Jimmy Page Described His ‘Split Personality’ in Led Zeppelin
Jimmy Page fully dedicated his life to Led Zeppelin when he formed the band in 1968. He wrote many of the songs, played guitar, produced the albums, applied the skills he learned as a session player to the band, and generally had his hands on every creative decision they made. His life was fully wrapped up in Led Zeppelin, and Page said he formed a “split personality” because of it but found a way to stay sane through it all.
Jimmy Page ‘had this split personality’ during his Led Zeppelin days
Led Zeppelin started touring frequently as soon as they formed. The first year they didn’t play any concerts was six years later, in 1974. Life on the road was chaotic (to put it mildly). Zep’s members lived and partied like rock stars. Adrenaline and booze flowed freely. Page didn’t sleep for five days When the band filmed the final nights of their 1973 tour for the concert film The Song Remains the Same.
Life at home was a different story, and Page said he developed a split personality. He was a Les Paul-slinging showman on tour and a reserved English gentleman off it.
“[W]e became so full of adrenaline that we started sleeping less and less, and we had to resort to drinking and sleeping pills to calm ourselves down long enough to sleep. But when I was off the road, the pendulum would swing the other way. I equally enjoyed our breaks. But then again, maybe I was recharging my batteries for the next time out! I almost had this split personality. I really enjoyed having a stable home life.”
Jimmy Page to ‘Light & Shade’ author Brad Tolinski
The dichotomy between Page’s two sides revealed itself in the making of Led Zeppelin III.
The guitarist and singer Robert Plant famously retreated to a rustic Welsh cottage in 1970 to decompress after a tour. They brought their families with them. The working holiday produced several songs that showed up on the album. Without the grind and chaos of a lengthy tour to wear him down, Page found the calm he needed to create more music.
Page said writing music at home helped keep him sane
Page’s life revolved around Led Zeppelin, whether he was on tour or not. The quiet downtime saw him living a life that was almost like a different person.
“There was this balance of going on the road and coming home to rest,” the guitarist told Tolinski. “But the thing is, my whole life was Led Zeppelin, and that’s all there was to it — on the road or off.”
He didn’t really get time off at home. It was just that the different vibe let him channel his energy differently. He created the guitar symphony of “Ten Years Gone,” the Led Zeppelin song he called his baby, at his home studio before bringing it to the Physical Graffiti recording sessions, for instance.
Before that, Page arrived at the Houses of the Holy sessions with a nearly fully-realized “The Rain Song” demo. He released the rough cut on his YouTube channel in 2023.
“I would create a balance by applying myself to writing and developing ideas for the next album,” Page said in Light & Shade. “That kept me sane.”
A quiet home life was the flip side of Led Zeppelin’s hectic touring schedule. Jimmy Page said he developed a split personality from living two different lives. Still, the peaceful and stable home life helped him stay sane and channel his creative energy into new music for the band.
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