For more than three decades now Ian Anderson has bowed and twirled, skipped and soared as the flamboyant, flute - tickling front man of the Jethro Tull band. While its other faces have changed through countless fads and fashions in musical grooving, Ian is the band's creator and sustainer. Thirty years later he remains its totem; a power animal indeed.

       Aquarius eagerly awaits Ian Anderson's June 18 romp in Chastain Park. We are ready to "Bungle in the Jungle" and there's no threat of "Living in the Past", because in addition to the eclectic and frenetic rock/blues/jazz/world beat/folk machinations of Jethro Tull, Ian's newer grooves have a mellow, resonant New Age muse.

      Recording as a self-described "heavy metal band with mandolins" since 1970, his first solo work was the soul - moving 1995 Divinities: 12 Dances with God. After returning to a deeply developed Jethro Tull root system for several more CDs and world tours since then, his new millenium sound is once again solo: The Secret Language of Birds.

      MGM: Back in the '70s I think the term "progressive rock" was coined specifically for Jethro Tull. A penchant for unusual key changes, melodic meter and acerbic lyrical wit is very much your signature. With all the moods and tonalities your music continually moves through, this new one is still deliciously different. It's vibrant, it's bright. It's political, it's stirring.

     IA: It's definitely one for the girls. Its lyrics are some of the most personal I've ever written.

    MGM: The bird sounds are enchanting. I close my eyes and can almost feel the warmth of golden light filtering in through a lush, fresh - smelling rain forest. So for me, the title track and "Sanctuary" and "Jasmine Corridor" are the picks of the litter.

     IA: At this time of year my wife's jasmine garden is literally to die for. With that song, I told Shona that my dying wish is just to be wheeled once more through her heavenly garden. Wherever I'm going, I want to travel with that heavenly scent on me. "Sanctuary" of course is political. It's about the atrocities of a culture that sells its own little girls into prostitution. The Sanctuary is a charitable organization that reclaims the girls' care when they're dying of AIDS and no longer sellable. It gives these children a gentle, loving place to die. It's also about another kind of sanctuary, for aging animals who are lame or blind or otherwise considered useless, so that they too can live out the remainder of their lives and know that someone cares deeply for them.

       MGM: Tell us about your fascination with animals. You have Caves Branch Adventures in Belize that creates customized tours. You support many animal rights causes - and then there's that salmon farm of yours in Scotland.

     IA: A lot of that will be on my website by mid - or - late June. The salmon farms employ some very fine previously unemployed musicians. I shan't tell names but you know, these fellows had made quite a good lot of money touring but then they blew it just as fast. Performers aren't always big on responsible investments such as 401(k) arrangements. Or being responsible, really.

      MGM: Creative types often just aren't all that interested in wheeling and dealing. Too tedious. Some are overtly not paying attention and not taking good care of themselves. I read that you've always maintained firm control of your band's off - stage habits as relates to their overall creative product. You enforce rules of the road that prohibit rowdy, raucous behavior.

     IA: We're a tight band, with pacing and power. I will not tolerate druggies and it isn't that I'm moralizing or judging. It just offends my aesthetics to be around a thick cloud of "merr - juana" smoke. In fact I won't.

     MGM: I first saw you in 1973. You were wearing tights that were lavender on one leg and aqua on the other, and you stood perched on one leg, and then the other, the whole time you played the flute. I remember your muscles looked like a lynx, quick and agile and poised to strike. You were way ahead of this fitness craze we've since created. How does one spend so much time on the road and remain healthy?

     IA: Well, I'm blessed that it's easy for me to choose nutritious foods that fuel me. I simply prefer vegetables and fish, and I don't even like sweets. I'm always in the best shape when we're touring; concerts are actually a very strenuous workout. When I'm at home, it's a trick to remember to exercise. I got Shona a treadmill for her birthday but she doesn't use it so I do. She's our road manager; she also keeps my interviews on schedule. Fact, she says it's time we ring off now, luv.