Mick Wall Interview

[SteveAJones]

Watching the Wolverhampton Wanderers?

Robert would (and does), but not Jimmy.

[Aquamarine]

Hey Aqua, since you've already brought up Halfin's site here , he wrote several days ago that he had also read Mick Wall's book and "Mick's done a good job apart from the bit about the 02 show", well we all know Ross is close to Jimmy ( once more). Is he being sarcastic again or meaning it seriously?

I didn't see that--but if he was being serious, it can only mean that Wall's approach in the book is very different from what he said in the interview. I can't imagine Halfin approving of him saying Jimmy was wasting his talent lying around watching football, for instance--unless Wall doesn't actually say that in the book. Very odd!

Unless he and Jimmy have fallen out again!

[glicine]

Robert would (and does), but not Jimmy.

Hey Steve, I DID mean it as a JOKE.

[eternal light]

Even still, why didn't they try to help him...

and did Grant not get him hooked in the first place?

No, the man did it to himself. As I recall, Miss Pamela tried to help him.

He chose to surround himself with those who did not know how to help him.

[kabbalahone]

No, the man did it to himself. As I recall, Miss Pamela tried to help him.

He chose to surround himself with those who did not know how to help him.

Who would those people be?

Sometimes there is more to the story than meet the eyes.

[SteveAJones]

If Mr Grant would have cared for him, he wouldn't have been making sure

he was ripped stoned all the time. Besides, that pic of him with money

sticking out of his nose and ears says it all. My senses tell me they used

him and his talent for personal gain.

Highly insulting to the memory of Peter Grant! Jimmy could always rely upon him to do what was best for the band.

[zooma]

While it sounds nasty, the way Mick has slammed Jimmy in this latest interview, that doesn't mean there isn't any truth there. What has Jimmy done over the last 28 years that hasn't been Zep related? Not much. While not beholden by anyone to do anything in his professional life, he has indeed wasted his immense talent by living only thru the past. Only time will tell if he has anything new to say. Even if he doesn't, I'm grateful for his life's work and thats Led Zeppelin.

[kabbalahone]

Highly insulting to the memory of Peter Grant! Jimmy could always rely upon him to do what was best for the band.

That pic of Peter with the money sticking out of his ears and nose is insulting to my entire family and history. Do what was best for the band? Heavy drug addiction. death.... oh yeah. Tell me more bs..

[SteveAJones]

That pic of Peter with the money sticking out of his ears and nose is insulting to my entire family and history. Do what was best for the band? Heavy drug addiction. death.... oh yeah. Tell me more bs..

Do you personally know what point, if any, Peter was making in that photograph? Same

question for Jimmy onstage in a Nazi-era German military uniform.

Unsure what your worldview is, but in mine adults are responsible for their own choices.

[Kentuckygirl]

I didn't see that--but if he was being serious, it can only mean that Wall's approach in the book is very different from what he said in the interview. I can't imagine Halfin approving of him saying Jimmy was wasting his talent lying around watching football, for instance--unless Wall doesn't actually say that in the book. Very odd!

Unless he and Jimmy have fallen out again!

My guess is that Halfin had not seen the interview (which was only published this afternoon) when he complimented the accuracy of Wall's work.

My opinion is that with the economy in the shape it is in, the book is not selling well so Wall is going to create some "Spin" by giving inflammatory interviews. This behavior has had the opposite effect for me, it will be a cold day in hell before I buy this book.

[Kentuckygirl]

I can't wait to read Jimmy's book about Mick Wall

He will write it once the football season finishes

Please post your possible titles for the book here

Biological Research: Behavior Patterns of Reptiles and Parasites

[eternal light]

Who would those people be?

Sometimes there is more to the story than meet the eyes.

Whoever they were, but the point is that he made his own choices.

[SteveAJones]

When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin by Mick Wall

The Daily Telegraph (UK)

27/10/2008

David Cheal rocks out with the definitive biography of Led Zeppelin

So this is the big one: a fat, juicy biography of the biggest band ever, the story of a blues-rock behemoth whose members lived lives of unparalleled hedonism, vacuuming up drugs, wallowing in drink, indulging in fleshly pleasures with legions of eager groupies, and recording some of the best rock albums ever made.

Mick Wall, the veteran rock journalist, lays it all bare in a book that can only be described as definitive. His sources are the horses' mouths: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. He's talked to their friends, their manager Peter Grant (like Bonham, now dead), their hangers-on.

