Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press

In new television series  A Life on the Road,  Robert Plant has offered a rare reflection on the decision to break up Led Zeppelin following the death of John Bonham in 1980.

“When we lost John, we agreed unanimously that that was that,” Plant shared.

“I had to go and find out if I really want to do it,” he added, reflecting on why it was he felt it was so important for Led Zeppelin to end. “Did I want to do it, or did I just want to sit back there like a croupier at a gambling thing, and just kind of rake [the money] in. Or, did I want to actually continue this kind of gig of finding out where I’m going.”

Plant had a strong desire to start over. And Fuelling this more than anything else was the death of Bohman, who Plant performed with in a number of outfits before Led Zeppelin and was responsible for bringing into Zeppelin.

“I wanted to take all the trappings away,” he confided, “because I’d lost my best mate.”

Lightening the tone, Plant also offered a good-humored commentary on the 1980s.

“MTV had arrived, and suddenly I was making videos,” Plant reminisced, “I had a mullet, and I had to cut the sleeves off my shirt, and I thought I made it again. It was like the second coming.”