THROWBACK: Led Zeppelin Celebration Day Press Conference | The Record By USRN

all right we got the pictures I get to ask the first couple of questions up here that's my that's my pay um Jason over here same to the last place you'd expect in the film it's clear how determined you are and how focused you are and and you know you're channeling the spirits but I have to wonder if there was a moment when these three guys were looking up at you and one of those great shots were you're looking down and they're all in a line looking at you well you just stepped outside yourself and said holy it's Led Zeppelin um yeah I mean and I happened on more than one occasion for me over the years of getting a chance to play with them again 19 years later when probably the first time we did it wasn't as rehearse as it was now I just to get to know them for that six weeks we had lots of moments where I just it was I kept saying I'm playing drums for Led Zeppelin this this really is something very special something I dreamed about all my life in it in a very strange way but on the night yeah I remember there was one incident and probably John won't remember it like I do but I watched some remains the same so many times there's a look that I did with Johnny not in no quarter and I remember I thought that was just like someone made the same it gave me the look and he probably wasn't for the probably the same reason you did dad but it was very very special for me honestly yeah that was the where are we look yeah but for me I just said it was a huge huge honor to play and all I was concentrating on the night as I know that was happening people there I was just concentrating who was on the stage really I just wanted to a impress my mates here my dad's friends well you did it I guess I would just ask each of the three of you of this which song did each of you say this has got to be in the setlist I mean whose idea was it to do for your life who said I really want to do this one if we're doing this this one time Robert tell us why you know um it's a funny thing but I think presence as a collection of songs it's been very I guess important to all of us obviously but we didn't get much of an opportunity nobody's for by mine maybe and Achilles last stand we visited quite a lot but it's just such a great piece of music and I was talking about it the other day it has an amazing sort of map as a you know as a piece of music and just like Jason I was amazed I was there playing with Led Zeppelin and as I was just saying now where does the vocal come in and I know I made a couple of errors just had to shut up instead of doing too much but it was say but I think that was my favorite part of the show to be honest because we were none of us could bring too much back from having ever played it before it was a it was a great experience and that is flying by the seat of the pants these guys did such a great job on that was very exciting great light show to Jimmy was there was there one song that you said I don't care about anything else we have to do this one well Kashmir obviously we had to do but we played that before we Led Zeppelin I mean did the TV the reference center for your life was was was fair you know Robert what Robert said is really fair on it because it's gets it is quite a testy song to do there's a lot to remember not having played it before it was the it was a very interesting one out of all of them to actually be approaching and I thought we did a really good job of that but I thought but you know I think with that went right across the board that we had a good real fair attack and an assault on all of them yeah John yeah nothing new here for your life and Kashmir definitely I mean Kashmir is always good I get to sit down but but I can make a lot of noise to know with the keyboards and everything good times bad times actually was interesting as well yeah as the start of something we'd not really had we done that before no we hadn't know so yeah that was all new and fresh and I was a good kicker off great all right well let's give everybody else a shot here all right we're gonna follow the microphones so flag down a microphone my friend sir stand up speak into the mic Sal sir in Sione from premiere radio networks John and Jimmy when we got together in London just before the reunion show we were talking about how you guys gather on stage and stay so close to the drums and John it was you telling me that that was the heart of the engine room so I'd like to know what was it like having the engine being driven by Jason this time around it was very exciting as a man that was taking chances and he's a challenger of course but it was no it was really good and it's it's the natural focus but it was always the natural focus of our band I mean we we will maybe start the show little bit more spread out but as soon as as soon as he got serious everybody meets by the drums and that's where he can actually feel everything happening it was it was still just as exciting as it always was yeah we had a series of rehearsals running up to the o2 cotton actually and in every rehearsal the Jason really played his heart out and it was really good I mean we all played our hearts out to be honest with you but it was it was really good and yeah we had a really good community I think on the on the night of the o2 there are some people in here who are not journalists there are some people in here