Robert Plant - Unedited Interview, France 1988 (Now & Zen)

[@RoxieC607]

Robert Plant is to me a Musical Anthropologist. He is so well studied on so many different musical types and cultures. I think that’s why he has stayed so creative and productive.

[@Nighthawk5210]

He's so intelligent, well spoken and gorgeous. Hope there are more unseen interviews of him out there.

[@prisonersforprofit]

always loved robert's wry sense of humor, "4 beats to the bar, 4 to the chorus, 4 to the bank." the way he grins when looking for a reaction to something he says, like he's playing a game, getting a kick out of seeing if someone will get the reference, entendre, or joke. i just recently read a jimmy page quote that after meeting robert and hearing him sing, he wondered what was wrong with robert, pondering how someone that good wasn't famous yet, after telling jimmy he'd been at it for a few years. jimmy said he invited robert over to "check him out"... they obviously hit it off spectacularly... robert gives you that vibe, he's very elusive and private. very intelligent and comfortable in his skin.

[@LouiseTENNANT-c5w]

I thought I've seen every interview of Robert Plant....this is new to me! Thanks!

[@commonman317]

Robert being Robert. Always interesting to see him talk about other artists. I agree with the other commenters though, the video quality is stunning. Looks like this could have been filmed last week.

[@paulbrandano3477]

I remember having Kashmir blaring on the radio. ( WZLX in Boston ) My mother mother was telling me to turn it down because I was going to wake up the neighbors. The next day the video Sea Of Love was on MTV and my mother say's " Whos that? I said" T he Honeydrippers and she say's Now! that is a man that can sing, I love his voice and He's so hand hansome too! I'd marry him in a sexond and Id 'tell your father to take a hike. She said" Who is he? What's his name? lol I said" Ma, That's the same guy who sings that song and she told me to stop being a smartazz and told me to go play in traffic lol. I ended up buying her The Honeydrippers for her birthday and she loved it. She asked me , What's a Honeydripper? I said Ma, Forget it! lol Thank you Robert for making my mom so happy and allowing her to reminisce about the days of her youth ( Phil Phillips ) I miss her so much. My eyes are welling up now. Oh, I really drove her nuts when I introduced her to Achille's Last Stand, : )

[@francishughes2016]

Jeez, What can be said about Robert that has,nt been said, he is one of the 'chosen' ones, tall, handsome, charismatic, & with the best vocal range of any male singer, rock or otherwise, he is the ultimate rock god, & the perfect frontman, probably the only singer above Mercury. I love the fact that after Zeppelin he was determined to try every type of different music, & not just sit on his laurels, he is always trying to move forward musically, he always trys to in musicians that bring a fresh perspective to the songs that he writes. Plant is also a very down to earth, genuine, humble nice, guy, & he is also very intelligent, articulate, & a deep thinker, you can tell by the way that he answers the questions, his musical knowledge seems to be encyclopaedic & lastly that hair, he has the best head of hair of of any frontman, any woman would love to have hair like that. I love Zeppelin, but Robert & Jimmy are very, very special, can do no wrong, they are the perfect guitarist/singer combination.

[@jennybaji421]

Yea BUT THATS WHERE Zep still was sO Much more than just a front man guitarist combination ! ZEP SMEARED PAST the COMPETITION Because they had two other SUPER POWERS also in the same band ! IT takes ALL 4 of ONLY “their “super powers +1 & plus ANOTHER 1 that’s 6 to become The Led Zeppelin! That TOOK OVER & RULED the Earth musically ! They (ONLY these 4 in particular )together generated a rare 5th ELEMENT SUPER POWER rocket X4 + 1 had a Equal 👈🏼powerful BRAIN(guidance system that was sO powerful even the industry’s mafia tried & failed for the most part to penetrant & take control The MANAGEMENT superpower of Peter Grant! WHO completed the TEAM that GOD himselfs FINGER put together maybe to amuse himself & GIFTED ALL the Universe with his Blessing of MUSIC & MUSIC of The Mighty LED ZEPPELIN is indeed UNIVERSAL ! ,Amen! I thank God for LED Zeppelin ,gives me hope of how such GOOD things exist & heal & get us threw the hard Xs!

[@PNWOlygurl66]

Indeed!❤

[@Cleopatragirl12]

He still is so handsome to this very day!❤

[@RoyPage1970]

He is an old man almost 77 years old lady

[@dylanwatson1287]

He's all wrinkled up and grey now and kind of has a beer gut now.

[@emilypurcell2659]

@@RoyPage1970 He looks like he's aged into an Ent but I've seen footage of his most recent concert and, yeah, still adorable. I've loved him since my parents dragged me along to a midnight showing of Song Remains The Same in 1976. When I was four, lol.

