No one ever really seems to have much of an idea of what is really going on inside the inner workings of Led Zeppelin except the members of the band; including Jason Bonham, son of original drummer John Bonham. In a recent interview on Train front man Pat Monahan's podcast Bonham divulged a tidbit of that information.
According to Bonham bassist John Paul Jones is probably the most musically proficient member of the group and brought more to the table than anyone else in the group, yet is treated like a second class citizen by vocalist Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page.
On the subject of the tension between Page and Jones and when rehearsing for the 2007 O2 Arena show Bonham says:
“He’s a well-educated — there’s a certain bracket, and I don’t know what the American equivalent is … he conducts, he can chart, orchestra, you know, hands down. So much so that there was a time when we were rehearsing with those guys, and we were doing a part, and Jimmy — Mr. Page — was counting it as guitar cycles. He’d do it and say, ‘That’s 16 guitar cycles. That’s right, isn’t it, John?’ and John goes, ‘Whatever.’ He goes, ‘No, no — John, we’re right, aren’t we?’ and John goes, ‘We’ve never been right. What’s the point of continuing now? You do it your way, and I’ll do it the correct way!’”
To be honest, it seems to me like Page and Plant are envious of Jones's knowledge and skills and that they take out that envy on him by mistreating him the way they have. It is also kind of amusing to see that even older musicians still have some of the same bickerings and quarrels that even teenaged beginning musicians do. Some things never change, do they?
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