Jimmy Page Looks Back During Q&A Session With Chris Cornell
Of all the interviews Jimmy Page will sit for during the press tour in support of his new photographic memoir, this one might be the strangest.
As previously reported, Page joined Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell on Nov. 12 for an onstage discussion of 'Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page,' fielding questions from Cornell while they leafed through the book in front of an audience.
As Rolling Stone notes -- and as you might expect -- Cornell didn't exactly subject Page to a hard-hitting grilling during their time together; the general tone of the evening was summed up with softballs like, "You're a multifaceted artist -- where did that come from?" But the event wasn't without interest for Led Zeppelin fans, who came away with a handful of first-person recollections from the legendary band's time together.
For example, one exchange found Page looking back on Zeppelin's first gold record, and although rock fans have grown accustomed to thinking of the group as experienced wielders of the hammer of the gods, Page admitted that for him, receiving that first sales certification was a very big deal. "I'd heard about gold records and seen Elvis Presley's album," he recalled, summing up his reaction by saying, "Hallelujah, we got there."
Other portions of the evening included memories of Page's first double-necked guitar, commissioned from Gibson, as well as the stories behind a number of distinctive photos from Zeppelin history, such as one depicting Page wearing a red sweater with the 'Zoso' symbol knitted on it. (He wore it onstage, but his sweat made it shrink.)
And after all that looking back, Page turned to look forward, talking to Cornell and the audience about his plans for his next solo project. "The most important part is to be seen to be playing," he pointed out. "It doesn't matter what I do at home."
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