Classic Rock - Robert Plant - USA (2019-12)

“

I

remember that great morning when

the term ‘classic rock’ was invented,”

Robert Plant says, by way of

introduction, at his base in the Severn

Valley. “It became a radio network in

America long before your magazine. What had

happened was that the world of ‘raaaak’ – with

several ‘a’s – had become like an oldies station.

But it doesn’t relate to you guys much, because

you’ve kept up with my madnesses over the

years. And I appreciate that because, ironically,

I don’t get played on classic raaaak these days,

apart from my previous incarnation. Now I’m

out there with the angels and the birdies,

there’s not a chance in hell.”

Plant has indeed been out there for some

time now, ever since making his solo debut in

1982, two years after the death of his great

friend John Bonham signalled the end of Led

Zeppelin. It’s been a fascinating and wide-

roaming career, pulling in elements of folk,

blues, African music, psychedelia, roots-rock

and beyond. And while he acknowledges

that, for some, he will forever be the golden

god of Zep legend, his rich catalogue – from

his first tentative steps as a solo artist to the

multi-faceted brilliance of recent albums

Lullaby And...The Ceaseless Roar and Carry Fire – is the

work of an inveterate seeker.

A conversation with Plant is just as digressive,

his mind sparking off at tangents, one recollection

eliding into another. Today he talks about his early

years in Birmingham; being chauffeured around

town by John Bonham at the height of his fame;

bad-hair days on Top Of The Pops; why he’ll never

write a memoir; his recent sojourn in Texas... And

of course there’s his current band of brothers, the

Sensational Space Shifters.

He also talks a lot about digging deep, which

brings us to his latest endeavour. Digging Deep With

Robert Plant is his hugely popular podcast, in which

he eloquently discusses the hows and whys of

songs from his across his career. Digging Deep is

also the name to a spanking new box set that

gathers together singles from his solo

albums up to 2005’s Mighty Rearranger.

Plant is great company. And, considering

that aforementioned “previous incarnation”,

about as unstarry as it’s possible to be.

Modest too. He and the Shifters are just back

from America, where they ended their tour

with an appearance at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass,

an annual bash in San Francisco’s Golden

Gate Park. “I’m still stoned from the weed in

the crowd,” he laughs. “Fuckin’ hell! I was

craving a snack by about song number three.

What I wouldn’t have done for a tuna melt.”

It’s time to dig in...

What prompted you to do the podcast?

A lot of the endeavours that have been and

gone since the passing of Led Zep have been

GE

TTY

Determined not to “push a pen for two quid a week and be an accountant”, he started singing

with local groups. Before long he was fronting the biggest band in the world, and now, at 71, he’s

enjoying the fourth decade of a successful solo career. Reckon he probably made the right decision.

Interview: Rob Hughes

Plant in (^) the Band Of
Joy days, London,
26 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM circa^ January^1968.