[hansolo]

I'm an aging Baby Boomer and love the rock music of the 60's, including Jethro Tull, led by vocalist/flute player, Ian Anderson(British). Sad to say, I just heard on the TV news that Ian spouted-off to an American reporter that he...."... doesn't like seeing American Flags on cars and houses....", and this is from a performer who used to wear tights on stage. Must be a Dixie Chicks fan....:barf:

[Bill Hook]

Maybe he'd rather see the Union Jack, then?

Other than "Locomotive Breath," Jethro Tull never did much for me.

[Mike Irwin]

Sigh.... :(

I'm not an aging baby boomer, and I ADORE Jethro Tull.

The best frigging concert I ever saw was Tull at the New Haven Civic Arena in 1984 or 85.

Got a bunch of his albums, too...

[Brian Dale]

I like his music; I don't care about his political views.

I don't care about the opinions of British subjects on how Americans should display our flag. I don't ask my doctor for advice on automotive repair, my dog's veterinarian about chile recipes, or read the Wall Street Journal for tips on highpower or shotgun shooting.

[Sean Smith]

Other than "Locomotive Breath," Jethro Tull never did much for me.

Funny, from a musical point of view I agree.

As for the flag thing... well, he isn't an American. Non-Americans saying UN-American things is hardly worth getting riled over. Maybe he thinks we should still be a colony like Canada? ;) :D

[cordex]

Not sure how he intended it (probably not in a good way ...) but I sort of agree with the basic statement.

Ever go by a house and see those little American flags stuck around a flowerbed? Ever see half of them lying in the mud?
How does it make you feel to see peeling American flag bumper stickers covered in grime, or faded, stained and tattered paper flags taped in the back windows of every other vehicle?

*shrug*
A lot of this pseudopatriotism ("I've got a picture of a flag, so I'm a patriot") has - in my opinion - lead more to a sullying and cheapening of the flag's symbolism than any glorification thereof.

That's how I see it, anyhow. And, again, probably not what he meant.


"Sitting on a park bench,
 Eying little girls with bad intent."

[spacemanspiff]

i really like the guys who mount not just one, but TWO flags in the bed of their truck, one on left, one on right, and the flags are all tattered and torn because the driver speeds around at 90mph everywhere he goes. these arent the small flags either.

[Balog]

Show your respect for the flag by treating it like crap. Yeah, that bugs me too.

[bogie]

What gets me are the folks who thought, pre-9/11, that anyone who flew a flag was some sorta nutcase...

[Sisco]

I like his music; I don't care about his political views.
That covers just about all entertainers.

[Sergeant Bob]

You've got to draw the line somewhere, but I'm afraid this ain't the place. I refuse to throw out my Tull collection. I even like the seldom played, not very commercially successful "Passion Play".
I'm only breathing
there's life on my ceiling
the flies they are sleeping quietly.
Pity is, alot of really artistic people also have a tendency to be very liberal (except for some of the better writers).
If I ditched every artist, movie star, etc, who wasn't quite pro American, pro gun enough for me I could never again watch most of my favorite movies or play most of my favorite albums.

That said, I am going to harshly admonish Ian and go put on "Too Old to Rock and Roll: Too Young to Die"

[BigG]

It's time people generally realized the entertainers, sports figures, etc. in our modern world are directly descended from the buffoons and jesters of the royal court. We should pay as much attention to their considered opinions as the kings of old did. ;)

[BAB]

I'm a big Tull fan, too. Not an aging boomer, either (20's). When I first read the post I did feel a tinge of disappointment. I'd like to hear the whole exchange, because, like Cordex stated, it's not very clear from that snippet what he intended to say. I also agree that he probably did not mean it in a good way, and I get that feeling based on some of his musings from the Tull website, where a bit of political correctness comes through here and there. That said, I'm kind of in the same boat as Happy Bob. He can say and think what he wants. Thus far I have no evidence that he is personally coming over to physically remove the flag from my house, sending someone else to do it, or supporting any group/government body wishing to do it. It'll take more than this to get me to cease purchasing Tull albums.

[2dogs]

As someone who grew up listening to Jethro Tull (one of my 1st concerts too) I have to say that old rock stars are like old porn stars (uh, no I don't watch porn) - repulsive.

Jethro Tull = has been.

Do I like Aqualung? Sure. And what is it - 35 years old? I'd still like the music if Ian Anderson had died 35 years ago- just like I still enjoy hearing Hendrix and Doors (Jimi and Morrison had the good taste to realize that they had peaked although I guess dying was a bit extreme) music. Watching Mick Jagger still trying to be a rock star is revolting.

