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Jimmy Page talks to Rollingstone about Post-O2 Plans


kenticus

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Thanks sam_webmaster! Don't know how I let that one slip past me.

new issue: Dec. 6, 2012

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Thanks for this Sam. The woman who does the magazines at our store showed this to me and I bought it before I left work today. The interview looks so interesting!

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I saw Robert live at the O2, I watched him on Celebration Day, and I've seen him perform several times in between with all his other collaborations. All great shows - but nothing compares to what we saw of him at the O2. Wonderful as it was to see the whole band on top of their game as they were, to me the most wonderful thing was to see RP offer such a superb rendition of those songs : so much musicality and mature expression, yet with all the rock and roll there's ever been.

Wonderful show. But to think about what did and didn't happen: the attitudes and assumptions, the undeclared aspirations of all the band members , just makes you think there must have been so much pain around the whole topic. I hope the wounds are healing .

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I think the thing that rankles (me anyway) is that for some reason it's ok for Robert to play and sing Led Zeppelin songs with Alison Krauss, Buddy Miller, etc. in re-arranged versions; but when it comes to doing it with his original band mates, that's off. It makes no sense. I agree with “kenticus” above that a world tour should never have been in the cards, as that would have been going too far. The mystique of the band is in no small part due to its practical non-existence over the past 30 years. But it would have been very nice for the band to have played a few shows in some of the cities that obviously have historical clout for the band: Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo....or maybe do one-off shows every now and then. In either case, Robert could have gotten the monkey off his back - he could go out and do his thing with Alison or Band of Joy (all great stuff) or whomever and leave the Led Zeppelin stuff to....Led Zeppelin.

I understand the band had a contentious relationship with the press when they ruled the world; but I think the press was right to push this issue at the press conferences. If you're putting yourself out there to the media, then you're fair game for whatever they want to ask...and for what their readers want to hear. I have found Robert's replies to questions about whether the band would re-unite really irritating. Why not just come out and say “This was my youth, it was wonderful to re-visit it, but I'm done”.

I don't know that we'll ever get the whole story, but the one I always felt badly for was JPJ. You think he was happy when Page/Plant were out doing their thing in the mid-90's? Of course he wanted to play with them...and in the end he was able to do it properly just once...in 2007.

He has on many occasions but some people just won't accept his decision.

We all need to get over it and move on and appreciate the fact the music was made at all and we got a recorded concert of perhaps the last time they will ever play together.

They don't owe anyone, anything.

As I understand it, JPJ wasn't asked because they didn't want it to be construed as a Led Zeppelin tour.

Could it have been handled better? Perhaps.

P & P re-arranged many songs differently from the original versions and that is ok with some fans but not when it comes to him playing with others.

Double standards? You bet!

Btw, as he co-wrote many of the songs he has every right to present them with anyone, anyway he likes.

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I enjoy the new takes on zep songs Robert has as much right to do them w/ Alison or Buddy Miller as page did with Black Crowes...Band of Joy was one of the best shows I ever saw. There's no need for a new Zep tour celebration day is a great way to close out...imagine if they did what the "reunion" pushers wanted ...again and again...and again. It wouldnt be so grand as a spectacular one off...they'd just get thrown in that McCartney/stones class...Stairway for 100th time...tired looking ...a new cd ...yes, maybebut Robert as well as the rest of the band can do anything they want. I think even Jimmy has come to terms with things as they are for the group as it WAS

EDIT: I don't want this to be a negative post I am only trying to say LZ may seal the deal as 1 of if not THE greatest bands of all time with the concert/ film Celebration Day...I would like to see that hold and ,as much as i love the guy's jamming together, don't want to see Spinal Tap syndrome...LZ may be the 1 group that avoided that from that era and slightly before.

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A massive world tour was always very unlikely. BUT I will say this. Plant himself stated that, and I quote "Hopefully, one day, we could do it again. Our profit is - it's metaphysical." (May 2008). He also stated and I'm paraphrasing, "It would be a good idea to do a FEW more one offs". Again thats paraphrased but you get the point.

These are the kind of statements that piss fans off and make Plant an easy target for their ire. I dont know if its a tease, a game, or he really felt that way at the time but then abruptly changed his mind? Very fickle. Best not to say anything about it. Either do something or dont, get off the maybe. People dont like maybe's.

Either way we have a fantastic visual/audio recording of that amazing preformance at the O2 to replay over and over again! And It seems 2013 we'll be getting new solo material from both Page and Plant and maybe Jones and Jason as well. Not to shabby IMO.

Robert Plant's attitude towards playing shows with Led Zeppelin since 1980 has always been a strange one. It would be very easy for him to come out and say "Led Zeppelin hasnt been a band since 1980. We had a great time but I have no interest in playing shows with Led Zeppelin ever again." But he has never done so. If he were to do this, it would put an end to all the incessant reunion questions once and for all.

