The Song Remains the Same

My first novel, A Line Through the Desert, opens with our protagonist driving home from the army recruiter blasting Led Zeppelin from his radio, specifically The Song Remains the Same:

Jake Bloom trotted down the steps of the Army recruiting office, enlistment papers in one hand, car keys in the other. He hopped briskly into his car and tossed the papers into the passenger seat on top of his cap and gown. Then he rolled down the windows and blasted Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. Electricity racing through his body, Jake started his car and began the drive home.

I wrote that paragraph in the spring of 2003. It was the spring when things started to come together for me, I think that comes through in the paragraph. It was the spring I rediscovered Led Zeppelin.

The moment I re-heard the Song Remains the Same and loved it. I still do. The song is utter rock and roll. It conveys a sense of pure joy. Jimmy Pages also shows of some excellent guitar licks. Its one of their best songs.

Well lookie here, someone else thinks the same thing:

From Zep's 1973 album, "Houses of the Holy" (the start of late-Zeppelin), this is without a doubt the band's happiest song: A rollicking ode to hard rockin' joy (more so than even "Rock and Roll" from 1971, which, while a hoot, sounds like the band's thank-you to the American musicians they loved when they were kids).

The rest of that article is interesting. He lists Achilles Last Stand as a great Led Zeppelin song. Personally I can't stand it.  He also talks about Kashmir, which needs no explanation. Its a great metal song and heavy as all hell.

I began writing for real just as I rediscovered Led Zeppelin. There's a reason why Sgt. Jake Bloom loves Led Zeppelin, after all. Of course, had I started A Line Through the Desert in 2005 Bloom would love AC/DC, 2007, Iron Maiden.

Listening to Led Zeppelin that summer, I was working out in my basement and playing air guitar along to The Ocean when it occurred to me that it would be cool if I could do something like that.

 I'd finally finished up my BA, was working toward a masters, had gotten a few pieces published. I'd landed my first full time teaching gig. Heck, just running, something I never thought my 5-11, 250 frame would ever be able to do, was a big confidence boost.

Then it occurred to me that maybe I could do something like that.

Now I can do something like that.

Like I said, 2003 is when it all started to come together for me.

Forgive me if I indulge in a but of nostalgia about that year, with Zeppelin as the soundtrack...ahhhh, substitute teaching, writing that grad-paper about Light Horse Henry Lee, running four or five times a week...

I've been playing guitar since 2004. I can do Zeppelin. It's disappointing in a lot of ways. As soon as I learned how to play The Song Remains the Same that track, and everything else Led Zeppelin lost that ethereal, druidic Myst that  seemed to hang over the band. Honestly, I can play Jimmy Page. No Angus, well, he's tough for me.

Sgt. Jake Bloom will be showing up in fiction again, no time table there. He's still listening to Zeppelin, but let me tell you, he's been to a lot of Maiden concerts.