Fact: Guitar great Jimmy Page is hoping to embark on his first tour in 20 years as he readies a new solo album. Regarding potential setlists for the gigs, he tells Guitar World, "There will be all sorts of material from different eras. Right across the board; that's the way I'm seeing it. But like I said, there will be surprises. It won't be entirely what people might be expecting."
Fact: Former Led Zeppelin star Robert Plant is planning to hit the road with The Pixies. The Heaven Knows singer has invited Frank Black and his bandmates to support him when he plays upcoming North American shows in Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Canada, Rochester Hills, Michigan and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Fact: Imagine Dragons, No Doubt and Robert Plant will headline the third annual Bottlerock festival in Napa Valley, California in May (15). The three-day music, culinary arts and wine festival will also feature appearances by Foster the People, Passion Pit, Snoop Dogg, Cage The Elephant, Young the Giant, the Gipsy Kings, Capital Cities, Awolnation, Los Lobos, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts.
Quote: "Dervele is the only guy... that's actually written about from the last battle... He went on to be somewhere in a monastery on the Welsh borders. He lost his right hand, but he had a left one; he kept going." Led Zeppelin star Robert Plant on his favourite character from Arthurian legend.
Quote: "We didn't soundcheck too often. Soundchecking was something we heard a lot about... Sometimes we were still... in New York when we were supposed to be onstage in Philly (Philadelphia)... It was interesting if we could be in the same building at the same time." Robert Plant admits Led Zeppelin were never a great soundcheck act.
Quote: "Once upon a time everyone was a Justin Bieber. We were all kids and were having a great time. That's fine... But I do have grandchildren and even they play cool music. Everything is there for a reason. Justin Bieber does a lot of good for a lot of people, I just hope that he is a good boy at home." Rock legend Robert Plant hopes troubled pop star Justin Bieber, who is currently embroiled in a racism scandal, is a good boy at heart.
Quote: "I'm not exactly a musical talent. I'm a singer, and I have a lot of bright ideas." Rocker Robert Plant plays down his skills.
Quote: "I think we were really propelled by Jason (Bonham) and his enthusiasm and his dark glasses. He really brought the atmosphere and expectation because he knows far more about us than we do. He's got all the bootlegs, and he's in touch with the people who make the bootlegs." Robert Plant credits the son of Led Zeppelin's late drummer John Bonham with bringing the existing band members back together for their 2007 tribute to music mogul Ahmet Ertegun in London. The concert movie of the groundbreaking reunion is set to debut in cinemas later this month (Oct12).
Fact: Rocker Robert Plant is reportedly dating singer/songwriter Patty Griffin. The couple is house hunting together in Texas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Quote: "Through the '70s, everybody took their shirt off but they just didn't have the right chest." Robert Plant on his imitators.
Quote: "I wanted to go back and take that road. It just heads all the way down the coast. It was f**king amazing." Robert Plant on his recent return to Morocco, where he retraced the inspirational trip he took with Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page in 1978.
Quote: "I've kind of given up writing. All my writing is sort of meandering." Robert Plant insists he's lost the ability to write great songs.
Quote: "I live alone now... but I do have the occasional tryst." Rocker Robert Plant has no plans to wed again after ending his 13-year marriage to Maureen Wilson in 1983.
Quote: "I've gone so far somewhere else that I almost can't relate to it... It's a bit of a pain in the p**ser, to be honest. Who cares? I know people care, but think about it from my angle - soon, I'm going to need help crossing the street." Robert Plant insists another Led Zeppelin reunion is more and more unlikely as the months pass.
Quote: "They're a cross between greyhounds and terriers. I don't train them, but I've always had them, because they're very clever, very fast and very beautiful, and scruffy." Rocker Robert Plant on his love for "running dogs".
Quote: "There is more than one way to describe somebody who was in a band, but I guess it's kinda cute." Robert Plant on his nickname, 'Golden god'.
Quote: "I always go see him. I drink whiskey and play bad harmonica and then waddle off to my car being chased by flying ants." Robert Plant visits the grave of blues great Sonny Boy Williamson in Tutwiler, Mississippi whenever he can.
Quote: "Would I want the pressure of being a big cheese on a stadium tour? I see what happens to U2 and who would want that?" Robert Plant isn't keen on reforming Led Zeppelin for a world tour - because U2's efforts have put him off.
Fact: Former Led Zeppelin rocker Robert Plant has joined the star-studded line-up for the BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms in London. He will play the city's Roundhouse venue with his Band Of Joy and the London Oriana Choir on October 29 (10). SIR Elton John will be performing at the same venue the following night.
