It’s easy to get caught up in the notion that classic rock stars only stick in the past. Robert Plant made his millions chiefly throughout the course of the 1970s as the blazing frontman of Led Zeppelin, so why would he have any reason to leave that era in his own head?
But that would be entirely misunderstanding the mark of a true musician, you see, because any star of days gone by will know all too well that the second they decide to tune out from the real world, the descent of their legacy instantly begins. That’s why, to give credit to the ageing rockers out there, they are far more on the pulse of current music than you might believe – and Plant is no exception to that case.
Of course, he is always going to have a soft spot for the classic sound of the ‘70s, just like his own music. Those were the songs and people that he raised hell alongside back in the day, so he can be forgiven in that respect for leaning heavily towards that era. Yet to pay Plant his dues, he also has a healthy respect for every other kind of sonic foray that has come afterwards, ranging right from Britpop to the present day. It’s ultimately that open spirit which is responsible for his current favourite track.
The Led Zeppelin visionary explained as much himself in a recent interview where he picked out a selection of tunes which have defined all the different scores and moments of his life – and, as you might imagine, there are many. But fittingly, his last choice of the lot brought him as close as he can be to the razor’s edge of the contemporary landscape, while simultaneously acknowledging what it takes to be a true star who has lasted the long haul.
“He’s got the whole thing in the right place. He’s a beautiful soul,” Plant said of the man in question – and it could only be Paul Weller. “He’s so radically different, and yet we have so many things unspoken in common about the way that we see the time that we might be wasting. As time goes on, he stretches out more and more, and just the place that he comes from is really good. Also, like me, he’s Sisyphus, pushing the rock up the hill – because his past is big, but his present is far greater and much bigger.”
That might seem like a pretty metaphorical way of putting it, but essentially what the Led Zeppelin frontman means, in relation to Weller’s song ‘Lawdy Rolla’ from his most recent album Find El Dorado, is that despite years of being pigeonholed in one particular musical space, the former Jam leader is never afraid to stop pushing. Sure, it may not always live up to the heights it once did, but it certainly captures the attention – and admiration – of the rock cronies who have watched him grow.
For Plant to compare Weller to a Greek god obviously says a lot about how the two men see themselves and their respective musical legacies – that’s a discussion for another day. Yet it also evokes qualities of resilience and lack of complacency, which are often traits lost to the rock landscape. Sure, it might be slightly blowing their own trumpets, but it’s also a recognition that they undoubtedly know what they’re doing. More than anyone, Plant appreciates that.
