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Posted

I'm in the middle of reading the latest volume of Michael Palin's (Monty Python) Diaries: Halfway to Hollywood 1980-1988, and I just came to an entry where he mentions Jimmy Page. It's on page 271.

The year is 1983...and the diary entry is dated Tuesday, September 20th. I've excerpted the pertinent parts.

"I am tempted by a phone call from Ray Cooper to attend the first of a two-night concert in aid of Multiple Sclerosis, in which many great rock stars of the '60's, all friends of Ronnie Lane who has MS, will be appearing, including Ray C.

...But even Ray is upstaged by the extraordinary appearance of Jimmy Page, who weaves his way around the stage like a man who has been frozen in the last stages of drunkenness, before actually falling over. He sways, reels, totters, bends, but still manages to play superbly.

The others look on anxiously and Ray tells me at the end that Page isn't well...'And he lives in Aleister Crowley's house.'"

I have the earlier volume of Michael Palin's diaries, that discuss the making of the Holy Grail movie. But it's buried deep in storage at the moment.

Posted

Well Ray Cooper was totally right about one thing - Jimmy wasn't well at all. All of the other performers were anxious about him - but spellbound.

Ray's an absolute legend IMHO.

Posted

Ray's an absolute legend IMHO.

You got that right. Saw him many times with various bands...most memorably with Elton John many, many moons ago.

Posted

I love Page at the ARMS shows. He REALLY sticks out among the others, in a good way.

His tone is completely out to lunch, right out there. His stage moves are truly excellent, totally ridiculous.

For me , those were some of the last appearances where he came off with that young Jimmy Page thing, with the hair, and the thin physique.

Posted (edited)

He also mentions somewhere in the book about a meeting with Page & Plant and saying "we left quickly because they CAN cause riots" or something along those lines. :)

Edit: its in his diaries 70-79 i think

Edited by Pagey_17
Posted (edited)

I agree Jimmy wasn't well. I also agree he stole the show. For me he is the show. I want to add on a much happier note, again not revleant to Michael Palin, everyone needs to see Roy Harper's new interview with Uncut and the wonderful things he says about Jimmy. This is about half it:

"Jimmy's a gentleman, a first-rate gentleman. I'll stand by him for the rest of time. There maybe sides to him that's he's never shown to me, that he's kept hidden from me. But I doubt it and if he does have a dark side, I was never part of it. The heavy atmosphere that surrounded Zeppelin at times had everything to do with Peter Grant. He was something to behold, a very powerful man. He was a brilliant businessman as well as an ogre who had a reputation for breaking people's fingers for just looking at him in the wrong way. He was someone you did not want to cross in any circumstance. You went to parties and there were two people who never ended up in the swimming pool, who you would never, ever, think of throwing in the pool - Jimmy and Peter. Oh, and the woman who was carrying for the band and had something or other in her bra."

Edited by aen27
Posted (edited)

"You went to parties and there were two people who never ended up in the swimming pool, who you would never, ever, think of throwing in the pool - Jimmy and Peter. Oh, and the woman who was carrying for the band and had something or other in her bra."

Hotplant? Silver Rider? ;)

Edited by Strider
Posted

No, I wasn't in the pool. :lol:

Haha, that's what I was implying...you were one of the "carry" girls, so nobody threw you in the pool, as Roy Harper said.

Posted

I'm in the middle of reading the latest volume of Michael Palin's (Monty Python) Diaries: Halfway to Hollywood 1980-1988, and I just came to an entry where he mentions Jimmy Page. It's on page 271.

The year is 1983...and the diary entry is dated Tuesday, September 20th. I've excerpted the pertinent parts.

"I am tempted by a phone call from Ray Cooper to attend the first of a two-night concert in aid of Multiple Sclerosis, in which many great rock stars of the '60's, all friends of Ronnie Lane who has MS, will be appearing, including Ray C.

...But even Ray is upstaged by the extraordinary appearance of Jimmy Page, who weaves his way around the stage like a man who has been frozen in the last stages of drunkenness, before actually falling over. He sways, reels, totters, bends, but still manages to play superbly.

The others look on anxiously and Ray tells me at the end that Page isn't well...'And he lives in Aleister Crowley's house.'"

I have the earlier volume of Michael Palin's diaries, that discuss the making of the Holy Grail movie. But it's buried deep in storage at the moment.

I have to dismiss this last line: 'And he lives in Aleister Crowley's house.' Page may not have been as well as he could have been at that time, but to say that Jimmy lives in Crowley's house is (I think) factually inaccurate (especially in 1983). At that time Jimmy was living in Windsor at the "Old Mill House" which Jimmy had purchased from Michael Caine.

Posted (edited)

I have to dismiss this last line: 'And he lives in Aleister Crowley's house.' Page may not have been as well as he could have been at that time, but to say that Jimmy lives in Crowley's house is (I think) factually inaccurate (especially in 1983). At that time Jimmy was living in Windsor at the "Old Mill House" which Jimmy had purchased from Michael Caine.

Agreed. Though he purchased Boleskine House in early 1970 and owned it until early 1992 he never stayed there more than a few months at any time.

Edited by SteveAJones
Posted

I agree Jimmy wasn't well. I also agree he stole the show. For me he is the show. I want to add on a much happier note, again not revleant to Michael Palin, everyone needs to see Roy Harper's new interview with Uncut and the wonderful things he says about Jimmy. This is about half it:

"Jimmy's a gentleman, a first-rate gentleman. I'll stand by him for the rest of time. There maybe sides to him that's he's never shown to me, that he's kept hidden from me. But I doubt it and if he does have a dark side, I was never part of it. The heavy atmosphere that surrounded Zeppelin at times had everything to do with Peter Grant. He was something to behold, a very powerful man. He was a brilliant businessman as well as an ogre who had a reputation for breaking people's fingers for just looking at him in the wrong way. He was someone you did not want to cross in any circumstance. You went to parties and there were two people who never ended up in the swimming pool, who you would never, ever, think of throwing in the pool - Jimmy and Peter. Oh, and the woman who was carrying for the band and had something or other in her bra."

This is so great what Roy Harper has said about Jimmy. Both are real gentlemen and class. Nice to hear this. Always thought myself, that Peter Grant and everything and everyone who surrounded him were the problem with Zeppelin and not the band. Jimmy once said that he didn't like the idea of their management settling all their disputes with violence. Not sure when he said this, but I read this recently.

Posted (edited)

This is so great what Roy Harper has said about Jimmy. Both are real gentlemen and class. Nice to hear this. Always thought myself, that Peter Grant and everything and everyone who surrounded him were the problem with Zeppelin and not the band. Jimmy once said that he didn't like the idea of their management settling all their disputes with violence. Not sure when he said this, but I read this recently.

I agree. It was like finding a gem in the magazine. I knew the interview was coming because BP Fallon posted it on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. He was also Roy's press agent in the mid '70's. I think Roy is classy too -- and Jimmy, that goes without saying. It is wonderful that he says this in print about Jimmy. If anyone would know closely the real Jimmy, it would be Roy. I also knew that Peter and their management caused the violence. I read Jimmy's quote somewhere too.

Edited by aen27
Posted

That was really nice quote by Michael Palin. I have already mentioned that I'm a big fan of Michael Palin and the company so I don't need to say more. Thanks for sharing that quote with us.

Posted

The London ARMS concert is so bittersweet because he was at rock bottom health wise and yet playing onstage that night helped him realize that he could play again. And that his fans wanted him to play again, that they validated why he needed to play music onstage instead of sheltering himself at home in a heroin stupor.

It just shows the kind of respect he garners with people since his drug addiction seems not to be held against him.

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