Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 23, 2000
TODAY, MUSICALLY, JONES COVERING ALL HIS BASES FROM ZEP TO `ZOOMA'
Mention the name John Paul Jones, and most people pause for a millisecond.
It's familiar, yes. But not as instantly recognizable as Jimmy Page, Robert Plant or John Bonham. That's because Jones, the venerable Led Zeppelin bassist, always appeared the quiet kid in the back of the classroom. Sure, he partici- pated in the rock star rituals Zep embraced but, at 54, any residue from living la vida loca is masked by his frequent smiles and flattering, Sting-like haircut.
Since the release last fall of "Zooma," his first-ever solo record, Jones has embarked on a successful tour with the "John Paul Jones Trio" - himself, Chapman stick maestro Nick Beggs (formerly of Kajagoogoo) and drummer Geoff Dugmore.
Their music, exposed to full effect at Austin's packed La Zona Rosa club on Saturday during the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference, hinges on Jones' musical expertise. His nimble mandolin picking on "That's the Way/Going to California" and thick, juicy bass on the title track to "Zooma" illustrated how music doesn't always need words to speak to your soul.
Though the 1,200 fans who crammed the club - and lined up around the block outside - cheerfully waved on "Zooma's" instrumentals, it was the Led Zep (which Jones referred to as "that band") classics they most wanted to hear. And Jones, wisely, knew to give it to them. Seated behind his modified pedal steel guitar (technically a bass lap steel because it uses two extra strings), Jones wailed through "When the Levee Breaks," "Nobody's Fault but Mine" and "Black Dog." "Black" was particularly chilling when Jones' slide perfectly emulated the "oh-oh-oh-oh" shrieks made famous by Plant, whom you could hear singing in your head.
Rare is the bass player who can eke out actual melodies, instead of relentlessly throbbing in time with the drummer. Paul McCartney can do it, and Sting, to an extent, but Jones is indeed part of an elite class.
Speaking of class, Jones also has a lot of that.
Earlier on Saturday, Jones participated in a Q&A session with SXSW attendees, helmed by Chicago Sun-Times scribe Jim DeRogatis. Throughout the hourlong discussion, a black-clad Jones laid to rest some rumors, shared his thoughts on Led Zeppelin's deceased drummer John Bonham and explained why it took 30 years to release a solo disc - all with ease and wit.
Here are some excerpts:
* On why he started playing bass: "There was a group at school who wanted a bass player and a drummer, and I thought drums were too heavy, couldn't get them on the bus. Then I heard 'Shakin' All Over' [Johnny Kidd, 1960] on the jukebox and was sold. I started playing with my father, and we used to play weddings, bar mitzvahs, you name it. He wanted me to take up the sax, said the bass was a lonely instrument and would be forgotten. But he realized as soon as I started playing that I had a knack for it."
* On working with the Rolling Stones for "Satanic Majesties Request": "I did the strings for `She's a Rainbow,' but I also spent a lot of time waiting around for them. I think I spent more time waiting for them to show up than actually playing with them."
* On how Led Zeppelin introduced the concept of rock stars: "First we bought cars, then a Greyhound Bus. The jet came much later. We used to have four bases in the U.S. - New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans. That was a mistake. We'd just drive off the tarmac, go do the gig, drive back to the tarmac and be at a club by midnight .. . . By the time we got to doing stadium shows, you knew there were people there because you saw them lined up outside. But once you got out there onstage, it was like a sound check in the dark."
* On working with John Bonham: Good bass players and drummers are few and far between, and when you find each other . . . The band had just gotten together and we were in a small room and started playing [The Yardbirds] 'The Train Kept A-Rollin' ' and suddenly, the room just exploded.
Then it became sort of a marriage.
"There was no one like [John]. No one played like him. He was a funk drummer, really - all he listened to was James Brown. There weren't many bands that grooved as hard as Led Zeppelin .*.*. There were certain times when you knew you should stay away [from John], but what it was is that he hated being away from home. He was a gentle man, really. He just used to get carried away."
* On why he's produced work for Butthole Surfers, Cinderella, Heart, R.E.M. and others: "People send you stuff or someone thinks it's a good idea to work with someone else, and you do it. With R.E.M., I got a handwritten letter from Michael Stipe asking if I would do some string arrangements . . . If you still like music and you're still curious about music, then you have fun. I really enjoyed my career and have no intention to stop yet."
* On why it took three decades to make "Zooma": "I'm a really slow worker [laughs]. I'm a huge procrastinator. My most overused phrase is "OK, I'll do it." I just couldn't pinpoint what I wanted to do. I don't sing, I didn't want to get heavily into major record labels again because their first question would be, 'Where the single?' and the second, 'Where's the singer?' I just wanted to play rock because its energy is the most exciting audience - you get feedback from the crowd and they're right there. It's like when we started."
* On the Led Zep reunion that won't likely ever happen: I read about Page and Plant getting back together in the newspaper. I talked to Page beforehand and said I'd be up for doing something again, and he said he'd talk to Robert and get back to me. Then, there they are on the telly one day. Ultimately, I'm here doing this and I'm not unhappy about it, as you can see. I certainly didn't want to be part of a nostalgia trip. I do a handful of Zep songs in my show because they're fun, people like them, and I'm proud of the music. But there are no plans for a reunion, and I can't see it ever happening, to be honest."
Melissa Ruggieri
1187 Words
23 March 2000
Richmond Times-Dispatch
City
D-12
English
(Copyright 2000)
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