An Open Letter to Robert Plant
"The disappointment that could be there once you commit to that and the comparisons to something that was basically fired by youth and a different kind of exuberance to now, it's very hard to go back and meet that head on and do it justice." - Robert Plant
Dear Robert Plant:
You are right. What you did in your youth was absolutely, stunningly fantastic and, in all likelihood, unsurpassable. And now, with fully a generation of fans and a generation of new fans in the wings, waiting, hoping, the pressure is no doubt overwhelmingly oppressive. And on top of that place a tour. All this, not to mention the interpersonal stress between individuals in the creative process.
Fears abound. You are right to be afraid of Led Zeppelin, source of arguably the greatest rock n' roll music ever produced. It's a monster! I suppose... if all you were going to do was release one album, then god-damn it'd better be perfect, eh? Absolutely, that's a failure waiting to happen.
But face it: you are Led Zeppelin (along with Jimmy and John Paul [and Jason--the only acceptable substitute]). You're still Robert Plant!
Personally, I believe there is a way past the monster. I believe, to do it justice and reduce the failure factor, it will require three things (ah yes, always the magic number):
First: Go into it with the intent to produce multiple albums (not one) with multiple tours. BE Led Zeppelin again, don't just release some music under the name. Put aside all of the past, and reinvent the beast.
Second: Hide. Keep the media away from you while you work; don't even let people know what you're doing; keep it a secret. Issue no statements; issue no rebuttals to rumors; keep all of the media away.
Third: Relax. Relax and listen to what you produce until you hear the sound that is "the sound". You'll know it when you hear it, and if you don't hear it, you're not done.
Now that you have this wonderful advice, there is only one item remaining: your desire to actually do it.
