John Paul Jones, the versatile bassist and keyboardist of Led Zeppelin, has always been the band’s quiet storm, letting his musicianship speak volumes. In a candid interview, Jones opened up about some of the more colorful anecdotes from Led Zeppelin’s legendary 1973 tour, offering a humorous and insightful look back at a time when the band was at the peak of their powers and notorious for their rock and roll excess.
One enduring story from that era involves Jones’s resilience after fracturing his ribs. As Jones recounts, the injury might have actually occurred in England before the tour even began. “I think I actually did it in England and didn’t realize it,” he explained, suggesting a simple cough in a hotel room as the culprit. Despite the pain, which he vividly described as “Wah!”, Jones initially brushed it off. It wasn’t until a doctor examined him that the fracture was confirmed. Even with fractured ribs, the show had to go on. The doctor, in a rather rock ‘n’ roll fashion himself, simply told Jones, “OK, that’s no excuse. You’ve still got arms and legs, and your head’s all right. You’re doing all right. Play!”
This “show must go on” attitude was quintessential Led Zeppelin. Jones recalls a Dallas concert on May 18, 1973, where Robert Plant, in his typical on-stage banter, alluded to Jones’s injury. Plant reportedly told the audience that Jones might not be able to finish the show. Reflecting on this, Jones chuckled, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, they’re always saying these things to each other all the time.” He paints a picture of band camaraderie, even amidst the chaos, “Four old blokes have a sit-down and say, ‘[inaudible],’ really, it was that sort of band … That’s what made it work. Nobody could have an attitude for longer than about five minutes.” Humor was their coping mechanism, and despite the fractured ribs, Jones managed to play the entire Dallas show, albeit seated. “I was all right if I didn’t laugh,” he quipped, acknowledging Plant’s playful attempts to do just that, including jokes about Jones supposedly having “the clap!”
Beyond the physical challenges, the 1973 tour also brought cultural encounters, particularly in New Orleans. Jones vividly remembers the band’s warm reception in the city prior to the Dallas show. It was a meeting of rock royalty with New Orleans jazz royalty. Lisa Robinson was present, along with local legends like Ernie K. Doe and Professor Longhair. This vibrant atmosphere of New Orleans likely inspired the Zeppelin track “Royal Orleans.”
However, the story behind “Royal Orleans,” as depicted in Stephen Davis’s infamous biography “Hammer of the Gods,” is something Jones is keen to set straight. The book suggested the song was rooted in a less-than-flattering encounter involving transvestites at the Royal Orleans hotel. Jones dismisses this portrayal as inaccurate and sensationalized. “Oh, that was Robert in his usual homophobic manner,” Jones says about Plant’s lyrical inspiration, suggesting a degree of discomfort or provincialism from Plant regarding the New Orleans subculture. He clarifies that the individuals in question were friends of their tour manager Richard Cole and were known to the band, particularly to Jones and guitarist Jimmy Page. “Her name was … Her name was … Stephanie! We’d see her every time we’d go to New Orleans,” Jones fondly remembers, emphasizing their friendly relationship.
Jones criticizes “Hammer of the Gods” for getting “all its facts wrong” and twisting stories to portray the band negatively. He recounts the anecdote in the book about firemen in their hotel room, dismissing it as exaggerated and misconstrued. He hints at another band member having a more genuinely confusing encounter, pointedly stating, “there was another member of the band who found himself in situations where they didn’t know it was a boy, and it certainly wasn’t me.” This adds a layer of intrigue and humor to the story, while subtly shifting the focus away from himself and correcting the record. He concludes that Plant’s lyrical interpretation in “Royal Orleans,” stemming from his “sheltered upbringing,” missed the point of their friendly and accepting relationship with these individuals.
John Paul Jones’s recollections provide a valuable counter-narrative to the often-exaggerated tales of Led Zeppelin’s past. His perspective offers a more nuanced and human portrayal of the band, highlighting their humor, camaraderie, and complex interactions with the world around them during their groundbreaking 1973 tour. It’s a reminder that behind the rock god mystique, there were real people navigating extraordinary circumstances, often with a laugh and a shrug, even with fractured ribs.
