John Paul Jones - Unedited Interview, Sweden 2003 

This man is the reason I ever picked up a (Fender Jazz) Bass. I met him in 1994, giving me the opportunity to tell him this and thank him for it. He is the humblest, most gracious person I have ever encountered.The only thing better than his musicianship is his humanity. Thank you, JPJ, for being!

I want him to be my neighbor and say "good morning" to me every day.

JPJ, the quiet musical genius backbone ot Led Zeppelin

Jones said it perfectly!! "John Bonham wasn't the drummer of Led Zeppelin, he was a quarter of it". That right there shows how much respect there was for one another in Led Zeppelin.

Finally, an interviewer that asks interesting questions and John Paul Jones gives great, honest answers. He really is a class act and 1/4 of the greatest band in history!

One of the most down to earth guys in rock, and a great musician at that.

Ramble on.. a brilliant bassist, musician, and human, JPJ is a living legend!

he aged better than page and plant

There is no hyperbole in this statement....Led Zeppelin consisted of four ground breaking revolutionary musical virtuosos. Given that indisputable fact, John Paul Jones is arguably the most gifted all around musician. That's quite an honor when you're talking about the most astonishingly talented band that Rock ever produced.

What a gentleman he is! In '86, I was in WH Smith (UK newsagents), browsing magazines. I turned around, and John Paul Jones was just behind me, doing the same. I don't think anyone else in the vicinity recognized him. Shyness stopped me saying Hello, but I'm glad it did - who wants to be interrupted while shopping? You can tell from this interview that JPJ doesn't see himself as a celebrity or star, just a working musician / writer / producer. One of the best music interviews I've seen. Thank you. 🥍

This is by far a great Man among men. I have always loved these guys. I am so glad to hear and see the smile and appreciation of the work he and the band did. Such a great guy!

John Paul, you've been a blessing to Led Zeppelin. Your Bass lines alone are incredible, not to mention the other instruments. I've been a big fan since 74.

This man's bass tone is unbelievable, the unsung hero of Zeppelin. Amazing organist as well.

His music knowledge is expansive . He can play any instrument and read music backwards. So he was just as important as the others no doubt

Jonesy was the best musician out of all of them.

We don't hear enough from JPJ, such an admirable man.

One of the things that I admire most about Zeppelin is that they were a band, in the truest sense of the word. When Bonham died, the rest of the band knew that Zeppelin was done. It appears as if success, fortune, fame were secondary to them. It was all about the music that they were making. "John Bonham wasn't the drummer of Led Zeppelin; he was 1/4 of Led Zeppelin"

I love this man. SO humble, so nice, so engaging and a genius musician. I would love to meet this man.

The stars aligned for Zeppelin, it was lightning in a bottle we’ll never see again and it completely fascinates me

Definitely underrated to those that don't really know much about music or Zeppelin. The guy was/is a master musician on bass, keyboards, mandolin, etc. plus doing arrangements. Just a quiet, brilliant musician. Poor guy was one of two people that found Bonham dead.

What a wonderful guy JPJ is. I can see why any band would love to have him on board.

Led Zeppelin: the most solid rhythm section in rock history, and there were a Lot of great rhythm sections in that era.

Jonesy is a class act. Always was. Possibly the most gifted musician in the band

John Paul Jones is down to earth, and fabulous. Highly talented.

Jones found Bonham dead. I wonder how you get over something like that. I can't imagine.

Absolutely gifted bassist. I have a tremendous respect for John Paul Jones. To the uninitiated he is probably the least known member of Led Zeppelin but he was the backbone that made those songs come alive and allow you to feel the music.

The most musically gifted member of the band, according to Jimmy.

13:15 "John Bonham wasn´t the drummer of Led Zeppelin. He was the quarter of Led Zeppelin and you couldn´t just say get another drummer" ( Jones, John Paul)

John is such an awesome person, I have such a respect for him and I think he can just be so hilarious sometimes with some of the little things he says, legend

He and Page were genius together. What a great decision by Page to go get Jones as his first mate. Wonderful interview, he has a wonderful sense of humor. "You have a few parties and they remind you of it in 30 years' time." Cincinatti shut down after the third number, what else were we going to do? Hilarious. Also handles some very difficult questions with poise. His comments about Bonham show such deep respect - their decision to stop puts them with the Beatles in unparalleled company.

Lovely guy, so talented and unassuming. Met him once in Blackpool, we brought fish and chips and walked along the seafront together.

He was part of a band who had a wealth of knowledge about their craft. We need more JPJ interviews!

I always thought John Paul was the secret weapon of the band, he covered a fair bit of musical territory and not just with the bass. I saw them supporting The Who in the US on a early tour, then I saw them at the Bath Festival in England eighteen months later in 1970 and they obliterated everyone else. Great interview by the young man. Thank you.

i was lucky enough to see Zeppelin may years ago,they gave everything,played for 3 hours plus,worked their arses off,amazing,hard working and professional band,miss Bonzo,best rock drummer ever

I love John Paul Jones. He is the backbone of Led Zeppelin.

