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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Led Zeppelin hits media circuit

Interviews with the members of Led Zeppelin are popping up everywhere. A chat with Jimmy Page is included in the December issue of Classic Rock magazine hitting newsstands today, and Robert Plant and John Paul Jones are making media appearances tonight.

The magazine cover is made to look like the cover of Led Zeppelin III. The first installment in a two-part interview with Page is just one part of this special collector's edition, much of which is devoted to Led Zeppelin.

In the United Kingdom, Jones appeared on the BBC Radio 2 program hosted by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie. He discussed the Mothership release and the upcoming Led Zeppelin reunion concert.

The hosts played "Black Dog" and "Trampled Under Foot" from Mothership, as well as "The Last Goodbye" from the album he produced for Uncle Earl. That four-piece old-time string band is currently on tour in England.

Plant will surely face a question or two about Led Zeppelin while guesting on tonight's episode of PBS television's "Charlie Rose." [Update: No Zep-related questions were asked! See TV spot here.] However, the singer is being interviewed alongside Alison Krauss and producer T-Bone Burnett; the three are promoting the recent release of their album, Raising Sand.

This issue of Classic Rock magazine "comes encased in an exclusive wallet that apes the design of the Zep III album," according to the magazine's official Web site. "What’s more, our wallet was designed by none other than the mysterious and enigmatic Zacron – the reclusive artist who actually created the original Zep III sleeve way, way back in 1970!"

The magazine also includes a feature on Zacron and an interview with former Atlantic Records executive Phil Carson, as well as features on the band's March 1969 Supershow appearance and on Page as a producer, or "Rock's Sonic Architect."

Several famous musicians also comment on Led Zeppelin's reunion in the new issue. The magazine carries quotations from "Slash, Roger Daltrey, Ian Anderson, Tony Iommi, Neal Schon, Steven Tyler, Nancy Wilson, Kid Rock, Dave Mustaine, Ace Frehley, Billy Gibbons and many more" including Ritchie Blackmore.

Led Zeppelin will also be the cover story of the Holiday 2007 issue of Guitar World magazine. Also available as a special collector's issue, it will feature two separate covers – one with a blue background and the other with a white background.

The Guitar World covers, each bearing a new photo of Page holding a guitar, promise Page's "most in-depth interview ever" as well as features on "the historic reunion tour," "his new custom Les Paul guitar," and "On the Road with Zep in '73."

Both shots of Page for Guitar World were taken by photographer Ross Halfin.

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.

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