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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

141. Yahoo! Music User -
I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin in my early teens in Austin TX, laying out in the sun by the pool with my boyfriend, smoking grass. What a wonderful basis for the rest of my life! They are as true today as ever. No other rock band will ever come close.

142. Marty -
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143. Yahoo! Music User -
The music it's timeless, you can listen to it 50 years from now and it still sound great.Led Zepplin to me was a band that was a head of it's time. Still today there is no band that can or will ever will accomplish what they have done. There music will live forever !!

144. Scott -
The best ever. Period.

145. Edward -
Tangerine is the best

146. El Squishy -
Can't go wrong w/Zep. Most definitely not. Heh! ^_^

147. Dawn A -
D'yer Mak'er.... I love that song. Turn that one up loud!!!

148. Yahoo! Music User -
It's such a shame they won't do one more tour over here in the U.S.! I was lucky enough to get up front seats to Robert Plant in '90, and that was an unbelievable experience since back then, they didn't have such a cow about smoking a little weed at a concert. Oh well, we all have to grow up and pretend to our children that we never ever did such things! BUT, my seven year old son who is very sweet, a teacher's pet and makes very good grades is a MAJOR Jimmy Page Fan and loves to watch Led Zeppelin music videos with me to see Jimmy work his magic with sound! The man can put down the guitar and wave his hands around the microphone to create his own custom sounds. UNREAL.

149. Yahoo! Music User -
BTW- Going To California is my favorite!!!

150. James -
When I first started listening to the mighty Zep, It wasn't classic Rock, it was new releases. Growing up in Alaska in the 70's, the imigrant song had a profound meaning lyrically and was an Alaskan favorite. With the Pipeline going on at that time, Zep was the right band for the decade, and it just kept going. There music is timeless. All the "younger" croud that I may play it for are just as receptive as I was so long ago. Anyone got a spare ticket? HA.

151. __A_YAHOO_USER__ -
my favorite band of all time

152. Bassam -
led zep are one of my favorite band (the cars styx pink floyd ) of all the time ' i love kashmir and all of my love . im so glad that their getting back together

153. Yahoo! Music User -
Zep may or may not be the best rock band ever but they were right up there. I didn't care so much for Robert Plant solo in the 90s, though. That particular group of four guys created a sort of musical magic. I saw them when I was a kid of 14-15, back when concert tickets were like $5 (does that age me or what?) and I went to concerts maybe once or twice a week. I'd love to see them again today with Bonham's son on drums, but I'd sure miss the experience of getting a massive high from quality weed at the concerts like we used to. It just heightened their particular style. Now, a lot of bands are so overprocessed and lipsynched, the whole show isn't as special. One-hit wonders become millionaires and gods to kids. These guys wrote most of their own stuff and the quality was so much better than much of the current stuff. I don't like to live in the past and generally like new music better, but there are just a few really great musicians today, maybe Dave Grohl, Nickelback, and Hannah Montana (ha, gotcha). I do like to kick back and listen to some Eric Clapton, Stones, Aerosmith, Ozzy, Jimi, and others every so often. Even my 11-year-old daughter is a headbanger and proud of it. I just make sure she hears the quality stuff and LZ is right up there, especially Immigrant Song, Kashmir, and Been a Long Time (Rock and Roll). If some of the younger kids haven't heard them, give these songs a try. You'll find music of creativity, quality and intricacy that is hard to find these days.

154. adrimar -
i admired robert plant's hi octane voice!
rumor has it he blew the amps during one of their concerts. i wonder how mnay octaves he can manage to go..

155. Yahoo! Music User -
When I first Heard Comminication Breakdown my neighbor had just bought a 1970 Orange Volkswagon Superbeetle and the song was pouring out of that car on a 8 track player. I forgot all about the new strange looking car and wondered WTF was that music I was hearing, I never stopped listening to Led Zep since that day. Best band since the Beatles.

156. R.Sime -
There is no doubt in my mind. Greastest band of all time. I'm an african american 21 yr old. Nough said. I sit in my car and blast "Dazed and Confused" while driving down brooklyn streets and literally feel like the world is shaking. Their music is not music. It's gospel because it's preached to you, not jamed down your throat. Today not one band would dare make a 6 min plus song but these guys did it because they just had to get it all out. Listen to "since i been lovin' you" and if your not saying bi**h by the end, blood is not flowing through your veins.

157. Louie -
the jimi hendrix experience was the ONLY rock band ever

158. Joyap -
Stairway to Heaven

159. rik f -
Zep is the ultimate metal/rock band. The borders they expanded upon that pink floyd couldnt reach , Zep conquered.

Best of luck on your re-union gig and get your butts over here to america and share some of the history with us.

160. this1grnmarocks -
I GREW UP LISTENING TO LED ZEPPELIN AND STILL DO THEY ARE THE BOMB AND ROLLING IN MY ARMADA WITH 24'S SO DO MY GRANDKIDS.....ROCK ON!!!
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