Jon Anderson of Yes Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts April 1
Photo by Deborah Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson, once at the helm of Yes, seems to like Billie Eilish more than the new Yes album without him featured.
"Not my cup of tea," he expressed, regarding The Quest. Shortly after, he told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Eilish's "Saturday Night Live" performance was "magnificent."
The 77-yr-onetime Stone and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was diagnosed with astute respiratory failure in 2008, right before Yes' 40th anniversary tour, and had to be replaced—at the time, temporarily—past Benoît David. As it turned out, original members Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Alan White liked working with David then much, they basically kept him onboard and never asked Jon to rejoin.
Almost xv years later on, at that place are new members all around. Due to health bug of his own, Benoît was replaced by a different Jon—surnamed Davison, and Squire succumbed to cancer in 2015. But Anderson and his celestial, unmistakable vocalisation carries on all the same, and those faithful to the OG Yep tin can't go enough of him.
In 2019, he released 1000 Hands: Chapter One, a record he abandoned back in the '90s. Along with producer Michael Franklin, Anderson cleaned it up, got a stacked lineup of musicians to play on it, and again, managed to not brand a record that sounded pathetically nostalgic to the Yes days (distressing, only Yep's Quest does). Sure, 1000 Hands sounds more than modern than what Jon is used to, but when you're interested in younger artists like Billie Eilish and Alfie Templeman, you have a whole new set of influence, and much more need to, equally Mike Love in one case put it, "fuck with the formula."
Iii years after 1000 Hands, Anderson is going on bout with his friend, Paul Green's Stone University, and stops at Clearwater's Bilheimer Capitol Theatre next Sunday, April 10. The testify was originally fix for July of 2020, and was announced during the month-or-so Florida spent in lockdown. CL got the opportunity to conversation with Anderson about his favorite young artists, the next chapters of 1000 Hands, and his thoughts on spirituality.
Go our interview with Jon Anderson of Yes below.
Thank you for taking the fourth dimension to practice this with me, Jon. It'due south really a thrill and an honor to be talking to you.
Thank you so much!
How's your wife doing? I heard she was sick recently.
Yeah, she'due south doing really, actually good. Thanks for asking. Appreciate information technology.
Sure thing, glad to hear it. So, on this tour, y'all're going to be with the Paul Green Rock Academy. What drove you to specifically pick that academy?
Well, I really met Paul Green 20 years ago. Yes was doing a show in Philadelphia, and after the show, I came backstage phase, and at that place were these immature kids with t-shirts saying "School of Rock." I said, "Who are these kids?" And in that location was Paul Green, and he said, "Well, they're my kids," and at that place were about 20 of them. And he said, "We make music and we're educational activity each other how to make music. Would you like to come and work with them?" And I said, "Eh, I don't remember so."
So, almost a calendar month subsequently, he sent me a recording of them performing "Center Of The Sunrise," which is an incredibly difficult piece of music that Yes created in 1971, and it was astonishing. So, I got back to Paul and said, "Hey, these kids are good! I didn't realize they were so good." And then, me and my wife went to Philadelphia and worked with the kids, went on tour, did some shows in Albany, Pittsburgh, and New York, and it was a corking, fun experience for me and my wife. And then, Paul Green sold the visitor, School of Stone, then the film came out with Jack Blackness, and the School of Rocks are everywhere now, every bit a sort of association.
So terminal twelvemonth, Paul gave me a phone call and said, "I've but created the Academy of Rock, and I've got a bunch of kids. Would yous like to do some shows?" So last August, I said "OK," and nosotros went out, me and Jane went out with his kids and we just had the best, best time. Just instead of but doing Yep music, I decided like, why don't we practice mash-ups? Then we could exercise, David Bowie's "Let's Dance," which goes into "Long Distance Runaround," which is a Yep vocal. And and then, we did a famous Zeppelin song, *hums opening riff to "Kashmir"* whatever that's called. I can't recollect what information technology's chosen.
"Kashmir."