Quote: "He used to say to me quite categorically, 'You're no f**king good, just go out there and look good.' And he was probably right most of the time, from what I've heard on the bootlegs (raw recordings)." Robert Plant admits Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham didn't have a lot of faith in his bandmate's talents.
Fact: Former Led Zeppelin star Robert Plant has been honoured with a star on the Orpheum Theater Sidewalk of Stars in Memphis, Tennessee. The rock legend unveiled the star on Monday (12Jul10).
Quote: "I'd play with Robert any time and when we have played together he's wonderful. Robert is a rock god and an inspiration to us all, always will be. There's some people that remain your heroes which I rather feel good about. And (Eric) Clapton and (Jimmy) Page, Jeff Beck, those guys will always be heroes to me and that will never change, so yeah, of course I'd go at the drop of a hat." Queen guitarist Brian May lists Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant among his ideal collaborators.
Quote: "Jimmy (Page) and I rehearsed a bit with Jason Bonham and we couldn't really agree on singers and that fell by the wayside." Led Zeppelin bassist JOHN PAUL JONES has confirmed plans to tour without frontman Robert Plant have been abandoned.
Quote: "Sometimes I go a bit deaf in either ear, especially when people are talking nonsense." Robert Plant on continued questions about his future with rock supergroup Led Zeppelin.
Quote: "You try to do COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN in these pants." Robert Plant insists he's too old to rock with Led Zeppelin.
Quote: "She keeps them in the back of my car." Robert Plant on where partner Alison Krauss keeps her Grammy Awards. The pair picked up five gongs at the 51st Grammys on Sunday (08Feb09).
Fact: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are to headline a benefit concert in Oklahoma next week (26Sep08) to raise cash for the victims of Hurricane Ike. The touring partners were scheduled to perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas on that date but the show has been cancelled because of the devastation in the city.
Quote: "Some people go to church when they are young. I listened to Led Zeppelin. I flew over from the U.S. just to give these guys the award and I'm flying back in about eight hours time." Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl made a special trip to London to present Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with a gong at the recent GQ Men of the Year Awards.
Quote: "At 13, I liked girls all of a sudden and it all came down to attracting them the best way I could. So I grew my hair. I forgot about lessons for the next few years and kept joining pop groups." Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant on the real reason he forged a career in music.
Fact: Led Zeppelin fans have posted pictures of frontman Robert Plant, accompanied by the band's song CELEBRATION DAY, on video sharing website YouTube - to mark Plant's 60th birthday on Wednesday (20Aug08).
Quote: "Before we went forward onto the stage, there were just the four of us in the half light. And of course, nobody was big enough to deal with the moment. What could you say? Words didn't mean a thing, so we just stood there. You could feel the place going 'Whaaaaaagh!'" Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and his bandmates were overcome with emotion when they stepped onto the stage at their reunion gig in London last year (Dec07).
Quote: "It was ramshackle, casual, nervous, overblown, a little self-indulgent - it was all the things we ever were. We were the genuine thing." Robert Plant speaks for the first time about Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion gig in London in December (07).
Quote: "You know, it's any opportunity that comes in now because I'll soon be able to get reduced rates on public transport." Robert Plant, 59, jokes when asked about the chances of Led Zeppelin reforming for a reunion tour.
Fact: Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has been named the winner of the celebrity Beard of the Year in a new poll by the British Beard Liberation Front.
Quote: "It's been a long, lonely time since I last rock'n'rolled!" Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant was ecstatic to be back on stage with the band at their reunion gig in London on Monday night (10Nov07).
Quote: "If people don't talk about a tour, anything is likely. The more people talk, the more pressure it puts on everybody." Robert Plant is still refusing to commit to touring with Led Zeppelin in 2008, despite reports the reformed supergroup will be trekking across America with The Cult.
Quote: "I was standing onstage at the Roxy Club, and I saw two hippies standing at the back. I thought, 'What are they doing here?' Then I looked a bit closer, and it was Jimmy Page and Robert Plant." CAPTAIN SENSIBLE on spotting the Led Zeppelin stars at an early The Damned concert.
Quote: "As all of my mates get older, they've never in the pub any more. You can call them up and ask them if they fancy a pint, but they're all going to go off to bed at 9.30pm. As a musician, you don't need to get up early for work, but all my friends have steady jobs that mean they can't party like we used to." Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant bemoans his ageing pals.
Fact: Def Leppard frontman JOE ELLIOTT once threw up in rock legend Robert Plant's private jet.