In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jimmy Page was asked why the band didn't take time to heal and rebuild itself following drummer John Bonham's death in 1980.
Page answered, "Led Zeppelin wasn't a corporate entity. Led Zeppelin was an affair of the heart. Each of the members was important to the sum total of what we were. I like to think that if it had been me that wasn't there, the others would have made the same decision. And what were we going to do? Create a role for somebody, say, 'You have to do this, this way?' That wouldn't be honest."
"There were attempts [at a reunion] that didn't work – trying to push it together in a hurry," Page continued. "That's why the [2007] show had to be done with such intent – rehearsing as much as we could so Jason [Bonham's son] felt he was part of the band as opposed to a novelty. He was filling big shoes, and we needed all of that."
As years passed, Jimmy Page warmed up to the idea of a reunion and Robert Plant's push-back to the idea has played out in the media for much of the past few years. More than a few Led Zeppelin fans took to social media to berate Plant for refusing to fire up the band again.
In a 2008 radio interview, Jason Bonham explained that Plant had deep-set emotional reasons tied to John Bonham that prevented him from coming to terms with a reunion:
"It wasn't just [Robert] going, 'I don't want to do it,' there were other things going on," Jason explained. "He told me, 'It doesn't matter how great you are on the drums, Jason. I love you to bits, and you play absolutely amazing. But John was the drummer in Led Zeppelin, and John was part of me and Jimmy and John Paul. We shared something very, very special. I struggle sometimes just thinking about trying to create some magic again when he's not there. He was a very, very dear friend of mine, that I miss every day.'"
John Bonham died on September 25, 1980 of complications from alcoholism. He was 32 years old.
-Spencer