His angry reaction in some of the press conferences promoting Celebration Day were quite amusing. If he hates the reunion questions so much, why doesnt he just deny them outright rather than coming out with an ambiguous answer, and talking around the question? He has no right to get angry at these questions at press conferences, because he only has himself to blame for them. If he doesnt want to play with Led Zeppelin now or in the future, he should just come out and say it. That point has rung true since 1980, to be quite honest.

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What is always forgotten was the original reason for the O2 concert: a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun( I am sorry if I misspelled) and not strictly a Zeppelin reunion. To bitch about it not going forward into further shows lays at the feet of Page, not Plant. Plant fulfilled his commitment and moved on to his other career. It is like a divorced couple who get back together for their child's wedding and one is disappointed that the other one didn't want to get back into a romantic relationship, based on getting along so well for their child on their wedding day.

very well said TM! Totally agree.....I love it that they got together to honour a man who they respected and loved and they never forgot what he had done for them and their career....that says a lot about the band.
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Robert Plant's attitude towards playing shows with Led Zeppelin since 1980 has always been a strange one. It would be very easy for him to come out and say "Led Zeppelin hasnt been a band since 1980. We had a great time but I have no interest in playing shows with Led Zeppelin ever again." But he has never done so. If he were to do this, it would put an end to all the incessant reunion questions once and for all.

His angry reaction in some of the press conferences promoting Celebration Day were quite amusing. If he hates the reunion questions so much, why doesnt he just deny them outright rather than coming out with an ambiguous answer, and talking around the question? He has no right to get angry at these questions at press conferences, because he only has himself to blame for them. If he doesnt want to play with Led Zeppelin now or in the future, he should just come out and say it. That point has rung true since 1980, to be quite honest.

A 4 December 1980 press statement stated that, "We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were", and was simply signed "Led Zeppelin".

Q: And is that why you were against doing a Led Zeppelin reunion tour?

ROBERT: Yes. Sure is. It was a great band. You can't actually get it together, like Deep Purple or something, and take it out there. It's incredibly old. It's like doing the goosestep. Out of fashion. I don't think it's a good idea. But the whole thing was off the wall. It was crazy. One of those one-in-a-million combinations.

I was astounded that I'd fallen into the idea so easily of playing with Jimmy and Jonesy again, albeit mechanically, not in the name Led Zeppelin. I was letting myself down, my own individuality, my own persona and everything I'd worked for. I was sticking a knife in its side. It's kind of Robert Plant. And Robert Plant was being superseded by the return of the monster. I could see that it was making a lot of people happy. A lot happier than they were the night before when I played in Detroit with the new band. And the cackling cries of "Where's Jimmy?" continued wherever I played next. Media-wise, the band became far more of a backing than they really were. So, that was a hard one to get over for them.

But with this band and this music, basically I wanted to get across to college kids, because my music.... I think about it a lot, I work hard on it and I don't want it to get just wishy-washed around with all the formula music. 'Cause I wanted to get to the kids that wondered what happened to the guy who was the king of fucking rock in 1961. (http://www.artistwd....lant/robert.php)

“It’s almost as if people can’t see that I have other projects. It’s like a woman with white heels and a pencil skirt passing by will attract my eyes, but most will miss it completely,” the former frontman said (via tourdates.co.uk).

While frontman Robert Plant originally sat down with Ben Jones on Absolute Radio to talk about his current work with singer/violinist Alison Krauss, the conversation eventually turned to the Led Zeppelin reunion that could have been. "The reason that it stopped was because we were incomplete and we've been incomplete now for 28 years," Plant says. "No matter what you do, you have to really guard the discretion of what you've done in the past and make sure that you have all the reasons and the right place to be able to do something with absolute and total conviction." (http://www.absoluter...-Alison-Krauss/)

But just as his Krauss collaboration was lifting off, Zeppelin reunited for one night only at the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert at London’s O2 Arena in December 2007, with Jason Bonham taking his father’s place behind the drum kit.

“I really had a wonderful time,” says Plant. “It was the best Led Zeppelin gig since 1975.” Many would like the reunion to have continued, including his band mates. When I spoke to Jimmy Page earlier this year, he said: "You’d better ask Robert Plant what the future of Led Zeppelin is.”

So I put the question directly to Plant: would he do it again?

“I don’t think so,” he sighs. “You’ve got to have a lot in common with the people you’re working with at this time in your life. Everything has to move on and forward, in all relationships.

"I know that bands that haven’t put out a record for 10 years are playing to 20,000 people a night. But that’s not the achievement. The achievement is to knock yourself out. It’s a very selfish thing. The tail must never wag the dog.” (http://www.telegraph...in-reunion.html)

"It was an amazing evening," Plant says. "The preparations for it were fraught and intense, but the last rehearsal was really, really good, for all that it represented and all that we were trying to capture. But I've gone so far somewhere else that I almost can't relate to it...It's a bit of a pain in the pisser to be honest. Who cares? I know people care, but think about it from my angle - soon, I'm going to need help crossing the street."

