Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson suffering from incurable lung disease
He believes smoke machines are a "significant part of the problem"
Jethro Tull frontman, flutist and multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson has revealed he’s suffering from an incurable lung disease called COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
The 72-year-old rock icon made the revelation during an episode of Dan Rather's The Big Interview, which airs in the US tomorrow evening (Wednesday 13th May).
Asked by Dan Rather how he “musters the breath” to sing and perform the flute on stage, Ian Anderson replied: "I’m going to tell you something I've never told anybody in public before, and since it’s you, I will choose this moment to say I am suffering from an incurable lung disease which I was diagnosed with a couple of years back.
“And I do struggle. I have what are called exacerbations — periods when I get an infection that turns into severe bronchitis and I have maybe two or three weeks of really a tough job to go out there on stage and play.
"Fingers crossed, I've gone 18 months now without an exacerbation, I'm on medication. If I'm kept in a reasonably pollution-free environment in terms of air quality, I do okay. But I… my days are numbered. It's not yet at the point that it affects my day to day life — I can still run for the bus."
Speaking about on how he deals with COPD, Ian added: "Fight it all the way — keep using as much of your lung power as you're lucky enough to have and push it to the limits all the time. The minute you settle back and say, 'I can't do this anymore,' it's a slippery slope. The answer is keep pushing."
Commenting specifically about the condition, Ian continued: "(It’s) popularly termed and it embraces a number of specifics, but it’s popularly termed COPD where you lose some of the ability of your lungs to give you enough oxygen. I’ve spent 50 years of my life on stage among those wretched things that I call smoke machines.
“Today, they're politely referred to as “hazers”, as if they're somehow innocent and not damaging to your lungs. I really do believe that's a very significant part of the problem I have. Because I take ten breaths for every breath the bass player takes – slight exaggeration – but physically I’m aerobic for two hours on stage so I’m taking in a huge amount of what is in the air."
According to the NHS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties including emphysema (damage to the air sacs in the lungs) and chronic bronchitis (long-term inflammation of the airways).
A progressive disease, breathing problems usually worsen over time, however, as in Ian Anderson’s case, medication can keep it under control.
The candid interview with Dan Rather also sees Ian Anderson discuss Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and how Eric Clapton inadvertently inspired him to play the flute. You can watch Ian Anderson explain more below:
Last month, Ian Anderson joined forces with Hungarian-born German producer, songwriter and bandleader Leslie Mandoki to record a track called ‘We Say Thank You’ dedicated to front-line medics and key workers during the coronavirus pandemic.