This blog began in 1997 as a single news page called Nucelus. In 2005, during a long wait to move into a new house, I decided to learn some php and MySQL and write my own blogging system, which became inkyBlog and which now powers this, my own Webbledegook blog.
Thank you to my brother, Murray Ewing, for help with some of the more challenging aspects!
It's an epic piece of cinema, and with the IMAX format you're right up in there, almost on stage with the band, helping to make it an intimately personal portrait. The sound is incredible, particularly John Paul Jones's fantastic crunchy bass.
The level of research and hard work that went into the project is evident, including wonderful seldom-seen footage and creative use of photo shoot sequences. Vitally, all three surviving members of the band, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, agreed to take part (after a little persuasion), but drummer John Bonham (who died in 1980) also has a voice thanks to a remarkable unearthed Australian interview, making this as complete a telling of Zeppelin's formation as you're likely to get on screen.
Even as a Led Zeppelin fan of 40 years there were a lot of little things I didn't know. There were some great insights into John Paul Jones's vaudeville-working parents, and I particularly loved the scene telling of his and Jimmy Page's session with Shirley Bassey on the recording of Goldfinger. The interviews are really interesting, especially as I think they'd all gone through a long patch of not wanting to discuss Zeppelin, but now talking about it from a more objective distance and with conspicuous fondness.
I didn't know that Robert Plant claimed his mother was a Romany - this stood out as I am descended from Romany families in the Midlands and have been researching and writing on them for a number of years. I had to have a look and see where she might fit in, but, I must say, I looked and found no obvious evidence of a Romany or Gypsy background for his mother within a few generations.
One pleasing aspect of the film is it gives the music plenty of room, not just keeping it to short snippets, so you can really indulge. For many years the only live footage of Zeppelin available was for 1976's The Song Remains the Same at Madison Square Garden, but there's some terrific material here from 1968 and 69. Actually, much of it I had seen - for instance the excellent 1969 Danish TV appearance - I stayed up late to record this on VHS off television when it was shown sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. And I've always enjoyed the French TV appearance with its very bewildered looking audience.
My introduction to Led Zeppelin was through a friend lending me his Led Zeppelin II record. I played it again and again, back to back, until I had to get my own as I was worried about wearing my friend's copy out. I quickly followed that up with the first album - both still provide a thrill as soon as the needle crackles down, and the crown-jewel in my Led Zep collection is a wonderful bootleg on white marble vinyl from June 1969 for the BBC. Obviously I never saw them live, but I did get to see Robert Plant at the Hammersmith Odeon for my birthday on his 1990 Manic Nirvana tour (which included a number of Zeppelin tunes).
If you can get to see Becoming Led Zeppelin at the cinema, especially on IMAX, please do - an inspiring experience.
