JimmyPageZoSo56 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 http://www.slate.com/id/2179112 i was super pissed when i read this. you might too. cuz i totally disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myledzep Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I read it. It's just one person's opinion. Others would disagree. No right/wrong answer there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordor_maiden Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 http://www.slate.com/id/2179112 i was super pissed when i read this. you might too. cuz i totally disagree. This yahoo evidently doesn't acknowledge the importance of emotion in music, from the viewpoint of the fan. Yes, I have to agree that it's overexposed, and I surely don't listen to it all the time, but it still has the power to give me chills and lift my heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minelle Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 If Led Zeppelin reunites, will they play the song that almost destroyed them? What the hell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBulle Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 What a big load of crap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyPageZoSo56 Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 yea, it really pissed me off. i wanna emial the dude/chick that wrote this and be like "What the fuck?!" and i wanna know how it "destroyed them." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordor_maiden Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 yea, it really pissed me off. i wanna emial the dude/chick that wrote this and be like "What the fuck?!" and i wanna know how it "destroyed them." He's Andrew Goodwin, it says at the bottom of the page. He's some kind of media professor and teaches a class on Zeppelin. I think his contact info was listed at the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzfan715 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I'd take a Zeppelin class, but not if the teacher acted like whoever wrote an article like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyPageZoSo56 Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 so i emailed the professor and this is what i said to him: hello professor. you're probably wondering who i am. my name is Zach. I am a Led Zeppelin follower because to me, Led Zeppelin kicks ass and Jimmy Page is God. I am a member of the Official Led Zeppelin Forum. I am frustrated and upset with the article you wrote on "Stairway to Heaven." I personally believe it's a load of crap and am shocked at this. but hear is my argument. "Stairway to Heaven" is the greatest song ever written. I dont know why you think it almost destroyed Zeppelin. Some have heard "Stairway'"s chromatically descending A-minor intro as a theft for Spirit's "Taurus," but "Taurus" begins with a first-position chord voiced down in single steps from A to F, whereas Page played at the jazzier second position (5th fret), then moves from A minor to A minor (add9) / G-sharp to C / G then to open D. thats the difference. How did Zeppelin become a joke? it sounds like you dont like Zeppelin and just wanna bash them. i find it a bunch of shit and Zeppelin should be praised fro what they did in the music world instead of being bashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_death Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I like Stairway, and used to love it. But it does get old, but that's probably the only Zeppelin song that I'm tired of hearing. Especially doing about 4 school concerts and playing it. But the song didn't destroy them, that's a load of bull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I actually agreed with a lot of what the guy said, especially about "Levee." Of course it's hyperbole to say STH destroyed the band, but I saw his point. (I think it's hyperbole to say STH is the greatest song ever written, too, by several nautical miles. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solar Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I believe the writer is alluding to Plant's aversion to the song and subsequent frustration with having to play it at other reunions (specifically the animosity with Page about it at the Atlantic Records anniversary show in NYC) and refusal to play it in the Page/Plant shows. This is relatively common knowledge to most Zep fans and no secret that Plant has called it "the wedding song." This is a good analytical piece of writing, by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordor_maiden Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 so i emailed the professor and this is what i said to him: hello professor. you're probably wondering who i am. my name is Zach. I am a Led Zeppelin follower because to me, Led Zeppelin kicks ass and Jimmy Page is God. I am a member of the Official Led Zeppelin Forum. I am frustrated and upset with the article you wrote on "Stairway to Heaven." I personally believe it's a load of crap and am shocked at this. but hear is my argument. "Stairway to Heaven" is the greatest song ever written. I dont know why you think it almost destroyed Zeppelin. Some have heard "Stairway'"s chromatically descending A-minor intro as a theft for Spirit's "Taurus," but "Taurus" begins with a first-position chord voiced down in single steps from A to F, whereas Page played at the jazzier second position (5th fret), then moves from A minor to A minor (add9) / G-sharp to C / G then to open D. thats the difference. How did Zeppelin become a joke? it sounds like you dont like Zeppelin and just wanna bash them. i find it a bunch of shit and Zeppelin should be praised fro what they did in the music world instead of being bashed. Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 good blog and budding rock history buff critic. and i agree it's just another sad rock n roll tragedy. just to reinforce what he typed from his mother's basement during an acid trip. last week i saw jimmy in an alleyway warming his hands over a lit barrel, i knew it was him because he'd fashioned a small shelter nearby out of 5 million album covers worth of packaging that went unsold of that horrible album with that unmentionable song., it's all he has left besides memories. "jimmy?" i said. he just stood there still shaken and unresponsive, ruined by stairway's toll on his music career and personal life. i walked away as to not shatter what remained of his frail mind with reminders of fandom and what could have been. i really hope someone helps him before it's too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solar Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 good blog and budding rock history buff critic. and i agree it's just another sad rock n roll tragedy. just to reinforce what he typed from his mother's basement during an acid trip. last week i saw jimmy in an alleyway warming his hands over a lit barrel, i knew it was him because he'd fashioned a small shelter nearby out of 5 million album covers worth of packaging that went unsold of that horrible album with that unmentionable song., it's all he has left besides memories. "jimmy?" i said. he just stood there still shaken and unresponsive, ruined by stairway's toll on his music career and personal life. i walked away as to not shatter what remained of his frail mind with reminders of fandom and what could have been. i really hope someone helps him before it's too late. He's teaching a class about Zeppelin (and obviously a Zep fan) as well as an excellent writer. You aren't. Get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzeprolls Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 He is jealous and a moron, which are a pretty dangerous combination in my book. You wanna trash LZ, well come see me, especially in the mood I am in right now. I will put my foot up your arse, rotate it and then cram in down your bleeding throat Rolls>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzeprolls Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 And I have seen people who "claim" to be LZ experts that do not have the foggiest of an idea what they are talking about. Anyone who would use LZ to make money teaching classes and then trash them is just beyond my scope of rational as far as a reasonable person. oxyMORONIC? Yes! Rolls>>> Oh the foot is for the reporter lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 true, i am not a good writer. nor a repugnant stupid bitch you are and seem good at that. congratulations . despite that i am published and other people have recorded songs with my lyrics. but i'll inform them that they are stupid, thanks. i'll redirect everyone to that loser's pages from now on. " professor of led zeppelin critique" lol what a useless douche bag. only trumped by people impressed by him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIPPIN Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Mushy article, but represents the views of many. I wonder which gig he refers to when saying the live version is nothing compared to the original? I believe the best versions were those in '71, a year when it was just another song no-one had heard before - but were blown away by. Plant seemed over the song from '77 onward. It is great that their music is being written about now, we can separate the nonsense from the wise. If they do Stairway at the gig and never play again, it would be a pleasure to witness it live, good or not so good performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solar Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 What's with the hypersensitive, defensive stance everyone is taking toward Zeppelin regarding this critique? I tend to agree with most of what he says, but I must quibble with certain points (specifically the lack of power with STH live). Regardless, the guy is a professor who specializes in pop culture. I think to receive tenure at a university such as U. of San Francisco shows pretty clearly he is not "a moron" as ledzeprolls claims. Perhaps a glimpse at his bio will shed some light on Mr. Goodwin: Andrew Goodwin received his Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from the University of Birmingham, England. He is the author of a well-known book on Music Television and cultural theory (Dancing in the Distraction Factory. Music Television and Popular Culture, University of Minnesota Press) and he has published numerous articles on media and cultural theory. His areas of interest include media aesthetics, critical theory and popular music. Professor Goodwin serves on the Editorial Board of Popular Music & Society, is a Corresponding Editor for Media, Culture & Society and writes for Tricycle, Inquiring Mind, and theworsthorse.net. He is currently writing a book about Led Zeppelin. Sure doesn't sound like a "moron" to me. Those are pretty lofty credentials. He is apparently also a musician, which gives him even more ground upon which to praise and critique Zeppelin as he does here. Also, I guarantee he's not solely teaching a class on Zeppelin, as this is a topical class that likely is offered once every two years or so. Just a guess, as I had a very famous screenwriter as a prof in college who taught similar type classes on pop culture focusing on different eras. As for the aptly named Zero... true, i am not a writer. nor a repugnant stupid bitch you are and seem good at that. congratulations. thanks for having the mental capacity to stay on topic and not start flame wars asshole. though i'm sure i'll have to take all the blame for