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Celebrity Question: What Does Zeppelin Mean To You?

Posted Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:33pm PST by Lyndsey Parker in Led Zeppelin's Return Flight

To say that Led Zeppelin were influential is like saying chocolate tastes good. Um, duh! But those of you reading this may not know exactly how Zep influenced and inspired the rockers 'n' rollers you love to listen in 2007.

So we rounded up some of today's top Zep-obsessed rock stars to ask them just how Led Zeppelin has shaped their music--and their lives. And these guys were more than happy to speak on the subject--no communication breakdown here!

Read on for what they had to say...

Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters/Nirvana
"To me, Zeppelin were spiritually inspirational. I was going to Catholic school and questioning God, but I believed in Led Zeppelin. I wasn't really buying into this Christianity thing, but I had faith in Led Zeppelin as a spiritual entity. They showed me that human beings could channel this music somehow and that it was coming from somewhere. It wasn't coming from a songbook. It wasn't coming from a producer. It wasn't coming from an instructor. It was coming from somewhere else. Heavy metal would not exist without Led Zeppelin, and if it did, it would suck. Led Zeppelin were more than just a band--they were the perfect combination of the most intense elements: passion and mystery and expertise. A while ago I heard that Led Zeppelin were going to reform--not just Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, but with John Paul Jones too. I'd had this crazy dream since I was a kid that I would play drums for Led Zeppelin, I really thought I could do it. I know every song back to front, inside out. Then I put on Houses Of The Holy and just sat there, thinking there was no way on earth that I could possibly do it. It would be ridiculous to even try. No one has come close to Bonham in the last 25 years. Absolutely no one..."

 

Kid Rock
Fave Zep Song: "Stairway To Heaven"
"It's a rare rock song that has it all, it sparks emotion, has melody, well-written and performed. It also is hard and heavy without a trace of being corny. The thing I love most about Led Zeppelin is their love and respect for American rhythm & blues music and how they incorporated it into their own blend of rock 'n' roll music. Plus I always thought they were tied to Satan somehow and as a kid thought that was cool, dark, and mysterious!!!!"

 

Lenny Kravitz
"Led Zeppelin rocks! That's it. Baddest rock group in the world--always was, always will be."

 

KT Tunstall
"Led Zeppelin are obviously the best rock band ever in the world. The Rolling Stones were good, but Led Zeppelin were so seminal in setting up a lot of other musicians. My favorite song has to be 'Kasmir.' When I first started recognizing who they were I was like, 'YES.' John Bonham all the way through does about three fills, so whoever wants to play air drums, that's the song to do it to."

 

Matchbox Twenty
 "They're probably one of six bands on how to rock, how you're supposed to do this whole rock thing. They were a blues band in the heart of it all. There's no one who listens to Bonham and doesn't want to play drums. 'When The Levee Breaks' is the biggest air drum song. We used to sit on the bus and watch old footage of Zeppelin. The stage presence is all hair and supertight jeans."

 

Wyclef Jean
"The reason why I admire that band is because some of the stuff they used to use to do is like in 3-4 timing. If I could describe Led Zeppelin in a few words it would be 'music theory.' That's an ill band."

 

Shaun Morgan, Seether
Fave Zep Song: "Immigrant Song"
"The drumbeat gets me fired up every time! It's the ultimate 'get ready to party!' song! John Bonham was pure genius."

 

Mike Retondo, Plain White T's
"The riff from 'Black Dog' was one of the first actual riffs I taught myself how to play on guitar. I learned it pretty well, but I don't think I was musically advanced enough to understand the actual rhythm of the song. Come to think of it, I'm still not that advanced."

 

Scott Ian, Anthrax
"No pun intended, but Led Zeppelin is an ongoing presence in my life. Like a benign monolith always in my periphery, always waiting to delight. Their music has been there from my earliest memories all the way through to this actual second (I'm listening to 'The Crunge'). I can't imagine life without them."

 

Josh Todd, Buckcherry
"Led Zeppelin changed the way I approached songwriting. They could go from a simple rock song like 'Communication Breakdown' to an epic that takes you on a musical journey like 'Stairway To Heaven.' They never followed a formula, and every band member had something to offer. That's what's missing in most of the rock 'n' roll today."

