questions

[Zach Maurer <mau@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's a copy of a personal e-mail I sent to Jennifer who kindly answered my
questions and suggested that I post both my message and her responses for
anybody else who was wondering.

I asked:
>First of all, where does the reference 'Badgeholders' come from?  I don't
think >I've ever heard it before.  Second, where did Plant get a nickname
like >'Percy'? I know I've never heard that before.  It seems kind of an odd
name.

Jennifer's answers:
>First, "Badgeholders" refers to one of the most famous Zeppelin bootlegs.  
>It's from a show at the L.A. Forum on June 23, 1977 (I think I've got that 
>date right, but I may be a day or two off -- I'm pretty new at this all 
>too).  This was a terrific show, made legendary by the guest appearance on 
>stage of that lovable goofball Keith Moon.  The name of the bootleg is "For 
>Badgeholders Only."  It refers to comments Robert kept making all night 
>about groupies, which he called "Badgeholders" -- for example, he explained 
>that "if you're a badgeholder of a band member, you're someone to be 
>reckoned with...."  The people who voted for this name chose it because it 
>is Zeppelin's (well, Robert Plant's) own word for fans, because it refers 
>to one of the most famous bootlegs (and, as you'll see, we talk about 
>bootlegs a lot on this list), and because it connotes a kind of exclusivity 
>(like, we're a special little club who are somehow "in" with the band).
>
>Second, I don't know if we've ever discussed the origins of Percy's 
>nickname on the list, but I read that it came about one day soon after the 
>group got together when the band members were talking about boring English 
>TV shows.  One show they laughed about in particular involved a gardener 
>named Percy Something-Or-Other, and someone (Jonesy?) said this guy was so 
>dull that watching him was just like sitting around watching plants grow.  
>Then Jimmy said, "That's funny.  That's what we do -- we sit around 
>watching Plant (i.e., Robert) grow!"  After that, the name Percy just 
>stuck.  (Disclaimer:  I read that anecdote in Richard Cole's book "Stairway 
>to Heaven," which is by no accounts accurate!)

If anybody else has insight to the origins of Plant's nickname, I'd love to
hear it.

Thanks,

ZSM