Once in a while we bloggers will get someone (virtually never a regular subscriber) who’ll flip out over one word or sentence in a post, completely missing the big point we’re making.
Soooo . . . for those of you who will read what follows hot-under-the-collar with smoke blowing out of both ears and eyes blurred by rage just because I dared mention a “non-Christian” rock band as an illustration, hold your fire.
The Blog Manager says that comments like “Led Zeppelin is demonic” or “Haven’t you ever played Stairway to Heaven backwards?” (or words to that effect) will not be approved. The reason is because such comments benightedly miss the point. (The point of this post has nothing to do with the band’s personal life or beliefs.)
That said, if you’re an artist of any kind – whether an author, blogger, speaker, musician, painter, etc. – there are three things you can learn from Led Zeppelin:
1. Don’t sell out to pop culture. Zeppelin didn’t compromise their values for the sake of pop culture. Consequently, they refused to cut singles (at least in the UK). Their feeling was that if someone wanted to get into their work, they had to buy their albums.
An album is a body of work. So take the whole thing or leave it, they felt. In this regard, Zep went against the grain of all other bands during their time. They stayed true to their art. They wanted to be an underground band, thus they seldom did interviews. Rolling Stone (the voice of the music establishment at the time) was brutal to them.
Take Away: If you want your book, blog, music or other art to be a bestseller, then make it “pop.” But if you want to stay true to your message, conviction, and vision, go for depth. Refuse to go “pop.” Refuse to appease the establishment and leave the sales to God.
Ironically, Zeppelin is regarded by many experts to be the most popular hard rock band in history. Their influence was seminal, changing the face of modern music. All this despite the fact that they refused to go “pop.” Sometimes staying true to your art grabs the multitudes. But more often it does not. Staying true to yourself and faithful to your calling should always be the goal (1 Cor. 4:2; Luke 16:10-12).
2. Don’t be afraid to debunk the conventional wisdom. For their fourth album, Zep decided to do what had never been done before or since. They gave the album no title. And they didn’t even put their name on it!
Their record company said that this was “commercial suicide.” Yet Led Zeppelin IV (which fans called it) went on to sell over 32 million copies and has been hailed as one of the greatest albums in music history.
Take Away: Don’t be afraid to go against the conventional wisdom. Dare to do the unthinkable and that which has never been done before. Not for shock value, but if it’s in your heart to do so. Follow your convictions, not the praises of mortals.
3. Speak well of your competitors. In 1970, Zep surpassed The Beatles in popularity. When Zeppelin was asked about this, they only had good things to say about “The Fab Four.” The last part of this interview doesn’t appear on YouTube. But at the end of it, Jimmy Page is asked, “How do you feel about The Beatles?” His answer: “I think they’re great . . . they’ve made some fantastic statements.”
This kind of well-speaking about one’s peers (and competitors) is profoundly admirable. But among Christian ministers it is so rarely seen today.
We more often see the opposite . . . such as Elvis’ alleged posture toward The Beatles. According to Ringo Starr, while Elvis was nice to The Beatles in person, the rock and roll “king” tried to have them deported because he was so threatened by them.
What makes this even more disturbing is that The Beatles idolized Elvis, regarding him as a distant mentor. Tragically, in the Christian world, it’s not uncommon for mentors to turn on their mentees when they excel them.
Take Away: Always speak well of your competitors and even your enemies. (I read the New Testament once and Jesus had something to about this in Matthew 5:44 and Paul in Romans 12:14, 19-21 – “bless” means to “speak well of”.) You can always find something complimentary to say about another believer – without “damning them with faint praise.”
Ironically, whenever I’ve publicly spoken well about someone who was throwing spears at me, I’ve gotten flack from some Christians. They felt it was wrong for me to respond this way. They wanted me to attack them back. Sadly, they had no idea what I was doing or why. Taking the high ground almost seems to be a lost art in the Christian world today.
As Benjamin Franklin so beautifully put it, “I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth but rather by some means excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of everybody.”
Now . . . for you artists (and Zep fans) out there, check out these clips.
(UPDATE: YouTube has removed these videos since this post. Perhaps you can search and find them somewhere else.)
