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Mick Wall Interview


Kentuckygirl

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i totally agree - jimmy's olympic's appearance was a big mistake

just shows what happens to the mind as it ages

people's perception of things changes and sometimes not for the better

Have to disagree here.

Even it was probably not a musical crowning moment, he did it for love and respect for London, for his country, and it was a great honor.

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i think it was wrong for someone like jimmy with his background and standing

it's too mainstream and commercial - it would have suited someone like paul mccartney

i just hated it! .:thumbdown:

we will just have to disagree on this one

hopefully he can be trusted not to do anything of a similar nature if they tour

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Baroness, I take your point concerning Wall's comment that now he's 50, he doesn't need to talk to Jimmy anymore. I think what he's trying to say is that he's a proper grown-up now who's now less bothered about being friends with someone like Jimmy (oh wait- nobody is!) than he used to be because, as an older, wiser fellow, he knows what's really important in life.

It's hard, though, to ignore the fact that as a music mag journo and editor it was useful for him to have access to Jimmy. Now in his position as a "rock author", having learnt everything that he's likely to about Page, it makes sense for him to write "the big one"-make more of a name for himself,and support his young family.

I think the bitchy tone he's taken about Page is self-justification, partly because he knows that he's burnt his boats with Jimmy, which he probably feels at least a little bothered about, and also because it's led to his being ostracised by many others, like Robert, his old friend Cookie Vance and so on. Therefore he's taking the " Sod you, Jimmy, and all the rest of you, I have no regrets" line. How classy of him to say that he doesn't feel contempt for the "tragic" Jimmy, despite the novelty of knowing him wearing off!

This all puts his old chum Ross Halfin in a tricky position- when he's not bragging about being Jimmy's best mate (did you see those photos he put up of himself with Page on holiday in Cambodia over xmas a couple of years ago, only for them to swiftly disappear on the orders of his best pal?!) he's talking about how he and Mick were/are thick as thieves and have never fallen for the self-serving charm of rock stars.

I think the book's interesting in places. It's certainly better than previous atrocities like "Hammer" and "Stairway",so he has achieved his stated aim in that sense. But it's not great. In the long run, the best Zep book isn't going to be written by a low-end music mag veteran who's also put out a book on the Osbournes for Christmas, pending his next publication about Status Quo, not to mention his previous tomes on Bon Jovi, Marillion, Iron Maiden, etc.. He swears too much as well.

I don't think Mick Wall's got enough taste for the subject. No doubt he's hoping he'll get a little wealth.

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This all puts his old chum Ross Halfin in a tricky position- when he's not bragging about being Jimmy's best mate (did you see those photos he put up of himself with Page on holiday in Cambodia over xmas a couple of years ago, only for them to swiftly disappear on the orders of his best pal?!) he's talking about how he and Mick were/are thick as thieves and have never fallen for the self-serving charm of rock stars.

Really? How unfortunate they'd first been posted on nearly every Zeppelin site on the web. :lol:

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I think the book's interesting in places. It's certainly better than previous atrocities like "Hammer" and "Stairway",so he has achieved his stated aim in that sense. But it's not great. In the long run, the best Zep book isn't going to be written by a low-end music mag veteran who's also put out a book on the Osbournes for Christmas, pending his next publication about Status Quo, not to mention his previous tomes on Bon Jovi, Marillion, Iron Maiden, etc.. He swears too much as well.

I don't think Mick Wall's got enough taste for the subject. No doubt he's hoping he'll get a little wealth.

This is a really interesting dilemma you've pointed out. There are certain advantages to rock bios written by non-insiders - the late Keith Shadwick's book springs to mind. He wasn't, as far as I know, connected to any member of Led Zeppelin and his book was written from the perspective of a musicologist and admirer of the band's musical prowess, rather than a 'fan' per se. Consequently, the book wasn't coloured by positive or negative bias, as is so often the case when fans or disgruntled insiders write these things. On the other hand readers who were looking for great STORIES, or a window on the personalities involved, might have found Shadwick's book a little too dry.

Lazy writing can be another drawback to books written by non-insiders. They have no personal anecdotes to draw upon, so they often end up simply cutting and pasting from earlier books, filling the gaps with conjecture or worst of all, attempting to write themselves into the story somehow. Keith Shadwick wisely avoided all three by sticking to his particular area of expertise - the music. But there was another book that came out around the same time as Keith's, that claimed to be a Zeppelin biography but was actually a not-so-thinly disguised bio of the authors themselves.

