THE JIMMY PAGE INTERVIEW PART 2

(This is the concluding segment of an interview writer Chris Welch recently conducted with Jimmy Page in Frankfurt, Germany, following one of the guitarist’s premiere gigs with his new band, the Firm. In this portion of the interview, Page discusses guitar technique, the state of modern rock and Led Zeppelin—Ed.)

Did Jim feel his guitar playing had grown rusty over the past few years? “Let’s put it this way. If you think about the ARMS show at the Royal Albert Hall,

I hadn’t been onstage for three years then. I knew I was rusty. I might have done the odd jam but no...I hadn’t really played. My playing improved a bit with the American tour, but after that I was determined to make something of the guitar again. When I played with Ian Stewart’s Rocket 88 in Nottingham, none of us was announced. It was great, because I heard people say, ‘Oh, that guitarist wasn’t bad’—and they didn’t know who it was. Do you know that meant more to me than anything in the world? It really did. I felt, that’s bloody magic. It sounds like I’m blowing my own trumpet, but it’s not that. It’s just that it meant so much to me at that point in time. It helped me put things in proper perspective and see how things ought to be.”

Jimmy had a tremendous legacy behind him, almost a burden, right?

‘Yeah, yeah. I’m not ashamed of ANY of that. Led Zeppelin was magic for me. It was a privilege to play in that band. It would have been wrong for me to go out playing the same material now, and even worse, get a singer to sing all Robert’s songs. That would have made me an absolute Philistine. You know what I mean? That’s how it could go. But I felt that was morally wrong. I know Bonzo (John Bonham) wanted that music to go on

forever I see kids wearing Led Zeppelin T-shirts at our gigs. That’s all right. But I think they’re there to hear the new things we can do.”

How had Jimmy’s style changed?

“Well, I don’t want to get into 12 minute guitar solos and all that. I’ve grown up a lot more. But it’s not just growing up or even owning up. At the time when I played long solos with Zeppelin there was a lot of excitement and I got carried away. Now we play much more punchy statements. The longest piece is The Chase,’ from Death Wish II. which incorporates bass and drum solos. But we keep everything to the point. I used to waffle sometimes in the past, but that’s down to concentration.

“I love doing things like ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love.’ Isn’t that great? It was Paul’s idea to do it. It’s our encore number, and if it was too tight it would be awful. It would spoil the whole thing. When it gets slick it’s horrible isn’t it? It’s boring. Well, / think so.”

Jimmy and his generation have suffered at the hands of the rock press— particularly in England, still filled with post-punk angst. Jimmy nodded. He knew what I was on about.

“They had such a field day knocking bands from the ’70s and what they were doing, making jokes about flower power and hippies. Let’s face it—the psychedelic era, when you look back, made so much difference to all kinds of music. It influenced jazz when Miles Davis brought out the funky rhythm section on Bitches Brew. I know from guitar as well that musos then wouldn’t use a third string you could bend, which is what rock ’n’ roll is all about—bending strings. Then suddenly it’s all there, and things got really good. All the classical students got interested in rock as well, which was brilliant, and that all came about at that time. Prior to that there was such snobbishness in music it was ludicrous.

“I learned all my stuff from ’50s guitar records. They were my text books.

“OK, so that went on, and then came the bands of the ’70s, like Led Zeppelin. They knock it because the bands appeared to become demi-gods. But from our part of it, well, I say it was just supply and demand. I remember when we tried to go back to playing small clubs when we were at our peak. It was absolutely chaos. People couldn’t get in. It all went wrong. You can never win. We played at the big stadiums because so many people wanted to see us!

“OK, they started calling us demi-gods. Well, one thing they got wrong. If they didn’t think we played with conviction they were damn wrong. And there was so much variety at that time, if you think about the ’70s. OK, so now they say all those bands were absolute nonsense, and they don’t amount to ANYTHING and they can’t relate to anything we ever did. And they’ve got all this new technology, and they’re learning computers at school, and what do they do with it? Verses and choruses, which is exactly the same thing bands were doing in the mid-’60s like the Hollies and Herman’s Hermits.

“Now, I can be very cynical about it, but I’m not going to be. It’s all very well them knocking people who tried to work on their instruments, when all they do now is get in a damn good producer to do super mixes. [Jimmy loves Frankie Goe’fe To Hollywood by the way.] That’s where the state of the art is at. Production. And then miming on stage with tapes? What is that all about? I’m sure the general public don’t want to know about it.

“I don’t want to sound nostalgic...but I AM, ’cos those times were GREAT for me, just like these times are great for others. These are the formative years for other people. There is a whole new generation going out on the road...breaking up hotel rooms!

