Altsounds - The Lowdown: Jon Anderson from YES

Note to readers: Jon Anderson has a great accent. I tried to copy this down as he said it and edit as little as possible so you can read it in his voice. Enjoy!

Altsounds: It's always so hard for new bands. They're broke and they have to work their asses off to get ahead. That was a long time ago for you, but what do you miss most about those early days when you had nothing but the music?

Jon Anderson: I really don't miss anything. I feel like what they go through is exactly what we went through back then. We had to struggle just to get to the shows and play. I did that for 5 years, you know? I was very fortunate to get together with Chris and start YES. But, we didn't have any money. You have to trust that the music will guide you in the right direction. So, you rehearse your music. You know you survive only because of your music. When the breaks start to happen, they happen in such an incredible way that you know something big is going on.

Is there anything you would have done differently if you could go back and do it all again?

I think there was this blond girl in Florida... I was married. I didn't fool around on tour at all. But when I think about that blond girl... mmm. You know. 1972. They were throwing themselves at me. I was a big rock star! [laughs]

You know, there are so many mistakes you make in your life, or mistakes you wish you made. [laughs] Every day you put the film in the camera and there you go, you go for it. You can't rewind. You can't make edits. It's what it is. You just live with it and try to be a better person because of it.

Which YES album is your favorite and why?

That's very tough. It is tough because I love Close to the Edge. I love Awaken. I think 90125 is very very funky. The last one we did I loved very much. We finished it and the record company went bankrupt. That's life, you know? That's the end of the story. There are a lot of songs through the time with YES that I do in my one man show on my acoustic guitar. I play all the songs I love. There are some songs with Vangelis and some new ones. I'm always writing, you know.

Which of your releases do you think is the most underrated?

The last one. Nobody has heard of it! Magnification. It's a really really good album. Quite wonderful, really. But there was no company to promote it and no money to promote it. Nobody was interested except the band. We toured with orchestras all over Europe and America. It was a wonderful experience. There is a song called "Give Love Each Day". Beautiful song.

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

I believe in God. Destiny, yes. When I was 9 I used to sing in a band called Little John's Skiffle group. What was I doing with a washboard playing American folk songs, very noisily and very bad? But I did it. I used to deliver milk. I used to work on a farm. Who thought I would have been here? I have an incredible and adventurous life. I tour the world and I have a beautiful American wife and I live in California. Who thought I would have this? Doors kept opening and I kept running. I wasn't running away, I was running forward. I was very excited about everything.

Do you believe music can literally change the world?

Oh yeah, for sure! Remember The Wall? Pink Floyd. They performed The Wall at the Wall. All You Need is Love... love is everything. The songs change the world because they touch people.

What song makes you cry, without fail, every time you hear it?

There are quite a few, really. I love 'Wonderful World' by Louis Armstrong. Sarah McLachlan, that song when the cats and dogs are on TV. What is it called? 'Angel'. That makes me cry.

How do you stay in control of your music when, as an artist, you're often at the mercy of a heartless industry?

It gets lost in the quagmire. I always say, the music is easy, the business is crap. People will rip you off and turn you over like there's no tomorrow and I'm an open book! What's meant to be is meant to be and la de da.

Is it hard to see YES tour without you?

In some ways, yeah. I think about it every couple days. The guy who is singing me and being me 20 years younger is a nice guy. A lovely guy. The other 3 are in their own world and that's what we want to be, sort of thing. My concern is simple- be honest and put your names on the poster and make sure they know who is in the band. A lot of people will go along, maybe 30-40% go thinking I am there singing. I get messages from people saying they are excited to see me at this show or that show. I won't be there! There's no question that the show will be good. They are all very talented. The show celebrates YES music, but be clear and explain who is in the band you know. That's all I will say.

Your children are all musicians, yes?

Yeah! They are very very talented! My daughter, Deborah is a brilliant photographer and musician. My son just went into the studio for the first time. He's been writing good songs forever, but he's never gone in to record correct. He's always in with a band, he wants to be in a band, you know. They are making a lot of noise. Now he's figured it out and is doing it right. My youngest, Jade, she's just an angel. She sings like there's no tomorrow. I'm so blessed.

Are you able to give them criticism?

They don't listen to me AT ALL! "Dad, just stay out of it! Dad, forget about it!" [laughs] They won't listen to me.

So for most of November, you will be at Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp! Why did you decide to participate and have you done this before?

I did the first one. I knew David (Fishof) before and I was on tour with him in Brazil with Alice Cooper and James Taylor. I was there performing with some musicians. We talked about it and I said it sounded like a great idea. I wanted to do a YES camp before where we could do seminars and an acoustic show and I could do a barbecue. I'm serious! [laughs]

I told the guys that it makes it into a family and a community, and you'll make money, as well. The band didn't really get it, but I was up for it. I did the camp in New York. I did a camp in LA. I was going to do last year, but I got sick. It's a lot of fun. You're with people who are just so excited to meet you and they can play good music. You just watch over them and tell the bass player to turn it down for gods sake! [laughs] This is always a problem with bass players. I had 40 years of that! That's life, you know? He's an amazing bass player though!

You coordinate them and try to get the singer to be more adventurous. There is 3 or 4 hours of cajoling, each person has a band they look after, you give your band a name... mine was Fredex. You know, like Fedex. Use the artwork, but put an R in there. They didn't like it. I think they went with... The Screaming Coyotes. You try to help people! [laughs] I was thinking of marketing. You see Fedex everywhere!

What are you most looking forward to in your life right now?

I just finished a dozen songs that I want to get produced next year. Then I got my favorite piece of music of all time- I wrote this musical 20 years ago, all about the life of Mark Chagall. We have been moving forward with getting it to the stage, so you can soon see Mark Chagall: The Musical. [laughs] Amongst that, I have a violin concerto with my friend, Bill. It's a wonderful story about a street violin player who finds a big case in a dumpster when he was looking for food. Inside it has a crystal violin and when he plays it, it transports him to a different place and time in the world. I have a few things I'm going to finish up in the next year. One is an opera about The Alchemist. Wonderful book.

You're a busy man!

What else am I going to do? I'm a musician, I've got stuff to do!

Jon Anderson Online