Eddie Cochran 1: Come on Everybody
Eddie Cochran 2: She’s Somethin’ Else
Now compare those to this one:
Eddie Cochran ZEPPIFIED: Zep Performs both songs – Note that this is early Zep. The electrifying energy, extraordinary talent, and emotional power of the band bleeds through, as well as their ability to take old tunes and make them uniquely their own.
Btw/ you may want to watch these clips soon because YouTube will probably pull some of them after the amount of hits to each video that this post will generate. I hope I’m wrong, but we’ll see soon enough . . .
Related:
20 Things the Blood of Jesus Does
And #4 Be passionate about what you do…..It shows! I still love Zepplin they take me many places and paint many pictures with many colors. They lift my spirit upward.
This confirms it … we ARE kindred Spirits! \o/
Frank,
I was just checking out some of your past blogs, and this was really good! Good music too. I give it a 10, it has a good beat, but I can’t dance worth a hoot!
Hi, I know this post has been around awhile but I just found your blog. 🙂 I really love your thoughts here. Especially when you said: “Refuse to appease the establishment and leave the sales to God.” I’ve been struggling with this very thing. I don’t want to sell out; I don’t want to blog just to be popular. I’ve been asking God to help me write what He wants me to write, and what I’m called to write, instead of worrying about whether a post gets enough readers or not. Sometimes easier said than done.
Thanks for the uplifting post!
Good word there Frankie!
I LOVE this post! God has always used stuff to get my attention that many Christians would disapprove of. I just found your blog–and I will be back!
Read it before, love it!
First things first…checking you had the ‘greatest rock band’ correct….yes
Ok I will now read 🙂
Oh, dear. Frank, if people get ticked at you for daring to mention a non-Christian rock band, I won’t dare tell them that I listened to INXS, Linkin Park, and Apocalyptica while writing my Christian fantasy series. ; )
I very much appreciate your point about bucking conventional wisdom! I spent 20 years (inconsistently) working toward my goal of finding an agent and getting my novels published through a traditional publisher. Then, Amazon and Kindle happened, and now I’m semi-self-published through an indie publishing company which I help run.
Even 5 years ago, I never would’ve dared to be this unconventional! But I don’t regret a moment of it. It’s a wild, crazy, exhilarating ride, and I’m working with some of the most amazing people and creative believers I’ve ever known. It’s a true blessing.
Frank, you said in a previous comment that this is one of your least shared posts. I wonder if it’s simply that not many of your readers have other writers to share it with? Just speculation, of course. : )
#1 reminds me of the line in Survivor’s song “Eye of the Tiger.”
“So many times it happens too fast, you trade your passion for glory…”
Definitely stick with your passions, not with what sells.
Really appreciated the point made here. Creativity and uniqueness are often stamped out by pragmatism in the church too. Too many times we hear, “great idea but..” We tend to admire those who pragmatically get things done and devalue those who live by some strong internal principles. The introduction to Eugene Peterson’s “The Jesus Way” makes the same claim. Eugene Peterson and Led together…awesome!
Thanks for this article.
It shows again that there is strength in being yourself.
If we meet Jesus he helps us to become more ourselves than we sometimes allow ourself to be your self. One of the first thoughts on Twitter was:
When we see the writing of God in secular society. Music, movies, books. We see God closer use than religion can bring him to us.
Thanks for proving this once again.
Hey Frank, this was such a cool and refreshing post to read. I train students in music. Many of them come to us to be trained to be a ‘praise & worship’ leader. By introducing them however to a bigger picture than just the institutional church, most revise their ‘callings’ and realise that they can make a bigger impact in life and the world around them by just being who God made them and by expressing life using their craft and skill. This post was once again a reminder to me that we can find God in the detail of life, if we’re open to it. This kind of thinking goes against popular mainstream theology, but perhaps like Zep, it’s a growing trend because it’s authentic and ‘underground’ – never meant to be popular and never cared about it either. Cheers!
Thanks, man. Feel free to share it via FB and Twitter. Appreciate the encouragement!
Unfortunately, most “Christian art” these days is neither. Platitudes replace the deep heartache and questioning that yields good art, and creativity is minimal,because you have to toe the line. Good art is what is required, not more platitudes dressed in garish frippery.