"It wasn't the age of therapy which came 20 years too late for us" Aw man. He said it with a chuckle but you know there's so much pain with that statement underneath. RIP Bonzo.

That's what you call a class act.. It wasn't until I saw his solo act at the house of blues that I realized what a tremendous part he played in LZ... An outstanding artist, and quite a likable guy.

Very Nice ... Very Well Done. It's so pleasant seeing John get to participate in an interview without having to wait until Robert finally runs out of breath.

So humble..... JPJ was criminally underrated, I think. I saw them in Seattle 1977- Ears rang for months. So good ❤

Jonesy never got enough face time in my estimation. This man was and is so full of talent and I'm always wishing I could see more of him on film to see what his fingers were doing. There is a scene on stage in The Song Remains the Same movie where he and Bonzo were playing and smiling at one another. That's one of my favorite parts. It's really awesome to hear his takes on all of the different songs. Still love these guys after all these years! Who wouldn't? Great interview! Great guy! Gotta add that Peter Grant certainly had their backs. He was balls to the wall, Peter Grant.

“Unless it comes back in a DVD 30 years later” HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAH

Probably around that time a friend and I bought tickets for King Crimson and the opening act was billed as "Special Guest" and this guy shows up on stage!! What an amazing show!! He was funny as hell, entertaining us between songs because there were numerous instrument changes and super generous with his show! A great man!!

He was the heart and soul of Led Zeppelin. Besides his bass, his organ parts were absolutely critical to the overall sound on their songs. I could listen to it for hours. When I saw them live in the 70s the bass player, John, was ill, and the band actually asked if there was anyone in the audience who could play bass. A guy got up and walked onto stage and knew every song they did. It was an amazing night.

Great interview: enlightening, educational, and most of all very funny. I think one of the things that set LZ apart, besides their obviously stellar musicianship, was the fact that they were simply more intelligent than most of their peers.

I don't think it's outrageous to say the John Paul Jones was the most talented multi-instrumentalist of his era. It's also entirely likely that the only person that would disagree with that would be himself.

A master musician in every sense of the word. Base guitar, piano, arrangements, song writing, composition etc. Incredible.

Class act right here. From the mags I read in the 70's to any media he's done since JPJ comes across as the grit that LZ needed. He never told a nasty tale on his bandmates and always played to the song. The respect he has is well earned.

What can make you stand out from other bands? Good arrangements. John Paul was intelligent, musically trained, and versatile. What a fortunate occurrence to have these four particular musicians in the same band.

hes so adorable

What a pleasure just to listen to this man, intelligent, polite and funny, God Bless him!!!

What a classy, gracious and humble gentleman. I really really love Jimmy, I can relate to his phrasing and punch, the modes he uses to improvise.... But this one I must say is the rare gem in the band. Only respect and ... respect. :--)

It is apparent that Jones was the the energy which kept the band in balance.

A true legend and a great person. Any band would benefit from such a magnificent musician. He’s an icon of rock.

NOW ladies & gents, this guy is what you call a total class act.

13:15 That's beautifully said by JPJ: "John wasn't the drummer of Led Zeppelin, he was a quarter of Led Zeppelin."

What a nice man. Very genuine.

I love them all but he is the most down the earth member of the band

The great thing is that he mentions Peter Grant. They never would have been who they were without him, but he also changed the entire industry and made things better for every band that came after them. He is the unsung hero of Led Zeppelin and the music industry...

John Paul Jones actually answers the questions directly, unlike Jimmy Page who stutters, stammers, touches his nose fifty times and then answers a different question. Or like Robert who seems to dance around the answers and say weird things like, "I can't remember.". I love them all, but the truth is JPJ gives the best interviews. He's a great guy and so down to earth.

I really enjoyed this interview. Thanks for the upload. Greetings from South Africa.

Peter Grant would have like 10 consecutive heart attacks then a few strokes if he found out about RU-vid haha...

give it up for the guy who preferred to stay in the background and carry every single track and live a more quiet life

John Paul Jones was and is one of the greatest--yet most underrated--musicians in the world. He also is absolutely delightful to hear during his interviews.

Great Interview! Bless you! These musicians were almost too good to be true! Otherworldly! 🌟

It's hard to express how great a musician, and how great a human, JPJ is. Master musician, humble, decent man. Giant of 20th century music.

Hi. I had a small music shop in Turkey . I used to sell cassettes. I'm 53 now. They were the most important famous people I met in my life. They were so normal, sincere and gentlemen. No complimants or anything. We talked for about 20-25 minutes and drank tea with Robert.After the concert was finished I tried to learn where do they would stay @t day I waited by the hotel.When Robert went out I kissed him and hugged him. He Asked me about the previous day's concert performance.I said time passed so fast like a dream. I said I came about 1000 km from my town to İstanbul for the concert he said please drive carrefully. I took LZ 3 LP which I've bought in İtaly when I was 21 y.o. in 1983 and they signed the LP's.While I was waiting for Jimmy, he was shopping at a peddler who sold cheap imitation watches near the hotel street. I talked to him for 5-6 minutes. He was also gentleman, sincere like a normal person. I loved them more because they are the most important band of history (according to me) and so normal people like a teacher or friends. Lucky me. I've also met Michael Lee. RİP Michael.Lee and Bonzo.You're the greatest drummers of all. Emin Kurnaz Emin Elektronik Adana

One of the top musicians that ever lived. HIs sense of melody was amazing.

