Led Zeppelin was initially savaged by the critics. Have you made your peace with the media?
The thing is, I'm now older than the media. Once upon a time, Led Zeppelin was untouchable in every respect, and there was no point in dealing with Jann Wenner [Rolling Stone's publisher] then. He wanted to get rid of the limeys and quick. There was quite a bit of that Americana stuff, ''Let's keep Iron Butterfly and get rid of Led Zeppelin.'' But these days are different.
You covered bluesman Robert Johnson on this record. Just like Led Zeppelin, he was accused of selling his soul to the devil. What's the connection between you, the blues, and the guy with the pitchfork?
There was this romance of a lawless Mississippi where black troubadours jumped off riverboats, pulled a gun, ran off with somebody's wife, and were never seen again. It's fantastic stuff, but the thing of legend. As far as Led Zep goes, we were just a bunch of English punks who stole and begged and borrowed the blues, and maybe we went to the right girls' clothing shops.
Your singing is surprisingly subdued on ''Dreamland.'' Can you still wail the way you used to?
The songs I chose on this record didn't give me any hysterical moments of great open falsetto. But I want to say with ''Song of the Siren'' I couldn't have sung it when I was 23 the way I can now. I have so much more stylistic input I didn't even know about in my voice now. But I don't think about my voice. I have to cancel a show once every three years or so, but I can't get neurotic about it. I don't smoke, I don't drink spirits except for some vodka sometimes. I want to be the best tennis player on my block and sing with the gods, so I don't hammer myself too much.
Recently you played with a band you called Priory of Brion. Is that a Monty Python reference you're trying to sneak past us?
There are many truths in the film ''The Life of Brian,'' so many ridiculous analogies. I remember John Cleese holding up a shoe and saying, ''It's His shoe!'' And Brian turns around and asks for his shoe back, and Cleese says, ''No, it's His shoe!'' It's about the fiction of fame and stardom, all the curtseying and tiptoeing around it and the cajoling and ignoring it, who's in and who's out. It's such a hoot.
Is it frustrating to think that the fish incident in Seattle sometimes gets more attention than Led Zeppelin's legacy?
Well, that depends on who's reading the story. I think the success of songs like ''Kashmir,'' ''In My Time of Dying,'' ''Rock & Roll,'' ''Black Dog,'' ''When the Levee Breaks,'' and ''Stairway to Heaven'' has got far more relevance and lifespan than the idea of me sitting down with a vanilla fudge to watch a shark take some strange course. Legend is an amazing thing, but music speaks volumes. And personalities are usually much smaller than the songs they create.
How's your tennis game, anyway?
I'm an average club player. Plenty of backhand slice. But maybe if I got a good offer, I'd play in a celebrity tournament. That young Russian [Anna Kournikova], she's quite good, isn't she?
You Might Also Like
- News + Notes Grammy watch: Why Adele will rule the show
- Music Article Singles Swap: June 24, 2011
- Music Preview Robert Plant & Alison Krauss tour
- Music Article Talking with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
- Music Download This
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.