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| Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven 'owes its success to cigarettes' Band biographer claims that DJs only played the now classic song because it was the 'perfect length' for a cigarette breakWas the secret to Stairway to Heaven's success the fact that it gave DJs the chance to nip out for a cigarette? That's the theory of Led Zeppelin biographer Charles R Cross, who claims that 100 radio presenters "literally ... swore" that they aired the now classic tune because it was the "perfect length" for a cigarette break."The song became successful by accident," Cross told the New York Post. "[I] had 100 DJs swear to me that they only played the song because they needed a long break to go and smoke a cigarette. If it had been a minute shorter, you couldn't have smoked a full cigarette. If it had been a minute longer, it would have been too long."Although it was never released as a single, Stairway to Heaven is now one of radio's most broadcast songs. This is, Cross argues, a blessing and a curse for the now defunct band. While guitarist Jimmy Page loves playing the ballad's crescendo, singer Robert Plant now says he "loathes" it. "Page's love of the tune seemed to go in inverse proportion to Plant's hate," Cross said.In fact, Plant's dislike of Stairway to Heaven may be one of the major obstacles for a Led Zeppelin reunion. Cross says Plant simply doesn't want to sing it every night. Before reuniting at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1988, the band had a row about whether it should appear on the set list. Almost two decades later, at Led Zeppelin's one-off concert at London's O2 Arena, Stairway to Heaven did make the cut – but Plant allegedly insisted that it appear in the middle of the set, not as a finale; and that Page restrain himself from turning the song into an even more epic solo-filled noodle.Cross's new book, Led Zeppelin: Shadows Taller Than Our Souls, was published in October.Led ZeppelinPop and rockSmokingSean Michaelsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |
Anyone else bored with books of the year? They might have served a useful function once, but these annual lists have been made irrelevant by the blogosphereFor me, the Publisher's Weekly list of books of the year was the one that made me realise my indifference. It only came to my attention because it included no female writers – nothing like bizarre discrimination to garner headlines. "We ignored gender and genre and who had the buzz," said Louisa Ermelino, the novelist and journalist who was given the dubious honour of presenting the list to the media. "We gave fair chance to the 'big' books of the year, but made them stand on their own two feet … it disturbed us, when we were done, that our list was all male". Now that it's December, there's a new "Books of the Year" list for us to read nearly every day in another newspaper or magazine or even book-centric website – indeed, thanks to the waning decade, we now have the opportunity to enjoy lists of books from every year, and of the decade as a whole. And I'll be honest: despite my enthusiasm for the world of publishing, despite the fact that last year I was one of the people doggedly ringing up literary and talent agents to beg them to ask Important Writer X and Celebrity Y to share their favourite read of the past 365 days, I'm feeling exceedingly underwhelmed by the prospect of reading more lists this year. In fact, I'll admit it: I find them rather boring.It's all the fault of the internet, of course: the sheer wealth of interesting discussion and discourse there is about new books (and old ones) every single day undermines the relevance and purpose of these kinds of annual lists. Just two or three years ago the publication of the PW list might have had a genuine impact on the industry. And it might have made me feel quite agitated, worried that it was an important representation of the sexist attitudes of key literary tastemakers. But then I remembered that it was just one of an infinite number of lists; that its attachment to an important industry publication (or newspaper, or magazine) means less when anyone can assert their authority to publish an equally discerning – or not – list.If the purpose of the lists is to help people judge what to read themselves and to give as Christmas gifts to their loved ones, it seems to me that most people will have realised by now that a quick examination of relevant blogs or other online content will cast more light on what makes interesting reading, rather than sorting through the opinions of a list of famous people until you discover one who most resembles your mother and conclude that you will therefore place a fresh copy of Sarah Palin's autobiography in her stocking.If the purpose of the lists is to provoke discourse (as they have been doing on this very blog, of course) that's admirable, but I'm not sure that it provokes discussion that's any more interesting than that which is already going on across the web. As demonstrated by the Not the Booker prize, opening up the floor to public opinion on literature can be viewed as an invitation to trouble, but I think this more democratic approach ends up being a far more significant and elucidating survey of what books are important and evoke passion from readers. Which is why, this Christmas, I'll be using the best-of lists to wrap my literary presents, rather than as a guide for selecting them.Best books of the yearPublishingBest books of 2009Jean Hannah Edelsteinguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |
Children’s Books: Children’s Bookshelf More children’s books reviewed. feeds.nytimes.com |
Essay: The Perils of ‘Contact Me’ In the age of e-mail, it has become easy — perhaps too easy — for readers to get in touch with authors. feeds.nytimes.com |
Leading poets stage Haiti benefit reading Carol Ann Duffy, Andrew Motion and Roger McGough are among the poets set to appear at Poetry Live for HaitiLeading poets including the poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, her predecessor Andrew Motion and the award-winning Roger McGough are taking part in a performance next Saturday to help raise money for Haiti.Arranged by Duffy and Poetry Live, the event, on 30 January, will see Duffy, Motion and McGough, along with 17 other poets, performing at Westminster Central Hall. Tickets cost £10, and all proceeds will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Haiti earthquake appeal, to raise money for those affected by earthquake.Robin Robertson, who won last year's Forward prize for best single poem for At Roane Head, Guyanan poet and playwright John Agard, acclaimed Welsh poet Dannie Abse and National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke will also take part, along with others including Grace Nichols, Owen Sheers, Glyn Maxwell and Colette Bryce.More details about the event, which is supported by the Guardian Hay festival, are available at www.poetryliveforhaiti.org.PoetryAndrew MotionCarol Ann DuffyRoger McGoughHaitiAlison Floodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds feeds.guardian.co.uk |