Now maybe I'm just cynical, but to me it seemed like the authors were deliberately hitching themselves to the Zep wagon in order to shift more copies. There was a ready-made fanbase out there who'd take the misleading sub-title ("Our Flight With Led Zeppelin") at its word, believing that they were getting fresh insider revelations when in actuality they were getting nothing of the sort.

One of the best music books I ever read was 'Please Kill Me', about the New York punk and New Wave scenes of the 70s, told in a series of accounts by the participants themselves. This format could work for a Zeppelin book provided the surviving members were willing to contribute, along with members of the entourage and other former and current insiders. That way everyone gets a chance to tell their side of things, building a more complete picture of the band's history and leaving it up to the reader to decide who they think is right.

Sadly, I sometimes get the impression that the best Zep book won't be written until all three surviving members have passed on.

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I think I will pass on buying this book. Sounds to me like Mick Wall has a bone to pick with Jimmy. They must have had some sort of falling out. If that is the case, Mick hasn't gotten over it.

It's quite entertaining actually. It's not all sleaze. Mick's opinion of Jimmy is, I think, out of place, though I do agree Jimmy should get out and do something on his own again. For me, he was the only true star of the Olympics.

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There was nothing that was said in this interview anyway that wasn't posted by fans in this website before about Robert Plant. That Plant has achieved greatness not by riding on the name of Zeppelin but instead his work speaks for itself. We already know that. He explores "untapped" half-forgotten music genre and gives it his own twist. He "follows his own muse" and not what's hot at the moment and his work is what sells itself. This man after whom the word "frontman" was coined tried to make a name for himself without the aid of his own fame and we all know he has succeeded. He has created his legacy as a true artist in his own right, all while keeping the memories of the young rock god to his fans intact in a special place.

I do agree Mick Wall's comment about Jimmy Page is (hopefully) a wake up call. He was harsh well tough. I think Jimmy Page is stuck in the 70's, where he was young and cute. I'm not saying that out of malice or meanness. He is a brilliant artist still unequalled but.... All these collaborative mediocrity with mainstream bee bop startlets are not exactly knock-outs. I could never bring myself to watch the Beijing show. Even if I wasnt away in a far-flung beautiful place where TV was the last thing in mind, even if it wasn't for my personal boycott of the Olympics, I could not bring myself to watch Leona Lewis belt out WLL. I wont watch her in a free show at the mall. Jamming with FF Dave Grohl. Turned off. Dave Grohl FYI, if you want to achieve greatness youre not gonna get it riding on someone's popularity no matter how big of a fan you are of him. Too bad I think youre talented but your antics worst than a White House lobbyist. If Jimmy really likes jamming with young ones he really has better choices than these knock-offs.

Anyway those dvd, cd releases from Jimmy are really cool. But if him and JPJ are going on the road I hope for their sakes they're really pouring out their mature genius or I'm afraid they will just torpedo their own legacy.

I like the title of the book. Giant is what Zeppelin is.

You really think he does? I just think he wants to get and play where he can. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm glad. I just wish it was more often.

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Sadly, I sometimes get the impression that the best Zep book won't be written until all three surviving members have passed on.

You're probably right about that last point, sadly. It's almost impossible to strike the right balance when the subjects are still around and have the potential to be involved--on the one hand, that's a good thing because they obviously have information nobody else does. On the other hand, anything close to "official" or "authorized" also usually means too much spin, and general whitewashing. On the third hand :D , as you've described above, anything written by an outsider with no input from the subject depends on the perception of the outsider. (And that continues to be the case whether the subject is still living or not, of course.)

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It's quite entertaining actually. It's not all sleaze. Mick's opinion of Jimmy is, I think, out of place, though I do agree Jimmy should get out and do something on his own again. For me, he was the only true star of the Olympics.

Well, I guess you are right. I shouldn't close my mind off from reading it after hearing some of the negative opinions about Jimmy! I may give it a shot afterall out of curiosity. Yes, I most certainly agree that he was the only true star of the Olympics! :)

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And the people who actually competed and won medals were ...?

