Hairway to Steven
Johnny Rotten’s unlikely foray into reality television may be the bell stroke that sounds off the death of punk (and everything it stood for—or was that Green Day?), but former Led Zeppelin front man, Robert Plant—being the humble, articulate, and funny person that he is—seems well-content with his place in the world. In a recent Fresh Air Interview to promote his new album Sixty Six to Timbuktu, the blues-inspired singer reveals an admirable sense of humor.
Throughout the years, various artists including Tiny Tim, have created songs in twisted deference to Zep’s best known track “Stairway to Heaven” including one of Plant’s admitted favorites, Stairway to Gilligan. It’s refreshing to hear such down-to-earthness coming from a rock star. Somehow his referencing of the song as a well-deserved target for “hoots of derision” amplifies its original power for me rather than diminishing it.