who are not journalists there's a masseuse in here who's not a journalist I think that's ever so exciting we have a question from a masseuse please baz nur MTV vh1 radio network ah there are times when I pass by a mirror and can't help but look at it and take issue with something I see I know you've been doing this for a while but when you watch yourselves on DVD or film are you able to just enjoy it or do you nitpick are you self-conscious and critical as long as it's good we enjoy it I used to be better-looking than this I'm quite concerned about all that stuff really bit late bana is a singer roxy Mizell from United stations radio networks we have some former and current Atlantic Records employees here some of us were there in the 70s with you and and I wanted to ask questions about Ahmet and the reason for this concert to begin with so could you tell us the exact how did the chain of events occur to actually bring this reunion together well um not me um arm it you know when we were kids in England actually before Jason was born we all had we were I guess individually in different parts of Britain we were all really avid music lovers and vinyl junkies and the greatest thing on the planet would be ever to be considered to be signed by Atlantic Records for British people I think the the integrity in the roster of Atlantic music was phenomenal and probably unbeatable maybe a couple of little labels in New Orleans did some great stuff too but I mean so the years we you know that first album taking that home with an Atlantic label on it and showing it to your friends didn't really matter what happened after that he'd kind of everybody hated you beautiful fur getting that far and and as a years progressed arm it became what attached to us I think he liked the after-show relaxations that we had and more than perhaps Jerry Wexler did I think Jim yeah and so you know time went on and on he never really lost his energy and his love of music and of the musicians that he got to know even if they changed labels and gone some other place or whatever it was it was more important to to know that between us all and so when he had the accident we all everything hung on his you know returning to back to normal but it never happened so we in England and also here in New York there was everybody wanted to do something to recognize how much we love the guy and bit by bit things took shape but they changed quite a lot along the way at times the stones were going to be involved is that right Jim well I said it the other night I went to the Beacon Theatre to see someone he blows Johnny Hallyday actually but you know I dawned on me that of course that's where Alma had the accident it was really strong it sure got to tell you and also Clapton was going to do something he's going to put cream back together and I think we were going to do the Albert Hall initially and then you know things change and somebody suggested we go to a bigger venue and then we became what it became it was a but never out of sight of the fact that arm it was a personality as well as an absolute music lover he continued forever to love and even he was just you know he was a seer in many respects everybody's got a different story about him and I don't think we're going to tell you any of them but it was just great you could have wonderful times with him talking about everything everything from Coltrane modern jazz quartet through to rat and white lion alright Jacque Ricci Associated Press you guys rehearse for six weeks for one show now looking at the the film is this in anticipation of something bigger for the band actually the period that we rehearsed over it might may have ran over six weeks or whatever but we weren't rehearsing every day we had a little block here and it'll block over there on the run up to it I just wanted to let you know that we we've been thinking about all sorts of things and then we can't remember what we were thinking about schmuck down in the back sir if you have a microphone you win hello Josh man relics magazine I was one of 16 songs in the film two hours of music you guys rehearse for six weeks can you talk about what that process was like to find the right set of music what felt like the right amount of songs the right amount of time to play and what songs if any fell by the wayside okay well for the first time within our incarnations of Led Zeppelin it was the first time that we had a well in past in the 70s when we were touring you know the sets would sort of be a reflection of what we've done in the past and then what was what was there on that latest album on this we had a chance to have a real retrospective of the career and so that's why that's why we arrived at the first number being good times bad times which is the first track of the first album and then let's see what goes on from there I think we made a pretty good choice right across the board in the time that we had but we you know we pay good attention to it and the pacing of the set was interesting because with no warm-up gig we had to get it right and make sure that you know we would assumed it we worked on it would felt it was the right set and I think it well we should work our way down front after this with some mics there's a poor people who got here early go ahead I are all into New York one would you describe your feelings that you had after the the previous reunions at Live Aid and the the 40th