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Led Zeppelin Manager: “Uh, About That Reunion? Never Mind”

Maura — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Changing course from an earlier tirade in which he said that a reunion of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham, and an unidentified lead singer would happen and be good for the economy, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Mensch is now saying that all plans for any sort of cash-in tour or album are completely off the table: “Led Zeppelin are over! If you didn’t see them in 2007 [when they played a one-off reunion at London's O2 Arena], you missed them. It’s done. I can’t be any clearer than that.”

Mensch confirmed that last fall, when singer Robert Plant made it known he was continuing his partnership with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss and had no intention of returning to Led Zeppelin, replacement vocalists were auditioned to possibly record and tour with Page, Jones and Bonham.

“They tried out a few singers, but no one worked out,” says Mensch. “That was it. The whole thing is completely over now. There are absolutely no plans for them to continue. Zero. Frankly, I wish everybody would stop talking about it.”

When asked what new projects Jimmy Page was going to be involved with in 2009, Mensch said, “Fuck if I know. I’m waiting to hear.”

Well hey, now that it seems Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy isn’t heading out for more classic pastures, I can think of one guy who’s probably aching to step in for David Coverdale on a performance of “Pride & Joy.”

“Led Zeppelin are over!” says Jimmy Page’s manager [MusicRadar via RS]

The Led Zeppelin Sorta-Reunion Creeps Ever Closer, Because Even Jimmy Page Needs A Job

Maura — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:00:00 +0000

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]

Jimmy Page Rep: “No Robert Plant, No ‘Led Zeppelin’ “

Maura — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Just in case you were getting worried about the possibility of the guy from Alter Bridge fronting something called Led Zeppelin next year, a rep for Zep guitarist Jimmy Page has told Rolling Stone that if Robert Plant doesn’t hit the road with the band next year, a name change will be in order: “Whatever this is, it is not Led Zeppelin… Not without the involvement of Robert Plant.” Whether or not “Page/Jones/Bonham/Kennedy”–or anything with a similarly unwieldy name–will get butts into seats is, of course, another story, what with people wanting to hang on to their pennies these days. Especially if they have to budget for a Creed reunion tour, too… [RS]

Is Jimmy Page Planning To Replace Robert Plant With The Guy Who Replaced Scott Stapp?

Maura — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:45:00 +0000

According to Dee Snider, yes! Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham are itching to ~~rake in oodles of cash~~ play the music of Led Zeppelin all around the world, even though lead singer Robert Plant has decided that he’s all about things like “bluegrass” and “taking two years off” these days. So they’re going to do something drastic–something that will definitely divide fans of the band in two even more than Coverdale/Page did. They’re going to get the guy from Alter Bridge–you know, the band that Creed eventually became once Scott Stapp sweated his way out of that particular spotlight–to take Plant’s place! Let’s hand it over to the Twisted Sister frontman, who was shooting off his mouth on the Canadian music-video station MuchMoreMusic:

“They’re saying [to Robert], ‘We’re all rehearsed, we’re ready to go, here’s a gazillion dollars on the table,” Snider told MuchMoreMusic. “If you don’t do it, we’re going out with this kid. And he can sing the sh– out of Zeppelin.’ And they’re gonna, like, hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, ‘OK,’ and step in, before having the lead singer of Alter Bridge out with John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Jason Bonham.”

Hmm, this sounds more like a threat than a viable plan to these ears, but rock and roll can be a vicious business. Anyway, so you can get ready, here is Alter Bridge’s most recent single, which is, coincidentally, promoting Celebrity Rehab 2 on VH1:

When I watched the trailer for Rehab earlier today, I thought this was a more-tolerable single from the new Chris Cornell album. Hey, wait a second. What about Chris? At least it would get him away from Timbaland…

Led Zeppelin Members To Tour With Alter Bridge Singer? [Nightwatchers House Of Rock via antiMUSIC]
Alter Bridge – Watch Over You [YouTube]

Leona Lewis: Almost As Competent As David Coverdale

Maura — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:30:00 +0000

I’m guessing Robert Plant got a bit of a chuckle from the Olympics’ closing ceremony yesterday, which featured his former bandmate Jimmy Page performing “Whole Lotta Love” with British semi-superstar Leona Lewis in honor of China handing off ownership of the Summer Games to the UK. While Lewis’ Aguilera-like run through the song was decent, if fairly predictable, one commenter on a fake YouTube clip of the event pointed out that “You have to admire the subtle genius of choosing a song about the size of Robert Plant’s dick as the theme for the handover to London 2012.” Although given all the speculation about Michael Phelps this year, maybe the song choice was super-appropriate? Anyway, for the fashion-conscious among you who are wondering just what on earth Lewis is wearing at the outset of the song, I’ve posted a better-resolution shot after the jump.

I was hoping she’d get to move around while wearing that big mess of ruffles–it would have looked like an animatronic wedding cake!–but alas, she was merely standing in a structure that was designed to look like her outfit. Oh honey, Mariah would have absolutely figured out a way to make the skirt walk with her.

Leona Lewis & Jimmy Page. Live. [Dailymotion]

Are You At A Led Zeppelin Reunion Show? A Handy Guide

Maura — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:30:00 +0000

Hey, did you hear that Led Zeppelin reunited this weekend? Well, it was just John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, who took the stage with the Foo Fighters at Wembley Stadium for “Rock and Roll” and (as seen above) “Ramble On,” but that’s not stopping the NME from running with the headline “Led Zeppelin reunite at Foo Fighters show.” To celebrate this momentous occasion, let’s play a game of “Are You Really At A Led Zeppelin Reunion Show”!

