You might ask what the world is coming to with such a lack of hijinks, but it’s probably a good thing for the poor hoteliers and band managers who were left to deal with the aftermath of late-night misbehaving that few bands are taking after the likes of Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin built themselves something of a reputation for being the kings of wrecking rooms and had hotel staff cowering whenever it was revealed that they would be staying at their establishment. A number of hotels banned them from staying, but imposing such rules was never enough to stop them from committing acts of vandalism and debauchery between the four walls of their rooms.
The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle was a famous spot where touring musicians stayed regularly, but the legendary rock group had more depraved acts on their minds when they first checked in for a stay in 1969. In what is commonly referred to as the ‘mudshark incident’, all four members supposedly indulged in a revolting act involving shark flesh and a young woman, and the antics of this particular episode led to them being inevitably barred from the premises.
That didn’t stop them from returning though, and in 1977 the band surreptitiously booked themselves and their entourage in for another stay by using fake names. On this occasion, guitarist Jimmy Page took the television-launching to an even greater level, defenestrating them in five separate rooms, much to the disgust of the hotel management.
Despite what you may have heard of John Bonhamn’s motorcycle-riding antics, Page was undoubtedly the most unruly of the band when it came to causing carnage and getting him to behave himself and not cause criminal damage to their temporary dwellings on every occasion proved to be a challenge. The band’s long-suffering road manager, Richard Cole, may have sometimes joined in on the fun, but it was often his responsibility to muzzle the guitarist and keep his naughty streak at bay.
In an effort to restrain him, Page was chained to the toilet of his hotel room on a number of occasions and was left under the observation of a groupie if he was lucky. Not only was this to prevent him from causing carnage within the room, but it was noted that he also had something of a penchant for dressing in Nazi uniform and heading into town in search of transvestite bars where he could score some drugs. It seems extreme to need to shackle Page to the loo, but if it kept him at bay for one evening so that others could enjoy a night in peace, then needs must.
Whether it was something as pedestrian as doing drugs in restrooms or the more daredevil feats of riding hired motorbikes down corridors, Jimmy Page and his Led Zeppelin bandmates surely remain at the top of the pile for tour antics and are unlikely to ever be surpassed in terms of the sheer insanity their behaviour entailed.
Reuben Cross