FLASH: Rock ain't for (us) old folks.:evil: :neener:

As for Ian Anderson's world view- so what? To a 15 year old what musicians or actors have to say might carry some weight- but anybody older than that ought to know better.

[mtnbkr]

Wasn't Jethro Tull that dufus on The Beverly Hillbillies?


:neener:

I'll go hide now. :D

Chris

[gunsmith]

Ted Nugent still rocks!
To be completely honest I can't listen to music radio anymore.
I find it to be too repetitive. I listen to talk radio and classical now.
However I love Rock,Punk Rock,Hard Rock,Acid Rock.
I hate,loathe,despise "soft rock" here in San Francisco there is this really lame station (hold on Moderators I will be gun related!) k.o.i.t
that the biggest gun store plays,I tried shopping for guns and ammo
their but how can you shop for arms while listening to BS? (babs streisand)
95% of the "artist" on this station use their money and influence against RKBA.
Please if some one out there in cyber space knows anyone
at Traders in San Leandro tell them that koit "lite rock less talk"
radio has sent my money to Jackson Arms and gun shows

[Skunkabilly]

Well I think it's silly to see all the punk rockers hear sew Union Jacks on their school bags and clothing, but that was my opinion.

WHat was he on the news for? "And at 6-o'clock, a classic rock musician's view on post 9/11 patriotism...." :rolleyes:

[Bill Hook]

What song was it, since we're on Tull, that has the line (from memory) "Jesus better save himself from all these glory, glory seekers who use his name in death"?

[Mr. Bombastic]

Many of us Brits tend to have a pretty strange relationship with our flag. Those who fly the Union Jack or the George Cross (if you're English) tend to be few and far between. Those that fly the George Cross are often seen as racists or Nazis, because being proud to be English is often synonymous with racism here.

To me, it doesn't really make sense, but that's the way it is.

That might help shed some light on why Ian Anderson is so 'strange' about the Stars and Stripes, because flag flying is so normal in America!

[Sergeant Bob]

If Jesus saves -- well, He'd better save Himself
from the gory glory seekers who use His name in death.

Hymn 43 - Aqualung

[Carlos]

I even like the seldom played, not very commercially successful "Passion Play".

1st concert I ever saw (Nassau Coliseum). Awesome. Like all their other music, but must admit Ian has always been a sort of an A$$.

Oh well, still like the music - the chaps are all classically trained musicians.

[Brian Dale]

Hey, mtnbkr: I know you meant the Beverly Hillbillies reference as a joke, but how many people know who the real, historical Jethro Tull was, after whom Ian Anderson named his band? Jethro Tull invented the seed drill (in 1701), the horse-drawn hoe, and an improved plough. Tull was educated at Oxford, England where studied law, he later studied agriculture during his travels across Europe. Jethro Tull inherited land in the southern part of England where he put into practice his study of agriculture. -from http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bljethrotull.htm

Not to insult anybody's education, but for city folks (for example), a seed drill, now usually called a grain drill, is what you use to plant grain. Before Jethro Tull's invention, seed was sown by being broadcast by hand. The seed drill planted grain uniformly and covered it up, so germination was better.

It's like naming a band "John Deere," (the cast steel plow), "Eli Whitney" (the cotton gin) or "Cyrus McCormick" (the mechanical reaper that replaced the scythe and grain cradle; the ancestor of the combine). Better yet, how about a band called "Sam Colt?" Even though "Eliphalet Remington" would be a terrific band name, I'm not sure of how far he led the way in mass production in the early years.

The center of the nascent Industrial Revolution in the United States was, as we all know, the Armory at Springfield, Massachusetts. Sam Colt and Elisha Root really perfected methods for mass production a little later in Hartford, Connecticut. It's all very cool stuff.

Anyway, my favorite Jethro Tull album is Songs From The Wood.

[BAB]

I sense a possible thread-closing here, so allow me to present the following. On the official Tull website, there is a section where Anderson reviews books written about Tull by others. One such review contains the following:


Raymond has had a little help from me by way of interview and encouragement, mostly on account of his continued sending of the latest Bond publication, completely free of charge. As the once-proud owner of a Walther P88 pistol – specially set aside for me by the makers – with the serial number 007, I have still a soft spot for the Bond saga. Sadly, said gun has been forcibly neutered under the draconian revisions to UK firearms laws and is relegated to the far reaches of my gun safe. It actually had a grungy single action trigger pull and the double action was even more of a pig. God give me back my Browning Hi-Power with the Barstow match barrel and the MMC target sights. Trigger pull a safe pound and three quarters and reliable with all known 9mm ammunition. Sadly neutered also.



