Yes, the Song Remains the Same

I'm in heaven, and, yes, a Stairway took me there. The critics, who once derided Led Zeppelin, are jealously one-upping one another in praising their latest and most definitive reunion.

I became a Led Zeppelin fan around 1980 -- only a few months before they broke up. Zeppelin fever would only last a few more months at my Thousand Oaks high school, then would be replaced by new wave. Purple-haired Oingo Boingo fans would mock me as a dinosaur, as would my preppy USC classmates the next few years. My 1977 Led Zeppelin concert shirt was derided as hopelessly outdated, even just a few years later. Now, my two-year-old niece wears on. Now, Led Zeppelin is revered by aspiring musicians, by prestigious conservatory faculty members, and by millions around the world. I wasn't in London on Monday, but reading the reviews, I may as well have been.

What the mockers of 1982 didn't know is that fashion and social and political trends go in cycles, but quality endures. Rock never progressed, in terms of range, adventurousness and quality, beyond Led Zeppelin -- which is why new rock heroes such as Dave Grohl worship the band (Grohl even hoped publicly for the chance to play drums for the band, though he acknowledged that the proper choice was Jason Bonham, the son of Zep drummer John Bonham).

I am thrilled to see quality get paid its proper respects, and I'm even happier for my hero Jimmy Page than I am for my vindicated self.