Ian Anderson Admits ‘Time Is Running out’ on His Career

Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson admits that “time is running out” on his career.

“We’ve been very busy. And part of the reason, I guess, being busy, is also because I’m at an age where I know this won’t go on forever,” the rocker explained to Brazil’s A Rádio Rock.

Rather then dwelling on his increasing age, the frontman uses it as motivation.

“If I can still physically and mentally do what I do, I feel an urgency to get out there and do it,” he declared. “Not just to sit back and say, ‘Oh well, maybe I’ll do that next year and the year after.’”

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Anderson, who turns 77 later this year, further noted that the clock is clicking on his ability to tour and perform.

“I’m well aware that time is running out,” he admitted. “So I’m driven by the passions and sometimes the ethical obligation of showing up for work.”

Ian Anderson Admits He Hates Tour Life

Though Anderson feels a responsibility to tour while he still can, the singer confessed he’s not a fan of life on the road.

“The travel is just so boring and stressful,” the frontman noted of the rigors of touring. “And so sitting on an airplane for 12 hours might be somebody’s idea of fun — maybe if you’re going on holiday with your family and the airplane ride is part of it — but for me, I go to work on an airplane and I don’t enjoy it. I really hate it. So, it’s not an enjoyable thing to have to start. But you have to do it to get there. And every day we have another flight.”

After a trio of shows in Brazil, Jethro Tull will head back to the U.K. for a run of dates. They also have a tour of Europe scheduled for the fall.