Has Led Zeppelin ever inspired you to change for the better?

[Emma Jane]

Hi all!

I'm Emma. I'm new to this forum and I've been a fan of Led Zep for 4 years now...since the age of 17...They are pretty much my favourite band of all time!

I know that this may sound a tiny bit strange but Led Zep as a band has inspired me to become a better person, particularly to change how I deal with life's challenges...basically, my love for Zep began on a pretty sad note...

It was the month of January in the year 2006. I was all set to begin year 12 (the 12th grade). I was really excited about the prospect of graduating and pretty much getting the chance to go to college the next year. While in middle school, I met the love of my life, his name was Jake. We started out as good friends and our familes knew each other for 6 years.. We were interested in the same subjects (finance and economics), he and I hoped that we would eventually get to go to the same university after high school...I really felt that he was my best friend, since he could sense my every mood, thought, feeling and so on! He was (apart from my little sister) the only person who knew me inside out and I felt that I could read him like a book!

I thought I knew him inside out until he started to gradually fall into the wrong company...his grades started slipping...he would cut class and I wouldn't see him for days on end...and one day his mom found 2 vodkha bottles in his bag pack...I really couldn't understand what in the world was going on with him...When I confronted him about it, he denied everything!...also, he used to constantly ask me for money...I used to trust him enough and I used to give it to him, but he used to come back and ask me for more and used to give all sorts of vague answers as to what he spent it on! Then, my best friend Lynn told me that Jake was trying to join this club consisting of a bunch of really "cool, hip and happening" college guys, who used to make potential members go through all kinds of initiations, including go on drinking binges and try to drive a car, while being completely smashed! And since those jerks were above the legal age, I.Ds weren't a problem! Long story short, I lost Jake, all thanks to that club...he and 4 other guys from my high school were involved in an initiation where each guy was required to try to drive while drunk...none of them survived...This even to this day, makes me sick to my stomach...When I heard the news from my parents that morning on 12th of February 2006, I felt too numb and mentally exhausted to be sad...I somehow felt responsible for this and I do carry that guilt with me even to this day...

The months that followed were pretty dark and I used to be in my room constantly wondering what if Jake had actually lived? I remember listening to the radio to basically just get away from it all....I remember tunning into this really cool Classic Rock station going by the name Vega and I have always been fond of 60s and 70s rock 'n' roll...I heard Jimi Hendrix's song "Purple Haze" at the tender age of 6 and from then on, there was no turning back for me! I suprisingly, hadn't tried out Led Zep yet...I was really obsessed with "The Who", "Jimi Hendrix", "The Doors" and "Cream"...The song "Achilles Last Stand" started playing...it was breathtaking from the word go! The beautiful opening guitar riff...and Robert's amazing voice and the lyrics!

This one line caught my attention :

"With all the fun to have, to live the dreams we always had"

Reminded me of all my memories with Jake and the life that we had pretty much planned ahead for ourselves...I was just so fascinated by this song...I usually remember a song for its guitar riffs and stuff..but this, I remembered for its lyrics! It in a weird way captured what I was feeling at the time...Then, a couple of hours later, I went down stairs for lunch and I casually asked my dad about the song "Achilles Last Stand"...he is really into classic rock and he was glad to see that I was occupied with something else other than Jake's death...My dad then proceeded to tell me about Led Zeppelin (about Robert, Jimmy, JPJ and Bonzo) and then he told me something which I still can't get over even today...he told me how Robert was in a wheel chair (after that terrible accident in Greece) while recording "Achilles Last Stand" and pretty much the entire album "Presence"...I was shocked! I quitely retreated to my room and began to ponder...I looked up "Achilles" on the net just to make sure that my dad was being accurate...These thoughts struck my mind (about Robert) : "Through all that physical pain of being in a wheel chair and having gone through something so horrific, this guy manages to co-write such a beautiful song...he is pretty much at his creative best and here I am, this 17 year old kid who is moaning and groaning about her loss!"....I told myself to stop being so childish and just toughen up, stay strong and be brave! I told myself that this was the only way that I was ever going to have the upper hand in the game of life! My family could see the change in me...I refused to go see my grief counsellor...I dealt with it by just confiding in the people closest to me and also, Zep's music pretty much helped too! I'm in my honours year now and next year, I hope to pursue a Master's degree in Eco and Finance.

