------------------------------------------------------- MARCH 22, 1975 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: New Music Express, p. 31 http://www.yessng.net/Relayer.html The Hippy with the Iron Hand By Chris Salewicz Yes, you need determination if you're gonna keep a gentle pastoral band up there in the popularity polls. And Jon Anderson's luxury pad with heated pool and 60 foot lounge prove he's got what it takes. Chris Salewicz reports this tale of guts and philosophy. Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic Records chief, is questioning Jon Anderson about rugby union rules -- so that he'll understand the Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland later in the afternoon. Anderson replaces the receiver: "Oh yeah ... it wasn't that I was a deep reader of scriptures or anything like that. I think we tried to conjure up some approach to it rather than any knowledge of it. "But it was a very enjoyable six-month period creating that music. And it was trying to be a little explanatory as to who we are and what we're doing. You know, you finally try to piece together your position." However, your ego was presumably bruised somewhat by the critical flak that the album eventually received? "Yeah, yeah ... because we were so involved in it and so high on it and so energised by doing it. Because of the 'ard work and everything I don't think you expect to be pushed around too much. "When it first came out I'd stick up for it no end -- totally. Then about six months later -- when Rick started to leave -- I was a bit wary. At that time it was very difficult for me to say that I was totally in love with it. I slightly blame myself for pushing too much -- or whatever you do -- to get things together and just pushing a little bit too much. "I just dug Rick so much I didn't expect him to leave. And I said 'If he leaves I'll be very unhappy and I don't think Yes will carry on'. I forgot to realise there's Chris and Alan and Steve totally there ... "I pushed Rick a lot ... I pushed 'im around a lot. "E was a lot younger than me ... I'm six years older than him .... And I think 'e's got amazing talent. I think we helped to channel it in the right direction for him. With the help of the rest of the guys in the band it created out of a young excitable musician a very prominent musician of this time." Earlier we'd made preliminary chat about Anderson's recent sojourn in Jamaica -- his face and hands are still bright pink --- where an emergency appendicitis operation had proved necessary. "I'm glad it happened," he told me. "If we'd been on tour it would have screwed up a lot of people -- the whole road crew, a lot of the people who come to see us, and the band itself." Anderson's approach towards Yes would seem to be totally one-directional, an attitude which is almost certainly underlined by his reputedly coming from not the most affluent of backgrounds. Perhaps it's just a simple free-association on my part, but while describing his home-town his words seem precisely and carefully enunciated in a voice not unlike a higher pitched Brian Clough: "I think the fighting inside is possibly because I'm from a mill-town in Lancashire -- whether poor or not doesn't make any difference really. "I think the energy comes from its being a working-class area ... Accrington, Lancashire," he laughs. "You work for a living. You don't become an artist. You don't paint. You hardly go to university. I mean, three people out of 50,000 will go to university. There's that obvious fight to get away from that kind of situation. I don't want to end up all my life driving long-distance lorries or delivering milk. "Actually, I hadn't any desire to play guitar or piano or drums or, in fact, to sing ... I didn't have a great desire to sing. I just sang because I was lucky to get in there and have a good time. And I discovered I could live that way. "And when Yes started I had to channel all my directions in a positive way by meeting the right people at the right time. Inside of me I always feel there's gonna be the energy to push because I'd like to be around for a long time making music." And at the same time I get the impression that your role in Yes is almost totally autocratic. After all, your name is on all the composition credits and apart from yourself it's only Chris Squire who's left from the original line-up. "Mmmmm ... I try not to be too ... It's like, 'Who comes up with the idea first?' and, as it happens I generally do. So if I'm one step ahead of the rest of the band with ideas ... as long as the idea is cool and everybody gets off on it that's all I'm interested in." Yet it did seem very much as if you were on a personal quest for the perfect band when first Peter Banks and then Tony Kaye left. "Yeah. Well, there's an analogy for Utopia which is Nothing. If you ever got there there'd be nothing there. "But the idea was ... I didn't instigate Tony leaving, but if people want to point a finger at anybody let 'em point it at me because I'll stand up there and let them point and let them say what they want to say. "I've often wondered why it's difficult for someone to not get involved with what seems to be an 'appy situation for four other people. There's always one guy who's not quite up to it. I've always felt a little strange about them kind of people -- if they can be against four other people they can be against 20, 50 or a 100 people. And that's dangerous. "So when one guy gets out of hand it's got to be stopped. And if it 'appens that nobody else notices it except me and I find out then I'll go and talk to the guy -- because that's my make-up. I'll just say, 'Get your finger out or get out'. No point in hanging up other people ... "It wasn't me who initiated people leaving in the early days, but it was me who went and told them. That's the way I am. "I can't just leave it blindly. I've got to know what's going on. You know, what the show's going to be like, what kind of lighting we need. I'll try to get the money together and all this kind of thing." Now talking of money, there very definitely would seem to be such a thing as the Yes life-style ... "Sort of, yes. I think it's been over-emphasised." Yeah, but I'm not just thinking of the health food schmear. (For the record the tea is Typhoo, the bread is white, and the sandwiches contain bacon). It just strikes me that there's something of an essential contradiction within the band. There is very much the vibe of professing a hippie life-style while, in fact, Yes would appear to have become the ultimate hippie capitalist band. (Which is no criticism of the secluded richese which they obviously enjoy -- although I was once told that Chris Squire had wanted to leave the band but the size of his mortgage repayments had prevented him). Anderson denies the story, though he admits there had been a time when Squire had thought of splitting. But my criticism is aimed at the more blatant aspects of the Yes financial machine -- manager Brian Lane's suggestions that they should buy used Rolls-Royces as investments, that they should pick up antiques instead of modern furniture. Wakeman's car-hire firm and Howe's guitar shop probably epitomise what I'm getting at. It's not that I want you to run around behaving like Hawkwind, I explain, but perhaps you've just made a mistake -- in my eyes anyway -- to let the band wave its wealth so blatantly. Anderson is nonplussed: "I can understand what you're saying in some ways because ... I equate it with going to see Bejart. They're based in Brussels -- a troupe of people. There's about 50of them -- 30 dancers and 20 road crew. They all get together at the Sadlers Wells and they come every year with a project. "And what I'm trying to say is that it's a legitimate business venture. But it doesn't half give a lot of people a lot of pleasure. It costs a helluva lot of money -- I think they get subsidised or whatever. "Rock groups don't get subsidised. They don't get anything. They've got to work for every penny that comes in. "We were going to go to Japan and Australia and it was going to cost us 70,000 to go -- equipment-wise, you know. We weren't going to make that money in ten gigs over there. It's impossible. So we got very straight and we said, 'Well, you know. We've got to cool it and try and calm down on the finances a bit'. And, as you say, you get involved ... but I don't think we contradict. "If the end product justifies the means that's all important." Close Window YesinthePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com