anniversary show and at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was there a feeling of unfinished business and it seems like as as Jimmy said you got it right this time I'm sure everyone in here feels the same immediate feeling of relief of course that we actually got through it and did well um I don't know that was kind of no thing didn't feel much after that do you honest it's kind of numbing but it was a really good place we were in I think yeah I think if we had the opportunity to get together again which is what we had there to do the o2 with those yellow things that left us a little uncomfortable like the Live Aid and Lanting 40th etc but we just really wanted to get it right and go out there to play to people who maybe never heard us who had heard about this reputation and what we were about and basically go out there stand up and be counted for we were well that's my feeling anyway I think expectations are horrific things I mean if you go off and you play in North Africa or something like that you just you know you're going to have a good time and you're going to work with people and there's no there's nothing else about it that's how we started in a little room with Jason's dad all that time ago so to actually do anything at all together it's such a kind of incredible weight because sometimes we were awful you know and sometimes we were stunning and a couple of times we tried to get together in the in the meantime I presume that you're referring to the fact that the 40th anniversary wasn't wasn't as good as this but you know I think we were really propelled by Jason and his enthusiasm and his dark glasses and on all prescription prescription don't believe that prescription wait it's not in your family I've known your family for 50 years our prescription I mean really broke the atmosphere of expectation for us chase because he knows far more about us than we do you know he's got all the bootlegs and he's in touch with the people who make the bootlegs he's got a very very strong interest in the bootlegs well I'm by my for me yet when we did Atlantic 40th I probably feel I was still in the my era of the world owes me a living stage of my life and didn't really take anything that seriously and 19 years later with the world oh I need to prove to everyone really that I am there's a love a lot of doubt was out there and for me the whole run-up to the o2 was a huge amount of enjoyment and pressure all at the same time you know I started to read the internet and it weren't that nice of comments sometimes as I shouldn't have been doing it but for me the way it happened the way where everyone played not just me I mean realistically I mean I was playing with these guys this was my dream and you were fantastic every one of you and it just was a very special night so I really really enjoyed it so for me it was what it was tremendous hello one two I'd like to ask a follow-up to the question posed by the schmuck if I might my name is Michael Smerconish and I'm a radio host congratulations it was an honour to watch the film you sound great you look great and the production values are excellent I don't know that it's going to quench the thirst of those who wish to see you in the flesh what would you say to them sorry alright mr. right down here the front row is anybody gonna say anything exactly my voice is kind of shot um I'm going to step in the back all right cool Karen Miller from New York radio last million years yes get the lead out you know Q and a for w ND w Scott Muni everybody my question is kind of twofold you mentioned journalists now over the last 40 years which you know I've been playing your records and you sold bazillions of records the journalists and the critics were always really snobby and nasty to you and it always seemed as though you were in a way apologizing for your great music to them my question is why did you give there and pick their opinion so much importance when you can see that everybody else liked your music and number two you've made some great musical logical arguments that you read in interviews about playing various types of roots music with other great musicians in this country and elsewhere why never mind spandex and you know lights and everything why would you not want to play music with these great musicians and explore music with them well what a great idea to explore I mean isn't that wonderful that's that's how we got to be good you know we kept developing and nuancing ideas that came from all over the place I like the idea of exploring what was that uh why were we so sensitive yes but because well we were it's but but what did you think about it it's silly well you're right yeah it depends what you mean amount the journal is something as far as the album's when the the critique of the album's oh it's quite clear that the people who just went over their head so didn't have time to review it sort of over an evening when they got a white label of it and I just disappoint the most of the album's but the thing is that there are audience hunt missed the point of what we were doing and that's why I just went from strength to strength over here the people in the audience and people on the radio is that so many of the critics were maybe just jealous and they just want to pick you apart and it seems as though you were kind of overreacting to me laughter they didn't know the joy of playing a three-hour show with