"There's nothing worse than a bunch of jaded old farts, and that's a fact," he says. "People who have written their story — they've gotten to the point where nothing moves. I don't deal in that, and I don't deal with anybody who deals in that."

Read more: http://www.rollingst...6#ixzz2Czq9IIGu

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I loved the interview. It's one of the best I have ever read. He's his witty, classy, stylish self throughout. While Light and Shade is good -- in this he does go into more. I think it's worth getting and reading -- very carefully. You don't want miss a thing from this.

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I agree with what's been said, Why sing LZ songs without LZ?

Why not? He wrote at least most of the lyrics and both and page and plant borrowed from others...maybe putting a new spin on an older song is interesting for some...it doesn't devalue what LZ did ..just shows it can be shared with maybe a more varied audience...I think Plant is "ambiguous" because he's never definitively said he's shutting the door but isn't dealing with it now. I still maintain u will see Page and Plant share a musical stage somewhere again...if only for a couple songs someday Plus if that was true well they also already have done it themselves 3 times as Led Zeppelin ceased to exist in 1980 with the death of one member. And Page's tour wit Black crowes just seems to get a pass...he did it too without the remaining 2...

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Yes, than you ProPlant (though your formatting is a tad hard to read sometimes).

I know before the 02, Plant stated (paraphrasing): I know others think something else will happen, but I will he hightailing it right back here to Allison and this group after the 02 show.

Pagey, Jonesy, and probably even Jason, have the right to perform Zep music as part of any group they might be in, I am sure Plant wouldn't stop them.

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Jimmy is very honost about Robert's feelings. Robert was busy at the time of the O2 and previously has felt like just the singer in a band of musicans. It's quite clear here, in Mojo, in Light and Shade and in Trampled Underfoot.

I thought this thread was about Jimmy's wonderful brand new Rolling Stone interview. It has straid and it's becoming about Robert as always, but that is only my opinion.

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Yes, than you ProPlant (though your formatting is a tad hard to read sometimes).

I know before the 02, Plant stated (paraphrasing): I know others think something else will happen, but I will he hightailing it right back here to Allison and this group after the 02 show.

Pagey, Jonesy, and probably even Jason, have the right to perform Zep music as part of any group they might be in, I am sure Plant wouldn't stop them.

Sorry about that...bad cut and paste job on my part. I think I have it mostly fixed now.

I agree with your statement above. People are always asking why Robert still plays the songs, but they're his songs to play...just as they're Jimmy's and John Paul's songs if they want to use them. I've never seen any indication that Robert would have any problem with them going out there and doing whatever they wanted with the music. It isn't as if he's going out there and seeking for people to play them exactly like John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page play, only without actually using those two. He's just out there doing music and of course he's going to mix in some of those songs.

As far as the conversation becoming all about Robert, I think that's what happens when statements are made in an interview that basically come across as "We would have done this again if not for the fact Robert wouldn't do it." I don't actually think that was the way it was intended, since I've seen plenty of articles in Rolling Stone in the past where comments were taken completely out of context and fashioned more in the way to present Rolling Stone's agenda than that of the person being interviewed, but that's my own opinion. Anytime it's brought up, it either makes Robert look like the bad guy who ruined it for everyone, or like Jimmy has the inability to move on and I just think that's a shame. There is so much left to learn from Jimmy Page and so many more interesting things that we could be reading about from him...but reporters seem unable to move the focus away.

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Plant has every right to become annoyed at the inevitable reunion question.The press should've realized by now that they're not going to get a "Zeppelin reunion scoop" when the band is at a press conference to conduct other business such as the official release of the O2 concert.

If and when they decide to reunite for anything,they'll decide if and when to publicise it their way as they've done in their time honoured way.

By all reports Jimmy Page and everyone else was clear that the O2 was for Ahmet Ertegun and it would be a one off.

It's not Plant's job to publicise whether there'll be any future Zep reunions,and if he was not to take part I'm sure we'd know beforehand.He's not yet closed the door on Zeppelin and anything related to come in future.

Those that are angling for him to come out and say that would just give them further reason on who they'd like to finally blame.

This shit has got old,really fucking old.

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His angry reaction in some of the press conferences promoting Celebration Day were quite amusing. If he hates the reunion questions so much, why doesnt he just deny them outright rather than coming out with an ambiguous answer, and talking around the question? He has no right to get angry at these questions at press conferences, because he only has himself to blame for them. If he doesnt want to play with Led Zeppelin now or in the future, he should just come out and say it. That point has rung true since 1980, to be quite honest.

