Tag Archives: Led Zeppelin

Movies, Music, TV

Love the art…?

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There’s an old saying about “loving the art, not the artist” when it comes to works you really like but whose creator is someone you may have issues with.

It’s an intriguing thought experiment and it does point out your tolerance for the antics of people and also, perhaps, your limits.

Of late, various cast members of both Buffy The Vampire Slayer and its follow-up series Angel have spoken up about creator and main producer Joss Whedon.

What they say about him isn’t pretty.

There have been stirrings for a while regarding Joss Whedon. Back in 2017 his ex-wife Kai Cole wrote a scathing letter regarding her ex.

Among other things she pointed out his hypocrisy, that he claimed he was a “feminist” while having numerous affairs behind his wife’s back. Click the link in the above paragraph if you want to read the full details Ms. Cole presented.

Still, Mr. Whedon remained a high in demand director. He had a cult following for his various series, including Firefly, which while perhaps prematurely cancelled, was popular enough to have Serenity, a concluding feature film made out of it.

But there remained whispers out there about Mr. Whedon and the next big negative press he received occurred following his taking over for Zack Snyder to finish up (actually re-do, based on what I’ve read) the 2017 film Justice League.

Actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in the film, originally praised Mr. Whedon. Perhaps it was part of the Hollywood game to offer praise to all those you work with. In time, though, he had a change of heart and announced he could no longer do it.

In 2020 Mr. Fisher formally accused Joss Whedon of “abusive, unprofessional” behavior. Jason Momoa, who played Aquaman in the film, lent support to Mr. Fisher, noting that “serious stuff went down” during the Justice League reshoots which Mr. Whedon made.

Though less vocal, Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman in the film, also stated her experience working with Mr. Whedon “wasn’t the best one”.

Now, within the past couple of days, Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, took to twitter to not only say she believed Ray Fisher’s accounts of Joss Whedon’s abuses, but that she herself was a victim of them.

It’s truly a harrowing account and, from the link in the above paragraph:

Carpenter’s accounts of Whedon’s “harassment” and “serialized abuses of power” include him accusing her of “sabotaging” “Angel” by getting pregnant and “calling [her] ‘fat’ to colleagues.” For Whedon, perhaps, it all ended with him “unceremoniously” firing Carpenter from the series after she gave birth, but the actor couldn’t move on that easily.

After Ms. Carpenter spoke, the floodgates truly did open. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy, stated she was proud of her work on the show but that “I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon. Amber Benson, who played Tara on the show, stated “Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top”.

Perhaps the most chilling statement came from Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s little sister and was a teenager when she worked on the series. She noted that after some incident between them Mr. Whedon and she, he was not allowed to be alone with her.

Incredibly, there are still more stories coming out, including one regarding how he abused female writers he worked with and took a sadistic pleasure in making them cry.

Yikes.

As I mentioned above, one can love the art but not the artist but there does come a point where the artist becomes so loathsome within your mind that the work produced by them may be tainted and, for you, impossible to love it again.

I’ve read posts from people who cannot watch any Mel Gibson films because of his drunken actions many years before. While he claims he was at the time drinking too much and nearing a nervous breakdown, its still tough to accept his racist and abusive words -all recorded- as simply coming out of that alone.

Similarly, following the death of David Bowie, there were those who noted he is alleged to have had sexual relations with underage girls back in the early to mid-70’s. Yeah, it was a different time and there were teenage groupies who made it a point of sleeping with rock stars and, yeah, there so many drugs being used and, yeah, there are similar allegations/stories related to other very big musical artists who were popular at the time…

…but you know what? All that’s an excuse if these people, who should have known better, were allegedly having sex with underage girls.

Unlike David Bowie, I’m not the biggest Joss Whedon fan out there. While I enjoyed Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, if I never see an episode of these shows I truthfully won’t miss them. Similarly, I doubt I’ll revisit either of his Avenger films or his version of Justice League.

Further, based on the press he’s getting now, I wonder if he’ll become a pariah in Hollywood and we’ve seen the last new material from him.

Perhaps.

But I love the music of David Bowie and I’ve mentioned it plenty of times around these parts. As much as I like his music, I’ve taken great pains to avoid any detailed biographies about him. I’ve done the same regarding biographies about Led Zeppelin. The Doors. The Rolling Stones. Even The Beatles.

Why?

I suppose its a form of cowardice on my part. I so like the music created by these people and I’m afraid I won’t know how to feel about this music I love so much when I’m confronted by all the alleged nasty details related to those who created them.

Recently, Courtney Enlow presented this article for io9.com:

It’s Well Past Time to Rethink ‘Auteur Theory’ and the Way Actresses Are Treated

In the article, which touches upon the recent Joss Whedon revelations, Ms. Enlow points out the oft told story of how director Stanley Kubrick treated actress Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining as well as actor Tippi Hendrin’s revelations about how Alfred Hitchcock treated her -sadistically- on the set of The Birds.

I love both films and consider them classics of the horror genre.

