Jethro Tull sorry
for bashing flag
Lead singer apologizes after WND publishes anti-U.S. comments globally
Posted: November 17, 2003
5:36 p.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
Ian Anderson, front man for British rock bank Jethro Tull, has apologized for comments he made blasting American patriotism.
 Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson |
"In an interview with a U.S. newspaper, I expressed my concerns regarding the 'flag-waving' mind-set – not only of some Americans – but across the world," Anderson wrote on the band's website.
"I now regret the tone of these statements and offer my belated apologies to those offended by any perceived slur on the Stars and Stripes. I really didn’t understand – even after 35 years of visiting the USA on a regular basis – that this symbol had such fierce resonance for so many people as is now apparent to me."
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As WorldNetDaily reported, in an interview published in New Jersey's Asbury Park Press, Anderson said, "I hate to see the American flag hanging out of every bloody station wagon, out of every SUV, every little Midwestern house in some residential area. It's easy to confuse patriotism with nationalism. Flag waving ain't gonna do it."
In response, radio station WCHR-FM on the Jersey shore decided to no longer play songs by Jethro Tull, best known for its 1970s hit "Aqualung."
"The reaction of our audience has been 99 percent in favor of the ban and 99 percent incredulous that he would say such stupid things. He is a smart guy," program director and disc jockey Phil LoCascio told the Press. "As far as we're concerned, this ban is forever."
LoCascio rejected the notion the ban on Tull songs amounts to censorship.
"Our listeners' right to ask us not to play the music is equal to his right to say what he wants," he said, according to the report.
The Associated Press reports today LoCascio will leave any decision to restore the band to the station's play list to listeners.
"Some of the listeners think [the apology is] too little too late," LoCascio told the news service.
The controversy is part of continuing fallout in the music world in connection with the war on terror. As WorldNetDaily has previously reported, the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, and Moby have all come under public scrutiny for their personal political statements.
Formed in 1967 in Blackpool, England, Jethro Tull took its name from an 18th century agricultural inventor and has enjoyed widespread success on both sides of the Atlantic.