Quotes by Ian Anderson

About Ian Anderson:

Ian Scott Anderson is a British musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist and acoustic guitarist of British rock band Jethro Tull. Anderson plays several other musical instruments, including keyboards, bass guitar, bouzouki, balalaika, saxophone, harmonica, and a variety of whistles. His solo work began with the 1983 album Walk into Light, and since then he has released another five works, including the sequel of Jethro Tull album Thick as a Brick (1972) in 2012, entitled Thick as a Brick 2.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

When I was a young boy, I preferred cats to dogs. From the age of seven or eight onwards I just felt more comfortable with cats. And I felt more comfortable with girls, I didn't really like hanging out with guys. When I was about ten or eleven, I was...

Ian Anderson

I was quite keen on silviculture, the growing of trees, and that was something I gave a lot of thought to. Maybe I could've gone in that direction. But it just so happened that while I was trying to make up my mind, I enrolled in art school, and ther...

Ian Anderson

There seems to be an inclination among rock musicians to be very carefree with money, but I negotiate the best flight and hotel deals on our tours to maximise the band's income - I don't want too see too much taken off the top line.

Ian Anderson

I've always felt that some of my best lyrics are less than three minutes long, and it's great when you can do that - be succinct and get the message across in a simple, clear idea.

Ian Anderson

I don't really set out to please anybody, and I don't think I ever have. I have occasionally been encouraged to try to write something specifically for the purpose of releasing it as a single to get radio play. Those are not my best songs, as a rule.

Ian Anderson

I make up my own mind in light of available facts, with my own experience and a sense of personal ethics.

Ian Anderson

I'm all in favor of banks that play their part in community endeavors, private individuals looking for loans, people who want to start up a little business, and that's what banks are for.

Ian Anderson

The flute was an alternative to being a small fish in an increasingly bigger pool filled with a number of great guitar players.

Ian Anderson

I was not a great guitarist, so I sold my 1960 Fender Stratocaster in exchange for a Shure Microphone, made in Chicago, and a flute.

Ian Anderson

I think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first of all, has got to be put into the context of being an American cultural showcase. It's there to be a museum showcase of all that's great about American music.

Ian Anderson

Not to be mean about it, but some great rock and rollers, like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, are pretty one-dimensional.

Ian Anderson

I don't think successful musicians were really put on this planet in order to have a great time, pat themselves on the back and say, 'Oh, what a clever boy I am!' I think that, like most artists, we were put on the planet to suffer just a little. And...

Ian Anderson

It's nice to be recognized, but it's not great to have it too conspicuously recognized, if you see what I mean. Gold records on the wall, or titles after your name, it's just not something... I don't feel that great about it.

Ian Anderson

In writing lyrics - well, for me, anyway - it's about getting into character, you know? 'Who is writing this?' In the case of the original 'Thick As A Brick,' supposedly a precocious, very young child who's fantasizing about his future and the contex...

Ian Anderson

Seek that which within lies waiting to begin the fight of your life that is everyday.

Ian Anderson

Classical music only really came into my life in 1969. I wish I had heard classical music and church music when I was a teenager or even as a child.

Ian Anderson

We do hear perhaps too many accolades generally aimed at people like Steve Jobs. We have to remember that there are other classic things in life that we undervalue and take them for granted. If you think of the classic lines of the modern jet aircraf...

Ian Anderson

As a musician, life is not over just because you are getting older, and so I find retirement a very frightening and dark thought.

Ian Anderson

I kind of like the idea of living a rather ordinary life as a shopkeeper, and I examine that possibility as one of the outcomes of the young Gerald Bostock growing older.

Ian Anderson

I can never make up my mind if I'm happy being a flute player, or if I wish I were Eric Clapton.

Ian Anderson

Author Bio

  • NameIan Anderson
  • DescriptionScottish musician
  • BornAugust 10, 1947
  • CountryUnited Kingdom
  • ProfessionComposer; Singer; Guitarist; Flautist
  • AwardsMember Of The Order Of The British Empire