Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson revealed why Mick Jagger is not a tough guy and is pretty weak in a new Classic Rock interview.
“Mick Jagger always looked too self-conscious to be considered a tough guy – he looked like he’d fall over if you blew on him.
“Having their time in Hamburg as part of their biography worked well for The Beatles. It was interesting that they had that pedigree of being a bit vulgar, and not just fresh-faced youths who bowed to the Queen at Royal Variety Performances.
“You had to somehow prove your mettle if you were going to have credibility, and Lennon took that on into future aspects of his career, the bad-biker clone ultimately replaced by what was perceived by many as a mad, dangerous hippie. He never lost that element of dissent.
“You could argue that McCartney worked the hardest to distance himself from the prickliness of the Hamburg days to become a more wholesome performer, while Lennon strived to hold on to his venom.
“That combination was what always appealed to me, though; the velvet glove covering the iron fist is what made The Beatles work so well.”
