As an Anglo Scot (Scottish father, English mother; born in England, lived in Scotland; educated in both) and as an inveterate Jethro Tull fan, I am very taken by this quote from Ian Anderson:
Given that some people consider that their roots are more about feelings rather than actual places - How Scottish do you feel? Patti, Co Fermanagh, N. Ireland
Ian: Hi, Patti. Scottish from the waist down. Dancing legs and a tight sporran. Chest upwards I am a Briton.
Some time before this, and inspired by the songs of both Ian Anderson and Richard Thompson, I was fortunate enough to have the following article published:
‘National identity and popular music: questioning the ‘Celtic’’ Scottish Studies Review 8(1), 2007, 116-129
This relates to the work I've had published on the nature of church governance practices in Scotland and, in particular, to the influence of Presbyterianism (which is my own background). I would like, given the time. to take this further, particularly by looking at:
- the inter-relationship between Anderson's business activities and some of the key themes in his lyrics
- the relationship between the music of Jethro Tull and the social history of Britain
- the relationship between Scottish and British identities in popular music since the 1960s.