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Who's That Bloke With Percy?


Knebby

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davis20plant.jpg

Robert w/Stephen Davis (author of "Hammer of the Gods")(?1975)

Yes, at the Continental Hyatt House on the Sunset Strip in March 1975, and taken by Peter Simon.

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In 1975, a publicist friend offered Davis, by that time an editor at Rolling Stone, an invitation to join the band for two weeks on the road aboard the Starship, Led Zeppelin’s private tour plane. The idea was to introduce the British metal group, which had developed a bad reputation at home, to American audiences. Davis secured a story assignment from Atlantic Monthly magazine, and he and good pal and photographer Peter Simon set off. What they came back with became the stuff of legend. “This was a book that outed members of Led Zeppelin as heroin addicts, and as people that brutalized other people,” Davis says.

While the younger staffers at the Atlantic loved the piece, he says, senior editors sniffed, and the story was killed. It wasn’t until 10 years later, 5 years after Led Zeppelin disbanded following the death of drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham, that Davis, looking for a book project, blew the dust off his tour notes. “For a while after Hammer of the Gods came out, the band said, ‘Who is this Stephen Davis? We never knew him.’ But fortunately, I’ve got these pictures.”

Davis scrolls through a series of Simon’s unpublished photographs on his laptop showing the young rock reporter chatting up lead singer Robert Plant in his L.A. hotel room, in the elevator, on the balcony, with the dusty city spread out below.

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Yes, at the Continental Hyatt House on the Sunset Strip in March 1975, and taken by Peter Simon.

------------------------------------

In 1975, a publicist friend offered Davis, by that time an editor at Rolling Stone, an invitation to join the band for two weeks on the road aboard the Starship, Led Zeppelin's private tour plane. The idea was to introduce the British metal group, which had developed a bad reputation at home, to American audiences. Davis secured a story assignment from Atlantic Monthly magazine, and he and good pal and photographer Peter Simon set off. What they came back with became the stuff of legend. "This was a book that outed members of Led Zeppelin as heroin addicts, and as people that brutalized other people," Davis says.

While the younger staffers at the Atlantic loved the piece, he says, senior editors sniffed, and the story was killed. It wasn't until 10 years later, 5 years after Led Zeppelin disbanded following the death of drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham, that Davis, looking for a book project, blew the dust off his tour notes. "For a while after Hammer of the Gods came out, the band said, 'Who is this Stephen Davis? We never knew him.' But fortunately, I've got these pictures."

Davis scrolls through a series of Simon's unpublished photographs on his laptop showing the young rock reporter chatting up lead singer Robert Plant in his L.A. hotel room, in the elevator, on the balcony, with the dusty city spread out below.

huh.gif That was a light-hearted time.

Maybe I was the only one having fun. unsure.gif

Okay, maybe they were only having fun in February, 1975, and then they stopped in March. huh.gif

photosfromphilly.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/robert-plant-is-relaxed-before-led-zeppelin-takes-the-stage/

Edited by eternal light
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Do you have any details on either of these two photos? Publication titles and dates?

Neither have dates. The Firm one is after they played at Madison Square Garden and the one with David is Jimmy is presenting a Les Paul to a KRZQ/Reno staffer.

Edited by aen27
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Neither have dates. The Firm one is after they played at Madison Square Garden and the one with David is Jimmy is presenting a Les Paul to a KRZQ/Reno staffer.

Ok, then the first would have been 4/29/85. Jimmy went to the Lonestar Cafe afterward and had a jam session with Jaco Pastorius and his band. The second would have been sometime between May-Sep '91. I will look into that as

it's the first I've heard of it.

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huh.gifThat was a light-hearted time.

Maybe I was the only one having fun. unsure.gif

Okay, maybe they were only having fun in February, 1975, and then they stopped in March. huh.gif

photosfromphilly.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/robert-plant-is-relaxed-before-led-zeppelin-takes-the-stage/

The LZ years were a wonderfully light-hearted time and, no, you weren't the only one having fun - I imagine there were at least one or two others who were having fun too.

RPSS2005-1.jpg

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Ok, then the first would have been 4/29/85. Jimmy went to the Lonestar Cafe afterward and had a jam session with Jaco Pastorius and his band. The second would have been sometime between May-Sep '91. I will look into that as

it's the first I've heard of it.

Okay. Thank you. :D The first one are the president and vice president of Madison Squaare Garden my clipping says..

Edited by aen27
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scan0032-3.jpg

with the rest of The Firm and Amuet

Ok, then the first would have been 4/29/85. Jimmy went to the Lonestar Cafe afterward and had a jam session with Jaco Pastorius and his band. The second would have been sometime between May-Sep '91. I will look into that as

it's the first I've heard of it.

Jimmy didn't wear that shirt at the 1985 MSG show, he was wearing a reddish/pinkish shirt, sort of like this:

jimmyfirm85001.jpg

The shirt he's wearing in that pic was the shirt he wore at the 1986 Nassau Coliseum show (see below):

thefirm8605-1.jpg

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The shirt he's wearing in that pic was the shirt he wore at the 1986 Nassau Coliseum show (see below):

thefirm8605-1.jpg

I was going from the information I was given and they didn't play MSG in '86. Perhaps Aen27 can clarify if she meant Nassau, for if so then I agree it matches what he wore there on Apr 3, 1986.

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I was going from the information I was given and they didn't play MSG in '86. Perhaps Aen27 can clarify if she meant Nassau, for if so then I agree it matches what he wore there on Apr 3, 1986.

The clipping says that they had recently played at Madison Square Garden and they are with the president and vice president of the venue. It does not say where the picture was taken or the year.

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The clipping says that they had recently played at Madison Square Garden and they are with the president and vice president of the venue. It does not say where the picture was taken or the year.

Well then, now I'm really bothered by it because they didn't play MSG in '86. Perhaps the caption is incorrect. Another one to look into a bit further, and I will.

smile.gif

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