Re: Fwd: Respect for Bonzo

["Steve Thomson" <zeppelin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually, I think Plant is fairly emotional and sentimental, but of
course all of us who don't know him personally can only ever speculate.
It's obvious that Bonham's affected him deeply as he's said so many
times. Actually, Plant play absolutely no Zeppelin numbers in concert
until 1988 (aside from the Live Aid reunion), including two major tours
with his solo band.

I'm sure all three were devastated in their own private way. Not only
did they lose a friend, they all lost an incrddible musical vehicle.
It's obvious from watching Page just how much he enjoyed the magic
onstage when those four made music. Yes I know there were some
mind-altering substances involved later on but in the beginning, he
moved with the sheer joy of the music. Suddenly that outlet is gone.
Alan White is a fine drummer and Chris Squire an incredible bassist
(I've recently been discovering classic Yes material and enjoying it
thoroughly) but those XYZ jams in the summer of 1981 must have seemed 
like a half-hearted exercise after the exuberance of standing onstage
with Jones and Bonham propelling the riffs!!!

I think there was an element of truth to the "respect for Bonzo" thing
in the beginning, but in reality Led Zeppelin didn't continue because
Bonham's drumming was the most essential part of Led Zeppelin's sound.
All members were essential, but without his remarkable sense of rhythm,
timing, feel, swing--whatever--the band is no longer the same. All three
surviving members were much more candid about this during interviews in
2003 for the DVD release (remember Percy asking Matt Lauer if he can
play like Bonzo? :).

They're not the Stones or the Who. Both of those bands carried on more
or less without "breaking up" after members died. Zeppelin didn't. Both
of those bands put out crtically acclaimed albums in the past year that
are quite good and compare favorably with their classic material. Could
"Led Zeppelin" do this? Sure, but for whatever reasons--and reasons
known only to those three people--it hasn't happened and probably never
will. We fans still have their work as Led Zeppelin to cherish and I'm
ok with that. I'd like to see Page do something new and I'd also like to
see more Zeppelin material released. He's now gone on record as saying
both are on their way. So let's wait and see, and in the mantime enjoy
what we have.


> <It all comes down to Plant.  Plant and Bonham were buddies or
> "childhood friends" as Robert could be heard to say.  Plant and Bonzo
> had a tight bond on and off stage and laughed and gave each other crap
> on stage as can be heard on so many bootlegs.  That relationship grew
> from being a couple of kids struggling hard to make it to becoming a
> massive success in Led Zeppelin.  And then Bonzo passed away (RIP) how
> could Plant ever replace that bond(?), he couldn't and so it was the
> end of an era.>
> 
> i don't think plant is such an emotional/sentimental person. i know he
> and bonham are buddies from teenage but whatever it is, so far it just
> didn't stop/prevent plant; to come together with jimmy/others and play
> zeppelin songs ;play zeppelin songs on almost every his solo concert
> with any band (is there any complete/full length live gig where he
> DIDN'T perform a zeppelin song?) and more...
> 
> with my all respect for michael and his opinions i felt a discomfort
> because i just didn't like the term BUYING. i'm not SELLING anything,
> i'm just talking about my thoughts. sorry for sourness.
> 
> öner
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Michael O. Shannon <ms@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Nov 23, 2006 3:01 PM
> Subject: Respect for Bonzo
> To: zeppelin@xxxxxxxx
> 
> Greetings FBO,
> 
> I think it goes without saying that most fans of Led Zeppelin consider
> John Henry Bonham to be not only their favorite drummer but also the
> greatest drummer of all time.  On and off through the years I have
> heard Zep fans put down other groups like the Stones or the Who
> because they are out there touring without the original lineups
> etc...but the mighty Led Zeppelin have never truely reunited because
> of the great respect for Bonzo and the band...
> 
> I've never really bought the whole thing about the amazing amount of
> respect the ex members of Zeppelin and their fans had for Bonham and
> so they can never tour under the Led Zeppelin name again.  It all
> comes down to Plant.  Plant and Bonham were buddies or "childhood
> friends" as Robert could be heard to say.  Plant and Bonzo had a tight
> bond on and off stage and laughed and gave each other crap on stage as
> can be heard on so many bootlegs.  That relationship grew from being a
> couple of kids struggling hard to make it to becoming a massive
> success in Led Zeppelin.  And then Bonzo passed away (RIP) how could
> Plant ever replace that bond(?), he couldn't and so it was the end of
> an era.
> 
> But still it all comes down to Plant.  If Plant had wanted to work
> with Jimmy and Jonesy again with another drummer and/or additional
> musicians I think everyone would have gone along with Plant on that
> (whether they called themselves Led Zeppelin or something else).  And
> I don't think we as fans would have been saying that's bullshit
> where's the respect for Bonzo?  I think we'd be rocking out to all the
> new music and concerts that they might have made together throughout
> the 80's, 90's to present time.
> 
> Yes I have huge respect for Led Zeppelin and Bonzo but I think that
> anytime between 1980/09/25 to the present if Robert had said let's get
> together as Led Zeppelin for a tour or to make new music it would have
> come to pass.  It always seemed like it came down to Plant saying yes
> or no.  It pretty much goes without saying that we all have a huge
> respec fort Bonzo but I think most of us would not have complained if
> the boys had got back together as Zeppelin or whatever.
> 
> Back to the Stones or the Who out there touring without the original
> lineups and how Zeppelin would never do that because of respect for
> Bonzo and the band.  I just don't buy it.  I think if Plant had ever
> gave it the thumbs up Jimmy and Jonesy and the fans would have been
> there in a heartbeat.  In a way us Zep fans are probably jealous of
> the Stones/Who fans because they get to see and hear their favorite
> bands/artists still working together making music or playing live.
> 
> To try and wind this post up: Do you see what I'm attempting to say?
> We can say our favorite band never reunited their surviving members
> out of respect which is true because of the Plant/Bonzo Bond.  But
> it's not that complicated and it never really mattered what we as fans
> thought or really even what Jimmy or Jonesy thought.  Plant could have
> just snapped his fingers at any point and a reunion would have been on
> and they would have been in the studio or on the road and we the fans
> would have been there at the shows.  We would have been missing Bonzo
> terribly but we would have been there.
> 
> Michael O. Shannon
> Seatte, Wa
> 
> 
> 

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