Hedonism and the music industry going hand in hand is hardly a novel discovery. Creativity has an inherent otherworldliness, which has always closely linked all art forms to whispers of the paranormal, the divine, or the evil. These associations were especially strong in the late 1960s and 70s, as drug culture grew stronger, norms were challenged, and societal, creative, and technological boundaries were pushed. Swirling around in that tumultuous, indulgent mix were bands like\u00a0heavy rock pioneers Led Zeppelin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The British rock \u2018n\u2019 rollers undoubtedly shaped the genre as we know it today, but their influence was not wholly positive. From problematic, predatory behaviors to dangerous drug addictions to violent outbursts against people and property, the members of Led Zeppelin were no strangers to the darker side of the \u201csex, drugs, and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll\u201d lifestyle. And indeed, the musicians around them could see it, too.\u00a0Speaking to\u00a0The Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0in 2016, Genesis founder Phil Collins once remarked on the energy that seemed to follow the band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen Zeppelin get together, something bad happens. Bad karma. Anything to do with Zeppelin: a strange chemistry happens. It\u2019s like a nasty strain of alchemy. Everything becomes very dark. Sulphurous even.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the sake of brevity, we won\u2019t dive into the deep, sordid history of Led Zeppelin and their associates, including the\u00a0infamous \u201cmud shark\u201d rumor. Nor will we examine the troubling dynamics between rock stars of this era and underage groupies. Led Zeppelin certainly wasn\u2019t the only band engaging in this kind of destructive behavior. And for some members of the band, that ruination quickly turned inward, like in the case of drummer John Bonham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After he died of an alcohol overdose in 1980, Led Zeppelin ceased to exist in its original form. Save for a couple of shaky reunions\u2014of which\u00a0Phil Collins was a part, meaning his comments about the band were from firsthand experience\u2014the band was effectively over. And as more time passed between their rough-and-rowdy years in the 1970s, the musicians became more tight-lipped about their antics and behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Telegraph<\/em>\u2019s chief music critic, Neil McCormick, recalled asking the surviving members of Led Zeppelin about this particular time in their lives, and he described them as \u201cerudite, civilized, and agreeable\u201d but \u201cuncomfortable\u201d with some aspects of their past. Robert Plant told him, \u201cThere was excess. But it went very quickly, now I think. There was a lot of sobering stuff as well.\u201d Jimmy Page was even more curt, saying, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of water under the bridge for everyone who survived that era. End of story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo by Christian Rose\/Roger Viollet via Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hedonism and the music industry going hand in hand is hardly a novel discovery. Creativity has an inherent…\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20448","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-musician"},"yoast_head":"\nLed Zeppelin Would Later Distance Themselves From This Sybaritism<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n