Interview with Jon Anderson

Jon Anderson is the voice behind many of the progressive rock band, Yes’s, greatest hits. He sung and helped pen "I've Seen All Good People," Roundabout," and "Owner of a Lonely Heart." The front man has seen success outside the band as well with a number of solo albums. He is currently hitting the road in support of his latest, Survival and Other Stories. TheCelebrityCafe.com had the opportunity to chat with the 66-year-old rocker about his music.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: This tour is being billed as an acoustic evening. Can you tell us a little about what fans can expect?

Jon Anderson: Well, it’s songs that they know which is Yes songs that I wrote for the band. Plus songs that I wrote with Vangelis and two or three new songs from the new album and storytelling and I think I have two jokes.…It’s about an hour and forty minutes. It’s a pretty long show, but it’s entertaining to me because I have to do it, you know. It’s going to be fun for me to do. I play guitar, I play dulcimer, I play ukulele, I play the piano…and sing songs that people remember. It’s good to get them singing along with ideas and new songs and just talk a little bit about life, you know, things like that.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: How has touring changed since Yes?

Jon Anderson: Well, it’s just me, my wife Jane, two guitars and a ukulele and drive around. We did this last year. We drove 3,303 miles exactly. It was beautiful because we were city to city, town to town, staying in bed and breakfasts, staying in hotels. There’s no…you know, with a band, it’s just a ginormous project, everybody’s waiting for people and it’s not always fun. It’s a lot of fun most of the time, but it’s not always fun. So when it’s just me and my wife, we just go out there like two kids, you know? The shows are great. The audiences are always wonderful. It’s a good time to do this. I think I’ll been doing it for the rest of my life, but not so much, you know, now and again.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: What part of touring do you enjoy the most?

Jon Anderson: Probably on stage because it’s the adrenaline and everything. It’s putting on the show. That’s why I’m there. You want to take people away from their everyday and make them remember songs and lyrics and just have a great time.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: You're hitting venues across the US and Canada with one stop in Mexico. What venue - or venues - are you most looking
forward to?

Jon Anderson: Well, every one is going to be different. They’re all interesting because sometimes you play in small sort of crowds, in small towns. They are interesting because I have never been to them. Me and Jane always make sure we have a day off before we do a show so we can walk around town and get to know what it’s like and everything. We go to big cities and they’re crazy as usual.…But every show is important, no matter where you are, every show is very important.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: You just did The Living Tree with Rick Wakeman. Will you be performing some tracks from that as well?

Jon Anderson: No, I’m doing songs from my new album which is coming out in two weeks. It’s called Survival and Other Stories. You know, I can’t play piano like Rick plays, it’s impossible so I wouldn’t try, you know. I was going to try one song, but he plays so many beautiful chords, it never sounds right on guitar.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: Can you tell me a little bit about Survival and Other Stories?

Jon Anderson: Well, it’s an album of songs. I finished them, the last…six months ago…four months ago…I remixed them just the other week. Part of a collection of songs I’m working with people around the world, by the internet. I started this about five years ago where I put an advert on my website saying, “Musicians Wanted.” I got all of these people sending me one minute of their music and I picked out a couple of dozen really good people because of the variation of their styles. You have music from a pianist, music from some guy who plays beautiful guitar, another guy…really good production and then some guys would come along who are interested in classical music, symphonic music and other people send music which was very earthy, and just sort of indigenous music. So I’ve been working with these people and creating…I think at the moment I have…about five albums worth of music that I could release tomorrow, but I just got to find a way of getting them out there at the right time, you know? Because they’re all different. This album Survival and Other Stories reflects on my life…three years…I got very sick in 2008 and nearly died a couple of times…You have a great feeling of thankfulness that you’re alive and just a feeling of connection to mother earth and how beautiful it is to wake up everyday when you go through a near death experience, you really relish every day. I think that comes out in the songs. That’s why I called it Survival.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: Would you say this is one of the most eclectic albums you’ve had since you have all different kinds of musicians in it?

Jon Anderson: Yeah, because they’re all coming from different parts of the world, coming with a different energy. It’s very interesting that someone would send me an mp3 of a musical idea and I listen to it and think “not today.” Maybe three days later I’ll listen to it again and sing something. It’s got to inspire me, you know? And if it inspires me, you create a really good song and you add lyrics and everything to it and then send it to them…and over a period of time, you mix it and make it sound really good. So it’s a lot of inspirational music to me. So hopefully it translates on the album.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: What did you think when Kanye West wanted to sample your vocals from "High Places" for his song "Dark Fantasy" on his album?

Jon Anderson: I thought that was so cool. Because anybody who wants to use your vocal of anything…you know I sang on different albums just for the enjoyment of singing, you know? So when he sent me an email…sent me an mp3 of what they were doing, I just loved it so.…It opens up the door a little bit because you think more people…young people will hear it, and they’ll hear my voice and then they’ll recognize it. Some people might recognize who it is and then go listen to what I’ve done and my music with Yes or whatever. And they’ll just see the connection…so yeah, everything is just going to get your voice into another sort of style of music so it’s always very helpful.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: Finally, after thirty plus years, are you still the “Owner of a Lonely Heart?”

Jon Anderson: Noooooo. We used to call it “Owner of the Horse and Cart,” actually.