They need to have their privacy respected. If I encountered one in a public place I wouldn't bother them. If I did meet one in a "natural" setting I would talk to them about something other than music; maybe antiques, or Celtic history, or London real estate, or whatever. It's amazing how open, friendly, and accessible all three have been with their fans over the years. Each one has undoubtedly been approached by many thousands of strangers asking for handshakes, autographs, photo opportunities, etc; or strangers attempting to engage them in long, boring conversations, etc. Despite this, they always seem to remain friendly and polite--it's impressive.

Actually, I find all of these rock star/god comparisons to be really intersesting: Zeppelin's most famous biography is called, "Hammer of the Gods," Robert called himself "a Golden God", Clapton was called "God," fans at Doors concerts screamed out to Morrison, "You're god!!" Etc, etc. Some of that era's rock stars--Zeppelin most of all--were uniquely capable of providing their audiences with a mystical, transcendental, hallucinogenic, quasi-religious experience. Therefore, fans came to view these artists/bands as "Gods." In Zeppelin's case, the band was capable of generating such extremely high levels of "magical energy"--energy which was subsequently and repeatedly transferred back and forth between the band and audiences in an ever-escalating upward spiral--that audiences were left feeling mesmerized, enthralled, and euphoric. Because of this, it should be no wonder that this thread addresses the issue of whether Zeppelin were "Gods." Personally, I don't think any human being should ever be worshipped as a god, except Jesus--if one is a Christian.

I agree with the posts on this thread by juxtiphy and Bong-Man: Page was definitely performing a ceremonial magik ritual of some kind. Of course, Page was also being theatrical--he was fully aware of how great it looked and sounded. I read a quote by Page several years ago where he said something along the lines of, "Back then, (in the 70's) that was my life--the melding of music and magik--I lived it." Also, Plantpothead mentioned above that he doesn't like to go "theorizing about what the artist was thinking at the time." With all due respect, I'm just the opposite; I'm fascinated by what the members of Zep were thinking, and particularly by the musical/philosophical ideas jointly shared by--and the interplay between--Plant and Page. I'm also fascinated by Page's thought patterns, his artistic vision, and his sources of inspiration and creativity.