"Kashmir," which goes into "Starship Trooper." And so, we did an Eminem song which went to another Aye song. So, information technology was a lot of fun, y'all know, just to practice a dandy, great show. So Paul said, "Would you be interested this year," and I said, "Hell, let'southward get on the route." Nosotros're going to do five shows in April, and and so some summertime shows in Canada, and then up in the New York area and in Chicago. Then I said to Paul, "Why don't we do 'Close To The Edge?'" Because they're capable! Information technology'due south not like we're going to do some short songs in rock n' curlicue. No, we're gonna do "Close To The Edge." And he said, "Let's practice it." Then, they only finished rehearsing information technology ii days ago, and they really got information technology together, and then it'south very exciting for me to keep bout with the kids in April, and we're going to be performing "And You and I," "Close To The Border," obviously "Roundabout," "Long Distance Runaround," plus these other songs that people know.
You were talking about how the kids will be doing "Close To The Edge" and "And You and I." Are you gonna throw in Close To The Border'south tertiary and concluding runway in there, "Siberian Khatru?"
Not this time!
Aw.
We're gonna exist doing… what are we doing? Well, I know what nosotros're doing, I've got a list. Nosotros similar doing "Yours Is No Disgrace" and uh, what are the other songs? I've got a listing somewhere, I've gotta practice! *laughs* Oh man, whoo! We practise "Long Distance Runaround," "And You and I," we do a couple of songs from the album I recorded in Orlando, which was 1000 Hands, and then we practise "Where Does Music Come From" and another couple of songs from the anthology. So it's a adept two hours of solid music, believe me.
Permit me tell you, the yard Hands bout was inarguably one of the best shows I ever saw, and I wanted to ask you nigh that album. The lineup was insanely stacked. Yous had guys from Yes on there, Robby Steinhardt, and the late Chick Corea. Was there anybody that you wanted to go for the album that you just couldn't?
Well, Michael Franklin, who produced information technology in Orlando, he already knew all these people. I did say to him, "Do you know Baton Cobham?" He said, "Yeah, I've got his phone number." And we got Baton Cobham to play on it, one of my favorite drummers of all time, and information technology was just a magnificent event for me, both musically and spiritually in a way, because it meeting all the people that yous really grew up with, actually bang-up musicians hither, there, and everywhere on that album. And it's just a special album for me. I'm so happy you liked the evidence, very much.
Yeah, that reggae version you did of "Long Distance Runaround" was insane. Well-nigh better than the one on Fragile.
Sure.
With part one of 1000 Hands out, are you still thinking almost doing parts two and three to create the trilogy?
We've actually gone through well-nigh of the songs for two. We're merely negotiating some ideas to tape with a full orchestra, so that's going on at the moment, only virtually of the songs are really locked in. And every bit for another one after that, I'll let you know!
Awesome. In the meantime, I'd similar to go dorsum a little bit. You did a song with Tangerine Dream back in the '80s for the movie "Legend," but a lot of people didn't know until recently that beside Tangerine Dream'southward soundtrack, at that place was also an orchestral score made available. Did you have any involvement with that?
No, no. I was just lucky plenty to meet with the director of that movie [Ridley Scott]. I met him in a pub in London. We had a beer, and he said "I really similar your voice. Would yous mind singing in the film?" I said, "Who's doing the music?" He said, "Tangerine Dream." I said, "I know them, they're German. Yep, the German guys." So, they sent me the music, I sang it, and that was it. Then, I never heard back when they were gonna practice an orchestral version at all. I haven't heard it either.
I asked Rick Wakeman this same question a couple months back. Take you heard the electric current lineup of Yeah' new album The Quest all the same?
I heard a couple of tracks…and and so I just said, "OK, well, that's that."
Ha!
Not my cup of tea. That's what yous say in England when you're not sure almost something. "Not my cuppa tea, mate."
That's funny. So let's run across, the historic period old question, and I'm kind of paraphrasing i of your more recent songs hither ["WDMCF"], but where do your lyrics come from?