Less sensationalist than Stephen Davis's Hammer of the Gods, this deals in nuts and bolts as well as sex and drugs: how Jimmy Page knew from the start the kind of band he wanted, and found the men to make it happen; how he hooked up with Jones, then found Plant and Bonham working the live circuit in the Midlands; how they clicked instantly ("I'd had moments of elation before," says Page of their first rehearsal in a Soho basement, "but nothing as intense as that"); how Grant got them a deal with Atlantic records that gave the band unparalleled creative control and an unprecedented percentage of the gross; how they quickly conquered America; how they plunged (except Jones, who seemed only to dip his toe in) into the pleasures of life on the road; how drugs, drink and jealousies began to drive them apart; how Page developed a fascination for "magick" and the writings of the barmy occultist Aleister Crowley; how they tried to become "relevant" during the new wave era by cutting their hair and wearing skinny ties but ended up looking sad; and how Bonham ended his life, and finished off the band, by drinking vast quantities of vodka during the course of a day in 1980, being put to bed at Page's house, and never waking up. It's incident-packed and compelling.

Now for the "but" bit. Mick Wall has played around with narrative voices, so the story periodically jumps into italicised passages, in which one of the members is addressed in the second person, almost as if they are talking to themselves. It's disconcerting, because it is not always clear to begin with who is talking. It's entirely unnecessary and breaks up the book's rhythm.

You were a rock writer at the top of his game. You'd been on the road with them all, interviewed everyone in the biz, been there, done that (and that, too), got the T-shirt and the satin tour jacket, been on the telly, written books. And now you'd got the dream ticket: the story of Led Zep. You and Zep went back a long way. Pagey was almost like a mate, the others knew you well enough to tell it like it was, warts and all. Access all areas, that was your USP. And yet you wanted to do something different, something to give it an edge, a bit of rock-and-roll attitude, so that it didn't read like something written by one of the "straights". Voices. Narrative voices. In italics. That was the trick.

And so it goes on. There's some good stuff in these italicised episodes, details that flesh out the back stories of the band members and their belligerent big-bellied manager, but the style distracts from the content.

Also, Wall is credulous of some of the more outlandish claims made about Page and his Crowley obsession. He courts the theory that there was some connection between Page's alleged associations with a network called the Ordo Templi Orientis and the band's success. For goodness' sake: they were just good.

They still are, in fact, as was shown by last year's reunion concert. On which point, Wall makes a very salient analysis of the way things stand today: Page would love a fully fledged reunion but Plant, who to begin with was the stripling kid of the band, is the one who has best succeeded in finding a path for himself beyond Led Zep - as a solo artist and in his partnership with Alison Krauss - and so he can call the shots. For all his "magick" and his symbols and his occult library, Page is powerless. Plant is the one with the power to make the real magic, which is the music.

[kabbalahone]

Do you personally know what point, if any, Peter was making in that photograph? Same

question for Jimmy onstage in a Nazi-era German military uniform.

Unsure what your worldview is, but in mine adults are responsible for their own choices.

Well, my dad puts plane paper in his ears and laughs his ass off.

Oh yeah, I'm just thrilled with that uniform. I still saved his ass when he needed it.

We are the Ancient of Days.

I am still waiting to find out why Jimmy had the same rug as me.

[kabbalahone]

He could have taken issue with the management if they were a problem. He made those choices as an adult all by himself. Blaming them is a cop-out.

More of a cop in.

And people tend to trust those in charge of them.

That is why they hire them.

[zooma]

My guess is that Halfin had not seen the interview (which was only published this afternoon) when he complimented the accuracy of Wall's work.

My opinion is that with the economy in the shape it is in, the book is not selling well so Wall is going to create some "Spin" by giving inflammatory interviews. This behavior has had the opposite effect for me, it will be a cold day in hell before I buy this book.

Don't let behavior by the author determine the merit of the work. Mick and Jimmy might have strong opinions about the other at this point, does that render a journalist with a inside understanding of Zeppelin to be fraudulent? If he is I'm sure the injured parties will have their day in court. I'm looking forward to reading the book when it is released in the states for entertainment value and nothing more. If I learn a thing or two that I didn't know about my favorite band then I will feel satisfied that my few hours in the bookstore will not be wasted.

[Carrieanna31]

I though Jimmy cheered for Chelsea? LOL!

Who cares if Jimmy enjoys and wants to play Zeppelin songs until his last breath? I would tend to think there are a few people on here that care. It's who HE is and no one will or can change that. Everyone see how careful and meticulous Page is with everything he does regarding Zeppelin.

If Plant is over singing the tunes, so be it. That shall be Robert's prerogative.

[kabbalahone]

Learned helplessness on the part of an adult is not the same as someone who is too young to know better.

That is true to a degree. He was famous from his youth however.

You know what it is like to have everyone want a piece of you?

Add to that, the fact that he was studying Hebrew texts based on a seriously

war.ped individual (Crowley) and you have a recipe for disaster.

[eternal light]

When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin by Mick Wall

The Daily Telegraph (UK)

27/10/2008

David Cheal rocks out with the definitive biography of Led Zeppelin

So this is the big one: a fat, juicy biography of the biggest band ever, the story of a blues-rock behemoth whose members lived lives of unparalleled hedonism, vacuuming up drugs, wallowing in drink, indulging in fleshly pleasures with legions of eager groupies, and recording some of the best rock albums ever made.

