The “absurd” suggestion of a feud between Robert Plant and Ian Anderson
Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull were two of the most influential acts of their era. Yet, although they both might have enjoyed immense transatlantic success and even toured together, for decades, a rumour has persisted about a feud between their respective frontmen, Robert Plant and Ian Anderson.
The story is traced back to an American run where Jethro Tull opened for Led Zeppelin in the 1970s. According to some reports, Anderson and Plant have held some disdain for one another since that tour due to frosty interactions between both bands. Allegedly, late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham even called them ‘Jethro Dull’ backstage and labelled their show “Bore ’em At The Forum”.
It was speculated that Zeppelin were unimpressed by their support band and the predictability of their act, as every night, the setlist remained the same, and so was the scripted repartee. Zeppelin found it all too drab, given that it was antithetical to their expansive improvisational style, and they reportedly felt the meticulous planning took the energy from the music.
It is also claimed that Robert Plant was hostile to Jethro Tull and kept his distance, which also fuelled the longstanding rumours of a rivalry. However, in 2020, Anderson moved to put the story to bed. While Plant may have been distant, there was certainly no high-octane rivalry as the media and fans believed. He called the tale “absurd”.
Anderson told EonMusic: “While Mr. Google is an endless source of amusement and fun, as indeed is his second cousin Mr. Wiki, we can’t always believe what we read. Some things do get endlessly copied and pasted, and they’re based on some sort of folklorish or even scurrilous untruth in the first place. So when people ask me about my ‘feud’ with Robert Plant, then they can expect a sharp retort, because there was never a feud between me and Robert Plant. It’s one of these absurd things that seems to come up.”
Clarifying what happened, Anderson said he and Plant seldom interacted when on the road. He said: “Led Zeppelin were Led Zeppelin; they were rock gods, and we were the humble support act. We rarely spoke, particularly to Robert, who was on a higher plane, as a vocalist, and as a person. Jimmy Page was a little bit more friendly, but Bonham, you steered a mile away from, because he was a raving nutcase! He was always polite enough to me, but I probably just saw him on a rare good mood.”
The tale of a feud would also be the source of puzzlement for Robert Plant. Anderson explained that he and the Led Zeppelin frontman met some years after the supposed spat occurred: “He said, ‘I hope we can put that behind us,’ and I said, ‘What?’ And he said, ‘Whatever it as we are supposed to be feuding about,’ and I said, ‘Exactly!’ We never had a feud, because we didn’t really communicate.”
Anderson maintained that the notorious tales about Led Zeppelin being “hell-raisers who barged their way across America … [were] probably wildly exaggerated.
