Robert Plant was a guest on the “Charlie Rose” show on PBS Thursday night (October 26). He spoke with Rose about his new album, “Carry Fire”, LED ZEPPELIN, what it means to be a frontman, and more. You can watch the interview below.
Speaking about the upcoming fiftieth anniversary of LED ZEPPELIN‘s formation, Plant said: “It is true that in 1968, there was a collision of mind and the gifts. And so be it. But that was a long… thirty-seven years ago, that ceased.”
Plant also spoke about why LED ZEPPELIN didn’t continue in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham.
“There was a lot of romance about it, because it didn’t blow itself out of the water, it didn’t go on too long; it just stopped,” he said. “That was the deal when we got together in the beginning, that that would be it. If we couldn’t carry on as four of us, that would be it. When you’ve only got four people, it’s very difficult to start thinking about full-time replacements.”
Plant‘s comments about ZEPPELIN‘s split echoed remarks previously made by Jimmy Page. The LED ZEPPELIN guitarist told The Daily Beast in a 2015 interview: “LED ZEPPELIN was a creative force that you can’t just snap your fingers and create. It was a blend of these four master musicians, and each of us were important to the sum total of what the band was. I like to think that if it had been me that wasn’t there, the others would have made the same decision not to carry on. Besides, we couldn’t just get somebody in there and say, ‘Do this, this way?’ That wouldn’t have been honest or of the same creative nature that we had always striven for. And it’s why we still have only done it properly once.”
He continued: “We tried [to reunite] a few times. It always seemed to be done in a hurry and it never worked. That’s why the O2 show was done with such intent. We rehearsed loads so that Jason —John‘s son — felt like he was part of the band and not just some novelty. We all needed it to be that way. But I can’t foresee doing it again, because we all have to agree and agree for the right reasons.”
“Carry Fire” was released on October 13 via Nonesuch/Warner. The follow-up to 2014’s “Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar” was produced by Plant in the west of England and Wales, at Top Cat studio in Box, Wiltshire with additional recordings at Real World and Rockfield studios.