Not even this guy?

I'd say, the truth is, many more people know who Zeppelin are these days than you may realize. If near constant play of the same songs over and over again on the abomination known as Classic Rock radio isn't enough there's also been the Cadillac commercials, exposure through movies, magazines (hell, they might even get more coverage these days than when they were actually an active band), t-shirts everywhere from Target to Walmart, DVDs and not least of all, the internet (which you mentioned yourself). Led Zeppelin are far from some unknown band that's lingered in obscurity. Having grown up in the "pre-internet" days I can say I discovered Led Zeppelin through neither the radio, record stores or magazines but via an older brother. I'm sure the same thing happens today and far more often, especially through parents and other relatives that grew up in the same time period as I did.

They're an infamous L.A. punk band that led to such off shoot country/punk/rockabilly groups such as the Knitters and the Blasters. John Doe has also been in a number of movies over the years including Roadhouse.

I think it's entirely possible, if anything the audience for all the genres available has become even more fragmented.

Surely that would be a sign of the apocalypse. Not to mention, Jones made it clear they weren't looking for a Plant soundalike. Even more substantial is that entire project is apparently off.

So, where are those polka, ska and zydeco numbers? Pioneers maybe but singlehandedly?

While I'm not exactly his biggest fan (at least currently, I was a big fan of his in the 70s), I'd say the Nuge is far from an "anti-rocker" and that the soft side of Damn Yankees came from the Styx/Night Ranger faction. Ted is the one that seemed so out of place in that band since he was never known for doing power ballads while Styx and Night Ranger most definitely were. Thank goodness for the "cacophony of Grunge". Like punk in the 70s it brought rock n' roll back to it's roots.

So, are you implying Bring Them On Back has gas? Perhaps he should try some of this:

I'm not sure who's Behind the Music special was best for being unintentionally funny, Creed's, Journey's or Styx'. Can't say I'm much of a fan as they're the very definition of what was the matter with so much corporate rock of the day but I do have a certain affinity for some of their earlier material.

At the local golf course I grew up near we were actually encouraged to hunt down and retrieve golf balls from the course to turn into the pro shop. I forget how much we were given for each one but we did earn money for them.

This man is a "fascist retro hippie"?

For years Plant didn't do any Led Zeppelin songs so he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Not to mention, the Soundstage show is also made up of songs from his newest album at the time, The Mighty Rearranger. With Unledded Plant and Page also did rearrangements of Led Zeppelin songs rather than falling back on the tried and true, would you also refer to those as "dork-ass versions" performed by a "band of dorks"? It's not as though Plant is resting on his laurels. He has forged ahead doing things that are musically challenging both to him and his audience, same for John Paul Jones. If there's any member of Led Zeppelin that's chosen to be "stuck in the past" it's Jimmy Page.

When I listen to Raising Sand I don't exactly mistake it for Flatt & Scruggs or Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys if that's what you mean. Which just goes to show the people saying it's a bluegrass album either haven't actually listened to it or don't have a clue as to what bluegrass is (or both). They're read that Alison Krauss has a background in bluegrass and are basing their assumptions on that. If anything, Raising Sand reminds me most of something like Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball which also didn't have a hint of country or bluegrass to it, it was a whole new sound (at least for her).

I actually hold the exact opposite opinion of Classic Rock radio but that's another thread entirely. Anyone that's really into music at all will take the time to seek out other artists that interest them on their own just as I did as a kid. They don't need stations that play the same 5 or 6 song (if even that many) by the same handful of artists over and over again to do that. I also believe that any artist worth their salt (such as Zep, Dylan, the Stones, the Who, etc.) doesn't need the aid of Classic Rock radio to "live on". If anything, Classic Rock radio is very limiting whereas satellite radio channels such as XM/Sirius' Deep Track play a wide range of artists, many of which never even got played by the most progressive album oriented rock stations back in the 70s in the first place.

I've never had a problem with anyone saying Zep are their favorite band, they're just not my favorite band. What I don't get are those that assign some sort God-like, infallible status to them, or any artist for that matter.

Agreed but even as we speak there's some artist out there spending their very last dime to have a 7" single pressed up. Those are the ones that I think of as truly "underground" though they still have the potential to be the "next big thing", whatever that may be in 2009.

I may have worded my response poorly but I was actually agreeing with you. I love lots of other artists and other kinds of music too so it's something I can relate to. Oftentimes I cite the Beatles as my favorite band of all time but it really depends on my mood. Some days it may be them, some days it may be Waylon Jennings or Bob Dylan. It really just depends.

Thanks for the link, you learn something new everyday.

I think underground music exists to this day. I tend to think of it as any type of music that is found unacceptable or that has never been accepted by the mainstream. Back in the day I guess some of the artists would have included Frank Zappa, the MC5, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, etc. Then there were the punk rock and new wave movements of the 70s and early 80s. Currently it could be used to describe alt.country or any of the very many different strains of rock n' roll.

I recall preview records at my college station back in the 80s, one of which was a Christian rock album. There was a very noticeable groove on the record that stood out so we played it backwards and it said, "why are you looking for the devil when you should be looking for the Lord?"

I realize such opinions come with the territory, especially on a site devoted solely to Led Zeppelin but it is somewhat reassuring to know that not all of us share the same opinion.

Q & A With David Lowery David Lowery has, for the past decade or so, maintained a healthy career as a split musical personality. When he isn’t playing laconic, country-tinged pop with his band of 25 years, Camper Van Beethoven, he’s thrashing away at his guitar as the frontman for Cracker, the rock outfit that’s releasing its 10th studio album, Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey, this week. MAGNET chatted with Lowery about the new album, his advice for any wannabe musicians and his take on the state of the music industry. Lowery will add another line to his resume this week as he guest edits magnetmagazine.com. To read the interview with David Lowrey click here.

All music? Such as Ahmet Ertegun slipping at that Stones concert, the guy that got electrocuted at the Snoop Doggy Dogg show in Charlotte, the concertgoers that got crushed during Pearl Jam's set at Rokslide or the folks that got struck by lightning during the Tibet Freedom Concerts?

I was referring to Paul Rodgers works. Didn't they do some Free and Bad Company songs in addition to Queen?