Following the leader wherever he may go; Merely a case of the diminishing Zeppelin

["Mark R. Leaman" <mleaman@sccoast.net>]

> ATLANTA!!!  GREAT STATE OF GEORGIA!!  GOING TO THE COUNTRY GONNA EAT ME A

> BUNCH OF PEACHES!! :-)

Kevin:

I'll see you there! Great!

> Tired of touring, and psyched for the end?  

I don't know. We do know, or at least he said several times, that touring
is what he doesn't like about being in The Who.

> grand time, but oooooooo I also like when Pete is "Pete The Surly Punk". 
Who 
> music to me, in general with obviously many exceptions, is about anger
and 
> discontent.

As I told a Deadhead here in my store just recently. The Who was never a
hippie band. I remember using LAL to get through breaking up with the first
girl I loved...I just got all the way into the music and let the
aggressiveness clean me out. And so it did. Tommy is great to listen to on
Acid but I wouldn't call it "peace and love" music.

> I don't *think* you gave me that impression.  Maybe your making a point
to 
> state very clearly that you *weren't* into multiple shows, combined with
what 
> Pete wrote and the subsequent hurt expressed by some listers, made me
feel I 
> needed to "go to bat" for those doing some traveling this summer.

I understand. It just seems that there is a line, you know? You can like
the Dead (like me), or be a Deadhead. You can like Star Trek (ditto) or be
a trekkie / trekker (Farscape's better anyway). And one is accepted, the
other over the line. Obsession is an ugly beast, and people seem to look at
those who follow as obsessive. Pete too, I guess.

> I don't know.  Is that humility?  I mean, Pete's music is saturated with 
> religion.  It's one of the reasons I like his music so much.  Its' 
> spirituality.  He's a follower of Meher Baba.  I'm a follower of Pete.

You're right, of course, and he has often used his music intending to bring
people to a spiritual place...but I think he sees following as exalting the
messenger instead of the message, and he doesn't want to be a religious
icon (and considering their usual fate, I can see why). He's being a bit
touchy about it, but that's understandable too.

> Yeah, I can't imagine that Pete doesn't think there is a "who community".

That's because we aren't as united as Deadheads. But we're the rule, not
the exception. For instance, Roger McGuinn used to post to his mailing list
until someone came in and flamed all over him. He then bowed out.

> the trick.  This beast isn't just made up of one man.  The beast is 
> Quadrophenic.

Um, what's the word for three not four? Trirophenic?

> Ultraman......where.are.......you????

Where's Hiata, for that matter...and the Science Patrol...

> Try and stay "PC" with me.

Sorry, my friend, that's a place I cannot go...for all the people who hate
me for it, and all the controversy it causes, I am who I am and that's all
that I am and I'm not Popeye the Sailor Man (while we're on the subject).

> "The Who's Art touches *us* both more 
> *significantly* than Loverboy's".   ;-)    ;-)    ;-) 

Loverboy...Art...suddenly my head is starting to hurt..."Red skies at
night...oh oh..." "Relax, don't do it..." "Oh Mickey you're so fine..."
"You want a piece of my heart/You'd better start at the start..."
I'm sorry, man. I just can't do it.

> I wonder how much of that is humility.

You're too kind. A lot of it is the lack of perspective.

> And, it's also a wonder the labels can find their way home at night.  :)

I think monkeys with pens would do better...actually, I'm sure they
could...

> >Who's Marc?
>  Whoops, sorry man.

I was just kidding. I make at least one typo per EMail. At LEAST. And the
spellchecker doesn't catch things like "though" into "thought" or "ever"
into "every."

> I don't really know you,

Caroline:

I'm really not as bad as I appear on the computer screen. Really I'm not.
I'm quite nice, really. But definitely opinionated. No doubt. When it comes
to music, I'm a snob.

> posts - I'm sorry but I find it very irritating how
> you put down Led Zeppelin like they're some kind of
> fluff pop band or something.

I don't know that I have, although it might have appeared that way. I don't
think of them in that way. The way I think of them is: great Blues/Rock
first album, second album great Who/Rock album with a hint of Tull, third
best album they did perhaps, fourth very good Rock/Blues, HOTH best album
perhaps. After that it was hit and miss, mostly miss. I'd say 2, 3 & 5 were
"Classic" albums.
I think they owe almost everything to The Who, who pioneered the format and
refused to let Page play his guitar on I Can't Explain. I'd say the same
about Jimi Hendrix, except  the bit about the guitar.
And of course, this is all IMHO.

>  I admire Jimmy Page SO MUCH for his guitar abilities,

There was a time, but sadly it wasn't long. Same with Plant's voice, which
was the absolute best in Rock for about four years. Their early live shows
rival those of The Who. Drugs and booze stole their thunder. By Physical
Graffiti, JP Jones was essentially carrying the band. One of the things I
don't like about the Zep boys is they left him out of Page/Plant, but then
again Page left Plant out of this tour. I guess it's the case of the
diminishing Zeppelin.
Another is Plant's arrogance when saying Zep wouldn't get together with
another drummer after The Who had done just that. Well, they DID get
together with another drummer anyway and several times too!

> point is just because you don't like something doesn't
> mean you can't appreciate it.

I do appreciate it, but just like for The Who or any band...I'm going to
call them as I see them. You have a perfect right to do the same. I've been
studying Rock music for roughly 25 years and have come to certain
conclusions.

> down Led Zeppelin fans as old brainless metalheads or

Nothing is absolute. If I say something like "beerguzzling Zep fans" I'm
not talking about YOU (at least, I hope not). I'd say the same for any such
Who fans.

> something, because I certainly am not one of them. 

OK. I'm not saying you are.

> think PT and JP must respect each other as fellow
> musicians - why else would they be playing together in

I don't know. Page's guitarwork isn't much these days. He starts off good,
but then sort of loses it. I've heard his most recent work, with the
Crowes. He's the weakest part of the band.

> NYC? (which I am going to see and am EXTREMELY pysched

I hope you enjoy it and it's everything you think it will be.

> having an opinion is fine but don't put others down

I don't do that. Even if they like Lynyrd Skynyrd (ha ha). I do put down
bands from time to time, but never individual people or fans. Oh,
OK...maybe just the guy who put the Duh in Dubya.


"When you elect me in November, we'll be done with four years of Clinton
and Gore."
       George W. Bush, Presidential Candidate 2000

      
                    Cheers                  ML