Led Zeppelin manager Peter Mensch talked to the BBC about the possibility of the band reuniting without lead singer Robert Plant (and maybe without the name Led Zeppelin), and told the Beeb that the probability of a tour, as well as an album, is pretty high should the remaining members find an appropriate lead singer. And if you have a problem with that, well, you’re nothing more than a Scrooge McDuck who is looking to deprive others of income during a global economic downturn.

“People don’t really understand it,” Mensch told 6 Music, “Jimmy Page has been playing guitar professionally since he was 16 years old. Jimmy Page likes being a musician. That’s what he does! He doesn’t want to be a race car driver or a solicitor.

“So they [Page, Jones, Bonham] did the show with Robert Plant; they had a really good time rehearsing, the three of them, before Robert showed up.

“And they decided that if they could find a singer that they thought would fit their bill – whatever their bill was at this stage in their career – that they’d make a record and go on tour.

“And I support that because, why not? That’s what Jimmy Page does. That’s his job, his hobby, his vocation.”

“They decided if they could find a singer that they thought would fit their bill… that they’d make a record and go on tour.”

No official word on who that lead singer would be, despite persistent rumors that Page et al are going to pluck Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy from the clutches of Mark Tremonti and facilitate the hotly demanded Creed reunion. “It’s gonna be a long and difficult process. And we’re not soliciting people! So don’t call me about it!” he griped to the Beeb. Time to delete his digits from my phone!

Zep without Plant [6music]