Led Zeppelin about to appear on Letterman!

A show like that isn't for geekfan questions about the sequencing of album tracks or alternate versions of "Dancing Days."

 

That sort of faux forgetfulness is part and parcel of the show. It's not meant to be a serious, probing interview because most people watching don't take Led Zeppelin as seriously as some here obviously do.

Sorry. Perhaps I could direct you to Kurt Loder?

 

Seems to me all of the hosts in late night TV are terrible interviewers.

 

Letterman's yammering "interviews" make informed views cringe. He seems to want a yuckfest at every turn, and that often doesn't work. Frustrating to watch.

 

I haven't watched Letterman in a while.
I often find O'Brien to be the most difficult interviewer to watch.

 

Craig Ferguson and Conan O'Brien are funny interviewers, but the one who gets his guests talking best is Jimmy Kimmel. David Letterman is worse than Jay Leno as an interviewer. Letterman has the undying love of the New York metro area, or at least those old enough to remember his split with NBC, for not being Leno. But he's awful now.

 

I like O'Brien when he's not too manic with the guest.
When he's calm and the guest is somebody else who is funny, the riffing is good.
When he's too manic or the guest isn't funny, which is often, O'Brien is the topic of the interivew, the joke teller and the butt of the jokes. He engulfs the interivew like a schmoo.

I haven't watched Ferguson in five years. Never liked him.
Haven't watched Leno in longer. Can't stand him.

 

Perhaps, but when you say things like "so was it the drummer who died?," that's beyond schtick. Bonham was Robert Plant's best friend growing up, he's not going to laugh off such a question as Dave being Dave.

 

They're entertainment shows. Guests come on, tell a few stories that have been vetted in advance, and they move on. They're not interview shows. Haven't been since the '70s.

 

I don't think Plant was nearly as offended as you were.

 

Why book them then? You're a band. You show up and perform a bit. Nobody wants to hear wheezing on the couch about your 5-year-old reunion concert.

As for the live album (I have not seen the movie), it was just all right. I think initially they were embarrassed by it because I don't believe it would have sat on the shelf for 5 years if it had been something great. Last year, I'm fairly certain the band leaked the rehearsals of the show to get a gauge on whether people liked it (I mean how the fuck does a crystal clear studio recording of Zeppelin surface on the net without their approval?). Those were good recordings and worth seeking out. The actual concert, not so much.

 

I bought "Celebration Day" - two CDs and two DVDs. The concert was split into eight songs each on the CDs. I wondered why they waited five years to release it, especially since the show got good reviews and it was such an event. I listed to the CD first, and felt after the first two songs that Robert Plant had lost a lot of vocal range. Then again, he was one of the world's best singers as a young man - of course he's going to lose a few mph on his fastball. Still, it was worth the $30 or so. I enjoyed it. If you're a Zep fan, buy it.