Before we begin, another piece of evidence:

1. ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU’RE NOT SEEING LEZ ZEPPELIN?
Hey, it’s confused people before.

2. IS JOHN PAUL JONES PLAYING BASS?
If your answer is “yes,” then go to question three. If your answer is no, then skip to question seven.

3. IS JIMMY PAGE PLAYING GUITAR?
If your answer is “yes,” then go to question four. If your answer is no, then skip to question seven.

4. IS THE REANIMATED CORPSE OF JOHN BONHAM OR HIS SON PLAYING DRUMS?
If your answer is “yes,” then go to question six. If your answer is no, then go to question five.

5. IS THE GUY PLAYING DRUMS A REASONABLY WELL-KNOWN DRUMMER LIKE, SAY, DAVE GROHL?
If your answer is “yes,” then go to question six. If your answer is no, the skip to question seven.

6. IS ROBERT PLANT SINGING?
If your answer is “yes,” then you were probably at the O2 arena last winter. If you weren’t, go to question seven.

7. SO WAIT, WHO’S FILLING IN? DAVID COVERDALE? EVEN THAT DOESN’T COUNT. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE, I KNOW THE TERM “LED ZEPPELIN REUNION” GETS THE GOOGLE HITS, AND I’M HAPPY THAT DAVE GROHL WAS REALLY PSYCHED ABOUT SINGING WITH HIS FAVORITE LEGENDS–BUT HONESTLY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO OUT-AND-OUT LIE TO PEOPLE IN ORDER TO GET TRAFFIC TO YOUR PIDDLING WEB SITE.
Just saying.

Led Zeppelin reunite at Foo Fighters show [NME]
Foo Fighters Wembley Rock’N Roll Led Zeppelin [YouTube]
Foo Fighters — Led Zeppelin Ramble On [YouTube]

Led Zeppelin In Rehearsal: Robert Plant And Jimmy Page’s “Rock Faces” Are Perfectly Matched

Maura — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Jimmy Page may already be doing pre-emptive damage control about today’s Led Zeppelin gig at the O2 Arena–which starts in two! hours!–but at least he still knows how to make his face look rocker-serious. Whether or not that’ll be enough to please the fans who paid big money so they could air-guitar along to a perfectly pitched live version of “Kahsmir” remains to be seen, of course.

[Photo: Getty]

Context-Free Jimmy Page Quote Sends The Internet’s Led Zeppelin Fans Into Another Tizzy

Maura — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:06:58 +0000

Jimmy Page is quoted in the forthcoming issue of Guitar World, re the possibility of a Led Zeppelin reunion, “It’s a bit silly not to because there is such massive demand … It’s a bit selfish to do just one show. If that’s it, we probably shouldn’t have taken the genie out of the bottle.” This has led to some outlets claiming that Led Zep would do a “full-scale tour” following their already-postponed-once O2 show, but really, shouldn’t those easily excitable types let their favorite guitar heroes deal with the problems at hand before they go having visions of Page, Plant, and the gang doing the whole enormodomes-across-America shuffle?

Led Zeppelin may tour after reunion [Channel 4]

Jimmy Page’s Injured Finger Revealed At Last!

Maura — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 03:48:05 +0000

Squint and you can see the band-aid attached to his left pinky. But what happened? The BBC found out at last night’s Classic Rock Awards:

Arriving with his left hand discreetly lodged in his trouser pocket, the grey-haired musician at first seemed reluctant to be drawn on the subject.

Eventually, though, a bandaged pinky was revealed and the reason behind it – a tumble he had taken while walking in his garden a week ago.

“I happened to trip over a stone slab,” he revealed. “I didn’t just come down on my hand, I came down on other parts of my body as well.

“But of course, it was the hand that had a bit of an injury to it.”

Had it happened to his right hand, he added, he “might have got away with it”.

“It’s the last thing I would have wanted to happen to anybody, let alone me,” he said.

“All I can do is convey my apologies to the fans and anyone who has been inconvenienced.”

Page injury dominates rock awards [BBC]
Earlier: Jimmy Page Apologizes For Injury, Still Refuses To Disclose Which Finger He Broke
[Photo: AP]

Jimmy Page Apologizes For Injury, Still Refuses To Disclose Which Finger He Broke

Maura — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:00:57 +0000

Jimmy Page has issued an apology for the injury that forced the two-week postponement of Led Zeppelin’s reunion show at the O2 Arena in London. Which is very nice of him, but the statement he released is more notable for what it doesn’t mention than any sorts of niceties within.

As you all know by now I was regrettably put in a situation where I had to postpone my performance at the Ahmet Ertegun Benefit show, on November 26th, due to a fractured finger. We have now rescheduled this show to take place, at the same venue, on December 10th.
In doing so I was very conscious of the fact that many people are travelling great distances to attend. I do want to let everyone know that this decision was unavoidable. My apologies to anyone who has been inconvenienced by this change.
I would also like to thank everyone else involved for their help with making this change. Harvey Goldsmith, the trustees of the Ahmet Ertegun Foundation and, of course, the other artists who so willingly agreed to join us on the show.
I look forward to the 10th December!

Jimmy Page

But Jimmy! What hand? What finger? Can we at the very least find out whether or not you fractured a thumb or an index finger–and if it’s really going to heal in time for the show? Even a blurry Webcam pic of you in a cast (or, hell, an Ace bandage!) would be a nice way to call off the skeptics who think that “fractured finger” is code for “extended promotional tour for that Plant/Krauss bluegrass album.”

A Mea Culpa From Jimmy Page [Boston.com]
[Photo: AP]