[@cragkeeper]

Da fu he eating ?

[@67psych]

@@RoyPage1970lol😂

[@PNWOlygurl66]

Thank you very much! I love this interview ! ❤

[@tanyaweathersby9393]

❤Robert is a musical mystic ❤

[@JohnPotter-z6j]

Now 1988 what a year that was.

[@tanyaweathersby9393]

❤❤❤Robert ❤❤❤

[@zeppiehead]

Seen Robert in 1977 Tampa Florida I was a young girl . I love him since then still do..he is an amazing musician and for him to say he wanted to distance himself from Led Zeppelin 😅he made it without him There would not be a band. Stairway is a classic, but Kashmir is an astounding song ❤

[@SusieY777]

He said in an interview that he had hoped Kashmir would become more popular than Stairway. He said they had put much more work into Kashmir with its unique sounds. It's my fav from Led Zeppelin.

[@JimmyMoss]

Awesome find Mark!!!

[@VG-iq8xq]

Maybe Robert didn't have any feeling for Stairway like no emotional attachment to it at this time. But when he heard Ann Wilson sing it, those tears were real! It seems by '88 he came somewhat full circle and embraced his time in Zep and was comfortable with that. Saw him on the Manic Nirvana tour was like 9 rows back it was awesome. I'm still kicking myself for not seeing him and Jimmy in the mid 90's though 😥

[@antonius1160]

Gracias.

[@ИринаСмирнова-л4в]

Обожаю милое кокетство Роберта, его улыбочку и лукавый взгляд!💙💛

[@lanatrzczka]

The video quality is amazing for 1988. I'd love to know what camera they were using.

[@louisbarthou6337]

At that time French TV used high quality portable cameras (Sony Betamax (PAL/) SECAM tapes, I guess) because they were the only channel with paid subscription in France. And with international ambitions. In France in 1988, only 4 free national channels, 3 etatic chanels,TF1 + FR2 + FR3, and the private channel M6, plus the new Berlusconi's channel () that quickly went into bankrupt. SECAM system was better than PAL system.

[@67Parsifal]

Started watching this, and thought it must be 1998, not 88, because of the quality of the film. Amazing!

[@brendanewland6636]

Soon my darling Robert 💞💞 forever

[@dpaulsen1958]

Love you Robert ❤❤❤

[@Ralmwalker]

My lord he was a sight to see in this interview ❤ I just wish he smiled a bit more he seemed a little like it was job that he had to do.

[@WindsOfNeptune]

Seems like once Whitesnake blew up in ‘87 by imitating Zep, suddenly Plant stopped distancing himself so much and instead started to embrace the Zep legacy more.

[@louisbarthou6337]

4:00 Of course, success and money are secondary for that singer that became millionaire (or billionaire?) with Led Zeppelin. And had the necessary cold mind to still remain rich. He sings for his own pleasure, has nothing to prove and knows that his successful career is behind him. He is a smart guy anyway.

[@CasperLCat]

He’s always had a lot of androgynous qualities. He uses flirtatious looks and head tilts here that are usually female. But he “gets away” with it due to his underlying handsomeness, and having been in front of the most badass heavy rock band ever.

[@ronniep9272]

Surely he must be bisexual.

[@CasperLCat]

@ Or maybe he’s just British.

[@ronniep9272]

@@CasperLCat no, most men here in England do not behave like Robert. It must be an artist thing. He manages to be both masculine and camp as well.

[@CasperLCat]

@ I know that. I’ve been to the UK. But on the margins, there are differences in British men vs. Americans. Here, men tend to be either straight or gay, with a more binary difference in gender expression that matches their orientation. I can’t name a single American bisexual man, even in the arts, unlike Brits. Maybe Tony Perkins, but I think he was a gay man who tried to “pass” most of his life. And there are Brit men who are androgynous in expression without being bisexual. Which I believe is true of Robert.

[@MarinaE-mo2wy]

@@ronniep9272 Back in the 60's and 70's being camp was very normal in Britain. See films like Nicholas Roegs Performance with Mick Jagger as an example. Nothing to do with being gay either. More freedom of expression. Now, all the 'identies' are just ever smaller boxes confining us.

[@konstantinov]

nice Husker Du shout-out, Robert!

[@konstantinov]

and Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians too!

[@helaina400]

Jeez, everyone is so judgmental or is it jealousy? The man is an incredible talent, and the fact that he’s also beautiful seems to stir resentment. Get a life.