Jake will always be in my heart...I just tend to keep thinking about the good old days and I try not to think about the sad turn of events...I still haven't "moved on completely"...but I have learnt to stay strong and focussed and I guess that its these eventualities in life which pretty much makes all of us grow as human beings!

"Achilles Last Stand" is a song which is pretty dear to me because it was that song and the history behind it which literally saved me from going into a very dark and disturbing place and never returning!

Anyway, sorry for rambling but I just had to share my thoughts with you guys!

Cheers!

[Kiwi_Zep_Fan87]

Hi Emma!

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on how you got into Led Zep in the first place! Your post has this really powerful vibe to it! And I am sorry to hear what you had to go through at such a young age...but the fact remains that you emerged tougher and stronger and hopefully, life will be a positive experience for you for the rest of the years to come!

And yes, Achilles Last Stand is one incredible song...glad that it had the power to get you through your crisis!

As for Led Zep for inspiring me, well I think that I can safely say that I truly admire Robert (I've watched a lot of his interviews)...he seems nice, calm, poised, down to earth and has not let the fame get to his head (I guess this is what he is like in real life)...he and Jimmy (from all those interviews), inspire me to be happy, have a positive outlook on life even in the most testing of situations...I must confess that I do have a bit of a temper and I really try not to lose it and I just try to keep smiling and see the sunny side of things!

Cheers!

[sweetredwine]

No doubt the song

has prompted many (including myself) to change for the better in more serious, enduring and subtle ways ...

and besides, the scenic route is much more interesting than the stifling and overbearing "direct" way

[Sardonicus]

After hearing Led Zeppelin for the first time I was inspired to never listen to another Beach Boys album ever again.

I'd say that was a change for the better.

[ledzepfvr]

Hi Emma....welcome to the forum.

Your story is very sad and so sorry to hear of your loss. Grief in the face of tragedy like that is hard, but those experiences build our character and your new attitude is what makes you stronger. It is just too bad that your boyfriend did not find inspiration in Led Zeppelin to change the road he was on before he ran out of time.

While I did not find inspiration in my youth (I just liked listening to the music), in my later years now listening keeps the mind youthful as the body develops the aches and pains of maturity.

[Emma Jane]

I truly admire Robert (I've watched a lot of his interviews)...he seems nice, calm, poised, down to earth and has not let the fame get to his head (I guess this is what he is like in real life)...he and Jimmy (from all those interviews), inspire me to be happy, have a positive outlook on life even in the most testing of situations...I must confess that I do have a bit of a temper and I really try not to lose it and I just try to keep smiling and see the sunny side of things!

I agree with you 100% Kiwi! Robert is such a happy person and that is such an awesome thing! And in life, to be one step ahead, you really have to look at the sunny side of things! That's a huge lesson I've learnt from my past experiences and that's one lesson I'll never forget! BTW, thank God for youtube which has many Page and Plant interviews!! LOL!

[Emma Jane]

After hearing Led Zeppelin for the first time I was inspired to never listen to another Beach Boys album ever again.

I'd say that was a change for the better.

LOL! I can really relate to your post Sardonicus! After listening to Led Zep, I pretty much got wind of what "real" music is!

[Emma Jane]

No doubt the song

has prompted many (including myself) to change for the better in more serious, enduring and subtle ways ...

and besides, the scenic route is much more interesting than the stifling and overbearing "direct" way

Wow! Thanks for the vid, sweetredwine! That truly made my night!! There is just one sentence to describe "Stairway To Heaven" : "a true work of art which pretty much takes the listener on a magical journey!".

[Emma Jane]

Hi Emma....welcome to the forum.

Your story is very sad and so sorry to hear of your loss. Grief in the face of tragedy like that is hard, but those experiences build our character and your new attitude is what makes you stronger. It is just too bad that your boyfriend did not find inspiration in Led Zeppelin to change the road he was on before he ran out of time.

