The Day Led Zeppelin Crashed
The event that crystallized the Led Zeppelin Curse took place on September 25th, 1980. While rehearsals were underway for a comeback North American tour, John Bonham died in his sleep. He choked on his own vomit after a day-long drinking binge. Like photographer Philip Hale, Bonham died in one of Page’s homes. This time it was the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor.
Could these be sacrifices claimed by the demons? Was the occultic energy possibly seeking payment for JP’s protection or was it Kenneth Anger’s curse? Another curious synchronicity was that Benji Lefevre, the Zeppelin assistant and sound technician, was the one who found Bonham dead. If you recall, Lefevre accompanied Jimmy Page to the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily back in 1975. I’m not suggesting anything except that magick and synchronicity go hand-in-hand. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions there.
The media seized upon Page’s occult connections and of course, as they always do, twisted the truth to sensationalize things. They spoke of Jimmy Page’s interest in the dark side of the supernatural; particularly séances, practicing black magic and satanic rituals. This all became part of the mystical rumors that swirled around Led Zeppelin. Coincidentally (or not); Manson girl Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme foresaw the bad energy headed Zeppelin's way and tried to warn them all. Like it or not, the media never forgets.
Ultimately, regardless of whether or not one believes that Anger’s curse or Jimmy Page’s occult dabbling had some effect on the band, their fortunes certainly hit a plateau and then began a slow plummet in 1975. Some of the more obvious things like Bonham’s death, JP’s heroin addiction or Plant’s crash in Rhodes and his personal tragedy might point towards a curse’s effectiveness.
However, think about the more subtle things, the occurrences that were written or talked about publicly but not really connected by journalists looking to sensationalize the band’s misfortune. These are the less dramatic events that might have been hidden in plain view.
Finally we have the day-to-day things that would never be heard about in the media which might cumulatively lend to the effectiveness of a curse. What am I talking about? What small, daily effects could a curse have? Things like...