The Christians who have been the best artists have usually been shunned by the more conservative Christian subcultures, because they do not understand art– greats like Madeleine L’Engle and Flannery O’Connor come to mind….
Christians do tend to get overly upset about things in pop culture that don’t matter. (Harry Potter is a good example. What’s the difference between that and “Lord of the rings”, they both have wizards, evil mythical creatures, magic etc,). In so doing they fail to be salt and light.
“They gave the album no title. And they didn’t even put their name on it!”…. your not thinking of doing this with your next book by any chance?
I’ve gone on record saying that I’d love for all of my books not to have my name on them. But if I did that at this point, they would have to be self-published, and few people would read them in comparison to how many read them now. But maybe someday . . .
I want to use a word that someone used in their reply to your “Shameless Promotion Day” post just because I really like it. Your post today is absolutely spot-on Frank. I too agree that we must stay true to our message and vision as well as our heart’s convictions. Also, when it comes to speaking well of others or your competitors or even your enemies, I try to always remember what a PERSON by the name of WISDOM told me long ago. He said, “Lisa, never put another person down to lift yourself up or said another way, to make yourself look good.” Makes sense to me. Your post struck a lot of chords in my heart today.
I just think God is so cool! I don’t mean that disrespectfully either. He can use anything to make a point or a get message across to us. He just has a knack for doing that kind of thing.
Don’t you know that He’s
Some kind of wonderful…
Well my Jesus, He’s alright. My Savior is clean outta sight
Don’t you know that He is
Some kind of wonderful…
SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL by MARK FARNER
Interesting. For me Zepplin was the “hook” to want to read it! Then, as one who enjoys writing, what I really “caught” was the good advice you gleaned from some maverick rockers. It’s all to easy to “sell your soul” to gain the world…
I played the video backwards…
and I managed to catch part of what it said(really!):
“…just so you know
the bustle in our hedgerow
is us telling your culture where to go…” !
The arts still call the tunes that lead our culture.
It’s good to hear you building bridges back to the arts. Maybe some truth will cross the cultural gap…
Thanks for “getting it,” Rob. Interestingly, (so far) this post is the least viewed of all my posts since I’ve resumed blogging. And relatively few people have shared it (so far). Interesting . . .
Could it be there are some “religious spirits” hanging around out there somewhere….just sayin
I’m 33 and a Zeppelin and Beatles fan. Excellent applications. A+ in creativity and inspiration. Love your blog!
Zeppelin was before my time (I’m 30). Loved this post and the Led Zeppeling video was awesome! Wow! Brilliant post.
This was great since I teethed on Zeppelin and Sabbath, but I graduated high school in the 80’s (think “breakfast club”), I was a metal head, because I was agains posers as well 🙂 Even though my tastes have matured, every now and then I whip out the old albums (I won’t mention them here, people will view me much differently if I do) and play them when the kids are gone. 🙂
Even though my independant baptist upbringing thought I was going to hell for listening to Slayer, I don’t think Jesus would have been a Slayer fan. 🙂
Great post!
Was great to grow up in those times and see how relevant music was to all generations back then. Even Sid Vicious knew good music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X7Wlams-E4&feature=related
Same needs to be with us still. Thanks for the reminder to speak well, Frank. Dad knew I needed it today.
Very much so! We absolutely MUST NOT FORGET what we are on the same team — Team Jesus. 😉
just the fact that you listen to Led Zep makes your point…lending an ear to secular voices often goes against the “religious mainstream.” Thanks for the post and the wisdom. And just for the record…it is a “habit” of mine to glean spiritual truths and parallels from secular music…intended and unintended by the artist…and also to often witness the pain and longing of the artist. The way I am staying true to myself is to keep my ears, eyes, hands, arms, assets open to the world while remaining in Christ…how can we serve, reach out and make any difference if we are not listening to and seeing the world…
What a stimulating concept it is to consider these “lessons learned” from the course of Led Zeppelin’s approach. I think it makes absolute sense.