the rest of the band idol said yeah hey and also they were a lot older than us at the time what well who knows what happened to him but I mean you know some people wanted to want it to be different yeah everybody wanted the I'm but to fly and they got us so yeah oh no that wasn't right um but yeah yeah sensitivity is a crazy thing you don't you write you create music you get really is this all right am i doing that am i doing are we as a group or with a bunch of people is this right you never really know yeah but it doesn't work like that when you get to a certain point you go is any of this right you know and thank God it's like that because if you took it for granted you finished you know so all hail sensitivity I say sir Jimmy you said to a Rolling Stone there's no chance of reunion and John you said sorry an answer to Michael's question I want to ask why is there no chance you guys look like you're having fun in the movie great movie the concert you really look like you were getting on why not and why is it so hard to come together again look let me get let me ask this guys did did the fact that this show went so well that this show was such a triumph and to Carl's point all the press said greatest rock concert of all time you know everybody was converted does that actually make it easier for you to go okay that's the last waltz we went out on top well look at this time four years ago would have been rehearsing to get to the o2 in December it'll be five years since co2 and so that's a number of years of paths in between so it seems unlikely if there wasn't a whisper or a hint that we would do get together to do something or other along you know being say even two years ago or whatever seems pretty unlikely done no that's what I think I stand up here in front sir one of the great things about this performance is that shows all the amalgam of your influences and and how other critics have loved your your work when you look back over your career and you see other documentation of your performances and all do you see things that you don't you didn't see that you can't see when you're on the stage that you see when you get a chance to watch yourselves and do you have any observations about what you think you do best and on stage and what works for you and can you guys all of your comment on that wow that's a great quick it's a very interesting question it's almost transcendental but you know the thing is I think that night back then we were just hanging on for dear life watching each other and those expressions of working together were just we were so happy that we were actually getting it right and really enjoying it and taking it beyond what we thought we were about that might do a moment's in it where we just took off and pushed off into some place the responsibility of doing that for nine a week for the rest of time is a different thing because we pretty good at what we do but we shouldn't be the tail should never wag the dog really we should if we're capable of doing something in our own time that will be what will happen so any inane questions from people who are in from syndicated outlets you should just really think about what it takes to answer a question like that in one second you know we know what we've got and you know okay so are all the way back right here Darren Davis from artisan news back here I wanted to see if you guys you know when you saw the movie if you had any flashbacks to song remains the same and just want to get your thoughts a being the - yeah I grew up watching nothing as well as being the the little kid playing the drums in it which I just recently found out it was actually dr. John when I was actually playing to be the right place at the right time um which I don't he just found out recently but for me yeah I mean obviously I was on stage I grew up watching that movie you know over and over again and then as I got older would watch it over and over again as well as every bootleg I have been handed through different Zeppelin founds here I'm very lucky I get to see as much as it was like you know it's knowledge for me I wanted I was like a Zeppelin sponge with a thirst for the Zep trivia it was constant I loved the movie I would look over at every point in stage and see Mymensingh oh yeah reminds me of this or bit Daffy really but wonderful for me and so I definitely did have moments of that song remains the same in my performance because half of the performances I was playing I was thinking of song remains the same versions so I'd like a lot of people do those versions of live versions people have grown up with you know I really did have moments of that in the for me I want you to know what happened to that blonde chick Guinevere all right are we going to up in the back - yes stand up sir speak into the mic hello hi I'm Mike Mettler of sound and vision magazine which was known as stereo view in the 70s we like the fact that celebration day is coming out on multiple formats including a high-res blu-ray audio Robert II mentioned you guys are vinyl junkies growing up Jimmy you've released two vinyl only albums on your own website I like that the album's coming out on 180 gram vinyl so I asked you guys if you think vinyl is the best way to listen to Led Zeppelin and why what's a matter of taste I guess I mean personally I never let go of vinyl all the way through even when CDs came on the scene but what I would recommend