The Lost Interview: Led Zeppelin’s Page and Plant

Hear my never-shared 1995 talk with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about their music, books, diets, girlfriends, hair loss, Led Zeppelin myths, and their Unledded reunion

-----

If you find it hard to visualize Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in a People Magazine article, I’m with you. The People article I reported and wrote about them in 1995 was never published. So the cassette tapes of my interview went into a box, like a heavy metal time capsule.

Until now.  When I saw the rave reviews for the 2025 documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin – about the early career of the band –- I dug out everything I had saved from my canceled story, and I’m sharing it with you now.

In 1994, Page and Plant had reunited after a 14-year hiatus to record an unplugged session for MTV. This resulted in an album called No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.  Then they went on a 1995 U.S. and European tour, performing some new songs and several Led Zeppelin songs that had been re-conceived with an orchestra, a team of Egyptian musicians, some young rockers, and a hurdy gurdy player. 

The project raised some questions:  Why did they wait 14 years after the death of drummer John Bonham to reunite? Why was bass and keyboard player John Paul Jones not included? Would they still live out the wild myths of rock’n’roll excess that supposedly took place in their heyday?

Because this assignment was for People Magazine, I also had the courage to broach the truly vital issues:  what they ate for lunch, who they lived with, what they read, and how they kept in shape.

The big belated surprise:  Because Led Zeppelin's music was ubiquitous for my whole life, I viewed them as a cliché.  But, after hearing my tapes again and listening to their music, I finally get what many of my high school classmates knew back in the 1970s. And I understand why Page and Plant are among the bestselling artists of all time, nearly up there with the Beatles and Michael Jackson.

It’s because they're extremely smart and talented, and they're amazing musicians. I now hear the technical difficulty and the perfectionism in their performances. They aren't dinosaurs of rock. They're innovators, who invented something new and powerful.

Joined by Led Zeppelin aficionado George Meyer – who also happens to be my friend and a renowned TV, movie, magazine, and theater writer – I revisited everything I saved from my ill-fated story and determined what I could throw out.  Yes, some things got tossed.  But you can see what I saved at:  throwitoutpodcast.com

After all these years, I hope you enjoy hearing these lost interviews.

Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text

More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com
Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list
Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it
Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.