As Martin Barre puts it, “We were just speechless” when Ian Anderson parted ways with Jethro Tull.
Retired guitarist Martin Barre has talked about the day Ian Anderson informed him that Jethro Tull was calling it quits in 2011. Although Barre has been reticent to discuss the actual event up until now, he recounts the meeting between Anderson, himself, and drummer Doane Perry in a recent interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of the Misplaced Straws website.
“Ian made the decision,” he claims. Because that year—I can’t remember the exact gig—Doan Perry, myself, and Ian sat down in a room to chat. Ian asked us questions, and that’s when he delivered the bombshell. He had no desire to portray Jethro Tull. He had no desire to perform at Jethro Tull performances. Ian has always been a very cautious, well-planned individual who knows precisely what he wants and what he’s going to do, so Doan and I were really just stunned.
“At the back of my thoughts. I reasoned that he had given this much thought and wasn’t just acting impulsively. For Doane and me, it ended quite abruptly. It kind of freaked me out because I felt like Tull was becoming a very uninspired band and that every tour, the shows were getting pretty much the same and no one seemed to want anything different. I constantly try to get ideas in production and alignment, as well as adjustments inside the group, but there was little desire to do so.
It happened on schedule, but neither Doane nor I was to blame. Thus, in essence, everything boils down to people management, with some individuals having aptitude for particular tasks while others don’t. It was distressing. It’s likely the worst choice Ian has ever made in his life, I often tell people. And I’ll never find out if he believes that or not. But I’ll consider all the other bands that are traveling with their original lineups, or quite close to it, and how much the public enjoys seeing and hearing them. And they will never, ever regard Jethro Tull in the same way when they see or hear him.”
Barre shoots down the notion of a potential reunion with Anderson as well, even if the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Barre turned down an interview for the recently published paperback edition of The Ballad of Jethro Tull book.
“The difficulty is there isn’t a Jethro Tull and I don’t know how the mechanics of it would work,” he continues. “I have no desire to be a prophet. I’m not sure. It would be quite challenging for me. For me, the most important thing is probably how much my band and Jethro Tull’s music have given me. But regardless of what transpired or did not transpire, I felt that they would had to be involved because I believe it would be incredibly foolish of me to ignore them in any manner given that they have played a significant, if not the primary, role in my musical career.”
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