Ryan Sparks at Classic Rock Revisited recently caught up with former YES frontman Jon Anderson to discuss the singer's new project with ex-Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, The Living Tree. An excerpt from the interview is available below.

Q: The Living Tree is your first collaborative effort with Rick Wakeman. Can you shed a little light on how this project came to be?

Jon: "We did a tour of the U.K. four years ago that was very successful. We basically had a lot of fun. Early last year Rick said 'Let's do it again,' so I said 'Ok, but let's write some new songs.' New songs are always good for a performance, because although you can play some classic Yes songs and its fun, it's nice to present three or four new songs. So we did that and then we ended up doing a lot more, this was around July of last year. We ended up with enough for an album so we just said let's put it out and that's what we did.

Q: Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t the original concept going to be a combination of a re-working of Yes compositions coupled with original material?

Jon: "Not really. We ended up with a very, very good live concert which we'll probably release in the summer. That will really give everyone a good feeling of what our tour was like. We do Yes songs, new songs and a few jokes because Rick likes to tell jokes. It's just a very entertaining evening you know? We figured that because we'd recorded enough songs for an album that we might as well put it out. You never know these days because it's difficult to reach a lot of people unless you have a hit song or a pop song. These are just very good, well crafted songs. Rick's playing is just beautiful, as it always is. He's just a very unique keyboard player. It's very unique to be able to work together, its fun."

Q: Together you did a tour of the U.K. last fall. How would you describe the feeling of just the two you stepping onstage and not only playing this new music but also revisiting the past with the Yes material?

Jon: "It's a little bit like a comedy show at times. We start off playing music and singing songs that people know for about ten or fifteen minutes and then Rick will start telling jokes and we'll start laughing. The audience relaxes and can enjoy a bunch of songs from Yes that they’re familiar with. As well they're equally excited to hear the new material based on the reception we got. After two hours people come away from the show feeling that they've had a wonderful time, which is how you should feel when you pay money to go and see a show. You just want to have a good time."

Q: So it's a liberating experience for the two of you to be doing this.

Jon: "Sure. Gosh, I'll be sixty seven this year and I shouldn't be charging around thinking I'm this thirty or forty year old rock star. I was never into being a rock star anyways. I was happy to be in a band that was successful and I was always trying to push the musical limits within the band to see what we could try. To be able to still get on stage at my age and perform really good music and have fun is a blessing in a way.

Go to this location for the complete interview.