derailing this thread. ...back to the solar show I'd like you to specifically show where I started a "flame war" with you. As I stated, Dr. (and he earned the title in Birmingham, England) Goodman has a Ph.D. in cultural studies and is a univeristy professor, unlike yourself. That's just stating facts. Clearly, he is not merely a "rock history buff critic," as you so eloquently claim. Also, I fail to see how your rambling attempt at humorous prose had anything remotely to do with said topic as well. If anything derailed this thread, it was that post. "Repugnant stupid bitch," eh? You know, Big Zero, I'm just not feeling as feisty as usual, so I'll let your well-thought, highly intellectual response just stand on its own from here. Good day, son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solar Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Sighs. Here's my biggest problem with this rampant "fanboy mentality" in this thread, not naming anyone by name. "Fanboy" sees his precious band -- perhaps the only relationship of consequence in his life -- receive a critique in which a writer states his opinion that Stairway To Heaven nearly ruined Zeppelin and flips out, calls it the most egregious of writings and equates it to Mein Kampf or the Manson murders and goes all Bonzo and throws his monitor out the window. So far, people in this thread have called a man with a PhD in cultural studies a yahoo and a moron (and I see on the ninth edit of his post, Zero calls Goodwin a douche bag and loser). Folks have called his highly analytical piece both crap and shit and have called him jealous. There's a meandering, pseudosarcastic response that tries to equate selling five million albums with the musical and cultural relevance the origial author is discussing. Yet, you all somehow neglect the fact that this writer has called Stairway To Heaven into the sociological discourse of popular culture of the 20th Century. Very few individual songs fit within that realm. Yet, all you read is "nearly destroyed the band" and shut down. This gentleman is most clearly a fan of the group who realizes and has taken the time to dissect its relevence and importance to musical history of the 1900s. Jimmy Page understands what Led Zeppelin is. It's not merely music, it's art. Jimmy went to art school. At art school, you take classes in art appreciation and critique. I don't think Jimmy Page gets too rankled with criticism and critique. Perhaps some should take a cue from him. Zeppelin is fair game, with a body of work as art, to be questioned, praised and, yes, critiqued and torn apart. That happens to ALL FORMS OF ART -- writing, painting, acting and, yes, even down to how Jimmy Page's Gibson SG is tuned. ---- As an aside, Captain Zero, I see your edits before you re-edit (the one where you called me a name that seems to resemble a Stones song and movie that rhymes with SockSucker). Way to talk about raising the level of discourse, hypocrite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoso13zeppelin Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I remember that guy* from another forum! Oh yeah, on that other forum, people were like always really pissed at him, so he left. Now I really wonder why. Actually, I'm starting to think he joined there to find out information for this paper…and he doesn't actually appreciate Zeppelin the way the rest of us do. But ya know, it really is one person's opinion and it seems a little wack to me, but I'm not hideously offended or anything. It's a slightly confusing viewpoint though, I'll give ya that. Okay, yeah, I keep editing this cos I'm reading it at the same time. But I wouldn't say that I get absolutely "sucked in" to the end of "Celebration Day" or "Out on the Tiles." I can understand the "swirling" idea of the end of OOTT, but I never ever noticed the whole deal with "Celebration Day"… In short, I don't have out-of-body experiences when I listen to it… And if you read into "Stairway's" lyrics…they actually do make sense. If you just listen to it word for word, you're just listening to sentences, you don't put it together. *Okay, reading over this post, my reference to "that guy" could be misleading… I meant Andrew Goodwin, the guy who wrote the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evermore Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 It's not that bad of an analysis. And the author was basing his arguments on some of the ambivalence of Robert Plant himself. Led Zeppelin is certainly tough enough to take criticism from within and without and come out the winner. The joke with STH is not the song nor with Led Zeppelin's performance. The joke is about the overexposure. During the eighties if anyone picked up a guitar inevitably they played STH. lol I am very guilty of this myself. In the movie "Wayne's World" Mike Myers character is at a music store, picks up a guitar and starts to play STH. The store clerk yells at him and point to a sign that says "No playing Stairway to Heaven". Overexposure is always a problem. It can dilute the importance of a song for a time. But STH is a masterpiece and masterpieces always survive. If the human race survives for another 500 years people will still be listening to Stairway to Heaven as an ancient classic of the 20th century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 "Stairway to Heaven" is the greatest song ever written. You've apparently not heard here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush as performed by Led Zeppelin in San Francisco April 27th 1969, nor Do You Know The Muffin Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyPageZoSo56 Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 :lol: i shall listen to them. sounds cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.