To my dear friend who gave me so much help at the beginning of life after John Bonham. I send love and birthday wishes.
Excerpt from Robert Plant’s 2023 interview w/ Vulture:
After John Bonham passed away and there was no Led Zeppelin, there had to be a way to go. I floundered around a lot because until I was 32, I was in some kind of wild and absurd adventure. I went through all that stuff. I’ll write with other people. It’s a very intimate thing to do. It’s hard for anybody to expose themselves musically. Other people with me, and me with other people. I have a lot of songs under my belt, which I co-wrote with the members of Zeppelin. It was a lot to live up to. I had a lot of people who gave me support and strength around that time, so I suppose the first two albums were driven by great friends.
Phil Collins especially was a driving force and had positive energy with the first record, Pictures at Eleven. It wasn’t a difficult job to get together with other people, it was just whether or not we could cook it properly. With Phil, it wasn’t so much advice as encouragement and consideration. He was taking no prisoners. He would only allow himself a short amount of time to come to the studio in Wales and make it work. Nobody was hiding behind the performance. Then he came on tour with me and basically said, “Robert, the guy that sat behind you for all those years was my hero.” That was it. He said, “Anything I can do to help you to get back into fighting shape again, I’m here.” That was at the time when “In the Air Tonight” came out. Yet he was still mixing and working with me while kicking off a particularly impressive and successful timeIndeed, Collins somehow made time to play drums on the majority of Pictures at Eleven’s tracks, as well as serve as Plant’s drummer for the subsequent tour. This was after Collins became an international sensation with Face Value and Genesis’s early-’80s output. for himself. He’s a great spirit, a good man.
You can read the entire interview @ this location.
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:
Robert Plant: JPJ…in deep with a very special mix of people..contributing their gift to such a fine and ever-growing cause..
‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ will receive its world premiere at The 
Luca Stricagnoli: “Stairway To Heaven” is one of the most legendary songs to ever be created. I know it´s also one of the most overplayed songs, but I love so much that I wanted to do my own interpretation of it. 
Brian Tichy: A little fancy dancy single foot footwork! Yes, Bonzo’s Montreux is just another one of John Bonham’s “Super Grooves” that influenced anyone who’s heard it! Long Live John Bonham ! 
Paul Rodgers: “John (Bonham) in action forever. What better than to reveal John’s statue in the middle of the dark night. To appear magically at the dawn of his 70th b’day, creating a unique air of mystery. How perfectly Zeppelin.”
Mark Richards: “Delighted that my memorial sculpture to John Bonham was installed over night in Redditch town centre. Thanks to all who helped make this happen.”