While I did not find inspiration in my youth (I just liked listening to the music), in my later years now listening keeps the mind youthful as the body develops the aches and pains of maturity.

Hi ledzepfvr! You're absolutely right! Its experiences like these which make us grow as individuals! I guess this is what life is all about! But I don't think I'll ever "move on" completely because Jake was pretty much a part of me...And I keep asking myself that question too : "why in the world didn't Jake find inspiration from such an amazing band like Led Zeppelin?"....I guess the reason for this is probably because of the kind of "friends" he had...they were into stuff like rap and the lyrics to some songs were a bit disturbing....it was a case of peer pressure at its worst!

[cheesehead1204]

Well...they inspired me to listen to better music!

[Electrophile]

No, not really. People and events that have happened to me in my life have done that.

They did however, inspire me to start collecting vinyl records.

[dazedcat]

No, it was the reverse for me. When I started to broaden my musical tastes and opened my ears to other sounds, that's when my personal life started to change. Different music attracts different people to it. I got very interested in electric jazz (fusion) in the mid 70's and met people who were older and wiser than I was because of it. I hung around with them and realized there was more to life than what I was doing at the time.

Nothing against Zeppelin or any other hard rock band of that era, but there's a lot more to life. You just evolve as a person and hopefully the folks you meet along the way help you with that process.

[Kiwi_Zep_Fan87]

I agree with you 100% Kiwi! Robert is such a happy person and that is such an awesome thing! And in life, to be one step ahead, you really have to look at the sunny side of things! That's a huge lesson I've learnt from my past experiences and that's one lesson I'll never forget! BTW, thank God for youtube which has many Page and Plant interviews!! LOL!

Yes! Thank God indeed! You tube rocks! Have you ever stayed up a late as 4 AM watching Robert and Jimmy related stuff on you tube? I sure have!! I'm such a fanatic!

[Emma Jane]

Well...they inspired me to listen to better music!

Yep...I know what you mean!

[Emma Jane]

No, not really. People and events that have happened to me in my life have done that.

They did however, inspire me to start collecting vinyl records.

That's nice! My dad has like this huge collection of tapes and vinyls from when he was a kid and I don't know but the sound quality of these vinyls are even better than some of the CD versions of the same album! Weird huh?!

[Emma Jane]

Yes! Thank God indeed! You tube rocks! Have you ever stayed up a late as 4 AM watching Robert and Jimmy related stuff on you tube? I sure have!! I'm such a fanatic!

LOL, Kiwi! I have this "bad habit" too and my elder sister has caught me at it quite a few times! I am incorrigible!

[justawoman]

Emma thank you for starting this post and sharing your sad but touching story.

I loved reading all these posts and I can relate to so many - especially Sardonicus' about never listening to the Beach Boys again. That really made me LOL

. . . . . . and ledzepfvr I can totally relate about when I was younger just enjoying the music for the music but now that I'm older how it helps keep the mind young while dealing with the aches and pains of age . . . . . . . . it also inspires me to move more (exercise) to try keep the body young.

But mostly, and maybe most importantly it has helped me on my own artistic path. A few years ago I decided to start painting, I knew what I liked and what I wanted to try to do. I didn't want to just paint pictures of other things, I was drawn to abstracts, mostly abstract expressionism and raw or brut art. I wanted to paint emotion, feelings, movement. Paintings that made you stop and look whether it was with delight or distaste, I wanted to illicit emotion. I didn't want to play it safe but at the same time I was having a hard time loosening up and getting over my fear of non-acceptance and putting my more wild work out there. Led Zep's music has helped me to do that. With their music on, I can free up and let the act of just creating and the music move me. It's like I can stop thinking and just let their music guide my brush and the direction I go in.

In fact, last spring I was participating in a local art show, was very unsure of my work and was basically scared shitless of showing a piece. My work and the other artists work in this area are very different and I was feeling very insecure of this fact. I was painting to try to be more "acceptable". Well, I put on some Zeppelin, said "F____ It", and went back to doing the kind of painting that I love to do. I had the attitude that this is what I do and if it's acceptable it's acceptable. If not, so what, I know I will like it. To make a long story short, I created a piece, entered it in the competition (even though I was still very nervous about doing so), ended up winning the competition, selling the piece for more than I would have dreamed and from that now have my first gallery showing this fall.

