NOTE: This story was updated Monday, February 23, with a new video!
To celebrate the release of Jimmy Page’s new photo book, Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page, the guitar legend appeared with Chris Cornell, guitarist and singer for Soundgarden, at the Theater at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles for a relaxed question-and-answer session that spanned the entirety of Page’s 50-year career.
Sponsored by Genesis Publications, Gibson Custom, Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado, the hour-and-a-half event, which took place last November, enthralled a packed house of 1,400 fans as Cornell quizzed Page about the rare photos and memorabilia—many drawn from Page’s personal archives—which were projected on an enormous screen hovering above both men.
The 70-year-old Page, with his silver hair, scarf and black leather jacket, looked as sharp as a James Bond super villain, while Cornell, in thick-rimmed glasses, evoked a hipster newsman.
The subject matter ran the gamut from extremely light and frothy to the serious matter of drummer John Bonham’s untimely death, of which Page commented, “when we lost 25 percent of the band, we really lost the whole thing.”
Among the more humorous moments was when Cornell took note of a photo of Page wearing a bright—but very tight—red sweater emblazoned with his “Zoso” symbol. Page explained that a friend’s girlfriend had knit it for him, but when he sweated onstage, it immediately started to shrink.
Below, we present parts 1, 2 and 3 of this Guitar World video series. Be sure to check back every week for the next episode! Don't worry, we'll remind you.
PART THREE (Posted February 23):
PART TWO (Posted February 16):
PART ONE (Posted February 9):