WONDEROUS STORY
The night Jon Davison met Jon Anderson.
Hard to believe, but true: Jon Davison and Jon Anderson had never crossed paths until April 7, 2017, when they met at a hotel in LA on the night of Yes’ induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It wasn’t quite the seismic clash of parallel worlds that fans might imagine. “No,” says Jon Davison. “I’m not sure he knew who I was! It was really noisy. I just approached him as a fan and wanted to thank him. Because I don’t feel any rivalry or intimidation. I consider him in a whole different class than myself. And he’s a hero of mine. So I just thanked him for all the inspiration and being so instrumental in bringing me to what I do today.
“He was very warm,” Davison adds. “But I don’t sense that he could understand amidst the noise that I was the other singer! I almost enjoyed it better that way – it was a fan having a moment to thank his hero.”
Anderson confirms Davison’s take on this meeting of Yes men. “I honestly had no idea,” he says. “He never introduced himself. It was only when he went away that I thought, ‘There’s something about that guy that’s kind of strange.’ Then I said to my wife, ‘I think that guy’s the singer with the other band.’ And thought, ‘Why didn’t he tell me who he was?’ Because then I could have said, ‘Well done,’ because he performs the songs and lyrics I wrote, and he does a good job.”
Despite that, the encounter was entirely at odds with all the rivalry and factionalism. “When I looked in his eyes, there was harmony and I could relate to him soul for soul,” Davison says. “I felt inspired. There’s so much discord and people get so heated online and fans get so ugly, which is so unfortunate when you consider the all-embracing message in Yes’ music and lyrics.”
Davison recently declared on Facebook that he would like to record an album with Anderson. “That statement,” he explains, “was meant to be the antithesis of the general mindset of these people who get so nasty. That’s what I’d like to happen. To create a really unifying message, a bridge between the two camps and all the fanbases. If Jon and I could do an album together, we could rise above all the pettiness.” around, and if we can pull that off, it will be brilliant.”
Amazing how? Musically? Visually? “Let’s just say the whole thing will be pretty epic if we pull it off,” he says.
Of course, 2018 is a huge year for both versions of Yes. It marks the
50th anniversary of the band. Just as the other incarnation are holding their cards close to their chests, so the Anderson/Rabin/Wakeman line-up are being equally cagey, though the singer promises the band’s golden jubilee won’t go unmarked.
“We’re planning really, really adventurous and wonderful stuff,” says Anderson. “I can honestly hear it. We have all the music for it and, God willing, it’s going to happen. We’re trying to figure out the best way of getting the music out there to the people, instead of having to go through the business. Music is easy but the business is a bitch.”