!, categorically hates them.  I didn't push it since this is a new friend, plus his hatred was so visceral I'd probably have no shot at persuading him otherwise, or even convincing him to give them a fair shot (maybe after a while, but probably not).

I've noticed this with other people too and this band.  Now as for me, I'm what you might call a hopeless fan.  Often times I can't even see the criticisms.  That's because I've been listening to them since I can remember; my older brother's record collection is to blame.  Throughout the 70's I listened a lot, religiously at points, to every Tull album he had, namely Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung, Living In The Past, Thick As A Brick, Passion Play, Minstrel In The Gallery, and Songs From The Wood.  (TaaB, Passion and Wood would in time shake out as my top favorites.)  Along came the paper route and I bought Heavy Horses and Stormwatch, and a friend taped Too Old for me (didn't like that one much).  I bought 'A' right when it came out too, and that right there is the proof that I'm hopeless.  Can somebody else tell me they love that particular album too?, because I just listened to it yesterday; I haven't met anyone who likes that album, let alone a person who likes it as much as I do.  I just listened to it yesterday, and when I look at my play counts in iTunes I have to say it is way up there.  I might just be or a , or both rolled into one immense .  (Okay, enough of the faces...)

Back to my new friend: he hates them.  And it's, well, basically because Ian Anderson can apparently be a real, er, doosh.  Now, I had no way of knowing this when I was a kid (except maybe the lyrics!; but music was my main thing, and being a prog fan one abides silly lyrics, lying in wait for the gems).  No internet or any of that, I was just hearing this great effort-filled music and was swept away by it.  My friend didn't grow up on it, and feels certain that he'll never fully appreciate them because of this almost reptilian level of dislike, the sort of thing that no one but a great psychologist could possibly disabuse one of (and the same probably goes for my blind love).

Not long ago I got the CD of TaaB with the bonus tracks.  At points he comes off like a jerk I guess, but mostly sounds to me like a man knowing what he meant.  But of course, nothing embarrassing to hime was about to be put on a Tull CD as a bonus track.  I do think I recall that he has, here and there in interwiews and whatever, derided the idea of concept albums, or otherwise been considered an ass.  Is it fair to say that the figure of Anderson is what gets in the way of appreciation of Tull's music?  Is it the flute, the voice, the man, the codpiece, all of it?  Something else?  Share your proofs, with links if you got 'em.  Thoughts?