[@RonPro-u1t]

He invented the rock frontman period. He has the right to say what he wants

[@DavidS.Folenius]

How in the actual fuck can you be embarrassed to say that THE ROCK GOD is your father!?!?!?!? Not to mention I bet he was a cool dad if he proposed to my mom right now I would force her to say yes!😂😂😂😂

[@PNWOlygurl66]

Indeed! 😊

[@JohnPotter-z6j]

The brother don't even have to dig that deep to get it in that christ consciousness.

[@tparker2095]

Was this edited with AI?

[@lindadority1056]

He is 40 here

[@martymcgowan5958]

39

[@lindadority1056]

@@martymcgowan5958 He was born in1948 and it says this was in 1988. so yes 3 months short due to the month. aren't you clever. Just trying to help get younger watchers in the ballpark

[@MariePommer]

Birthdate is August 20th, 1948 .

[@aliciarobertson4979]

@@martymcgowan5958 Yes 39, but in his 40th year. It was only 3 months before his birthday!

[@martymcgowan5958]

@@aliciarobertson4979 ....well aware, yes. And 39 years old when recorded.

[@lidijatravina7438]

😎 с подозрением Роберт смотрит на женщин, которые родили трое детей от ДЕСПОТИЧНОГО мужа. А в Америке так не бывает разве?😎

[@prisonersforprofit]

"we (led zeppelin) were never corporate rock, we perhaps invented it. and now the thing got a bit twisted... i mean, whatever we did was an accident, it wasn't contrived to go for billboard success." what a brilliant answer, led zeppelin literally went out of their way to avoid "corporate success", led zeppelin III was a huge departure from I & II, which led to many critics... and the iconic led zeppelin IV, to the dismay of the record company had no title at all. page was advised that after a longer than usual layoff this was "professional suicide."

[@ElCineHefe]

I didn't know Plant speaks whatever dialect that interviewer is mumbling.

[@RoyPage1970]

He was only 39 or 40 years old here Zeppelin had turned 20 I must say he did get a just a tad bit up his own arse at this point

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

It was funny. He was having a good time 😂

[@francishughes2016]

Please elaborate ?.

[@RoyPage1970]

​@@SopranoPizzaJMFNJtrue enough

[@RoyPage1970]

​@@francishughes2016why what don't you understand

[@Mark-oc4un]

What’s up with all the strange eye lifting looks and strange facial expressions ?

[@DeborahParham-ve1vp]

He's still a compulsive flirt.

[@robertwheatley2471]

Hideously-looking perm. Whoever his hairdresser was should be in jail Lol...

[@markv.5962]

ur just jealous lol

[@robertwheatley2471]

@@markv.5962 Only of his money. Not that silly-looking mop on his head which could be used to clean the kitchen floor..

[@markv.5962]

@@robertwheatley2471 it was the 80s. whats wrong with you?2 questions for you. how old are you? do you even have hair?

[@robertwheatley2471]

@@markv.5962 I do have hair. It's *real* hair too and not like that rug you wear Lol. And I actually saw Zeppelin in '77 so I've been around..

[@markv.5962]

@@robertwheatley2471 i saw them in 73 at MSG. Great show. Lots of cameras

[@cragkeeper]

In 1988 he managed to find Phil Johnstone , on whom he could ride the creative coattails for a few years. Johnstone was a replacement for the likes of john paul jones in terms of ideas and arrangements. He sings well when given a great model . Plus, he still had a sense of pop music which he began throwing away after the new age of the 2000s. Once age set in, it was no longer an honest Fun Show. As though Fun is not a good desire. Now in 2024, his material is akin to a tedious church service. 😢

[@RonPro-u1t]

Putting that guy in the same sentence as JPJ? Hahaha. Coattails ?

[@cragkeeper]

@RonPro-u1t in terms of ideas and arranging, yes. Plant isn't much of an idea man or arranger. He's a great singer mostly of others ideas.

[@RonPro-u1t]

@ how do you know ? Are you in the studio?

[@cragkeeper]

@RonPro-u1t Plant has admitted as much in interviews. It's not easy coming up with viable Pop oriented , catchy songs. Now and Zen was a masterpiece of such. His biggest and best return post Zep. He's given full credit to Johnstone during that era. In fact, it was Johnstone who encouraged him to "Lighten Up" regarding the live playing of old Zep tunes, and arranged a song in honor of it : Tall Cool One. Fantastic material. Left to his own musings, Plant always goes back to the lesser material with forgettable impact.

[@cragkeeper]

But we can't maintain that intensity into the elder years. I get that . Retirement material is always the stuff of playing live well into one's 70s. Except for guys like Jagger and even Elton John. Plant would require medical attention these days if he did high intensity material live.