 

Ryan McCombs & C.J. Pierce, Drowning Pool
 "Trying to get everyone in our band to agree on the best Led Zeppelin song is like trying to figure out what the best painting was from Da Vinci or what opera from Mozart was the most stunning. They're all genius. Every song from Led Zeppelin is amazing. There's not one bad song. Led Zeppelin, unlike any other rock band of their time, started with a foundation of blues/rock mixed with reggae, country, bluegrass, experimental, and beyond. That's our inspiration. To take your solid core sound and explore mixing other elements into it, thus taking rock music to the next level. Led Zeppelin's music has been truly inspirational to us and we know it will continue to inspire rock music for years to come."

 

Joe Satriani
"Led Zeppelin rules over the Kingdom Of Rock! Each member brought so much talent to the group as players, writers, and arrangers, more than any other rock band I can think of. Together, they made their band's total greater than the sum of its parts. As individuals, they created and defined their own unique styles, all four of them veritable monsters of rock 'n' roll. As a group, they were unmatched as having the most powerful, unified sound with the deepest of grooves. Each album they gave us was wickedly different from the previous one, blazing a new path for all to follow. They were heavy, yet quirky. They rocked with a swing and a swagger. And, the songs, oh my God, the songs! All hail Page, Plant, Jones, and Bonham!"

 

Carl Bell, Fuel
"The best rock band ever. Period. End of story. Any questions? Four geniuses and all in one band. Rock stations can play the songs still today and they don't sound out of place. The music is still relevant and timeless. The Beatles, however brilliant, can't say that. The Stones, however brilliant, can't say that." 

 

Dave Buckner, Papa Roach
"My favorite Led Zeppelin song is EVERY Led Zeppelin song. They are at the TOP of my list of all time favorite rock bands. John Bonham basically taught me how to play drums, albeit through the headphones of my walkman, and a cassette tape of Physical Graffiti. If I had to pick one song, however, that song would be "In The Light." There is just something otherworldly about that groove."

 

Josey Scott, Saliva
Fave Zep Song: "When The Levee Breaks"
"'When The Levee Breaks' is the song that most influenced me. John Bohnam was a visionary and a pioneer of the original, fat, hip-hop beat. It changed my life. Led Zeppelin's influence on me was their specific interpretation of blues, with monster hooks and phat-ass beats."

 

Richard Patrick, Filter/Army Of Anyone
"To be honest with you, the stoner kids in high school played 'Stairway To Heaven' to death and nearly ruined the Led Zeppelin experience for me until I was about 25, at which point I discovered the incredible and intricate layers that Page, Plant, Jones, and Bonham laid down, and how distinctive yet worldly Led Zeppelin's sound truly is. To me they are the quintessential rock band and it's proven that their music lives forever."

 

Wes Scantlin, Puddle Of Mudd
Fave Zep Song: "Communication Breakdown"
"Their music is sonically all there and timeless."

 

Art Alexakis, Everclear
"When it comes to picking a favorite song by Led Zeppelin...it is all but impossible. Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1970s, they were closer to being a religion than a rock band! So much so, that I named Everclear's greatest hits Ten Years Gone: The Best Of Everclear 1994-2004...an homage to their song 'Ten Years Gone' off of Physical Graffitti. If I had to pick one song, it would have to be 'Dazed And Confused,' since it was the first song I taught myself how to play on guitar! To call Led Zeppelin an influence is an understatement...they are more like a way of life to me."

 

Michael Chislett, The Academy Is...
"'Stairway To Heaven' was one of the first things I ever learned to play on guitar, it was personaly my favorite song, I didn't realize everyone else learned to play it till I saw Wayne's World!"

 

Kevin Cronin, REO Speedwagon
"'Whole Lot Of Love' was the first Zep song I ever heard, and my band worked it up immediately. I may have gotten my initial trip to 'second base' as a result of my interpretation of that panting, sex-grunting, screaming outro...Zeppelin rocks."