I hope ya'll don't mind, but I here's a pic of the piece:

BTW, I named it "Bringing It On Home" since this is what I was doing and as homage to my muses.

[ledzepfvr]

Emma thank you for starting this post and sharing your sad but touching story.

I loved reading all these posts and I can relate to so many - especially Sardonicus' about never listening to the Beach Boys again. That really made me LOL

. . . . . . and ledzepfvr I can totally relate about when I was younger just enjoying the music for the music but now that I'm older how it helps keep the mind young while dealing with the aches and pains of age . . . . . . . . it also inspires me to move more (exercise) to try keep the body young.

But mostly, and maybe most importantly it has helped me on my own artistic path. A few years ago I decided to start painting, I knew what I liked and what I wanted to try to do. I didn't want to just paint pictures of other things, I was drawn to abstracts, mostly abstract expressionism and raw or brut art. I wanted to paint emotion, feelings, movement. Paintings that made you stop and look whether it was with delight or distaste, I wanted to illicit emotion. I didn't want to play it safe but at the same time I was having a hard time loosening up and getting over my fear of non-acceptance and putting my more wild work out there. Led Zep's music has helped me to do that. With their music on, I can free up and let the act of just creating and the music move me. It's like I can stop thinking and just let their music guide my brush and the direction I go in.

In fact, last spring I was participating in a local art show, was very unsure of my work and was basically scared shitless of showing a piece. My work and the other artists work in this area are very different and I was feeling very insecure of this fact. I was painting to try to be more "acceptable". Well, I put on some Zeppelin, said "F____ It", and went back to doing the kind of painting that I love to do. I had the attitude that this is what I do and if it's acceptable it's acceptable. If not, so what, I know I will like it. To make a long story short, I created a piece, entered it in the competition (even though I was still very nervous about doing so), ended up winning the competition, selling the piece for more than I would have dreamed and from that now have my first gallery showing this fall.

I hope ya'll don't mind, but I here's a pic of the piece:

BTW, I named it "Bringing It On Home" since this is what I was doing and as homage to my muses.

Your art piece is really nice. It deserved to win. Good luck on the gallery showing.

[spidersandsnakes]

Well, hi there and welcome to the Zep board :).......Black Dog changed me forever, it did!!!!!!!!

My linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmd6fg0r4Ic&feature=fvsr

[justawoman]

Your art piece is really nice. It deserved to win. Good luck on the gallery showing.

Thanks ledzepfyr . . . . . . . . I hope the show goes well and I can sell a piece or two to support my art, that would be cool.

[justawoman]

Well, hi there and welcome to the Zep board :).......Black Dog changed me forever, it did!!!!!!!!

My linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmd6fg0r4Ic&feature=fvsr

Hi to you too . . . . . . your link is very strange, though.

[Kiwi_Zep_Fan87]

Emma thank you for starting this post and sharing your sad but touching story.

I loved reading all these posts and I can relate to so many - especially Sardonicus' about never listening to the Beach Boys again. That really made me LOL

. . . . . . and ledzepfvr I can totally relate about when I was younger just enjoying the music for the music but now that I'm older how it helps keep the mind young while dealing with the aches and pains of age . . . . . . . . it also inspires me to move more (exercise) to try keep the body young.

But mostly, and maybe most importantly it has helped me on my own artistic path. A few years ago I decided to start painting, I knew what I liked and what I wanted to try to do. I didn't want to just paint pictures of other things, I was drawn to abstracts, mostly abstract expressionism and raw or brut art. I wanted to paint emotion, feelings, movement. Paintings that made you stop and look whether it was with delight or distaste, I wanted to illicit emotion. I didn't want to play it safe but at the same time I was having a hard time loosening up and getting over my fear of non-acceptance and putting my more wild work out there. Led Zep's music has helped me to do that. With their music on, I can free up and let the act of just creating and the music move me. It's like I can stop thinking and just let their music guide my brush and the direction I go in.

