I've got some questions for you, Mr. Page...
 |
| On This Day published 2019 |
 |
| 1971 30 September On This Day Jimmy Page vacations in Bangkok |
- 1966 The Yardbirds - Glasgow, Scotland at Odean Theatre
- 1971 Jimmy Page in Bangkok
- 1995 Page & Plant Unledded North American Tour - Denver, CO at Fiddlers Green
- 1998 Page & Plant North American Fall Tour - The Midlands/Houston, TX at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
- 2012 Jimmy Page attends The Muse’s show at The Roundhouse
 |
Jimmy Page at the keyboard
When/ Where? |
It's been very cool that Jimmy Page has set up some listening sessions where he's taken questions from the audience, and there are many excellent interviews out there. But the man is still a mystery and there are so many unanswered questions. I figure I could do as good a job as anyone so far at interviewing Jimmy Page.
For one thing, what about the photo above? Piano or keyboards? Jimmy Page can play many instruments and no doubt he can do a decent job tickling the ivories, but what was the story with that photo? Was it a recording session? Was he composing? Demonstrating an idea? Just fooling around?
As far as I can figure out, the above photo was taken during the the early May 1969 sessions with Screaming Lord Sutch at Hollywood's Mystic Studios. John Bonham was there, as well. JP said in a 1970 interview, "...I just went down to have a laugh, playing some old rock and roll, a bit of a send-up. The whole joke sort of reversed itself and became ugly."
Jimmy Page wasn't the only musician to regret getting involved with Sutch's project. "Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends" was voted the worst album of all time in more than one poll.
Perhaps it is just coincidence that Jimmy Page (and Jeff Beck) appeared on the September 1999 cover of Guitare et Claviers, a French magazine no longer in publication, a magazine not just about guitars but claviers. A clavier is a keyboard instrument, especially one with strings, such as the harpsichord. I haven't read the interview in that issue, but maybe Jimmy Page's piano playing is brought up.
Probably not.
 |
| 1999 |
I came across a YouTube video in which Jimmy Page allegedly is playing the guitar and later the piano (at 0:40). It was funny to me that when I read the comments I found two posts by me questioning whether it really was Jimmy Page. I wrote:
"What I want to know is why anyone thinks this actually is Jimmy Page playing piano. The guitar in the beginning didn't particularly sound like him. The guitar after the piano doesn't particularly sound like him. I'm not saying it isn't Jimmy Page, but really - it could be anyone playing, couldn't it? Who believes anything anyone posts on the internet anymore without some verification."
Actually, I don't think it was Jimmy Page playing anything on that clip. At any rate, it has been determined that the actual piano player was Dave Lawson. The piano piece was released on the 1999 Remaster of Death Wish II Soundtrack, as 'Alternative Jill's Theme' and Lawson was credited.
And that brings me to my point. Inquiring minds want to know the answers to these questions and so many more. No matter how much diligence used when researching Jimmy Page, the fact is that nobody knows Jimmy like Jimmy Page knows Jimmy. So I'd like to go right to the source.
I know I could do a great job of interviewing him. I've got tons of questions nobody's ever asked before. And besides, lots of the interviews out there are just plain crap. So just give me a call or email me, Jimmy. We'll set up an appointment to do an interview at your convenience.
Guitars:
There's lots written about Jimmy Page's go-to guitars, but not so much about guitars he hardly touched, much less actually played. I'd be asking JP about them if he was in the mood to answer.
 |
| 1995 January Guitar Classics Collector's Yearbook |
Some guitars never got played at all
Greco Guitars wanted the endorsement of a widely known guitar player and during a press conference on September 30, 1972 in Tokyo, Japan for Led Zeppelin's forthcoming Japanese tour, Jimmy Page was presented with a Greco EG-360S Guitar. Pictures that have surfaced from this press conference show that Jimmy Page and drummer John Bonham were not happy with this presentation. Bonham, in fact, was so displeased with Greco Guitars that he demanded the company's tagline, “Led Zeppelin is my brother”, be blackened out of their advertisement in the official tour programs.
In the past 20 years or so, JP has been ambushed (that's my word for it) by being handed a guitar that's often not in tune and being expected to play on it. For a few years he'd go along with it but we aren't seeing any more of that nowadays, thank goodness.
OTHER PHOTOS TAKEN ON THIS DAY YEARS AGO
