As I loaded up some True Crime podcasts for our 5 hour drive up north for vacation I stumbled on this:
Say what?! Robert Plant!?
I have succumbed to the possibility numerous times of a famous person creating a blog that sounds like a fantastic idea only to realize that it lasts like 2 episodes and is simply a promo, or was destined to fail because they would never have enough time in the end to carry on with it.
Also, many times it has actual scant participation from the artist you really want to hear from and ends up being “not-famous no one” interviews “famous person” and 90% of the podcast is the “not-famous no one” talking. Utter crap.
I was still intrigued enough however to download all 4 available episodes.
They are short, no doubt, and I am leery that this was just one long day of conversation that is now cut up into “episodes”, but damn it, they are good.
This is Robert Plant talking about songs and telling stories of touring and life and I loved it. I listened to them straight through and was sad when the few episodes I had ended.
There IS someone there to ask Robert questions and to man the recording and such, but in the end, this is 95% Robert Plant talking. He is well spoken and does not have an ounce of flippant and famous sneer in his voice. He talks about his new band of course, but a Zep song too.
Ever since hearing him speak in “The Song Remains The Same” in the backstage scene where he announces “This is a song that sometimes takes a building in a manner which out forefathers were very used to… did you hear that?” He smiles at himself and the turn of phrase that he just pulled out of nowhere. Someone off screen says “I couldn’t believe that.” Then Robert follows that up with “It’s right though isn’t it. That feeling that’s left everybody, the cosmic energy… everybody goes yeahhhh… bash!” and then they bust into “Since I’ve Been Loving You”.
It has always stuck with me. I left that part in my dubbed copy of the VHS tape when I copied it to cassette to listen to.
I wasn’t sure what to make of “Pictures At Eleven” when it came out. It was so hard to separate him from Zep. I wanted more Zep of course and it would take me a long long time to mature to the sound. I did however.
The fame that Led Zep brought, Robert Plant has turned into the currency of working with some great musicians and writing and recording whatever the hell he wants. I STILL love “Big Log”.
Listening to him on “Digging Deeper” feels very intimate and personal and it’s great. I hope that it can continue for many episodes, and that they perhaps get longer. I don’t care at all that he focuses on newer material.
Today is July 24th and the last episode (#4) was released July 14th. That means that there should be another one in the coming week.
Fingers crossed.
The Aural Retentive 