Ian Anderson is open to collaborating with Metallica on a metal song.
“I’ve played actually with quite a few acts that you would call not heavy metal but certainly hard rock or even metal or even thrash metal,” the musician replied when asked by Thomas S. Orwat Jr. in a 2014 interview whether he would consider teaming up with Metallica.
He continued, “So yeah, I do from time to time do that sort of thing because it’s a challenge for me to work, especially as a flute player to find a way to make that fragile little voice work in the context of the ultimate sort of aggressive loud rock music.”
“So I’ve kind of had fun doing that with a number of acts, usually just playing on a record but yeah, I think it’s true to say that I’ve played on a few genuinely hard rock or metal albums, not necessarily by famous people,” Anderson explained.
In 1988, the Grammy Awards added a Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category. The nominees were AC/DC, Iggy Pop, Jane’s Addiction, Metallica, and Jethro Tull. Many were surprised by Jethro Tull’s nomination, as their music wasn’t considered heavy metal.
It was expected that Metallica would win but in the end, Jethro Tull won with ‘Crest of a Knave.’ Anderson previously recalled the moment they beat Metallica in an interview, saying, “Well, I think Metallica were actually very gentlemanly on record. You know, at the time, when they did win the Grammy next year, as I predicted they would, they took out a page in Billboard thanking the record company, their friends, and their family for supporting them.”
“Even the dog — I mean, they thanked everybody including Jethro for not releasing a new album that year. They had a sense of humor about it, I think they took it on the chin even though everybody was busy telling them they were going to win a Grammy,” the rocker added.
Anderson also noted, “And then, unfortunately, that year they didn’t. You know, they were the hot new acts, and surely they were going to win it the following year, and of course, they did.”
According to Anderson, it was embarrassing because the record company pushed them for the nomination. He was surprised by the reaction when they won.
