John Bonham once took a swing at Alex Van Halen, his son reveals
The issue of nepotism is rife throughout the music industry, but few people ever talk about the downsides of being born into fame. In the case of celebrated rock and roll drummer Jason Bonham, for instance, he inherited his father’s fame, but also the various arguments and disagreements the Led Zeppelin drummer experienced throughout his long and illustrious career.
John Bonham was a pioneering architect of hard rock drumming, with his unique playing style forming an essential aspect of Led Zeppelin’s sound. Given the glamorous lifestyle of the rock star, it was something of an inevitability that his son, Jason, would want to follow in his footsteps. From the age of five, the young Bonham has rarely been seen without drumsticks in his hand, and that dedication to the instrument has led him to some strange encounters.
Currently, Bonham is touring alongside Sammy Hagar and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. This impromptu rock supergroup has allowed Bonham to shed some light on the more puzzling experiences of his career. His first meeting with Alex Van Halen, for example, has always been the cause of some concern for the drummer.
According to Bonham, the pair met for the first time 40 years ago. “My wife and I went to Donington – Monsters of Rock – AC/DC, Van Halen. And I got to meet Alex that day,” he recently told KSHE 95. “Leonard [Haze] from Y&T introduced me. He came up – this is a classic – and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Alex Van Halen!’”
Seemingly, though, Bonham’s excitement over meeting the Van Halen drummer was not reciprocated. “[Haze says:] ‘This is Jason Bonham.’ And he goes, ‘So what?’ He just went, ‘So what?’” Bonham recalled. Understandably, the incident left the drummer somewhat confused; it was certainly not the experience he had hoped for.
Now, touring with Michael Anthony, Bonham has finally been able to find out why the Van Halen drummer was so cold all those years ago. Reportedly, it all came down to the actions of a certain Led Zeppelin drummer. “[Anthony] goes, ‘Well, we heard your dad was in [Sunset Strip bar] The Rainbow, and we were playing Gazzarri’s next door. We kind of ran around The Rainbow and tried to say ‘hi’ to him.”
Although Alex Van Halen was excited at the prospect of meeting his drumming hero, John Bonham, the Zeppelin musician did not cover himself in glory. As Anthony explained to Jason Bonham, “Alex kind of like jumped over the [barrier] and went to put his hand out…and your dad took a swing at him! Maybe that’s why he was a little pissed!” The world of hard rock is not all sunshine and flowers, as it turns out.
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