tls Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 2 hours ago, Strider said: It's not a statue, that's for sure. What do you think it is? It's the Official Illustrated book that everyone has been talking about for months. It even has its own thread on this page if you took the time to look. Me thinks it is a riddle wrapped in a lazy enigma. Thank you very less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 This is about a two and a half hour drive away for me at legal speed limits. I may do this soonish.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reids Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 On 5/31/2018 at 4:34 AM, sam_webmaster said: CYMBALS flying, his drum sticks a blur, John Bonham, hailed as the greatest rock drummer there has ever been, has been re-born in Mercian Square, Redditch. At midnight on Wednesday night, Thursday morning, on the dawn of his 70th birthday, a two and a half tonne cast bronze tribute to the Led Zeppelin drummer was placed in the heart of his home town. The work of sculptor Mark Richards the piece, set on a plinth inspired by the band’s album Houses of the Holy, shows Bonham in full flow, hair a swirl as he beats out the rhythms which made the band famous. Ros Sidaway, owner of Birchfield Road record shop Vintage Trax who has been at the heart of efforts to get a tribute to John Bonham in Redditch, said: “It’s hard to believe that it’s finally here. “It was dropped in place at midnight, just at the start of John’s birthday. It was under floodlights but in the natural light of day you can see how beautiful it is.” The sculpture is the result of years of fund raising, the work of a small band of dedicated fans here in Redditch, and the support of John Bonham’s family, without whom it would never have been possible. Led Zeppelin sold more than 300 million albums worldwide and such is the appeal of the band that Redditch is likely to become a place of pilgrimage for fans around the globe. ----------------------------- https://redditchstandard.co.uk/news/cymbals-flying-bronze-tribute-to-led-zep-drummer-john-bonham-is-put-in-place/ Thanks for sharing, Sam. Looks very cool. Will have to visit one day. Glad the statue made its debut on schedule for his birthday. R😎👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 9 hours ago, JTM said: This is about a two and a half hour drive away for me at legal speed limits. I may do this soonish.. Watch out for speed traps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm2551 Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 13 hours ago, JTM said: This is about a two and a half hour drive away for me at legal speed limits. I may do this soonish.. Mate, if I was that close, it'd become an annual pilgrimage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Work Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 I've always thought that Jimmy was the songwriter, the magician if you will, Robert and Jonesy made Zeppelin sound unique, and sound tight, and Bonham gave Zeppelin their iconic sound. What's so cool about Zeppelin is that it wouldn't work without any of the members, unless in a perfectly ideal and luckily amazing reunion (with Bonzo's son). If the Concorde was still flying I could be there in 4-5 hours. Lol. So glad to see the man being honored and remembered. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 15 hours ago, Strider said: Watch out for speed traps. I will, I get camera location alerts on my sat nav. Trouble is these days there are the sneaky average speed cameras that measure between two points, really have to watch out for those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 11 hours ago, rm2551 said: Mate, if I was that close, it'd become an annual pilgrimage. Man that’s not close for me, I baulk at having to drive anywhere that takes over half an hour. I hate driving, I see it as a necessary inconvenience. A one time visit will be enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porgie66 Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 1 hour ago, JTM said: I will, I get camera location alerts on my sat nav. Trouble is these days there are the sneaky average speed cameras that measure between two points, really have to watch out for those. Wow, never heard of that before! Big brother keeps getting better and better at his game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porgie66 Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 57 minutes ago, JTM said: Man that’s not close for me, I baulk at having to drive anywhere that takes over half an hour. I hate driving, I see it as a necessary inconvenience. A one time visit will be enough for me. Haha, no offense but that's got to be a stereotype of a British citizen ....in the US, a work commute routinely can take over an hour . Hell , I'd drive 8 hours to see Bonzo's grave and this town square. I guess it's all relative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 3 hours ago, porgie66 said: Haha, no offense but that's got to be a stereotype of a British citizen ....in the US, a work commute routinely can take over an hour . Hell , I'd drive 8 hours to see Bonzo's grave and this town square. I guess it's all relative. I had a fifteen mile work drive that by the time I retired took me about twenty five mins, in the late seventies I could do it in twelve mins. (on two wheels). