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Thread: Jimmy Page- Grumpy Old Man?

  1. #1

    Jimmy Page- Grumpy Old Man?

    He takes aim at Baker and Plant – but praises Bonham and Elvis
    A grumpy Jimmy Page has taken aim at everyone from Ginger Baker to Robert Plant in a bad-tempered interview.

    The Led Zeppelin guitarist was speaking about the recent Led Zep reissues when he snapped at questions about his former bandmate and Cream sticksman Ginger Baker.

    And he refused to answer questions about his work with David Coverdale, his supposed fascination with the occult and his alleged drug-fuelled past.

    However, he spoke warmly about the genius of late Led Zep drummer John Bonham and the impact Elvis Presley had on his life.

    Page tells GQ he was disappointed by Ginger Baker's comments about Bonham in the documentary Beware Of Mr Baker.

    He says: "That's an interesting film, because of the way the film starts. Doesn't it start with Ginger hitting the director with a cane?

    "I was a bit disappointed by that. His criticism was that Bonham didn't swing. I was like, 'Oh, Ginger. That's the only thing that's undeniable about Bonham.' I thought that was stupid. That was a really silly thing of him to say."

    Asked about Robert Plant's steadfast refusal to entertain a Zeppelin reunion, Page says: "Sometimes I raise my eyebrows at the things he says, but that's all I can say about it. I don't make a point to read what he says about Zeppelin.

    "But people will read me things he has said, and I will usually say, 'Are you sure you're quoting him correctly?' It's always a little surprising. But I can't answer for him.

    "I have a respect for the work of everyone in the band. I can't be dismissive of the work we did together. I sort of know what he's doing. But I don't fully understand it."

    As for the questions about drugs, the occult, his insecurities and the Coverdale/Page album, Page says he may one day reveal all in an autobiography – but for now he refuses to be drawn on those issues.

    On Bonham, Page says: "I was very keen on making the most of John Bonham's drum sound, because he was such a technician in terms of tuning his drums for projection. You don't want a microphone right in front of the drum kit.

    "Sonically, distance makes depth. So employing that ambience was very important, because drums are acoustic instruments. The only time John Bonham ever got to be John Bonham was when he was in Led Zeppelin.

    "You know, he plays on some Paul McCartney solo tracks. But you'd never know it was him, because of the way it was recorded. It's all closed down."

    Explaining his need for privacy, Page says he was fascinated by Elvis but never felt the need to know anything about his private life. He says: "I don't know what other people need to know, really. I don't see the necessity of that, and I'm not going to start now.

    "What's important about Elvis was that he changed absolutely everything for youth and that he came in right under the radar. But that's all I need to know about his life."

    Page recently hinted at a solo tour that could take place next year and see him perform music from throughout his career. He also spoke of his admiration for young British two-piece Royal Blood.

  2. #2
    It's hard to judge the tone of his responses when you see them in print, but none of that 'sounded' particularly grumpy or bad-tempered.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Halmyre View Post
    It's hard to judge the tone of his responses when you see them in print, but none of that 'sounded' particularly grumpy or bad-tempered.
    That was my thought too. "Taking aim at" and "bad-tempered interview" seem overly harsh given the quotes that Rufus put in his original posting, unless there stronger statements that Rufus didn't put in his original posting.

  4. #4
    Also my first impression; doesn't sound grumpy in the least. His responses sound considered and diplomatic. I assume the "grumpy" descriptions are part of the original copy for the interview to spice it up and attract readers.

  5. #5
    Like how he defends Bonham from Ginger Baker's criticism that he couldn't 'swing'!!!

  6. #6
    I guess people who aren't sufficiently gushing in cloying terms are "grumpy".

  7. #7
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I think Jimmy sorta took the high road with Ginger Baker's comments about Bonzo. Would love to had seen/heard Jimmy tell Ginger to go f*** himself.

  8. #8
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    Yes, I don't see it at all. Downright gentlemanly compared to the aforesaid 'Mr. Baker'!

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    Yes, I don't see it at all. Downright gentlemanly compared to the aforesaid 'Mr. Baker'!
    Yes. Gentlemanly, diplomatic and (wait for my book)... Clever.
    i always thought JP was ok... Not grumpy here.
    Still alive and well...

  10. #10
    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
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    What is the big hush about the Coverdale/Page album?

  11. #11
    If you read the interview, you get the impression that the interviewer asked deliberately controversial questions and JP wasn't going to fall into that trap about badmouthing former bandmates or revealing personal issues about his drug use. I thought he handled himself very well. In fact, the interview was over several sessions, so JP couldn't have been too grumpy since he carried on with the interview. His statement about nostalgia was quite poignant. It is obvious that JP (as well as me) just wants to talk about the music, how it was written, recorded, produced. I could care less about his personal life, gossip or other tangential issues. There are plenty of books on LZ discussing those things.

  12. #12
    Agreed. Not grumpy at all. Ginger Baker, on the other hand, was beyond grumpy. He was bitter. Bonham couldn't swing? Please. I think Baker also said Charlie Watts couldn't swing either. What was Baker thinking?

    Bill
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  13. #13
    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    We know Baker is grumpy, and overcritical. We know Page is delusional, and narcissistic. End of story.

    Bonham didn't swing. Despite being the quintessential rock drummer. He kicked ass on power rock drumming; it can't be denied. Some people can rock. Not everyone can roll. It's not the end of the world. Bonham never, to my knowledge, claimed to be a jazz drummer.
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    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

  14. #14
    Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Jimmy may not be the most honest guy (when it comes to song writing credits from Zeppelin), but I think he handled the questions very well. A lot better than Mr. Baker ever would.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Adm.Kirk View Post
    Agreed. Not grumpy at all. Ginger Baker, on the other hand, was beyond grumpy. He was bitter. Bonham couldn't swing? Please. I think Baker also said Charlie Watts couldn't swing either. What was Baker thinking?
    Not to defend Ginger Baker because he clearly can be a very disturbed individual. But he didn't say it about Charlie Watts.

