Guitarist Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, in an appearance today on the syndicated "Todd n Tyler Radio Empire," explained what bandmate Steven Tyler was doing in England with Jimmy Page.
"First of all, they did it for fun," said Whitford, who plans to tour with Aerosmith again beginning in March 2009. His comments were the first from the Aerosmith stable confirming a report published Saturday in England's Daily Mail that mentioned Tyler's jam session with Page and Led Zeppelin bandmates John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham.
Whitford brought up Aerosmith's history of playing with Page and his own particular admiration of Page as a guitarist. He then speculated as to the message Page and the others may have been trying to relate to Robert Plant by way of the media.
"I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because, I think, he was trying to light a fire under Robert," Whitford said. "Come on! Come on, Robert, let's go!"
Plant announced in September in a message on his official Web site that he has no intention of touring or recording with Led Zeppelin for the next two years.
The "Todd n Tyler Radio Empire" interviewers asked Whitford if, out of all the singers in the world, Steven Tyler is one of the most intimidating Page and company could have brought in to motivate Plant. Whitford's answer was as short as it needed to be: "Yes, absolutely."
The program also conducted an interview with Danny Goldberg, who worked with Led Zeppelin's organization for three years in the mid 1970s. In that interview, Goldberg said he believes Plant will come around and play with Led Zeppelin again someday, even if it is two or three years from now.
Jason Bonham
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Aerosmith guitarist says Page trying to motivate Plant to return to Zeppelin
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.
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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