Mick Wall, the veteran rock journalist, lays it all bare in a book that can only be described as definitive. His sources are the horses' mouths: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. He's talked to their friends, their manager Peter Grant (like Bonham, now dead), their hangers-on.

Less sensationalist than Stephen Davis's Hammer of the Gods, this deals in nuts and bolts as well as sex and drugs: how Jimmy Page knew from the start the kind of band he wanted, and found the men to make it happen; how he hooked up with Jones, then found Plant and Bonham working the live circuit in the Midlands; how they clicked instantly ("I'd had moments of elation before," says Page of their first rehearsal in a Soho basement, "but nothing as intense as that"); how Grant got them a deal with Atlantic records that gave the band unparalleled creative control and an unprecedented percentage of the gross; how they quickly conquered America; how they plunged (except Jones, who seemed only to dip his toe in) into the pleasures of life on the road; how drugs, drink and jealousies began to drive them apart; how Page developed a fascination for "magick" and the writings of the barmy occultist Aleister Crowley; how they tried to become "relevant" during the new wave era by cutting their hair and wearing skinny ties but ended up looking sad; and how Bonham ended his life, and finished off the band, by drinking vast quantities of vodka during the course of a day in 1980, being put to bed at Page's house, and never waking up. It's incident-packed and compelling.

Now for the "but" bit. Mick Wall has played around with narrative voices, so the story periodically jumps into italicised passages, in which one of the members is addressed in the second person, almost as if they are talking to themselves. It's disconcerting, because it is not always clear to begin with who is talking. It's entirely unnecessary and breaks up the book's rhythm.

You were a rock writer at the top of his game. You'd been on the road with them all, interviewed everyone in the biz, been there, done that (and that, too), got the T-shirt and the satin tour jacket, been on the telly, written books. And now you'd got the dream ticket: the story of Led Zep. You and Zep went back a long way. Pagey was almost like a mate, the others knew you well enough to tell it like it was, warts and all. Access all areas, that was your USP. And yet you wanted to do something different, something to give it an edge, a bit of rock-and-roll attitude, so that it didn't read like something written by one of the "straights". Voices. Narrative voices. In italics. That was the trick.

And so it goes on. There's some good stuff in these italicised episodes, details that flesh out the back stories of the band members and their belligerent big-bellied manager, but the style distracts from the content.

Also, Wall is credulous of some of the more outlandish claims made about Page and his Crowley obsession. He courts the theory that there was some connection between Page's alleged associations with a network called the Ordo Templi Orientis and the band's success. For goodness' sake: they were just good.

They still are, in fact, as was shown by last year's reunion concert. On which point, Wall makes a very salient analysis of the way things stand today: Page would love a fully fledged reunion but Plant, who to begin with was the stripling kid of the band, is the one who has best succeeded in finding a path for himself beyond Led Zep - as a solo artist and in his partnership with Alison Krauss - and so he can call the shots. For all his "magick" and his symbols and his occult library, Page is powerless. Plant is the one with the power to make the real magic, which is the music.

Although I disagree that Page is powerless. He may need to examine his options more carefully.

Thank you, Steve.

More of a cop in.

And people tend to trust those in charge of them.

That is why they hire them.

That hardly justifies delegation of authority over one's choice to abuse drugs.

That is true to a degree. He was famous from his youth however.

You know what it is like to have everyone want a piece of you?

Add to that, the fact that he was studying Hebrew texts based on a seriously

war.ped individual (Crowley) and you have a recipe for disaster.

None of these assertions excuse addiction. They are unnecessary crutches.

I only recall him being famous as an adult in his early twenties.

[kabbalahone]

No, the man did it to himself. As I recall, Miss Pamela tried to help him.

He chose to surround himself with those who did not know how to help him.

A girl who exploits his mishaps tried to help him?

I won't read her books, but from what I have read here,

she tells all.

My mom always said, with friends like that, who needs enemies.

The only thing I rip into him for is following Crowley.

[SteveAJones]

That is true to a degree. He was famous from his youth however.

You know what it is like to have everyone want a piece of you?

Add to that, the fact that he was studying Hebrew texts based on a seriously

war.ped individual (Crowley) and you have a recipe for disaster.

Oh, good grief. I think his life has turned out pretty well.

[kabbalahone]

Biological Research: Behavior Patterns of Reptiles and Parasites

Patterns of Repetition of tiles and Paranormal sites.

[kabbalahone]

Oh, good grief. I think his life has turned out pretty well.

If you think his life was the only one affected by his following of

that so called occultist...

you don't have a clue.

[eternal light]

I won't read her books, but from what I have read here,

she tells all.

She dated him. They were adults, or at least he was, and chose freely. She was eighteen years old in 1966. He was eighteen years old in 1962. She talked about helping him once when he was in a difficult situation. I think you may have misjudged her.

Oh, good grief. I think his life has turned out pretty well.

Agreed. He does smile a lot.

[Dzldoc]