- Robert Plant on the chances of a Led Zeppelin reunion
A couple of weeks ago, we referenced a Robert Plant interview (here) where the Led Zeppelin reunion question popped up; clearly, the one-off gig at the 2007 concert tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun in London was still on a lot of people’s minds.
“I think we’re probably thinking about talking,” was Plant’s response to the A.V. Club at the time. Non-committal, for sure, but let’s be fair: Robert is doing press for his latest release, Band Of Joy, and speaks so enthusiastically about the project and his solo career path (as he should), that the Zep issue is not front and center for him – it might be for fans and the media, but Plant does have his own agenda to address.
However, just the mere mention of the possibility of a Zep reunion is enough to stop most music fans dead in their tracks.
A new session with London’s Daily Mail may confuse the issue further.
Under the headline “My screaming Led Zep days are over: Ex-hellraiser Robert Plant on becoming folk’s latest hero,” Robert was asked about the reunion, again. “I can't speak about that, as I'm not in control of destiny. It's not for anybody to say. Anything is possible, but it'll take a lot to turn it into something worthwhile.”
Plant was clearly proud of the 2007 show. “It was tough tearing into those songs after 27 years,” he said. “But it was quite something. The sense of event was so big in comparison to any one of us individually.”
It would take a lot of personal interest on Plant’s part for him to consider something with his old unit. “The visuals of rock don't interest me anymore,” he said. “I was in the band that invented them, but my interests are now elsewhere. But I'm still a singer. I'm a onetrick pony and this is what I do. So I'm looking forward to touring with the Band Of Joy - and to Wolves staying in the Premier League.”
The Daily Mail interviewer drew a comparison between the eclectic nature of the Band Of Joy project and Zeppelin’s third record. “When we made Led Zeppelin III, we achieved two things," Plant said. “We became the band who would never go away and a band who were never going to repeat themselves.”
“I called the new album Band Of Joy to remind myself why I started doing this in the first place," added Robert. “It's a way of tipping my hat to those times. Staying alive in this game requires a certain state of mind and I can't do this on autopilot. I needed to fly the freak-flag again.”
Robert and the Band Of Joy kick off a European tour in Stockholm on Thursday (14).
Band of Joy - Robert Plant Robert Plant – You Can’t Buy My Love
BBC - Andrew Marr Show – September 5, 2010
Robert Plant – Angel Dance
NBC’s Today Show – September 14, 2010