But each time I hear/read the stories about how Ms. Duvall and Ms. Hendrin were treated on the sets of these films… I can’t help but realize that what we’re seeing on the screen is genuine suffering by the actors who were treated terribly by those two directors.

And I have to admit… I don’t know if I can watch those films again.

Two films I love by directors whose work I generally love. Songs created by people who may have been engaged in some very questionable activities.

It’s a tough line to draw.

When can one no longer love the art because of the artist?

Music

Led Zeppelin Songs ranked…

A while back I found a list which ranked all The Beatles songs in order from worst to best (you can read that list here).  The list had a whopping 213 songs on it, a tribute to the fact that in the seven years they were releasing albums (from 1963’s Please Please Me to 1970’s Let It Be, which was actually recorded before 1969’s Abbey Road), The Beatles released an insane amount of songs -so many of which were of such high quality- that it truly is hard to create a list such as this.

Welp, I stumbled across another list a few days back, this one devoted to ranking all the Led Zeppelin songs.  The group released albums from 1969 (Led Zeppelin) to 1982 (Coda) which means they were “active” and releasing albums for thirteen years versus The Beatles’ seven years.  One could quibble about that time frame as Coda was an “odds and ends” album comprised of stuff left over in the studio from the previous years.  Their last “real” album was 1979’s In Through The Out Door, so take that as you will.

Regardless, though together a longer time they released some 92 songs.  This is not a knock against Led Zeppelin, whose music I REALLY like, only pointing out the incredible industry of The Beatles.

Anyway, without further ado and written by Michael Gallucci and presented in ultimateclassicrock.com:

All 92 Led Zeppelin songs ranked worst to best

Unlike The Beatles, I’m not quite as familiar with Led Zeppelin’s tunes to the point where seeing a title instantly makes me know the song.  Some had titles that don’t necessarily follow the song while others are only too obvious.

With this ranking, I have to admit I was scratching my head at the placement of some of the selections, perhaps moreso than with The Beatles list.  But as with The Beatles list, I’m going to add my own .02 cents and present what I think are the 10 best Led Zeppelin songs, in no particular order…

Stairway to Heaven.  What more need be said about this song?  It’s transcendent and classic.

Immigrant Song.  Another one of those songs whose driving music and wonderful singing by Robert Plant propels it into the stratosphere.

Communication Breakdown.  Love, love, love this hard crunching, almost metal song, found on their very first album.

Hey Hey What Can I Do.  Never formally released on an album, this “B” side of Immigrant Song may well be one of Led Zeppelin’s all time best songs ever.  A real curiosity that it was never put into a formal album!

Kashmir.  Another one of those instantly identifiable Led Zeppelin songs.  Some may complain it goes on too long, but I feel it goes on just long enough.  Chilling.

Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman).  Yeah, I know, they’re two songs actually mashed up together but I’ve always viewed them as intertwined and, therefore, one work.

Whole Lotta Love.  Another of those songs that is intricately tied to Led Zeppelin.  Great tune.

Black Dog.  Yet another song that is soooo Led Zeppelin.  Opening song on their famous fourth album.

What Is And What Should Never Be.  From their second album and featuring yet another incredible Jimmy Page riff.

Ramble On.  Led Zeppelin were very much into J. R. R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy/The Hobbit.  Here’s a song that most certainly makes allusions to it.

Music

Stairway to Heaven verdict…

Yesterday the verdict in the case brought on by the estate of the late Randy Craig Wolfe of the band Spirit and against Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement vis a vis the song Stairway to Heaven and its similarity to Spirit’s Taurus was reached and Led Zeppelin was found not guilty.

When I first heard a comparison between Spirit’s Taurus and Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, it was clear there were similarities.  Strong ones.  So strong that on an earlier post I was convinced Led Zeppelin must have swiped the material.

But listening to the longer clip above and reflecting (and reading) learned opinions regarding music creation and the use (and re-use) of certain notes over the years/centuries, my opinion changed.

There’s a saying that goes: “there’s nothing new under the sun” and, after so many years of civilization and artistic creation, this may well be true.

Any story you write will have echoes to others before it.  Any movie made will build on the history of movie technique which came before it.

And any song created, likewise, is bound to have echoes of things that came before.    While there are clear similarities between Taurus and Stairway to Heaven, it is equally clear, especially in the larger clip above, that Led Zeppelin and Spirit may have started their respective songs in a similar way but each song went in far different directions.

During his lifetime Randy Craig Wolfe, the man behind Taurus, didn’t bother to initiate a lawsuit against Led Zeppelin though he was the one who was most justified -if indeed he had perceived they had lifted his material- in doing so.

In the end, I believe the right verdict was rendered, even if initially I thought quite the opposite.  The entire case becomes a footnote in the history of Led Zeppelin and their most famous song.

Ironically, in some small ways the lawsuit has had a positive effect on the works of the late Mr. Wolfe.  Perhaps people will re-examine his career in light of this lawsuit, one he didn’t bring about himself.