    He said Bonham couldn't swing. And that is absolutely a reasonable assessment.

    Also, it should be pointed out that "Rufus" leaves out the GQ article's emphasis on the word "only." Regarding Bonham's inability to swing, Page's quote is actually written as follows: "Oh, Ginger. That's the only thing that's undeniable about Bonham."

    From this I am not entirely clear whether Page is criticizing Baker for picking on the only thing which Bonham couldn't do or if he actually believes Bonham could swing. If the latter, not unlike a lot of people, he simply doesn't understand what the term means and is perhaps not particularly knowledgeable about American jazz. Something in which Baker is well versed.
    Last edited by JeffCarney; 12-11-2014 at 03:54 PM.

  16. #16
    You guys should know by now that writers will say and do anything to get you to read their articles. I don't know how many times over the years I've read articles that had a sensationalistic headline, but then when you actually read the article, it had nothing to do with the headline. The headline is there to get you to read the article, not actually sum up the contents of said piece.

  17. #17
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    I don't always play guitar.jpg

    Sean had this posted on FB. (no, I don't claim Page is the greatest player ever, but damn, he has always looked badass).
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  18. #18
    Thanks for clarifying what is acceptable as swing. God forbid we leave it up to the great drummers such as John Bonham.
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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by spellbound View Post
    We know Baker is grumpy, and overcritical. We know Page is delusional, and narcissistic. End of story.

    Bonham didn't swing. Despite being the quintessential rock drummer. He kicked ass on power rock drumming; it can't be denied. Some people can rock. Not everyone can roll. It's not the end of the world. Bonham never, to my knowledge, claimed to be a jazz drummer.
    The mid-section uptempo episode in Dazed & Confused could be an example of Bonham's swing ability..

  20. #20
    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    "Looks like Chuck's taking the skin boat to mudshark town."

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Adm.Kirk View Post
    Agreed. Not grumpy at all. Ginger Baker, on the other hand, was beyond grumpy. He was bitter.

    Bill
    I get the impression he's always been like that. We're talking about a guy who joins a legendary band with what he perceived to be a subpar bassist, and tried to get said band to sack said bassist and hire Jack Bruce instead. Dude, I don't care who you are, the last thing you should be doing when joining an established band is saying stuff like, "I think you should sack the bass player and hire a guy I used to play with a decade ago in his place".

    Then the really funny thing I remember is after those Cream reunion shows a few years ago, Ginge said he was sick of being deafened by Jack Bruce, and therefore there would be no further Cream reunions. Funny how that kind of stuff happens.

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by grego View Post
    The mid-section uptempo episode in Dazed & Confused could be an example of Bonham's swing ability..
    No, that's a straight eighth based rock beat that goes into more of a shuffle feel, if it's the bit i'm thinking of.

    The only time Bonham ever attempted a swing feel in a triplet-based, "trad" or "straight-ahead" jazz context was his opening beat of How Many More Times, which is executed with solid feel, but also is as basic a jazz drum pattern as you can get, essentially what a beginner will get taught first in many cases.he does repeat it during the instrumental section of the song with actual comping on the snare during some live performances, which along with that opening beat is the only time i can recall ever hearing jazz drumming on any Zep song.not that this is a criticism obviously, as the music didn't ever strictly call for that kind of playing, and when colouring it with outside influences Bonham tended to favour soul\funk\R&B over jazz.You can hear stax\mo-town and funk derived beats all over Zep's stuff.

    btw who gives a shit if Jimmy Page is grumpy or not.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Watanabe View Post
    No, that's a straight eighth based rock beat that goes into more of a shuffle feel, if it's the bit i'm thinking of.

    The only time Bonham ever attempted a swing feel in a triplet-based, "trad" or "straight-ahead" jazz context was his opening beat of How Many More Times, which is executed with solid feel, but also is as basic a jazz drum pattern as you can get, essentially what a beginner will get taught first in many cases.he does repeat it during the instrumental section of the song with actual comping on the snare during some live performances, which along with that opening beat is the only time i can recall ever hearing jazz drumming on any Zep song.not that this is a criticism obviously, as the music didn't ever strictly call for that kind of playing, and when colouring it with outside influences Bonham tended to favour soul\funk\R&B over jazz.You can hear stax\mo-town and funk derived beats all over Zep's stuff.

    btw who gives a shit if Jimmy Page is grumpy or not.
    I agree with most statements..How Many More Times is much better example..But wasn't Bonham taught how to perform swing, as all of young drummers of his generation? I suppose the jazz skills could be a huge part of the obligatory program for rock drummers back then.

  24. #24
    I just read a new book called "Led Zeppelin on Led Zeppelin", which compiled many interviews from their past, and Page was saying those same things 30 years ago.
    So he is consistent.

    As far as Ginger Baker I would say he is one of the most over rated drummers in history. He still thinks "Sunshine of my Love" is his stroke of genius, which is a load of crap.
    The Path is Clear

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Adm.Kirk View Post
    Agreed. Not grumpy at all. Ginger Baker, on the other hand, was beyond grumpy. He was bitter. Bonham couldn't swing? Please. I think Baker also said Charlie Watts couldn't swing either. What was Baker thinking?

    Bill
    I get the impression that Baker doesn't think before a lot of his comments. They are off the cuff, intended to provoke. He is a dick, plain and simple, and I say this as a LZ meh guy.

    Page is ok in my book, after reading this.

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