Robert Plant : A Life : A book that did not really answer many questions

I have never been that much of a Led Zep fan.  I have a few of their albums on vinyl and their 4CD box set. I always went for the folkier more gentle side of the band.  However I have always paid attention to Robert Plant's output post Zeppelin.  There has always been a sense of Quest to his music - like he is looking for Some New Town.   That he was from Dad's hometown of Wolverhampton was also of interest especially that he stayed close to his roots and seems to have stuck by a lot of his old friends and still drinks in the same local he always has.

I almost met the man last year when Jan and I were in town for work and to see him as well.  I was in Slowboat Records in Wellington when an old guy with a ponytail came in asking if they had any English Psychobilly music - I did not realise it was him until I read about it the next day in the paper.  Bugger!!


There must be something about the store as the next time I was in there The Seddon Earthquake struck and when Jan found out she said at least  if it had been worse I would have died amongst a pile of records!

Over the years, without being a great fan I have collected a few Plant records and CDs (I probably now have more than I do Zeppelin albums).   I have particularly been impressed by his last 4-5 records where he has not stood still and explored a number of different genres and has veered more towards the Americana that dominates my collection.

So I bought this book hoping to understand this part of him a bit better and perhaps get a few leads on where he is going next.  
It is certainly NOT one of the great music biographies.  It does not really let the reader get to know the man that well and does not shed any great light on what is inspiring him apart from his love of music, is loyal to his old friends (to a point) and is greatly conflicted by what happened to his family and friends while he was in Led Zeppelin.  The book made reference to a few places I have now become, if not familiar with at least aware of  Stourbridge Penn, Dudley and the Bullring.

It does seem rather than blame himself for some of the choices he made at the time he blames the band.  It does also seem to make it clear that it is unlikely that there will be another Led Zeppelin reunion.   Something that, after listening to and watching the 2007 reunion show and comparing it with both the Live from The Artists Den DVD and his show in Wellington last year - I think we are all better off for that.     His current music and reinterpretations show what someone with 40+ years in music can do when they are still pushing their own boundaries.  Check out these few clips, Tall Cool One, Two O One, Rock'n'Roll, and Gallows Pole.    Certainly Buddy Miller's guitar work is now more interesting and challenging to Plant than another Page collaboration would be.