"When I'm 33, I'll quit - I don't want to be a rock star all my life. I couldn't bear to be like Elvis Presley and sing in Las Vegas with all those housewives and old ladies coming in with their handbags. It's really sick."
- Mick Jagger, 1972
Mick Jagger is still recovering from emergency surgery in New York just days ago. The Rolling Stones had to postpone and even cancel some dates from their tour this year because of Jagger's condition.
That is why I thought it was a bit strange, if that is the way to describe it, that Jagger once promised that he would retire by the time he reached the age of 33, because he felt that he did not want to embarrass himself as an old man still performing rock shows long past his prime. He used Elvis Presley in particular as the example that he wanted to avoid.
Well, it turns out that this was not the only rock legend that the young Jagger seemed to dismiss, probably a little too easily.
Chris Salewicz, who published the Led Zeppelin book "Jimmy Page: The Definitive Biography" (by Houston Press) recently mentioned in an article that Mick Jagger and George Harrison both too easily initially dismissed Led Zeppelin. Clearly, they did not "get" what millions of rock fans would soon feel, as the mighty Zep kept selling albums in the millions, and performed plenty of sold out shows throughout a relatively long and undeniably famed career.
Here is some of what Salewicz said:
"Page’s life began as a child guitar prodigy before he became a go-to session player while still attending high school. After flirting with – then joining – the Yardbirds, he watched that band disintegrate, but it laid the groundwork for the creation of the band he had always planned for: Led Zeppelin.
"And he, bassist John Paul Jones, singer Robert Plant, and drummer John Bonham (the last two he basically stumbled upon in concocting the lineup) would become the biggest band of the decade. One that to this day sells decades-old records with sales figures would be the envy of any contemporary rock band.
"English Rock Gods Mick Jagger and George Harrison may have sniffed dismissively after hearing the band’s mixture of thundering hard rock and blues debut album, but record buyers and concertgoers worldwide heartily disagreed. And when they later demanded an unprecedented 90 percent of gross ticket sales at their shows – leaving only 10 percent for the local promoter – they got it."
Clearly, Jagger did not get everything right. Apparently, neither did George Harrison.
Not impossible that there was a bit of professional rivalry and/or even some measure of jealousy. Who knows?
That is not to detract from the obvious and undeniable success of either the Rolling Stones or the Beatles, but it seems a bit petty for them to try and deny Zeppelin their place in the sun, as they rose to prominence.
Here is the link to the article that got me on this topic, and from which I obtained the quotes used above:
Mick Jagger Brutal Disrespect Of Led Zeppelin Revealed By Brett Buchanan - Apr 8, 2019:- Mick Jagger, 1972
Mick Jagger is still recovering from emergency surgery in New York just days ago. The Rolling Stones had to postpone and even cancel some dates from their tour this year because of Jagger's condition.
That is why I thought it was a bit strange, if that is the way to describe it, that Jagger once promised that he would retire by the time he reached the age of 33, because he felt that he did not want to embarrass himself as an old man still performing rock shows long past his prime. He used Elvis Presley in particular as the example that he wanted to avoid.
Well, it turns out that this was not the only rock legend that the young Jagger seemed to dismiss, probably a little too easily.
Chris Salewicz, who published the Led Zeppelin book "Jimmy Page: The Definitive Biography" (by Houston Press) recently mentioned in an article that Mick Jagger and George Harrison both too easily initially dismissed Led Zeppelin. Clearly, they did not "get" what millions of rock fans would soon feel, as the mighty Zep kept selling albums in the millions, and performed plenty of sold out shows throughout a relatively long and undeniably famed career.
Here is some of what Salewicz said:
"Page’s life began as a child guitar prodigy before he became a go-to session player while still attending high school. After flirting with – then joining – the Yardbirds, he watched that band disintegrate, but it laid the groundwork for the creation of the band he had always planned for: Led Zeppelin.
"And he, bassist John Paul Jones, singer Robert Plant, and drummer John Bonham (the last two he basically stumbled upon in concocting the lineup) would become the biggest band of the decade. One that to this day sells decades-old records with sales figures would be the envy of any contemporary rock band.
"English Rock Gods Mick Jagger and George Harrison may have sniffed dismissively after hearing the band’s mixture of thundering hard rock and blues debut album, but record buyers and concertgoers worldwide heartily disagreed. And when they later demanded an unprecedented 90 percent of gross ticket sales at their shows – leaving only 10 percent for the local promoter – they got it."
Clearly, Jagger did not get everything right. Apparently, neither did George Harrison.
Not impossible that there was a bit of professional rivalry and/or even some measure of jealousy. Who knows?
That is not to detract from the obvious and undeniable success of either the Rolling Stones or the Beatles, but it seems a bit petty for them to try and deny Zeppelin their place in the sun, as they rose to prominence.
Here is the link to the article that got me on this topic, and from which I obtained the quotes used above:
https://www.alternativenation.net/mick-jagger-brutal-disrespect-led-zeppelin-revealed/
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