LED ZEPPELIN's JIMMY PAGE Talks About 'The John Bonham Story'

According to LedZeppelinNews.com, FOO FIGHTERS mainman/ex-NIRVANA drummer Dave Grohl is presenting a radio special on his favorite drummer of all time, LED ZEPPELIN's John Bonham. Helping to promote it with an appearance on BBC 6 Music Tuesday morning (May 25) was none other than ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page.

Page chatted with late-morning show host Lauren Laverne about the special, which is set to air on BBC 6 Music next Monday (May 31).

"John Bonham was an extraordinary, extraordinary musician who had this incredible technique that was head and shoulders over anyone around him when he was still in his teens — absolutely phenomenal," Page said. "He kept finessing his technique and his vision of the drums. He had a definite vision of the drums, and how they should be played, and how they would fit in with a band, and also how they would be soloed — in his solos. It's without doubt that his technique was, as I say, beyond everybody else's, and that's why he's so looked to — and looked back to — with such reverence and love, really, because he was so extraordinary."

Page remembered meeting Bonham for the first time at a small London club when he was drumming for Tim Rose of "Hey Joe" fame. It was in the Midlands that Bonham had a reputation as an incredible talent, but Page recognized immediately from "the attitude to his playing" that he would be the right drummer for his new band he was putting together. He said Bonham's sense of dynamics was "the key to what I was gonna try and get together in this ZEPPELIN band."

As for the rest of the group, Page said, "Of course you had four people in LED ZEPPELIN which were sort of musical equals, if you like. I would say so. But John [was] the backbone of the band."

Lauren Laverne's interview with Jimmy Page can be heard in two parts at this location.

Read more from LedZeppelinNews.com.

"The John Bonham Story", narrated by Dave Grohl, will air 3 p.m. (BST) on Monday, May 31, on BBC 6 Music. This program takes the listener through Bonham's extraordinary life, to his legendary playing with LED ZEPPELIN to his tragic and untimely death. Not only does Grohl offer rock star profile, but he also brings a real and deep understanding of the subject, both as a fellow drummer and a ZEPPELIN fan, and enormous musical credibility amongst his peers and his audience.

Told with wit, pace and a genuine love for the subject, this is the electrifying story of a rock 'n' roll legend which will paint a picture of the greatest of rock drummers. With touching tales of his focus on family and friends alongside the infamous rock and roll excess. Set to a rich soundtrack of music the program also shows how LED ZEPPELIN changed the course of rock history.