Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones
A lot of people out there would want to see my head roll, combining those two musical groups. Too bad; in my young years they stood for the same thing.
When I would listen to Led Zeppelin I had this image of black hell or at least a black hole–someplace where you could only go in a nightmare. Sitting here thinking about it I can’t say that I blame myself. Jimmy Page making his guitar shriek and of course Robert Plant shrieking his guts out…scary stuff. They weren’t singing about Yellow Submarines or even a “ferry cross the Mersey.” And here they were, yelling about some poor woman needing love…What kind of love was on their minds?
But the funniest part is this. One time I was listening to Fresh Air on NPR and Robert Plant was being interviewed by Terry Gross. I expected to hear the voice of an aged maniac but that’s not how it was. Robert Plant was soft-spoken, kind, nice to Terry, polite. Finally Terry said: I expected you to be an old maniac but you’re not!! How come you could sound like the devil incarnate when you’re singing? And Robert Plant said: When I’m not onstage or in the recording studio I’m a nice middle-class working man with a wife and a family. My voice is what makes me my living!!! I still can’t quite believe it but that’s what he said.
As far as the Rolling Stones–I liked some of their very early stuff but they shared that “black hole” quality. In their world life was tough and women were no good. Women were there to be dominated; just check out the lyrics of “Under My Thumb” and “Brown Sugar.” When I worked as a medical typist my co-workers knew I hated those two songs and when they came on the radio they’d make me listen.
lgmwriting 