'Led Zeppelin, you’re crap. You’ve always been crap and you’ll never be anything else'

This is good for a few laughs.


'Led Zeppelin, you’re crap. You’ve always been crap and you’ll never be anything else'


Jack Bruce (above) picked up the Classic Album gong for Cream’s Disraeli Gears at last night's Classic Rock awards.

After the ceremony Dave Ling grabbed Bruce for a quickfire interview – and was stunned when the legendary bassist launched into an extraordinary anti-Led Zeppelin tirade.

Here's a transcript of what transpired…

The million dollar question: Are Cream going to do anything again?
Oh yeah, I’m sure we will. But we’ll have Todd Rundgren [who’s just walked by] in the band by then.

It’s good news that there might be more from Cream.
Well, the trouble is that I’m doing so many amazing things on my own. Cream is just a band from many, many years ago, and we did do something [referring to the reunion shows in 2005]… Everybody talks about Led Zeppelin, and they played one fucking gig – one fucking lame gig – while Cream did weeks of gigs; proper gigs, not just a lame gig like Zeppelin did, with all the [vocal] keys lowered and everything. We played everything in the original keys. [Becoming animated]: Fuck off, Zeppelin, you’re crap. You’ve always been crap and you’ll never be anything else. The worst thing is that people believe the crap that they’re sold. Cream is 10 times the band that Led Zeppelin is.

That’s a bold opinion.
What? You’re gonna compare Eric Clapton with that fucking Jimmy Page? Would you really compare that?

To be fair, they’re different kinds of player, aren’t they?
No! Eric’s good and Jimmy’s crap. And with that I rest my case.

Are you having a good time this evening?
Sure. Yeah. I always have a good time, but especially tonight.

Especially tonight? So do you go to a lot of awards ceremonies?
No. I don’t go to anything. I’m not allowed out. I’m not even allowed in.

So what made you come along to this?
My wife and my kids insisted.

Why did they insist? Do they like magazine?
They like the magazine, yeah. I like your magazine, too. But that doesn’t mean I have to go along to your awards.

So who have you spent quality time with?
I met a lot of old friends. Jeff Beck. Gary Moore – loads and loads of people that I don’t often see. It’s nice to catch up with them again. Ozzy’s here and it’s really nice.

The atmosphere is quite chilled-out.
It’s excellent. No pressure. It’s quite different to the Grammys, though the Oscars are good.

So Disraeli Gears is now 41 years old.
Is it really? Wow.

It doesn’t seem like 41 years?
No. It seems much longer than that.

It must be an album you’re still proud of?
Of course. Albums like that are timeless. If you make something great – and Disraeli Gears is great, in its own way – it lasts forever. Nobody says Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony sounds dated, do they?