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 If anyone has plans on going to London, it's about a 2 1/4 hour drive from there. But, that's if the London traffic cooperates and I wouldn't bet on that on any day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 Can't say I've ever preordered a t-shirt before, but I think I'm definitely preordering a John Bonham Memorial T-Shirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 I visited the monument earlier today. I must say it is very impressive. For the benefit of others who are traveling to see it, follow the signs to Redditch Town Centre. You'll find free parking at Redditch train station. From there, it's about a 150 yard walk straight up the sidewalk. The church in the town centre should be on your left, and the Bonham monument is behind it, in front of the library. You can't see it from the roadway, you must park and enter the pedestrian zone on foot to get to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reids Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 1 hour ago, SteveAJones said: I visited the monument earlier today. I must say it is very impressive. For the benefit of others who are traveling to see it, follow the signs to Redditch Town Centre. You'll find free parking at Redditch train station. From there, it's about a 150 yard walk straight up the sidewalk. The church in the town centre should be on your left, and the Bonham monument is behind it, in front of the library. You can't see it from the roadway, you must park and enter the pedestrian zone on foot to get to it. Very cool, Steve. Thanks for posting. Enjoy the rest of your visit. R😎👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 4 hours ago, reids said: Very cool, Steve. Thanks for posting. Enjoy the rest of your visit. R😎👍 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 John Bonham 'Birthplace Garden' set up by Memorial group https://redditchstandard.co.uk/lifestyle/john-bonham-birthplace-garden-set-up-by-memorial-group/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 The monument site would benefit from some proper landscaping. Right now a fair amount of it is sod struggling to take root. Given people's penchant for not keeping off the grass, perhaps the site could be converted into a rock garden. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 22 hours ago, SteveAJones said: The monument site would benefit from some proper landscaping. Right now a fair amount of it is sod struggling to take root. Given people's penchant for not keeping off the grass, perhaps the site could be converted into a rock garden. Just a thought. Just hope it doesn't turn into something like Jim Morrison's grave at Paris' Pere La Chaise with all the graffiti it accumulated and they had to replace the headstone. I visited it around 1997-8 when it had been replaced. Quite a cemetery with so many noteworthy people buried there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 2 hours ago, SuperDave said: Just hope it doesn't turn into something like Jim Morrison's grave at Paris' Pere La Chaise with all the graffiti it accumulated and they had to replace the headstone. I visited it around 1997-8 when it had been replaced. Quite a cemetery with so many noteworthy people buried there. I visited Morrison's grave, among others, at Pere La Chaise in Paris in Feb 2001. (There is You Tube footage of his band mates paying their respects as well which is quite moving). As with Bonham's headstone, I think pigeons, time and the elements may pose a bigger threat to the Bonham memorial than vandals. Seemed to be solid bronze. Manufacturers seal the bronze during the construction process with a protective coating that often deteriorates after years of exposure to wind, rain and natural elements. Once the sealant wears off, monuments begin to develop a natural grayish-green patina which makes them to look dull and the gold tint begins to flake off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76229 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Slightly off topic, but there ought to be some kind of memorial in the area (i.e. in the Black Country not Birmingham), to all the musicians the Black Country has produced. Plant, Bonzo, but also Rob Halford, Noddy Holder and all of Slade, Diamond Head, PWEI, the list is endless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 15 hours ago, SteveAJones said: I visited Morrison's grave, among others, at Pere La Chaise in Paris in Feb 2001. (There is You Tube footage of his band mates paying their respects as well which is quite moving). As with Bonham's headstone, I think pigeons, time and the elements may pose a bigger threat to the Bonham memorial than vandals. Seemed to be solid bronze. Manufacturers seal the bronze during the construction process with a protective coating that often deteriorates after years of exposure to wind, rain and natural elements. Once the sealant wears off, monuments begin to develop a natural grayish-green patina which makes them to look dull and the gold tint begins to flake off. Thanks Steve. Great info and details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 5 hours ago, SuperDave said: Thanks Steve. Great info and details. Of course, Bonham's headstone is concrete, not bronze, and being exposed to the elements, it has aged considerably since 1980. It was once very smooth, almost like granite, but is now somewhat pitted, soiled and moss covered. Older head stones in the burial ground attest to erosion from the elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm2551 Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 8 hours ago, SteveAJones said: Older head stones in the burial ground attest to erosion from the elements. I kind of like the sound of that. Fits nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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