Watch Robert Plant Discuss the Craft of Making Music
This week you can catch Robert Plant discussing his attitude toward the “craft” of making music, and how it ran throughout his life in an upcoming interview TV interview with Dan Rather. There is a teaser clip above, while the full episode of The Big Interview with Dan Rather premieres on March 13 at 9PM EST on AXS TV.
Asked if music was a profession, a craft or an art, Plant replied: “Well, art’s a heavy word. I think ‘craft’ is the term I would use. … I think you grow into what might initially be an infatuation with the idea of entering something very special, very daring. And as a kid, as a young teenager, I was drawn to the lights because I came – like so many kids out of my generation in Britain – we came from a kind of very gray, post-war … the residue of a lot of pain and strife.”
He theorized that the young people of his generation were “starting to wake up” in the aftermath of World War II, and that was the context in which people like him became attracted to the world of entertainment and “the anticipation of a crowd.” He added: “I’ve been a music fan, and a fan of all things interesting and occasionally unique, all my life … So I’m always a member of the audience and an entertainer, really.” Repeating his assertion that music is a craft, Plant said: “Sometimes it’s clever – sometimes it’s a real flop.”
Plant continues to tour in support of latest solo album Carry Fire with a run of Australian shows later this month, followed by appearances in the U.K., the U.S. and Europe. He recently predicted that Led Zeppelin would stage some kind of celebration to mark their 50th anniversary this year, adding: “A cork will pop!”