Interview with James Sullivan on the 40th Anniversary of the Passing of John Bonham 

Do you remember how you first got interested in John Bonham and Led Zeppelin? 

My drum teacher [Chris Belin] gave me a lesson sheet that had some beats to practice. He had penciled in at the top “The Ocean, Led Zeppelin” because that is where he had pulled it from. I was curious about it so I asked you about it when we were in the car one day. You completely lost your mind. You were so excited I was asking you about Led Zeppelin. 

How old were you? 

I was ten. After that, the band learned “The Ocean” and we started to play it as an instrumental. There are a lot of complicated drum parts in there and Chris and I worked on it for a while. 

Is that when you started to get into Led Zeppelin? 

No. I think I was 12 when I really got into them. 

Have you listened to every album? 

I can name every song on every album. 

“Good Times, Bad Times,” …. [He goes on to name every Zeppelin song in order album by album in the time it takes to toast a bagel and put cream cheese on it. It is like he is reciting the alphabet.] 

Sorry. I can’t remember the last song on In Through the Out Door. I only listened to Coda once. That isn’t really an album anyway. Presence is a masterpiece. That is their progiest album. 

What draws you to John Bonham? 

The power. Everything. He can do anything he wants with the drums. When I listen to him, I never think, I could have done more with this or that. His parts are so well thought-out and developed. Also, he was essential to the band’s sound. After he died they couldn’t go on without him. Keith Moon died but The Who just replaced him. The Rolling Stones don’t seem to have an issue with replacing people. 

What was your reaction when you learned the circumstances around his death? 

Sad. Really sad. It is sad that nobody helped him. Obviously he had a serious addiction. I read that he hated being in Led Zeppelin and he hated touring and being away from his family. I don’t know anything about his character or what he was like. It seems like what has been written about him focuses on his negative qualities. In the end, it is just really sad.

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