Jethro Tull's David becomes a woman

Evening Standard ^ | 23 January 2004 | Humfrey Hunter

[presidio9]

A former member of legendary Seventies band Jethro Tull has had a sex-change operation and become a woman called Dee.

Keyboard player David Palmer has shed the beard seen during the band's most successful years, and now has long blonde hair, along with make-up and black leggings.

Palmer, 66, a former soldier in the Royal Horse Guards and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, is now set to embark on a solo career. She said: "I want to be judged on my musical ability alone, and nothing else."

Her desire to change sex had been an "open secret" in the music business for many years, she said, but she did not go ahead with the operation until the death of wife Margaret nine years ago.

Palmer lives in Hove, East Sussex, but is currently in the Spanish resort of Lanzarote, recording her first solo album before launching a British tour next month.

She said: "I've felt like this since the age of three. It's not just wimps who want to do this. To be a girl, it goes a lot deeper than that. Yes, you are speaking to the person you thought I was - the keyboard player in Jethro Tull."

Her friends and family have supported her decision, she claimed. But one family friend said: "That's not true. It's not that anyone is prejudiced. It's just the way he's gone about things. He doesn't seem to appreciate the massive impact this is going to have on his family."

However Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull's frontman, stood by his former bandmate, saying: "I found it difficult at first but I fully support his decision."

Anderson finally accepted the news when Palmer rang him to say: "There's something I need to get off my increasingly ample chest."

Jethro Tull was formed in 1968 and had a string of hits including Living In The Past and Teacher. Palmer left the band in 1980, returning to film, advertising and session work. He was a highly-regarded orchestral arranger before joining Jethro Tull and orchestrated the Beatles album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

[lilylangtree]

He/She/It!

[ZOOKER]

Looks like she opted out of the "aqualungs"

[Jaxter]

Are they changing the band's name to Jethrene Tull?

[My back yard]

Weird, weird. Loved 'is piano work. Don't believe I'll 'ave interest in 'ers.

[angkor]

Anyone know why this is posted to War On Terror?

[Revolting cat!]

The woman is a Terror, I tell ya!

[11th Earl of Mar]

That woman is Thick as a Brick!

[presidio9]

Jethro Tull had a lot to say to President Bush about the terror war a couple of months ago.

[ClearCase_guy]

Perhaps you haven't seen the picture in #20.

[Jim Noble]

A former member of legendary Seventies band Jethro Tull has ... become a woman

Neat trick!

How'd they change all those genes?

[presidio9]

Jethro Tull

[RebelBanker]

Oh, Jesus saves,
well He better save Himself,
from the gory glory-seekers,
who use His name in death...
Jesus save me!

- Hymn 43

[Jim Noble]

A former member of legendary Seventies band Jethro Tull has ... become a woman

Delusions are one thing.

Contagious delusions are quite another.

Requiring society to lie about the veracity of your delusions is the worst.

[angkor]

Just asking. There's been a lot of irrelevant junk posted to WOT recently.

[Revolting cat!]

In the end, it's boring, I think! Now if kd lang had a sex change operation to become a woman, that would be news!

[muir_redwoods]

"George Martin produced it....Palmer handled the orchestration...as in orchestra."

Orchestraion or is it Or-Castration?

[CindyDawg]

Maybe he should have had work on the other end first.