Music

Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” legal issues…redux

A couple of days ago (you can read it here) I noted the similarities between what is arguably Led Zeppelin’s most famous song, Stairway to Heaven, and Spirit’s Taurus and how a judge has ruled that a copyright infringement lawsuit can go forward against Led Zeppelin regarding this most famous song.

Now comes Paul Campos for Salon.com to defend Led Zeppelin:

Led Zeppelin are not thieves: Stairway to Heaven fight rests on a nearly impossible copyright standard

In my post, frankly, I sided with the late Randy Wolfe, aka Randy California, the man who wrote Taurus and whose estate is now suing Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement.  I presented the below video which shows the similarities between the two songs:

I still believe Led Zeppelin took the riffs from Taurus in the creation of Stairway to Heaven but I have to give Mr. Campos credit for opening the argument up a little.

While he notes Led Zeppelin had taken material from others, it is clear, even to me, that Stairway to Heaven is far more than those very similarly sounding Taurus opening cords.

That being the case, it is to Mr. Campos’ credit that he has swayed my opinion, if only a little.  While I still feel it obvious Led Zeppelin “appropriated” those opening chords for Stairway to Heaven, it is equally obvious they created something far more intricate than those opening few seconds of music with their song.

Further, if Randy Wolfe, the artist who actually created Taurus, didn’t bother to sue Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement during his lifetime (again, this lawsuit was brought about by the Wolfe estate), then perhaps this is the strongest testament to the fact that he as an artist didn’t feel Led Zeppelin “robbed” him.

As with so many other things, we’ll see what happens…

Music

Stairway to Heaven plagiarism…?

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For the most part and with very few exceptions, I love the music of Led Zeppelin.  Their first six albums, from Led Zeppelin (or Led Zeppelin 1) through Physical Graffiti are, IMHO, stone cold classics and the three final albums that followed, Presence, In Through the Out Door, and the “bits and pieces” present in Coda are pretty damn good as well even if they aren’t, IMHO, quite as great as the songs in that first batch of albums.

Having said that, Led Zeppelin, unlike many other bands, has had its share of controversy regarding their music.  More specifically, the group has been sued numerous times for allegedly “stealing” others’ music while making their own.  In fact, if you do a simple search through youtube for Led Zeppelin musical “thefts” or “plagiarism” you’ll find stuff like this…

and this, which features several Led Zeppelin songs which, according to the video’s description, became the subject of court action with the judgment resulting in favor of those suing Led Zeppelin…

One of the last examples of Led Zeppelin plagiarism as presented in the above video concerns Stairway to Heaven, arguably Led Zeppelin’s most famous song, and its similarities to the band Spirit’s 1968 song Taurus.  The below video focuses on those similarities…

Frankly, its hard to not hear the similarities between the compositions.  Apparently, a judge hearing the case against Led Zeppelin brought forth by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late Randy Wolfe, aka Randy California, who was Spirit’s guitarist and the composer of Taurus, found enough similarities between the two songs to allow a copyright trial to go forward…

Led Zeppelin Stars Face Stairway to Heaven Copyright Trial

I have to admit, things like this depress me.

I believe Led Zeppelin was/is a great band.  Further, I can see how some might defend the band by arguing there are only so many notes and cord progressions and that some songs can and will sound like others but that doesn’t mean there was an active attempt to steal anything, etc. etc. and etc.

But, come on, the examples above are more than just a case of “coincidental” creativity.  In some cases, the band clearly took lyrics and the general sound of songs and made it their own.

Mind you, they did this brilliantly in many cases and subsequently created classic music…

…BUT, they did this by using something someone else created beforehand.

A great analysis of the legal issues behind this possible song theft can be found in this article by Oliver Herzfeld and presented on Forbes.com:

Spirit v. Led Zeppelin: Analysis of the Stairway to Heaven Infringement Suit

Setting aside many of the legal issues, one question that needs to be answered in a case involving theft of creative material is: Can it be determined the accused (in this case the band members of Led Zeppelin) had access or knew about the Spirit song before writing Stairway to Heaven?

In this case, the evidence is more than clear.  From the article:

…there is ample evidence of access (to the Spirit song) since it is well-documented that the two groups performed together the day after Christmas 1968 and four additional times in 1969, all at concerts and festivals where Spirit played “Taurus.”

Ouch.

Anyway, I can’t help but feel Led Zeppelin is going to lose this one.  Again, I love the band and I love their music and, yes, I absolutely love Stairway to Heaven and consider it a great song…

But the reality is to my ears elements of that song were directly lifted -or if you want to be mean about it, stolen– from Spirit’s Taurus and, that being the case, credit -and whatever monetary settlement- should be made to the original artist.

In some ways this diminishes my feelings about Led Zeppelin.  Someone commented, based on these examples of song theft, if it is appropriate to consider Led Zeppelin a great “cover” band.

It’s a shame, really.  I’ll still love Led Zeppelin’s work, but clearly their creativity at times involved lifting the works of others.