Legendary rocker Robert Plant teaches us an important success principle. Whether you like his music or not, he makes a profound point.
I recently read a very good article on him by Thomas Conner, pop music critic of the Chicago Sun-Times (Friday, April 8, 2011, Weekend section). Check it out if interested. http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/conner/4693892-452/robert-plant-refuses-to-be-weighed-down-by-led-zeppelin.html. I’ll be quoting from Mr. Conner’s article.
So here are my questions for you today: when is it time to let go and move on? When is it time to re-invent yourself? When is it time to be true to who you are and stay authentic?
One of the bands in the pantheon of rock and roll, Led Zeppelin, came very close to a reunion tour (late John Bonham’s son, Jason, would be sitting in for his father, by the way). There may have been more than one reason the tour never materialized, but the main reason seems to be that Mr. Plant was way past finished with that part of his storied career. They almost went forward with a replacement for Plant, but come one, a replacement for Plant (but that’s another story)?
Let me quote from Thomas Conner’s article:
“Plant seemed annoyed at the prospect of lumbering around shouldering that legacy again. ‘I’ve gone so far somewhere else that I almost can’t relate to it’, he told Rolling Stone in January. ‘It’s a bit of a pain in the pisser, to be honest. Who cares? I know people care, but think about it from my angle. Soon, I’m going to need help crossing the street . . . There’s nothing worse than a bunch of jaded old farts, and that’s a fact. People who have written their story—they’ve gotten to the point where nothing moves. I don’t deal in that.’ “
And again, Conner quoting Plant: “You can’t tell the same story for 40 years and think it’s going to be convincing,” he told the Associated Press in September, “because when I was 19 I met Jimmy Page, and soon I’ll be 62. So really, I’ve got to be able to move that story round a little bit, change its colors and also believe in it. It’s not a production line. So these [new] adventures are more challenging.”
What can we learn from Mr. Plant? I’ll highlight two things that struck me.
First, there comes a time for all of us when we need to end one life chapter and begin a new life chapter. Notice I said “need”.
I’m not talking about the times we need to hang in there and reform the chapter—sometimes that’s the smartest thing to do. I’m talking about those times when it’s necessary to END the chapter, to cross the chasm and burn the bridge.
There comes a point where going back is not an option. It’s no longer who we are. We’ve grown, progressed, changed. We’re not that person anymore. We can’t squeeze ourselves into those “old clothes” anymore, and the style is so “last century”.
To go back again, at that point, makes us feel like an impostor, like we’re betraying who we really are. No way could Plant go back to Led Zeppelin. Those years were like the flickering memory of some faint dream. He’s so over all of that. Picturing himself once again having to sing “Stairway to Heaven” probably made him grimace. I picture him saying, “Ughhh, please NO. Anything but all of THAT again.”
Second, It’s not enough just to end one chapter. We must also begin another chapter. Plant is definitely not standing still, resting on his fame and glory. He’s moved into new, different musical territories. His current music isn’t like Led Zeppelin. It’s different because he’s different.
You gotta respect Plant (again, whether you like his music or not is irrelevant) for having the guts to stay authentic and play the music that comes from deep within his soul, rather than selling out and just coasting on the coat tails of past success.
Sure, it may be cool to hear him with LZ once again, but it’s way cooler to hear him playing HIS music. And guess what? LZ isn’t his music anymore!
So kudos to Robert Plant. I want to learn from him.
By the way, he and Country singer extraordinaire Alison Krauss teamed up as an unlikely duo and put out an outstanding, Grammy-winning album in 2007 called “Raising Sand”. They are both so great on this album, and their voices are perfect together. A far, far cry from Led Zeppelin, indeed.
We would never have the pleasure of hearing this new music if Robert Plant hadn’t continued to live in alignment with who he truly was, letting go of what needed to end, and transitioning into new adventures. A good example for all of us who want to succeed in life.
Application: Is there a necessary ending that has to happen for you? And if you’ve already pulled the trigger on that necessary ending, have you entered your new chapter yet? If not, what’s stopping you?