Led Zeppelin’s formation seemed like a long-time plan coming to life, as Jimmy Page seemed to know what he was looking for in his future bandmates. So, when he came across Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham; the rest was history.
However, an early interview in 1963 with a young Page, then a session guitarist, revealed that he didn’t always have plans to form a band since he wasn’t quite enthusiastic about continuing his career as a guitarist.
By 1963, Jimmy had worked with several prominent names in the music industry as a session guitarist, so when the host asked what it was like to collaborate with the big names of the scene, Jimmy’s answer was brief and bitter:
“Disappointing.”
The host then questioned why he found working with popular rockers to be ‘disappointing,’ and Page further opened up:
“Well, they don’t come up to how you expect them to be… [It’s] rather disappointing on the whole other thing.”
Then, when the interviewer asked whether he had any plans for becoming a solo guitarist, or, possibly forming a band, the future rocker, skeptically, said:
“No, not necessarily. I’m really interested in art… I think I might become a country star. I hope to finance myself [my art] by the guitar.”
In 1963, guitar playing seemed to be just a job for Page who wished to finance his ‘art’ as a session guitarist. He even boldly stated that he was bitterly ‘disappointed’ to be working for others, as seemingly, the rocker didn’t think being a session player fulfilled his dreams.
However, only a few years after these remarks, Page chose to carry on rather than quit his career as a promising guitarist and joined The Yardbirds in 1966. Then, his ‘bitter disappointment’ in playing for others helped him form his own band and, as he received international fame with Led Zeppelin, it might be safe to say that, perhaps, Jimmy did fulfill his wish for his ‘art’ and ‘financed’ himself ‘with the guitar.’