to you is that you don't listen to Led Zeppelin on mp3 that's for sure Chris canceller Fox four one one the show was so tight your playing was so polished was there any time during the show that you recorded or leading up to it that you felt like the wheels were coming off and this could go this could go really bad really quick you mean coming out to Jimmy the rehearsals both the rehearsals and perhaps in the concert itself oh no no the rehearsals were going to the strength to strength and each each day's rehearsal had its own character which is quite quite exhilarating you know because we're working towards this one point no we put enough time into it for the certainly for Jason and myself and John playing together so we could be tighten it I come the day of the show should something go really wobbly we we we had a communion a mystical communion between us to be others sorted straightening out fortunately we were really lucky on the night there's something we've always known how to do to be honest it was just a matter of getting back to that point again all right Ruiz did Mike stand up please visa called ourselves the band of nods because if you miss a cue you just wait a bit nod and and that was you that nice yeah and that was nothing to do with opiates or anything he was just to do with the fact that you know we were just not in and there was lots of turned into middle-aged grins Cortney from that girl at the party calm great concert thank you very much what's he called back girl at the party calm I am that girl so I wanted to ask you guys the state of rock now it's a complete mess there's no legacy of rock now we're stuck listen to classics so I always like to ask what was the first record that you ever got and what is the last record you bought like who do you think is great now Rock wise oh wait maybe we know what we doing that's not a trick question what's going on okay first record ever for me I'm actually Jimmy's got amazing first records when we first met that lights out cherry burn yeah Donna and Joey first first record for me is probably 78 of Little Richard you know it's so it's hearted yeah I think so Johnny Burnette first records come on you never got Johnny Miller it's not the rock'n'roll trio dreamin on over there produced by snuff Garrett with strings okay I'm sorry I'm not trying to beat some kind of rockabilly purist but I do know a lot about it now uh last record I got was on First Avenue and 6th Street from Kim's records where they were they stitch me up like oh and I bought translucent their new album itched from Colorado very good but I loved Mumford & Sons be me up Scottie's my first regulars would be way way more embarrassing and no nowhere near as cool as these chaps I remember having first week of pocket money which was very rare and fantastic I'd love to say the second song because it's way cooler which was Bohemian Rhapsody but the first one was actually Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia by Laurel and Hardy at the time that was in the charts much to my dad so much to my dad's dismay in an interview once what surprisingly the last record that I just bought here in the village of all a number of records actually but the last one I got was a collection the Ray let's you know Ray Charles whose singers which is really cool sir right here stand up please right here in the front stand up hello stand up hello okay hi Danny so Mac DSP United stations how do you feel about getting the Kennedy Center Honors number one and number two I'm not gonna ask you about the reunion or anything but there is a rumor that you might do the Super Bowl who say the Americans aren't funny that's great actually you can stick around ken kennedy said I mean everything that we talked about is American from our musical tastes I think more or less and maybe North African and Egyptian or something that so it's all the fact that we we get this thing to go and meet the most dynamic and charismatic American outside of America Obama you know is a great great privilege and and and I think I have mutual love of them of an absolutely total influenced by American music whether it's from Mississippi or wherever it could have been from Chicago in 1982 you know it's great because we kind of are American in a way but not of course yes as far as the music goes of course we have such a massive debt to American music I mean it's the thing that definitely seduced us all to want to be part of the music that's but even in England you know the sort of the sort of our own sort of homegrown stars over there they were all inspired by American music anyway so it was all part and parcel of the same thing John any comment on the Kennedy Center Honors Kennedy Center Honors it's fantastic expresses they know who we are this is great it's why don't we take three let me to have John with us today I said owner we're gonna take this gentlemen and their work that check I spend and I was just wondering how you kind of when you did begin rehearsing how did you get on the same page again with one another and when did you know that it had clicked is there a certain song or something I can't understand it how did it go how do we get on the same fighting sane while what this page no just to click together we just I mean we just well it would be a major component wouldn't it a behavioral thing that we all got together yeah yeah I mean we just started playing basically