Has there ever been a hugely successful entity - be it sports, music, art, business - that had such mutual respect and incredible loyalty from the principals as Led Zeppelin? The absolute, unconditional respect and loyalty these guys had for one another is just so awesome. 13:08 - the comments almost bring tears. They haven't changed their story since that day in 1980. That was the end. It had to be those four guys.

Excellent. Never knew much about JPJ but certainly enjoyed his candor and honest assessment. 👍

I appreciate hearing John Paul speaking so honest and free. My impression from the interviews together with Robert and Jimmy in the past years has always been, that John Paul has not even had 5% of the speaking time... In this interview, he is just himself! Thank you so much, John Paul, for bringing up your own perspective about the band. It is great fun listening to you...!

JPJ laughing at Robert "not liking" Stairway. That's funny : )

Excellent interveiw !

Bless this man, such a pro on & off stage. Finally the interview that we wanted, full of information and the input of JPJ to LD.

THANKS---a pleasure to listen to JPJ. How down to earth the real masters are. Love his only-slightly-creased brow when the interviewer gets awkward.

such a lovely guy...very down to earth....and an awesome musician

He's so thoughtful here. These guys were all brilliant. He makes a good point that other bands didn't put so much light and shade into their songs. Made them like mini rock operas.

I can listen to this guy all day. Brilliant, humble and down to earth. You would think you were speaking to someone’s grandfather not one of the greatest musicians of the century

Such an utterly brilliant musician in every way on so many instruments and underappreciated more than anyone in music.

what a good soul. Class all the way and one hell of a musician/producer!

I think it's good too!!! What a great interview!!! Love you jonesy!!!

At 11:09 John recalls the death of John Bonham -- you can see the pain before it's ever mentioned.

Led Zeppelin was just another complete surprize in a world full of musical surprises for us born in the mid 50s and having lived through an absolute marvel of a time that covered familiar pop, the British Invasion, Motown, Show music. Though turbulent, this was magic time for music, and i fear Rolling Stone just wasn't ready for this completely different kind of hard rock. For cryin' out loud, Robert Plant's voice, for one, was truly unique.

Interesting interview. John Paul Jones is great to listen to, authentic and thoughtful responses.

What a man. A musician explaining his work.

John Paul Jones is so very cool!!!

4 Giants on stage. What a band. Still remembered all these years later.

So bright and articulate, honest. Well done JPJ.

What a totally cool guy.

Such a gentleman. Best wishes for you, John.

I just listened to The Song Remains the Same/Rain Song live 1973 and his bass playing just blows me away. He had the freedom and the ability to improvise onstage and the results were always amazing. He's one bass player that stands out in my mind.

I come from a very diverse musical backround...Led Zeppelin will always be in my heart...im in my sixties.....their music is my therapy...lol...i listen to them every single day for the past 50yrs, what a fuckin ride ...lol... awesome... awesome band....

FEE FI FO FUM. I smell the blood of an Englishman .

might be the single best musician in the world

"What is and what should never be" it s one of my fav. Led zeppelin song too....great song a litlle bit underrated if u ask me

In Rhode Island May 1969, my good friend called me in the afternoon and told me he heard on WBCN radio that Zeppelin was playing in Boston. He was even a bigger fan than i and he says we've got to go. We had no car and didn't know where the venue (the Boston Tea Party) was. Undeterred by these minor problems we started hitchiking to Boston and wherever the club was. Some guy in a luxury car picked us up, shared a very potent joint, and dropped us off in Boston and told us the Tea Party was 2 blocks down this street. Amazingly we got there on time and paid $6 for our tickets at the door. This was the near or at the end of their first tour so they were primed to impress. We sat on the floor hippie-style only fifty feet from the stage and there was only about a thousand or less fans there in this club. They played the whole first album and one song we hadn't heard before. They had something to prove and it was an awesome show for 2 hours or more. We hitchiked back to RI at about midnight totally psyched we had seen them. I learned frpm this that sometimes you get amazing results when you just go for it and take a chance.

I always get that feeling if I saw john someplace in public and said lets go have a pint im buying he would go. For a man of such amazing talent in the best band of all time he is down to Earth

Thank you, I so enjoyed seeing John Paul Jones. Your interview was put together very well..Great Job!! Sir

" you have a few parties and they remind you of it in 30 years time"-Got to love Jonesy:)

That's a gem of an interview, thanks. Fascinating stuff. Very likable down to earth talented bloke.

Brilliant interview. And JPJ is pretty candid too. You can really tell from this that Zeppelin were a magic band even to the members themselves.