What angry reaction? There wasn't one.

He has REPEATEDLY stated that Led Zeppelin is part of his past - like Reggie said, people just don't want to hear it.

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Jimmy is very honost about Robert's feelings. Robert was busy at the time of the O2 and previously has felt like just the singer in a band of musicans. It's quite clear here, in Mojo, in Light and Shade and in Trampled Underfoot.

I thought this thread was about Jimmy's wonderful brand new Rolling Stone interview. It has straid and it's becoming about Robert as always, but that is only my opinion.

Yes Seriously I am a huge fam of a lot of Plant's post Zep work but the thread and story is about Jimmy...Maybe these new remasters will just kill and everyone will be happy..."reunion"is a word that has been used so much it ceases to have meeting...McCartney and Ringo play a song and its a "Beatles reunion"!...I think Jimmy may surprise us in the next year no matter what the project is...I guess I am the only one who saw It Might Get Loud...people talk like Jimmy disappeared 20 years ago...it is really an interesting little film found on Blu ray for 6.99 ..even if u dont like white or the Edge...It's a look at the musical side of jimmy page and things that are overlooked in favor of occult-oriented questions people shouldnt even care about after 40 years...

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Regrading the Rolling Stone interview reunion question: Robert being busy has nothing to do with it. Jimmy is the reason reporters still ask this question 32 years after the fact. Since 1976, Robert has had to cover for Jimmy in the press, even if he didn't necessarily deserve it, at some level. IMHO, when a reporter asks Jimmy why Zeppelin hasn't reunited, he should keep Robert's name out of it.

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If and when they decide to reunite for anything,they'll decide if and when to publicise it their way as they've done in their time honoured way.

exactly - this is why Jimmy and JPJ have been saying publicly that it's been 5 years- if we were going to do something don't you think it seems likely we would have by now?

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As far as the conversation becoming all about Robert, I think that's what happens when statements are made in an interview that basically come across as "We would have done this again if not for the fact Robert wouldn't do it." I don't actually think that was the way it was intended, since I've seen plenty of articles in Rolling Stone in the past where comments were taken completely out of context and fashioned more in the way to present Rolling Stone's agenda than that of the person being interviewed, but that's my own opinion. Anytime it's brought up, it either makes Robert look like the bad guy who ruined it for everyone, or like Jimmy has the inability to move on and I just think that's a shame. There is so much left to learn from Jimmy Page and so many more interesting things that we could be reading about from him...but reporters seem unable to move the focus away.

Well put, ProPlant!

Irks me to type in 'Led Zeppelin' in search engines to find some good news and all I see are the blaring headlines (paraphrasing): "Jimmy says it's all Robert's Fault No Reunion Happened". from different news outlets. *smh*

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Cover Story Excerpt: Jimmy Page Looks Back on Led Zeppelin's Epic Ride

'There was a certain amount of acid poured on us'

November 23, 2012

20121120-jimmy-page-cover-picture-286x389-1353453010.jpg

Jimmy Page on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Photography by Neal Preston

In the cover story for the new issue of Rolling Stone, Jimmy Page gives his deepest interview ever, speaking to Senior Writer David Fricke for more than eight hours about his post-Zeppelin drinking problem, the death of John Bonham, his life as a Sixties session guitarist, his favorite Led Zeppelin riffs, and much more. Here is an excerpt:

You formed the group and picked the players. Would you say Led Zeppelin was your band?

There was no doubt about that. At that time, absolutely. I'm the one presenting the material and giving the ideas, how these things should be done. But the ruthless efficiency – everybody went into the first album with that. Everybody knew how good we were. And we were strict in that if we were writing something and it sounded like something else we'd done, we'd immediately drop it. There was one tipping of the hat: "Tea for One," which was like "Since I've Been Loving You" [on Led Zeppelin III]. That was intentional, to apply a different feel to that blues.

Were you hurt by the initial, negative critical reaction?

I was hoping you would ask that, writing for Rolling Stone [laughs]. There was a certain amount of acid poured on us. I could see it as venomous then. How I see it now? It went over their heads. I will give the reviewers the benefit of the doubt – each album was so different to the others. After Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II, you get III: "What's this about? Acoustic guitars?" There were crazy conclusions: "They're doing a Crosby, Stills and Nash." That's because your ears weren't open to the first album, when there was quite a bit of acoustic guitar too.

Did the reviews make you mad?

It made me more determined. I knew what we had. We obliterated them in San Francisco on the first tour. [Led Zeppelin opened for Country Joe and the Fish at the Fillmore West for three nights in January 1969]. By the time we were moving on, through these other territories, everybody wanted to see what had come from the ashes of the Yardbirds.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/cover-story-excerpt-jimmy-page-looks-back-on-led-zeppelins-epic-ride-20121123

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