John Bonham Memorial Fund

[JBMF]

Hi there, you may have heard of our campaign to raise £50k for a bronze memorial to John Bonham in his hometown of Redditch in Worcestershire. One of our fundraising initiatives ends at 5pm today Weds 6th Jan. Please pledge if you can at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/john-bonham-memorial-redditch. Thank you.

[bluecongo]

Honestly it pisses me off that you all haven't raised more money than you have.  

Such a a worthy cause, and I see soooo many people starting stupid projects that benefit naught but themselves on these crowd funding sites like Kickstarter, etc, raising 15, 20k just so they can make a stupid CD of useless music no one will buy.

then a long comes a worthy project like this and it gets fuck all.  Dissapointing.

good luck with it I really hope it's a success in the end.

[ScarletMacaw]

A bronze memorial does not need to cost $70,000.

John Bonham lives in people's hearts and memories and in their record collections. $70,000 is three years of tuition at a state university in the US. It's a down payment on a home for a formerly homeless family. Sorry, I'm not contributing.

[TheGreatOne]

Something seems real fishy they can't come up with the money or even the price of things.   Also wasnt this fund started almost 10 years ago ?  I'm pretty certain I read once the memorial is really more of a tourist attraction to generate money for the town once a statue is in place and not really about Bonham per se.

 

http://forum.friendsofzep.de/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3082

 

>

Edited January 7, 2016 by TheGreatOne

[NealR2000]

I agree.  These types of "memorials" really only serve as gimmicks to draw people into a town/city in the belief that they will then spend money in shops and restaurants.  If anyone should be funding this, it should be those who stand to indirectly benefit from it, such as the chamber of commerce and local town/city governments. 

[Cofa]

On 7 January 2016 at 6:43 PM, TheGreatOne said:

Something seems real fishy they can't come up with the money or even the price of things.   Also wasnt this fund started almost 10 years ago ?  I'm pretty certain I read once the memorial is really more of a tourist attraction to generate money for the town once a statue is in place and not really about Bonham per se.

 

http://forum.friendsofzep.de/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3082

 

>

Don't think there is anything fishy going on. It is just not that easy to raise that amount of money for something like this and bronze statues and their upkeep are not cheap. From what I know these are genuine local fans who want to do this. The fund has had the blessing of Pat and Zoe and Deborah performed a gig in support of it.

As for being a tourist attraction that is going to generate money for the town I think any effect would be minimal. I can't see hordes of people coming to Redditch just to see this. And although Redditch is a lovely town it is hardly the shopping and restaurant mecca of the UK. 

 

[IpMan]

Again, another attempt at having the punters fund something for the wealthy of which they should be paying. However, I will be glad to meet half-way but only with the following conditions:

Bonham must be dressed as Napoleon and sitting atop a mount with one arm outstreched to the heavens, a bongo drum between his legs, and a groupie riding behind him. Hell, I think everyone would be up for that.

 

[SteveAJones]

6 minutes ago, IpMan said:

Again, another attempt at having the punters fund something for the wealthy of which they should be paying.

Something for the wealthy? The wealthy aren't asking for it.

A bronze statue of a musician...anywhere...I could take it or leave it. I'm not opposed - if done right it could be rather remarkable - but if it isn't properly maintained it won't last.   

[IpMan]

2 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

Something for the wealthy? The wealthy aren't asking for it.

A bronze statue of a musician...anywhere...I could take it or leave it. I'm not opposed - if done right it could be rather remarkable - but if it isn't properly maintained it won't last.   

I guess what I should have said was, the Bonham family are not exactly struggling, nor are the surviving members of Zeppelin. I am sure they could afford to erect a statue if one was desired.

[SteveAJones]

3 minutes ago, IpMan said:

I guess what I should have said was, the Bonham family are not exactly struggling, nor are the surviving members of Zeppelin. I am sure they could afford to erect a statue if one was desired.

Oh, I see. I don't think it's reasonable to expect the band members or their families to bankroll or even take an interest in every grassroots tribute idea that comes along.

I do recall Jimmy Page specifically declining to have a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/jimmy-page-wont-endorse-led-zeppelin-star-177693  

[bluecongo]

For my English friends, isn't it rather "Un-British" to draw attention to yourself in such a manner?  Part of me thinks Bonzo himself would never want a statue of himself anywhere.  He'd like get drunk and piss on it for a laugh.

 

[NealR2000]

22 minutes ago, bluecongo said:

For my English friends, isn't it rather "Un-British" to draw attention to yourself in such a manner?  Part of me thinks Bonzo himself would never want a statue of himself anywhere.  He'd like get drunk and piss on it for a laugh.

 

The young Bonzo, perhaps.  His drunken behavior was really the result of boredom and touring (and the thought of touring).  However, I tend to think that he would have matured into quite the drumming professor.  If you have followed his story, he really was working on his craft right up to his death.  As for a statue, that's hard to say.  He probably would have been against it, but then again, other than North Korea and places like Saddam's Iraq, I'm not sure of any living person having a statue erected.

[SteveAJones]

2 hours ago, bluecongo said:

For my English friends, isn't it rather "Un-British" to draw attention to yourself in such a manner?  

Well, Bonzo isn't drawing attention to himself, this is a grassroots campaign. There's actually a Prince Albert monument directly across the street from the Royal Albert Hall and there's loads of statues throughout the UK. 

[badgeholder]

I like statues of musicians - like this one of Miles in Paris

 

[Flares]

Without sounding disrespectful I think a statue of Bonham might be, no pun intended, over the top. A plaque or something in that vain is probably more appropriate. I think the best tribute would be for a brewer to name a drink after him. "Bonzo's Bash" -  A nice full-bodied scrumpy!

[No Quota]

I wonder what "Garage Band" or some other video game would pay to have "Bonzo's Monteux" added into their game?

Maybe two or 3 statues worth?

Silly idea. Would be neat watching some of the young drummers trying to mimic Bonzo though.

[Cofa]

On 21 January 2016 at 3:36 AM, IpMan said:

I guess what I should have said was, the Bonham family are not exactly struggling, nor are the surviving members of Zeppelin. I am sure they could afford to erect a statue if one was desired.

Hmm! Not sure its quite the done thing to pay for a statue of one of your own family members. Comes across as a bit of a North Korean Kim dynasty type thing that.

[IpMan]

On January 22, 2016 at 10:42 AM, Cofa said:

Hmm! Not sure its quite the done thing to pay for a statue of one of your own family members. Comes across as a bit of a North Korean Kim dynasty type thing that.

That is why it would be cool if he were dressed as Napoleon on horseback. All kidding aside, as much as I love Bonzo, outside of Zeppelin circles he is not as well known as a Buddy Rich or Miles Davis. I could see a statue of him along with other great drummers or musicians who have passed outside the R&R Hall of Fame or similar place. Is there a statue of Moonie anywhere? Tito Puente died in 2000 and they re-named a street in Spanish Harlem for him. Maybe they can re-name a street in Birmingham for Bonzo?