Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones showed up in Los Angeles in February 2005 to accept a lifetime achievement Grammy award to their old band Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant was a no-show at the luncheon, citing rehearsals for an upcoming tour. He sent a taped video message, to Page’s disapproval. I spoke briefly afterwards to Page and Jones separately. You can see my angle. Here is my Jimmy chat. (He is pictured at a party later the same day.)
YOU LOOK SO SKINNY ARE YOU WORKING OUT?
No, no, no. I’m not skinny. It’s an illusion!
SO REALLY YOU’RE FAT?!
No!
LED ZEPPELIN NEVER GOT A GRAMMY WHEN THEY WERE TOGETHER, AND NOW THEY HAVE A LIFETIME AWARD. DO YOU HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS ABOUT THAT?
Isn’t that interesting? I know. It is odd. It is off because when I did the DVD that came out the other year I thought that we might get one for that, really because it was a summing up and it was a chronological history, 5.1 but going back to the footage and actually coming out with state-of-the art sound. I would have liked it, but we didn’t and actually I’m just really thrilled that we got it today. It was really nice to have Ahmet here who was there when we originally signed, and Jason and Zoe from the Bonham family. It was an emotional day all around, right across the board with all the things that went on. It was touching and moving and I’m pleased I came.
BUT DURING THE ’70S, OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU WERE THE BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD, THE GRAMMYS DIDN’T SEEM TO KNOW THAT YOU EXISTED
I don’t think at the time people really sorta knew what we were doing. In the time. In other words when you hear that one album is so different to the next, like the second is so different than the third, the third is so different to the fourth, they didn’t really know what was going on. But the reality of it was we were just a band that was making really, really fine music and basically documenting where we were each stage of time. That was the album. They didn’t understand that sort of thing.
WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR?
I am actually getting up to speed myself this year … There’s a number of avenues that I can do so that is the only thing, is making the right choice of which one to do. It takes time to dedicate to the project you’re involved in. At the moment I’m just putting the material together, pooling it from some of the things that I had before and current things. You know what it’s like. You need the material before you start taking steps forward.
WHAT ABOUT A PAGE-PLANT PROJECT?
I don’t think so. I really don’t think so, sorry to be disappointing to anyone. But it’s more a question of his actions.
I SEE HE’S BUSY WITH HIS REHEARSALS
I know, but it wouldn’t have taken much just to pop over here and meet everybody would it, really?
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NOTE: Unrelated to the above interview, my gossipy rock bio Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ‘n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles, is available here
Copyright © 2005, 2013 by Dean Goodman. PLEASE DO NOT CUT AND PASTE THE WHOLE THING