Top 60 Jason Bonham Quotes

As a young kid I never saw myself as a drummer.

Songwriting is a difficult thing, but it’s not so bad when you remove the barriers you put up yourself.

Led Zeppelin is part of my life, a huge part, that I enjoy immensely. But I don’t want people to think this is all that I do. There is a creative side to my brain that needs to be fed, too.

You know at 14, when you lose your hero – your father – that’s why I hold him on such a high pedestal.

He was a very quiet and shy person but that drum kit gave him that voice. ‘Bonzo’ was the guy in Zeppelin. John was my dad.

Everyone knows these stories about a wild and crazy guy called Bonzo, but at home he was just like any other father; always hollering at me for not doing my homework.

Dad’s influence naturally came into me, rather than trying to emulate every detail. His way of teaching me was to be sparse, and to be explosive when it needed to be.

I’ve been working on some original songs with the band that does the Led Zeppelin experience. We’re going to start writing as an original band and see what comes out of it. It’ll be kind of Zeppelin-esque because of the way the guys play – but there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’ve been clean and sober for 17 years. I am a control freak and must have a plan for everything I do now. I am also self-contained and happy.

The thing with Led Zeppelin songs is that they were never the same. They were very fluid and tight but loose.

Led Zeppelin was Led Zeppelin when John Bonham was on drums. It’s timeless.

I don’t think there are any easy Led Zeppelin songs.

Dad was pretty solid. He had great grooves and there was occasional moments of sheer brilliance with fills and things, but in general, the sheer brilliance is the simplicity, how much groove, how much feel he had, all the subtleties that we miss.

We were both into motocross. My dad would wake me up at 6:30 on weekends, brew some coffee and make some sandwiches for us. Then we’d spend the day racing together. I know he had this reputation as being wild and irresponsible, but I never saw any of that.

He might have been in Led Zeppelin, but to me he was just dad.

My daughter wasn’t into that type of rock music and kind of played it off. But then these teenage boys started coming around, and Led Zeppelin, I don’t know, it became reinvented. Now she’s very proud of her grandfather.

My dad was a regular dad. At home, he wasn’t Bonzo the animal. He was a very intellectual, quiet chap – not the beast we all know.

My first band, we wanted to be like Foreigner and Journey.

Growing up my heroes were American motocross riders. I didn’t want to be a drummer; I wanted to be a motocross rider.

As I’ve gotten older, as I’ve gotten familiar with all different types of music, stuff that I didn’t like when I was younger I actually kind of like now.

I’m a huge fan of Ayrton Senna and the color scheme of the old McLarens.

South Florida was definitely not a bad place for my kids to grow up.

I’ve had about 40 cars in my lifetime, maybe more, from Lamborghinis and McLarens to Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, but I always lost so much money.

I’ve always wanted to do an album with half the people I’ve worked with. People like Robert Plant, Paul Rodgers, Jeff Beck and Slash.

I think that my performances with Led Zeppelin got better with each performance and I think that our performances as Led Zeppelin Experience have also gotten better with each show.

But I would say my favorite Zeppelin song to play is ‘Kashmir.’ I have a great time playing that one.

I don’t mind talking about dad and stuff, because that’s part of my life, you know? For me to pretend to be like him, and do the same things he used to do is over. I can see past it now. It took me thirty-eight years and sobriety to realize who Jason Bonham is.

To be able to play ‘In The Air Tonight’ was one of my bucket list things I didn’t think I was ever gonna be able to say I did.

Led Zeppelin sounded like nobody else. That spoke to the individuality of the band and the direction Jimmy Page wanted to pursue.

Every drummer I’ve ever spoken to or read an interview with – my dad is always in their top three. I’m honored to share his name and represent him all these years after he’s gone.

My biggest ‘Spinal Tap’ moment was a stupid one as well. When we were rehearsing for the Zeppelin O2 gig, I was having an argument with my drum pedals. I actually took them outside, and drove over them several times with the car. Shouting at them and telling them they’ll never work again.

I’m English, so I can be very ‘half empty.’

I always say dad was a lot more funky than people think.

I loved ‘Rain’ and its take on the Beatles. The way they used a timeline and news reel to create a mood, and crafted set changes throughout, it was stunning.

At some point I got sick of people calling me Bonzo junior. But now that I’m older and wiser, I’m just honored to be mentioned in the same breath.

I was thrilled to hear Mick Jones wanted me to be involved in celebrating 40 years of Foreigner. I spent three years as their drummer and had a great time.

There’s always got to be one adult in the band, I think.

I’d like to eventually be known as someone who emerged as a songwriter.

If you had asked me in 2005, when I had just joined Foreigner, that I would leave the band in 2007 to play with Led Zeppelin, I would have said you’re nuts.

I’m hugely affected by what people think. It could be a million people saying, ‘Great.’ And then one person writes, ‘What the hell is this kid doing?’ and starts slagging me off, for some reason, and then I have to join in the blog and sign in under a different name and go,’Why don’t you like him?’

I’m playing my father’s music and I’m a fan of Led Zeppelin. The response has been beyond what I ever imagined it would be. Unreal. Everyone seems to understand the story I’m telling.

A song like ‘When The Levee Breaks’ has a very simple pattern, but it’s hard to give it that feel that my dad gave it.

Most of my mannerisms come from my Mum, who is quite a funny, witty, chatty person. My Dad was very shy.

I know I live in the shadow of the greatest drummer in the world, so it’s nice to have a bit of sunshine now and again.

I think I misunderstood the following in the footsteps bit, in a few of my early drinking years. I’d take any form of being compared to Dad as flattery. So if I fell off a stool or smashed up a TV set just because I was drunk, and somebody in the bar went ‘Hey, man, that was just like Bonzo!’ I would be really happy.

When my father began playing for Led Zeppelin our family was living in a 14-foot trailer.

Joe Morello, my dad was really into him and Little Richard’s drummer.

After my dad passed away, I had this bizarre goal. I wanted to play drums for Led Zeppelin. I just wanted to be able to say, ‘Dad, I did it.’

I don’t think I’ve ever met a drummer who didn’t tell me that my dad was an influence. He’s a tough act to follow.

My first four cars, I flipped – not sold them, literally rolled them or flipped them.

Somebody asked me the other day, ‘What do you love the most about the show?’ I said, ‘The conversations that I have with my father in my head while I’m playing.’ If I do something pretty good… I mean, I’m playing the gig and I’m saying in my head, ‘Hey, check that one out, dad.’

I found my childhood scrapbook and there’s an interview in there with dad from 1970. He talks about how long he’s been playing the drums and he’d only been playing drums six years in 1970.

I always regretted that I never had the chance to tell Dad how great I thought he was.

One of my dreams was always to play alongside my father but I never got the chance because we only had one drum kit at home.

My kids still think that, you know, other kids’ parents are cooler than I am.

Dad’s the master, I’m the student.

I’ve loved Range Rovers. That goes back to when I was a kid. My dad had the first ever Range Rover that was ever made – the first wave back in the ’70s – and he had one every year from that moment, and mom has continued to do that. From the moment they started Range Rovers, they’ve been in my family.

I feel that it was my destiny to play with Led Zeppelin, and of course I had the chance and I did it to my best ability.

I’ve never been a huge fan of drum solos.

My dad provided me with a great way of life, and he was very charitable man.