It's a very spontaneous event, really. When I was working early with Aye, I'd come to the ring with ideas for the songs, and roughly ideas of lyrics, but past the time I was singing information technology, I was sort of making up the lyric every bit I went along. And and so, I started reading a lot. I started reading "The Lord of the Rings," and this is 1970. I was reading "The Lord of the Rings" and other sort of science fiction books and things, and things leaning towards spiritualism. If you like that, in that location's one called "The Finding of the Tertiary Eye" by Vera Stanley Alder, which is a beautiful book.
And you know, nosotros are connected spiritually to everything, as we should know, so you beginning putting it in your lyrics. That's the thought of what I do: In a subtle way, I speak nigh my spiritual awakening, if you lot similar. I of the songs that I did just a couple of years ago says that "we are everyone." We all collectively everyone on this planet. That'southward why nosotros're all going through such heartache with the Ukrainian state of affairs. You await at them considering they're united states, and vice versa.
It's just horrible what'southward going on over there.
Yeah, and it's not gonna go any better at the moment. I simply put upwards a video, a friend of mine reminded me I'd written a vocal 10 years ago with him, "Pity." And he said "please Jon, tin you make a video and put it on Facebook?" And I said… "OK? Certain. I tin can do that." So information technology came up on Facebook today. And there'due south always somebody who'south gonna say, "Why did you put all this online? Y'all know, why don't yous just get on with your rock and gyre?" In that location's always a critic 'round the corner!
No dubiousness. I know we're running a little short on time, so I've got 2 more questions for you. You lot always hype up the idea of young people getting into music. Are there any currently immature artists that you relish listening to?
Well, three years ago, I plant…I'm very bad at remembering people'due south names, but I'll remember information technology in a infinitesimal. Only he's a young English language guy. Gosh, I should remember his name. But there'due south always young, astonishing people! I'm a big, large fan, me and my wife Jane dear "American Yodel." I call it "American Yodel" actually, rather than "American Idol."
Oh! [That'southward what you meant]
Yeah, some of these people that come on just make me cry because they're so adept! I really dearest…oh, gosh, the i with the light-green hair. What's her name?
Billie Eilish?
Yep, she was on "Saturday Night Live!" about two weeks ago. Unbelievable! And I've never really listened much to her songs. I hear them on the radio a little bit, just to come across her perform on SNL? Y'all should see it, it really was magnificent. She starts off with a very dull energy, and a brother's doing a nice guitar. Then of a sudden, they're like Nirvana. Incredible!
I'm trying to think of the guy's name. It's terrible that I forgot information technology. Oh, my God!
By chance, is it Alfie Templeman?
No, but he's proficient! Look a minute…damn! Why tin can I not remember his name? He's 27, he got Grammys galore last year and the yr before.
Not Harry Styles?
No. I take your number, I'm gonna phone call yous back equally soon as I call up it. (X minutes subsequently, Jon actually called me back to inform me that the guy he was thinking of was Jacob Collier, and something along the lines of how his proper name came up during an orchestral session Jon did recently.)
Okay, awesome.
Yeah, considering I watched him perform, and he writes for orchestra. And he does everything in his little room in his business firm, like I exercise. I accept a little cottage full of instruments. I just live here, and he does the aforementioned. He does incredible vocalization and it's quite unbelievable what he does. And he'south a cute guy, you know? Him and his iii or four people he always worked with. I'll call back his proper name, so I'll phone call you back.
Correct on. On that note, my last question for you also relates to young artists. What communication would y'all have to offer to them nearly getting into the music business organisation?
Well, it'south not so much getting into the business, merely the thing that I say to them is practice, exercise then, exercise.
That's all it takes, huh?
That'southward all it takes! I was in a band when I was 12 chosen The Piddling Jon Skiffle Ring. And then, past the time I was 17, I was in a band chosen The Warriors with my blood brother. And you never call up that you're going to be famous. The last thing you think is all you need is money from the fans! *laughs*
Source: https://www.cltampa.com/music/qanda-before-clearwater-concert-former-yes-frontman-jon-anderson-says-his-old-bands-new-album-is-not-my-cup-of-tea-13167388