Jason Bonham

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Monday, December 10, 2001

John Paul Jones never felt left out during Zeppelin days (interview part 14 of 22)

This is the 14th part of the transcript of my interview with John Paul Jones, conducted Dec. 10, 2001.

SPS: Back to Led Zeppelin for a moment. Was it ever polarized or split up between "Page and Plant" and "you and Bonham"?

JPJ:
No. The only time it was ever polarized was very early, and then it "Page and Grant" and the three of us, because they had toured before, and sometimes they were in different hotels! And Bonham, Plant and myself – we shared rooms. Big rooms, but you know, they were rooms. So that was the initial polarization.

SPS:
I also read or heard that you…

JPJ:
I mean they did go off… there was a point where Bonham and I went home and they [Page and Plant] carried on touring as it were. [Laughing]

SPS:
They went to Morocco and all?

JPJ:
That’s right. So, in that respect. It wasn’t a polarization within the group. It was only kind of when they… Things like "Stairway to Heaven" were written like that ’cause they… Robert had a cottage in Wales, and the two of them stayed up there. So there wasn’t. Not in the group. ... It was a very tight group.

About the author

Steve "The Lemon" Sauer is a writer and musician based in Boca Raton, Fla., who has dedicated a portion of his life researching the history of rock group Led Zeppelin and monitoring the ongoing careers of the band's surviving members. Although he was barely a year old when Led Zeppelin broke up and it took him until his teen years to appreciate the music, it didn't take long to make up for it.

Steve is currently a contributing writer and consultant for Get the Led Out, a weekly syndicated radio program hosted by Carol Miller and syndicated in 100 U.S. markets including New York and Los Angeles. He also provides content for a Web site associated with the radio show, www.LedZepOnline.com.

In 2007, Steve launched Lemon Squeezings: Led Zeppelin News to cover the lead-up to the band's reunion concert at the end of that year. Since then, he has closely examined every rumor of a followup tour since then, often dispelling or clarifying misinformation perpetrated by the mainstream media. Using his journalistic training, Steve has also uncovered some facts and accounts previously unreported elsewhere.

At age 18, he began publishing On This Day In Led Zeppelin History, a daily newsletter detailing the interactions of members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, and their manager, Peter Grant. The newsletter is located at www.OnThisDayInLedZeppelinHistory.com.

He enjoys uncovering stories and has employed various methods to communicate those stories to Led Zeppelin's vast fan base, utilizing terrestrial radio and the many facets of the Internet: from Usenet newsgroups to plain e-mail and now Facebook and Twitter. Steve also connects with live audiences when performing as a backup vocalist and keyboard player with various bands, including past onstage appearances with three cover or tribute acts performing the music of Led Zeppelin.

Do you have a news tip to share with Steve? Do you have something you would like him to write about? Would you like to book him for a speaking engagement? He can be contacted by e-mail at Steve at LedZeppelinNews.com.

Other Led Zeppelin information from Lemon Squeezings

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