“Now everyone is back into little boxes, and everyone over 30 is finished—which will be fun when THEY get to 30, by the way. During the psychedelic era Bill Graham started the Fillmore. That’s quite a legend isn’t it? Okay, I played there with the Yardbirds on the same bill as jazzman Cecil Taylor, It’s A Beautiful Day, a flamenco guitarist and next week, the Grateful Dead. It was a really mixed bag. People had the ability to take in music, as music. I feel really sorry for people who can only listen to one type of music.

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“When I started playing guitar, I got involved in all sorts of music. During the psychedelic period, it was like all 360 degrees of music there is in this world became appreciated. The people being listened to then included Ravi Shankar and Jimi Hendrix. There was traditional music and progressive rock, all being listened to at the same time. I just thought that was such a brilliant time. As a musician I thought it was magic. I hope that in the future things will get better.

“I learned all my stuff from ’50s guitar records. Of course I did! They were my text books. I just feel a bit disappointed about the way the scene has changed. But who am I to say?”

People tended to be a mite bitter today, I began.

“Bitter? Who? Bitter about what?” snapped Jimmy.

The .press...about rock musicians, I ventured.

“Well, that’s just absurd. They must be hypocrites if they are bitter. You’re not going to tell me they weren’t first of all involved in rock, in the music of somebody like Hendrix, who you know was a genius?

“I can’t think of anybody playing today who is a powerful force like that. Yet. But I hoped that it would happen. I always looked forward to the future. I do appreciate what is going on, but I thought what would happen—and I was wrong—was that with all the training and influences we’d have new composers like Stravinsky. I really did. Fresh minds, all those influences to draw from and be turned onto...I thought something good would have come through by now.

“People put me down for what I’ve done in the past. So I’m waiting for them to be a bit adventurous.” Jimmy recalled how Bonzo had experimented with electronic drums years ago. “I always thought he was the most underestimated musician ever. And who else could get that much volume, just playing from the wrists!

“I tried using small amps and I just couldn’t be heard, because he got so much power out of his drums. It’s amazing, people think of heavy metal drummers being all arms. But he played from the wrists. That is one of the plus factors The Song Remains The Same coming out. These people can have look and see what he could do.”

Was there any more old Zep material in the vaults to make another Coda style album (Zeppelin’s last)?

“Ah, no,” said Jimmy. “There’s some great live stuff, but there’s also some great live bootlegs, ha-ha! Thank God they are there, and thanks to the people who send me these things. I listen to them and go ‘Oh my God, that was good. I wish it had been recorded online.’ Our performances changed so much through all those years. It shocks me sometimes to hear what happened. Oh, it was a privilege, that band—the sort of thing everybody dreams about no matter who they are, a bank manager even. They want to be part of something like that, in their own field.

“For me it was such an honor, and that’s the only way I think of it. And that’s why I don’t really want to mar it. I think we have all done it right up to now, Robert, myself and John Paul Jones. Did you know John Paul has written a classical piece? He’s had it premiered with an orchestra. He lives down in Devon, and I didn’t know anything about it until recently.

“I know he did a film score for Michael Winner, and I played guitar on a couple of tracks. I always wanted to keep contact with John and Robert and the only way you can really do it is not talking on the telephone but by playing, even if it’s just jamming on a concert or playing on a track that isn’t used. That is the only way I can communicate properly: by music. Love-wise and respect-wise it’s all still there. We’re still mates. Now I want to enjoy life and feel fortunate I’m part of this band. Sometimes physically and mentally I think, ‘I’m not gonna get through the set.’ But I do. I used to play three hours a night with Zeppelin. I don’t think I could do that now.”

After his triumphant but exhausting years with Zep, did he feel he didn’t want to tour ever again?

“No, never. Once I came off the road it was such a major part of me missing and I didn’t know what it was. It turned out to be having no vehicle to play in. And I had such a reputation for playing ‘live’ I got frightened about doing it. If I did four bad gigs nobody would want to know me anymore. You probably think, How stupid—what’s he talking about? But it’s amazing what you go through.

“Yes, I am a musician of the ’60s and 70s.

I got fired by the music of Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. I was hit by so much energy from their records. But every five years people get fired by the music they hear and want to become part of it. So now...I’m past middle age. But what do you do when you get to middle age? There was no one for me to look up to who said, ‘This is what you do next.’ I read in the music press that after 30 you are fucked. But I’m not, and there’s a lot more for me to do.”

‘-'Jimmy ordered an Indian takeaway meal and downed his Scotch. “Right, I’ve gotta go...or I’ll jniss the gig!” ^