Legendary Gods of Rock lived up to their libertine reputation

James Jackson of The Times on-line recently conducted an interview with Led Zeppelin lead guitarist, the legenday Jimmy Page. The lengthy piece, "Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin's good times, bad times and reunion rumours" ran in The Times, Jan. 8.

Jackson discovered Page might be planning an autobiography. On a possible Zeppelin reunion tour in the coming months, Page took a somewhat pessimistic line:

"I don’t have any real answer, apart from that it doesn’t look like it."

Then Jackson delved into the past. Continuing:

However much he frowns about the more exotic speculations laid on him — that he was an occultist, that he carried a collection of whips for use on gleeful groupies, that he spent a tour living on nothing but daiquiris and heroin — they play a formidable role in Page’s irresistible mythos.

How much of those, ahem, libertarian days of yore can he even remember? “When I look back at it it’s still in focus. Most of it is clear.”

Stories of the band’s groupie-tastic, coke-fuelled, booze-binging exploits on tour have captivated the imagination of rock fans ever since. If their excess wasn’t really anything their peers weren’t doing too, then Led Zeppelin’s imperious, untouchable manner, their private jet, the accompanying chaos set them apart, evoking to this day the ultimate rock-stars-on-the-road fantasy. Anecdotes concerning Page being served on a room-service trolley to a room of nubile young women sound like any lusty young man’s dream. But Page has never and won’t substantiate — or deny, it should be said — any of the wild tales.

But Page said in the end "what's most important about Zeppelin is the music."