Oh no, certainly not a knock against those very talented athletes who won the medals!! LOL I meant at the closing ceremonies, it was such a joy to see Jimmy up there, I almost forgot about everyone else. :)

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You really think he does? I just think he wants to get and play where he can. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm glad. I just wish it was more often.

yes i think he is. no it's not wrong that he goes out there and play, when and where he can. like you i think he should get that opportunity, but also wishing more substantially.

i love zeppelin (er robert plant and zeppelin), but imo jimmy page cannot go on forever selling the same stuff. you know what i mean? there must be so much a man of his age has to say, especially jimmy page, who being from the getgo a brilliant rock man. well like you must be im tuned in to this jp/jpj/jb venture. and wish them giant best.

robert plant may be singing zep songs in his shows but as side dish, not a la carte. i remember him say in an interview that while most of his contemporaries are well way their bedtime, he still out there making music. perhaps it "is" time that he grew old too he said. he did, and boy how. ironically, nothing about him and his music describe "aging", just keeps growing, as splendiferous and long as his splendid hair!

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yes i think he is. no it's not wrong that he goes out there and play, when and where he can. like you i think he should get that opportunity, but also wishing more substantially.

i love zeppelin (er robert plant and zeppelin), but imo jimmy page cannot go on forever selling the same stuff. you know what i mean? there must be so much a man of his age has to say, especially jimmy page, who being from the getgo a brilliant rock man. well like you must be im tuned in to this jp/jpj/jb venture. and wish them giant best.

robert plant may be singing zep songs in his shows but as side dish, not a la carte. i remember him say in an interview that while most of his contemporaries are well way their bedtime, he still out there making music. perhaps it "is" time that he grew old too he said. he did, and boy how. ironically, nothing about him and his music describe "aging", just keeps growing, as splendiferous and long as his splendid hair!

I understand what you mean. I wish he would, like finishing his solo album that he was talking about.

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Hi all,

Getting back on topic:Herr Wall,if I may say,screw yourself,and you already did,... <_<

Sticking a dagger in someone's back is not,(I'll be nice) endearing.Also since you claim to shame,sorry,claim to fame is knowing Jimmy,again,screw off!Or toss off,which ever you prefer,.... :angry:

Now,I have never met one_single_member of Zep.If I did,and they didn't give me the -love-,why would I give [fill in the blank],but even in my life,I hold my tongue of others,.....never mind write a book! :slapface:

Maybe old zepyep need to start a DB thread.

Mr Cole

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I'm a little further into the book now, and while it's not horrible - there are certain things that irk me. Like how he starts each chapter with "You were playing a bar when you were 16"... like he's talking to the band members. I just found that incredibly annoying. <_< I find that he mentions Pamela Des Barres a little too much. Nothing against Miss P... but yes, she was a part of the Zeppelin off-stage history - but not the 5th freaking member for crying out loud.

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With thanks to Nech, this woman sums it up nicely, for me anyway:

Mick even claims Page… has squandered his immense talent and now rarely plays guitar.… “These days he’s far more likely to have a remote control in his hands. From what I’ve heard from mutual friends, he just sits watching football on the telly. Tragic, really.”

"Squandered"? The man who played on about 60% of Britain's hit singles in the early sixties, formed one of the best loved bands in the rock catalogue, wrote some of the best selling songs of all time, arranged and produced six of the best selling albums of all time, and is a consistent top three guitarist in all professional guitarist polls? What the hell do you have to do to fulfill your potential in Wall's world?

http://peromyscus.blogspot.com/2008/11/sour-grapes.html

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IMHO...

For Robert, he doesn't want to do Zeppelin because he doesn't think a reunited Zeppelin would be as good as the old days. For Jimmy, he doesn't want to do new stuff because he doesn't think it would be as good as a reunited Zeppelin. Robert has found ways to sidestep the Zeppelin legacy and still satisfy himself. Jimmy wants to stay true to the vision of a hard rock 4-piece, and so it's either a reunion or some kind of compromised one-off project or another to pass the time. I'm worried that part of the reason it's taking so long for the 3Js to get it together is that even though Jimmy's got JPJ and Jason, without Robert, Jimmy thinks he can't synthesize the right "alchemy" to be worth the investment of his time.

As for JPJ, we all know he's spent most of his time post Zep as a producer than as a musician, so playing is really more of a hobby than a trade, one that he doesn't overanalyze as much as Jimmy or Robert.

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