Robert Plant reflects on Led Zeppelin’s rock’n’roll excess: ‘A lot of it is incredible exaggeration’

‘I can’t really get my head around it now,’ the singer said

Robert Plant has opened up about the legendary excess of Led Zeppelin.

The frontman of the rock band shared his thoughts on the latest episode of Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.

When asked to reflect on the group’s reputation for “unbridled rock’n’roll hedonism” he answered honestly that it was “very tough to be a part of”.

“The intensity and the momentum of what we were experiencing, and the lack of structure, was very difficult,” Plant said.

He explained that the media’s portrayal of their lifestyle was so far removed from the reality of the situation that the best thing to do now is “just imagine that a lot of it is incredible exaggeration”.

Led Zeppelin rose to global prominence following their first US tour, which came shortly after their 1968 inception.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (David McClister)

The group became a force in British music and for 12 years heralded enormous success, releasing eight albums and the iconic song “Stairway to Heaven”.

However, after the band’s drummer John Bonham died from alcohol poisoning in 1980, the band broke up, leaving Plant to forge his own solo career.

As a solo artist, Plant has gone on to collaborate with a multitude of other artists, including Alison Krauss. Their 2007 album Raising Sand secured them five Grammy Awards.

The duo released their latest album, Raising the Roof, in 2021.