Also found the following, supposed to be from an interview with Anderson, but I cannot vouch for it:


Like any good empire builder, Anderson hasn't
simply succeeded in one business and left it at
that. He also owns a number of other
"interests," as he puts it in his Scottish
brogue. "I have for a number of years, in the
nicest possible way, been a registered firearms
dealer," he says. "But I don't supply machine
guns to small Arab countries. I specialize in
the refurbishment, restocking, en-graving, and
rebarreling of the best English shotguns,
usually made between the wars in London."

And what is the common thread? "Shotguns and
Swiss watches and flutes-- they're the same kind
of deal, really: beautiful examples of very fine
engineering that have great trial-and-error
ergonomic precision. Not that they're works of
art--they're works of great craft. And happily,
in most cases, they're still being made today.
I'm a real appreciator of fine, disciplined
human endeavor."


Anybody have any more?

By the way, let me ask you Tull fans...have you bought the new Christmas Album yet?

[Brian Dale]

have you bought the new Christmas Album yet? BAB, I haven't bought a Jethro Tull album in years, but after the quotes you've just given us, I'll be sure to go out and grab it! I wrote earlier that I didn't really care about the political views of musicians, but now I find that, when a favorite musician turns out to be a gun collector and shooter, I'm inspired to support him.

[JohnBT]

"The flute is a heavy, metal instrument."

From an ad placed by Ian Anderson in an L.A. (IIRC) paper after Tull was criticized for beating out Metallica for the 1st Grammy for Heavy Metal.

I haven't seen them since their Richmond show at the Mosque in 1973-ish.

JT

[BAB]

Happy Bob,

You said your favorite album is Songs From The Wood , so I think you'll enjoy the Christmas Album. Has much the same feel and sound, and even remakes of two SFTW pieces: Fire At Midnight and Ring Out Solstice Bells .

[feedthehogs]

Most all good artists of all jondras have scrambled eggs for brains. Thats what makes them good. They are not burdoned with the every day mondain tasks and thoughts that most responsible people have.

Artists tend to be liberal, so thoughts like this don't surprise me. Don't give much creedence to their opinions.

To be hurt or offended by someones comment, you have to care or respect them as a person, not an artist.
Listening to someone at a concert or on a disc only exposes you to their artistic side.

[Neal Bloom]

Saw Jethro Tull twice, the Aqualung and Thick has a Brick tours. Hearing them play 'Locomotive Breath' was awesome. Dissapointing to hear he has those views about our flag.

[son of a gun]

That's the typical hippie philosophy I would expect fom a 60's flower child. I never understood why he wore that codpiece ?:confused:

[jmcc11]

Here's an article.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35564

[Coronach]

Ok.

1. Gun related? Its about to be. ;)

2. Civil Liberties related? Yes. We speak of someone who may, or may not, be seeking to pressure people into not flying their flag.

(just to get my thread-closing tendencies on record)

Ok, I love Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson is a genius, even if creatively their best stuff is at least 15 years in the past. They still are a blast to see live, and even their latest albums have their moments.

Now, ere anyone thinks Ian is a total blissninny, he is the guy who wrote this:Blew my smoke on a sunny day
When the first black powder came my way.
Hot lead ball from a muzzle cold ---
To win fair lady and take your gold.
I know it hardly seems the time ---
(I am your gun)
To talk of blue steel so sublime.
I can understand your point of view.
To tell the truth I’d scare me too.

Match, wheel and flintlock, they all caught your eye.
Pearl-handled ladies’ models, scaled down to size.
I am the peacemaker, so the theory goes.
But I don’t choose the company I keep ---
And it shows.

I am your gun.
Love me, I’m your gun.

Maxim and browning, they helped me along.
Stoner, kalashnikov --- thrilled to my song.
Now one of me exists, for each one of you,
So how can you blame me for the things that I do?

Now I take second place to the motor car
In the score of killing kept thus far.
And just remember, if you don’t mind ---
It’s not the gun that kills
But the man behind.

I am your gun.

Not sure how tongue in cheek it is, if at all...Ian has been known to do a bit of hunting, if I recall...

Mike