 

Mike Portnoy, Dream Theater
"Led Zeppelin are hands-down one of my favorite bands and biggest influences of all time--proven by the Zeppelin IV inner sleeve, Swan Song, and Bonzo symbol tattooed on my right leg! I never got to see them live with my hero John Bonham, but I did have the good fortune of seeing the current lineup perform at the Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary in 1988, as well as watching Page & Plant each night when Dream Theater played with them several times throughout the summer of 1995. I also had the extreme pleasure of assembling a Zeppelin cover band (Hammer Of The Gods) back in 2003 with my fellow-Zeppaholic Paul Gilbert, which was a bit of a dream come true. Picking a favorite song is so hard as they are ALL such a huge part of every fiber in my body...but I'll go with an obscure track for today's favorite: 'In The Light' from Physical Graffiti. But of course, that'll change tomorrow..."

330 Comments

41. petere -
I agree with what Dave Grohl said about Les Zeppelin except one thing. There has been one drummer that has come close to Bohnam and that would be Neil Peart from RUSH. They both had a unique style and can jam the hell out of the rums no matter the size of the set they were using.

42. alan -
LZ was very excellent but sad to say far from the BEST!!!! original 3 piece Cream. shortlived,..Electric Flag with the best american guitarist ever born, Michael Bloomfield........

43. Mad Masher -
who cares, thats your grandpas band now

44. Epoch -
The Lemon Song made me want to be a bass player. Led Zep was IT, period. I had Zep posters in my room, grew my hair like Plant. I'm 45 but when I hear Zep now, I feel 17 again.

45. mr jimi -
I saw LZ in their 2nd concert in the US (Univ of Iowa Student Union '69? '70? who really knows) maybe 600 people in the audience... a life changing experience. Live,nobody can touch 'em. And yeah, they did rip off Willie Dixon a little... really more of a loving tribute by guys who know in their bones IT ALL STARTS WITH THE BLUES!!

46. Ted -
The Who is the greatest without question...they were everywhere (monterey, woodstock, Live Aid, concert for NYC(...Best sonwriting, bass playing and drummer ever...Moon & Entwhistle envented the name, and Plant's whole look was taken from Daltrey...

47. Stephen -
battle at evermore is the most underrated zeppelin song.

48. Mad Masher -
keith moon had more energy and was way more drunk than bohnam

49. VUKE -
Saw them live in 76', at Kezar in SF, the all time greatest heavy metal band...once you heard what they were layin' down nobody else seemed relevant..! Led lives forever..baba das VUKE in Las Vegas.

50. Fang -
sure that song is okay, but were not them periods.

51. Scott R -
Saw them in May of '77 and plan to see them again, Kashmir is the greatest in concert

52. __A_YAHOO_USER__ -
Dazed and Confused no if, ands, or buts.

53. Tina L W -
I agree with all of you. ZEP ROCKS!! They have been my absolute favorite for years. Now that my daughter is grown, they are her favorite too. The thing I admire most about their music, is that all their songs don't sound the same. With a variety that includes: Trampled Under Foot, In The Evening, Nobody's Fault and Tangerine...picking a favorite song is wayyy too hard. I guess it depends on which album I am listening to at the time. They make my world a happier place, and all I have to to is tune in. Sometimes life is good!

54. ThinkingAhead -
Nobody can really try to compare themselves to Led Zeppelin simply because they are in a class by themselves; not a religion as some would think (Jesus rules and died FOR us) but of extreme influence on the world. All we listened to in highschool weightroom and at afterschool activities was Zep with a little Aerosmith and Kiss thrown in for flavor. Excellent music and so thought-provoking; simply the best in their class!!!

55. Drednaut66 -
My personal faves: "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You," "Tangerine," "Ten Years Gone," "Down By The Seaside," "Tea For One," and "Since I've Been Loving You."

56. northernlad -
This is the best list of bands they could get to talk about Zeppelin?
Not sure I can trust most of them as to what is good music...

57. chick -
Pink Floyd is my favorite band, but Led Zeppelin is the best. Robert Plant's voice is an amazing musical instrument. Kashmire is my fav song.

58. Bosco -
Best Zep song - "Ten years gone" in my opinion.

59. Yahoo! Music User -
Althought I agree that Led Zepplin was influencial in rock. I don't think they are the fathers of heavy metal. I would be more inclined to give that honor to Black Sabbath, but since both bands were around at the same time, It would be fair to say that Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath are both fathers of heavy metal/rock n roll

60. Veronica -
Led Zepplin rocks! But, how could you do this interview without getting a comment from the White Stripes??? They are the Led Zepplin of today!
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