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Two separate questions re: For Your LIfe


dpat

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One of my all-time favorite Zep tunes, but always wondered a few things about this song:

1)  "Try it fryin' " refers to free-basing cocaine, correct?  If so, Zep (in late 1975) possibly was on the forefront to know about this practice before it became common public knowledge of how to do that, I believe, in the later 1970s/early 1980s.  Free-basing wasn't invented until 1970.  [And, for you newbies, crack was not even invented yet].  And I only know this by what I read on The Internets -- 'cuz it never lies, correct?

2) Was this song referencing (in part) a death that occurred at Page's house while they were on tour in 1975?  Or was this just a rumor (the death)?  If so, not much more is know regarding the tragic circumstances, is there?

Thanks.

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My short and quick response is:  Yes, I do believe that that line refers to smoking or freebasing cocaine.  However, it is my opinion and belief that Robert is singing "Try it, Fry it". 

Try it = snort.  Fry it = smoke.

On a side note:  I have read that Robert Plant met and hung out with Richard Pryor in Los Angeles during the 1977 tour.  Of course most of us know that this was the LA series of concerts known as the "Badgeholders" concerts.  Even though there is no known proof, I would bet a lot of money that there was some kind of "shenanigans" involving Robert, Richard, Jimmy and possibly even Bonzo himself involving the "try it, fry it" lyric/concept.   

Edited by kingzoso
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My short and quick response is:  Yes, I do believe that that line refers to smoking or freebasing cocaine.  However, it is my opinion and belief that Robert is singing "Try it, Fry it". 

Try it = snort.  Fry it = smoke.

On a side note:  I have read that Robert Plant met and hung out with Richard Pryor in Los Angeles during the 1977 tour.  Of course most of us know that this was the LA series of concerts known as the "Badgeholders" concerts.  Even though there is no known proof, I would bet a lot of money that there was some kind of "shenanigans" involving Robert, Richard, Jimmy and possibly even Bonzo himself involving the "try it, fry it" lyric/concept.   

kind of a stretch king.

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Robert was a big fan of the Carry On sequence of camp films from the 60's. The film, Carry on Screaming was his favorite of the bunch and featured the line "frying tonight" when one of the main characters is thrown into a vat of acid. I believe the line in For Your Life was a reference to that film.

Of course the song does reference cocaine and the dangers of hard drugs in general, but freebase was not popular in 1975 when this song was written, however, being musicians they could have been exposed to things such as freebasing coke before it became popular in the late 70's.

My take is that Robert is juxtaposing cocaine addiction and winding up in a vat of acid as in the film as one and the same. Just my opinion.

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kind of a stretch king.

Is it really a stretch to equate Led Zeppelin and other Hollywood celebrities with Cocaine?  You don't think that it is possible that Robert Plant and Richard Pryor ever did Blow together? 

Led Zeppelin.  Richard "Fucking" Pryor.  Hollywood.  Cocaine.  1977.  What am I stretching at?  Please elaborate. 

Edited by kingzoso
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Is it really a stretch to equate Led Zeppelin and other Hollywood celebrities with Cocaine?  You don't think that it is possible that Robert Plant and Richard Pryor ever did Blow together? 

Led Zeppelin.  Richard "Fucking" Pryor.  Hollywood.  Cocaine.  1977.  What am I stretching at?  Please elaborate. 

Possible. But You have zero proof that Led Zeppelin and Richard Pryor ever did coke together....  Let alone freebased it. Why even "put money" on something you imagined. This is how unbased rumors get out there. That's where the stretch comes in.

Maybe Pryor and Robert went out for a cheeseburger.  My guess is as good as yours.

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Possible. But You have zero proof that Led Zeppelin and Richard Pryor ever did coke together....  Let alone freebased it. Why even "put money" on something you imagined. This is how unbased rumors get out there. That's where the stretch comes in.

Maybe Pryor and Robert went out for a cheeseburger.  My guess is as good as yours.

I understand and agree completely with what you are posting.  Possible: yes.  Probable: possibly.  I will admit that in My knowledge and Love for both Led Zeppelin and Richard Pryor, that it may be in the complete realm of my imagination that some of the members of Led Zeppelin and Richard Pryor (and maybe even Gene Wilder) did a Whole Lotta Blow together or, like you said, maybe went out to the local McDonalds and had a few Happy Meals together. 

Either way, it makes no difference to me.  Just the fact that Robert Plant and Richard Pryor had any kind of conversation (Cocaine fueled or not) is good enough for my imagination. 

If I ever get the chance to meet Mr. Plant, this may be the first question that I would ask him.  What do you remember about when you first met Richard Pryor? 

Edited by kingzoso
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Robert was a big fan of the Carry On sequence of camp films from the 60's. The film, Carry on Screaming was his favorite of the bunch and featured the line "frying tonight" when one of the main characters is thrown into a vat of acid. I believe the line in For Your Life was a reference to that film.

If correct this would explain Robert's response of "Frying tonight" in response to an audience member asking the meaning of Jimmy's symbol (11:09-11:20 below). Others had speculated it was a wink and a nod to Jimmy's shirt (a Catholic fish fry on a Friday night) but this explanation seems much more plausible.

 

 

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  • 3 years later...
  • 11 months later...

If you guys just took a little time to research this topic you would know that it is about a girl Robert Plant knew in Hollywood. Of course by that time the band was snorting their fair share of cocaine. A love affair that Jimmy Page took to another level along with Heroin by the time they got to the album presence. Robert Plant explains that the song was about a girl you know I'm going off the deep end with cocaine...  I believe that Robert Plant backed off the white devil. But histolry if you research it well it is documented that Page took these devices to a whole other level during the recording of Led Zeppelin's album Presence!

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'Frying tonight' was just a standard notice in an English chip shop window in the post-war period.
That was the whole point of Kenneth Williams' quip when he's in the vat in Carry On Screaming - everyone in the audience would get the gag.
Robert just ran with it from there.
Carry On Screaming is the best of the Carry Ons, it's true - 'Do you mind if I smoke?' and smoke starts seeping out of Fenella Fielding, etc.
However, the best gag in the Carry On films? The town in Carry On Girls is called 'Firkham'...     
 

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26 minutes ago, Brigante said:

'Frying tonight' was just a standard notice in an English chip shop window in the post-war period.
That was the whole point of Kenneth Williams' quip when he's in the vat in Carry On Screaming - everyone in the audience would get the gag.
Robert just ran with it from there.
Carry On Screaming is the best of the Carry Ons, it's true - 'Do you mind if I smoke?' and smoke starts seeping out of Fenella Fielding, etc.
However, the best gag in the Carry On films? The town in Carry On Girls is called 'Firkham'...     
 

THIS!

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