and and it the feeling was there really almost like the very first time we ever played together which was in the excuse my string section yeah I mean it just immediately it clicks again you don't have to work at it you just fall into how it's always been you know I mean we we played I don't know how many shows we played in all in the old days and it kind of just suddenly time was compressed and suddenly right back there again you know and you're only working on the same things that you were always working on and and focusing on the same you know the same issues and it just slid straight back into it again I mean once the fingers got going again the brains followed you know as did our asses hey guys over here Brian I have CBS Robert during the film you mentioned that John Bonham sang the wind cries Mary I believe you said it was what other songs did he sing and what was Jimi Hendrix's influence on you guys as a band well um I did you know your dad you know did you ever hear the way of life and yeah well it was it did this reference they had the Reggie and Chrissie Jones were people who were build houses and out of tree it was it a trio the way of life anyway John was a better singer than any of them he and also his mom Pat's a crackin singer and Zoey and and him as you could hear on the first track of the thing Bob so John was really good at that and he could play the drums and do that drive the van just generally about and have a really wonderful time and was obviously he didn't want to have four people in a group if he could just have three you know times were tough then so John did a great job too in all those sir and he he was right he said to me you know um he said you're not very good plan T he said just go out there and look good and and he was right and Hendrix's work is you know what it is it's it's absolutely spectacularly free and magnificent and who knows what might have happened if he'd have been playing with all the people he wanted to play with you know um marvelous stuff lots of memories of all that here in New York actually way back hey would someone give him like this for a woman in the second rows had her hand up for the whole time you better be good Nadia from South Africa Robert Plant just wanted to thank you for the song that you did with Soweto gospel choir back in the day and I just wanted to know you from the start you had artistic control of your music and all your endeavors do you think in today's time event you know your band Led Zeppelin could still exist and come out in the music industry as it is today thank you if they release on the Internet yes I can't imagine anybody has the same can have the same control over their music I mean maybe it does happen I don't know but you're right we we had a we had a manager that basically kept the business and everything away from us and just said you do what you do I'll do what I do and you know he just gave us the total freedom and space to just get on with the music and please ourselves and hopefully please others I also think the music that we we were a part of a huge movement in the United States or Europe or whatever it was where it was nothing huge and enormous about anything we would on a circuit playing alongside so many amazing bands I mean we played the Texas international Pop Festival Atlanta Pop Festival with Janis and the airplane and Pacific Gas and Electric John Lee Hooker though there was a huge community of people within our own age group and above and not below we were really young you know and we just played and played and played and played and played and played and played and this the thing that grew out of that became so big that it became almost kind of intolerable in a way now whether or not that happens to people now I think because there was no rules back then we didn't really know what the boundaries and our whole urban flow of excitement and adrenaline would create but now I'm sure that contemporary groups like you know Metallica or whomever is it's you know Kings of Leon or you know they probably govern it more you know they disappear and hide away and we we didn't know anything about the protocol and etiquette of what we were in the middle of you know time we had it it wasn't the time that 60s or 70s we we had we had so much freedom over what we were doing I mean we did we would be touring for example you know we were touring and we come together together to make an album and we make the album present it to the record company and the record company would put it out and that's how it was there was no interference about anything so we had a great freedom and we were very lucky to have that at that point of time I'm not sure and that very much doubt if you know new bands have that sort of freedom that we had so we're very lucky that's it gentlemen thank you very much for doing this thanks to all of you let's hear it for Led Zeppelin you

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Rating: 4.869318 out of 5

Keywords: Celebration Day, Led Zeppelin, Get The Led Out, Carol Miller, tbt, tb, classic, legend, music, band, song, interview, video, robertplant, jimmy page, johnbonham, johnpauljones, rockandroll, metal, metalhead, rock, rockmusic, led zeppelin celebration day, led zeppelin reunion, celebration day led zeppelin, led zeppelin interview

Id: wBl7lG7Fi50

Length: 40min 38sec (2438 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 11 2012