Ian Anderson

Ian Anderson explains why he does what he does – and the onstage mistake that sometimes stops him

By Paul Sexton published 15 April 26

The Jethro Tull mastermind reveals who he’s really performing for – and why he never plays as much flute as he planned to on his albums

Ian Anderson wonders if he should have sent a flute into space, and regrets William Shatner went there too

By Johnny Sharp published 6 April 26

Jethro Tull leader on the true value of space travel, which he doubts is Elon Musk’s reason for funding it – and why he wishes the Star Trek star had never gone up either

“He persuaded me to stay. I never felt good about it”: When Martin Barre tried to quit Jethro Tull

By David West published 4 March 26

Their musical partnership finally ended after 43 years – but the guitarist says he wanted to break it up decades earlier

“He denied ever hearing the album. I find that hard to believe”: Did Jethro Tull inspire a character in Spinal Tap?

By Malcolm Dome published 3 March 26

British prog icon wonders if his American fans really got the humour in 1972 album Thick As A Brick – because they all laughed at the wrong moments

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson on why the early Beatles were so dangerous

By Ian Anderson published 12 February 26

As a young teen, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson fell in love with the mop-top Beatles. But then he dug deeper and discovered something darker, druggier and way more dangerous

“It’s no good saying, ‘I’ll be dead by the time this becomes a crisis’”: Jethro Tull – a warning from history

By Malcolm Dome published 11 February 26

Ian Anderson believes he has a duty to tackle global issues, and argues it’s a very folky thing to do

“I wrote it on a piece of paper and thought, ‘That’s an album!’” How Ian Anderson creates Jethro Tull lyrics

By Johnny Sharp published 1 February 26

He recalled the spark that ignited Thick As A Brick when he decided to publish a lyric book – which he admitted nobody needed, and feared would be a cringe experience

Ian Anderson on Jethro Tull, the right kind of guitarist, and forgetting what he's done

By James McNair published 28 January 26

Ian Anderson talks about Jethro Tull’s latest album Curious Ruminant and ponders the itch to make another

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson was once seconds away from becoming a cop instead of a prog star

By Mark Blake published 11 January 26

He expected to live at least three other lives. But subculture signposts led him to a career as a band leader who never made enemies – and a brief period as Tony Iommi’s boss