Ritchie Blackmore: John Bonham would always tell Zeppelin, “I’m leaving the band. I can’t go back to America again.” – 2022 – VIDEO – Deep Purple – Led Zeppelin – Rainbow
Ritchie Blackmore: John Bonham would always tell Zeppelin: “I’m leaving the band. I can’t go back to America again. I can’t do that.” So, Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin’s manager) used to go, “Hey, come to the garage, I want to show you something.” He’d go, “What?” They’d go to his garage and there’s a new Lamborghini, just what Bonzo wanted.
John Bonham:
“Wow, look at that.”
Peter Grant:
“That’s yours for coming to America.”
John Bonham:
“Well, yeah, alright.”
And that’s how he kept coming. But there were a couple of moments there where he ended up crying because he wanted to go home. He didn’t want to be in America, missed his wife, didn’t want to be in a big band. He wanted to be in a small band in Birmingham, just playing. He didn’t care about all that fame.
From John Bonham: The Powerhouse Behind Led Zeppelin:
John Bonham:
“Sometimes touring gets a bit wearing, but that’s only because I’m married with kids at home. I’ve never gotten pissed off with the actual touring. I enjoy playing – I could play every night. It’s just being away that gets you down sometimes. I still enjoy going through different towns that we haven’t been to before. But you get fed up with places like New York because they’re not interesting anymore.”
“I’ve got worse. I have terribly bad nerves all the time. Once we start into ‘Rock And Roll’ I’m fine. I just can’t stand sitting around, and I worry about playing badly – and if I do then I’m really pissed off. If I play well, I feel fine.
Everybody in the band is the same, and each has some little thing they do before we go on, like pacing about or lighting a cigarette. It’s worse at festivals. You might have to sit around for a whole day and you daren’t drink because you’ll get tired and blow the gig. So you sit drinking tea in a caravan with everybody saying, “Far out, man.””
We once did six tours of America in 15 months.
Ritchie….you have remained my main inspiration to continue just performing for my on satisfaction as well as anyone else who enjoys me trying to make my sound close to what I hear you make….I don’t consider myself anyways as quick as you are but your emotional input is what I try to reach ….so much fire and ice at the same time even (simultaneously and independent of one another also )…your commentaries are so unpretentious which adds to your charm and intrigues me as I m sure it does others….I m not gay by no means…just think a lot of you as a great guy with such powerful classical talents ….
6 tours of America in 25 months? Hearing that makes me want to go back home, too. And I live in America.
That’s some pretty cool news about the great kings of rocknroll,, I find it very interesting,thanks😎
I LOVE LOVE AND MORE LOVE FOR THOSE ROCK BANDS AND Those MUSICIANS.THOSE GUYS GAVE ME THE GREATEST LIFE AS MUSIC EXPERIENCE.GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT I WOULD DO TO BRING THESE INCREDIBLE DAYS OD OUR LIFE.
Bonham may have been the most down to earth Rock star that ever lived. He understood what really mattered in life.
I always found John bottom to be a man of simple principles that couldn’t handle the fame that came with being in a band like Led Zeppelin. I always thought the late Richard Cole kinda kept John bottom in line so he wouldn’t go too far off the edge.
He didn’t like being in a big band, but I’m sure he’d like all the money. If you are missing your family, then bring them on to her with you. But then he wouldn’t be able to fuck all of the groupies. So figure it out. What do you want?