Additionally, nice job on the blog by the way – I like how it has evolved. As always, I very much enjoy all you have to say. I must tell you, your expression of how our Lord is leading you is catching the attention of my college-aged peers that God as brought into my life, changing their perspective of our Lord and the church as they know it. This is coming from a 50-something guy whose back in school for a new career prep.
That’s quite a profound (and brave) post. I’m a huge fan of early seventies music, especially the English Folk Rock bands like Jethro Tull and the Strawbs. I remember the disappointment when some of these musical geniuses felt that they had to change their style to appeal to the younger generation of the late seventies. Punk Rock was happening, album sales began declining and many of the great bands tried to adjust themselves to a new market, mostly with disastrous and embarrassing results. Ironically, whilst many of these bands disappeared off the radar their pre-1977 releases became legendary rock classics. Time is truly a great revealer. The lives of Christians like Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, Pascal, Chambers etc. have confirmed this time and again. Little known in their time, they became the posthumous prophets of our age. If they had sold out to popular demand they may have attracted a greater following, but they would have been forgotten today. Makes me think of Gamaliel’s reference to Theudas and Judas the Galilean who had their 15 minutes of fame, as opposed to “these men” whose undertaking was of God.
Thanks Frank, this was a timely reminder for me and an encouragement.
Ross
Loved this! As I continue to try to see all of life as sacred and not have such a division between the sacred and the secular, it is good to see this lessons presented.
This in particular struck me:
Take Away: Don’t be afraid to go against the conventional wisdom. Dare to do the unthinkable and that which has never been done before. Not for shock value, but if it’s in your heart to do so. Follow your convictions, not the praises of mortals.
I am not sure specifically what that will entail for me, but it is encouraging to me as I continue to find my own voice in life.
Thanks Frank, this was lovely. I think I think I’ll think on it. 🙂 And I am so going to use the be yourself quote from Mason in my classroom.
This was a great start to my day. I love many different kinds of music, but grew up in a setting where listening to rock bands was, well, let’s just say “discouraged”. What really hit home in this post, however, was the idea of always speaking well of others. I want to be ever more aware of my words, especially as it concerns speaking of others. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” I need help with that.
Regarding point No 2. “Don’t be afraid to debunk the conventional wisdom.”
After a seminar at our church I decided to thoroughly explore a subject and came to a conclusion. However, when I voiced my belief I was promptly disfellowshipped! They wouldn’t even consider Paul’s admonition in Col 2:8. Is it truly so hard to suspend the “traditions of men” an take an unbiased look at what Scripture actually says. I guess it is and debunking conventional wisdom, even with the backing of Scripture, is not always the best idea!
You said, “debunking conventional wisdom, even with the backing of Scripture, is not always the best idea!” – I’m assuming you said this because of the negative response you got. Sometimes a negative response is an indicator that you are doing exactly what God would have you do. Just look at the prophets and what kinds of backlash they faced when they were in the center of God’s will. However, some people get a negative response, not because they are being obedient, but because they are being asses. Big difference. Anyhow, the difficulty of debunking conventional wisdom is irrelevant in deciding whether it is a good idea. Difficulty, and for that matter, fear (“Don’t be AFRAID to debunk…” – Viola) are irrelevant if it is what God would have you do.
Thanks Alice,
My subject was “Hell”. Careful study of Scripture and of church and secular history lead me to the conclusion that “Hell” as envisioned by the church in general is a pagan fairy tail imported into Christianity and without Scriptural substance. The board of elders could not fault my reasoning and the witness of Scripture but shot me down based on “The church has always believed in hell so it must be true”. I still stand by my conclusions and say, as I said to them, “If Luther had clung to the traditions of the Fathers we would all be Catholics”!
Hey, Frank,
Jesus said “even the stones will cry out!” So why can’t we learn from Led Zeppelin?
Great lessons to learn from a band I greatly love, admire and respect. As someone who spent much of his youth enthralled in the history of this band, I must say, your analysis was right on.
In a world where Christianity is defined by what it is against rather than what it is for, I applaud what you have to say. Great message!
Yesterday I saw a sign: Be yourself, everbody else is taken.
Reminds me of Jesus saying, “Bless those who curse you.” The key in whatever a person pursues is to be who you are and, for the believer, be who God has made you to be. In that a person will find contentment in their pursuits.