In fact, last spring I was participating in a local art show, was very unsure of my work and was basically scared shitless of showing a piece. My work and the other artists work in this area are very different and I was feeling very insecure of this fact. I was painting to try to be more "acceptable". Well, I put on some Zeppelin, said "F____ It", and went back to doing the kind of painting that I love to do. I had the attitude that this is what I do and if it's acceptable it's acceptable. If not, so what, I know I will like it. To make a long story short, I created a piece, entered it in the competition (even though I was still very nervous about doing so), ended up winning the competition, selling the piece for more than I would have dreamed and from that now have my first gallery showing this fall.

I hope ya'll don't mind, but I here's a pic of the piece:

BTW, I named it "Bringing It On Home" since this is what I was doing and as homage to my muses.

Wow! Its so awesome that Led Zep is your muse! Thanks for sharing your artwork with us! Much appreciated!! I pretty much admire people with artistic tendecies and genuine talent! You've sure got a gift! Just hang on to it and follow your dreams!

[justawoman]

Wow! Its so awesome that Led Zep is your muse! Thanks for sharing your artwork with us! Much appreciated!! I pretty much admire people with artistic tendecies and genuine talent! You've sure got a gift! Just hang on to it and follow your dreams!

Thanks so much Kiwi for your support and kind words, always appreciated.

If you want to see more of my art, check out my website, it's listed on my profile here. (Hey, artists have to self-promote whenever possible. )

[Kiwi_Zep_Fan87]

Thanks so much Kiwi for your support and kind words, always appreciated.

If you want to see more of my art, check out my website, it's listed on my profile here. (Hey, artists have to self-promote whenever possible. )

You're very welcome justawoman! And thanks for the heads-up about your site! I'm going to check it out very soon! And yep! You're right! Artists have to self-promote whenever possible!

[Emma Jane]

Emma thank you for starting this post and sharing your sad but touching story.

I loved reading all these posts and I can relate to so many - especially Sardonicus' about never listening to the Beach Boys again. That really made me LOL

. . . . . . and ledzepfvr I can totally relate about when I was younger just enjoying the music for the music but now that I'm older how it helps keep the mind young while dealing with the aches and pains of age . . . . . . . . it also inspires me to move more (exercise) to try keep the body young.

But mostly, and maybe most importantly it has helped me on my own artistic path. A few years ago I decided to start painting, I knew what I liked and what I wanted to try to do. I didn't want to just paint pictures of other things, I was drawn to abstracts, mostly abstract expressionism and raw or brut art. I wanted to paint emotion, feelings, movement. Paintings that made you stop and look whether it was with delight or distaste, I wanted to illicit emotion. I didn't want to play it safe but at the same time I was having a hard time loosening up and getting over my fear of non-acceptance and putting my more wild work out there. Led Zep's music has helped me to do that. With their music on, I can free up and let the act of just creating and the music move me. It's like I can stop thinking and just let their music guide my brush and the direction I go in.

In fact, last spring I was participating in a local art show, was very unsure of my work and was basically scared shitless of showing a piece. My work and the other artists work in this area are very different and I was feeling very insecure of this fact. I was painting to try to be more "acceptable". Well, I put on some Zeppelin, said "F____ It", and went back to doing the kind of painting that I love to do. I had the attitude that this is what I do and if it's acceptable it's acceptable. If not, so what, I know I will like it. To make a long story short, I created a piece, entered it in the competition (even though I was still very nervous about doing so), ended up winning the competition, selling the piece for more than I would have dreamed and from that now have my first gallery showing this fall.

I hope ya'll don't mind, but I here's a pic of the piece:

BTW, I named it "Bringing It On Home" since this is what I was doing and as homage to my muses.

And thank you for taking time to read the thread I started Justawoman! Much appreciated! I somehow sumed up the courage to share my story with my fellow Zep heads! Led Zep will always occupy a really special place in my heart! And that is a lovely piece of art you've got there! Led Zep is one inspirational band in my book! That is the reason why I love them so much!