LED ZEPPELIN - Full Transcript Of JIMMY PAGE’s Testimony From “Stairway To Heaven” Trial Available
August 15, 2016, 8 years ago
A full transcript of Jimmy Page’s testimony from Led Zeppelin’s recent “Stairway To Heaven” trial is now available at RollingStone.com.
The surviving members of Led Zeppelin defended themselves in court earlier this year against a claim that they had plagiarized part of their biggest hit, "Stairway To Heaven”. The prosecuting attorney, Francis Malofiy, claimed that the band had ripped off the obscure 1968 Spirit instrumental "Taurus”, and his flamboyant presentational style and frequent clashes with the judge was melodramatic enough to warrant a box of popcorn. Ultimately, Led Zeppelin won the trial, but before the jury delivered the verdict to Malofiy and Led Zeppelin lead counsel Peter Anderson, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones all testified in court.
Page's testimony made for some of the trial's most riveting moments. The guitarist was asked to compare "Stairway To Heaven" with the Mary Poppins song "Chim Chim Cher-ee”. At another point when Malofiy asked how long a riff was played in concert, Page said, "I don't have a stopwatch." And when the attorney observed that Page "had a gift in his ability to play guitar," the musician deadpanned, "Well, yeah," to laughter in the courtroom. In more serious moments, the band members described how they wrote one of rock's most enduring songs. The whole thing came off like scenes in a movie.
Read Page's full testimony at RollingStone.com.
