Carmen Appice: ‘I’m the best drummer for Led Zeppelin’

Veteran rock drummer Carmen Appice has offered Jimmy Page and Robert Plant his services should they ever reform Led Zeppelin, insisting he’s a much better fit for them than Jason Bonham. Bonham, the son of late Led Zep star John Bonham, took his dad’s drum seat in the band when Plant, Page and John Paul Jones reunited for a London benefit in 2007 – and he is considered the natural successor should the group ever get back together to tour.
Plant has made it clear that’s not going to happen anytime soon, but Page remains optimistic – and it appears Appice, who has performed with Ozzy Osbourne, Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, among others, hasn’t given up on a reunion either.
Furthermore, he wants to be part of it.
Appice tells Totally Driven Radio, “I would like to work with a Led Zeppelin configuration, whether it’s just John and Jimmy, me and a singer. There’s a rumour that Ann Wilson might go out with them. I’d love to play drums on something like that.”
He believes he’s a better choice than Bonham, adding, “Everybody in that band is old school and legendary. Jason isn’t legendary and he’s not old school. He’s John Bonham’s son but he don’t (sic) play like John Bonham. I’m not either – but I think my style might be close, because I came first.
“John listened to stuff I did (in Vanilla Fudge) and did it his own way. And we took them on their first tour. It’s very close in feel.
“When John passed away there were rumours that I was going to join Led Zeppelin. Obviously I didn’t get to do that, but I would still like to do that.”
The Ann Wilson rumour is one the Heart singer started last year (14) when she revealed she’d be interested in stepping in for Plant should Page and Jones decide to tour as Led Zeppelin without their former frontman.
In a recent chat with Classic Rock Revisited, the singer, who performed Led Zep’s Stairway to Heaven at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012, revealed she’d relish the challenge of stepping in for Plant.
She said, “(That was) one of the most unforgettable nights of my life… When we were done, we walked backstage and there was a feeling of awe. We were like, ‘What just happened?’
“Hypothetically, if they (Page and Jones) ever needed a lead singer and Heart was not active at the moment, then, sure, I would (do it). I would go and play with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones any day of the week.”