Teenager Idols
Do you remember the posters you had on the wall of your room when you were young?
What happened?
Growing up, the perception of things, the perspective of life, change with us, leaving space for age related, more appropriate matters, but still, doesn’t mean we don’t look up to someone or something.
They don't have to be rock stars, Oscar winning actors or gold medal olympic athletes, idols can come under many forms and shapes, they can be humans but can also be ideas, can talk directly to us or can talk through manuscripts.
I, obviously had my idols, from football to basketball players, artists, painters, writers, the dream was always to meet them in real life, but, at that time, living in a small city lost in the north of Italy, the "what to talk about, if accidentally bump into one" question, wasn't an option.
Few decades later, the "what to talk about if" question, living in the capital of the UK, became reality and the problem.
The person I was going to meet, was a rock star, he played guitar in a one of the most innovative and influential rock groups in history, Rolling Stone magazine has described Jimmy Page as "the pontiff of power riffing" and ranked him number three in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time", behind Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
I was working for Paul Smith and that specific year a collaboration with Led Zeppelin was going to be launched in Paul's Flagship store in Mayfair, London.
When I realized that Jimmy was going to attend the launch a thrill pervaded my bones. Was I going to meet one of my favourite rockstars, alive, ever?
As a Led Zeppelin fan I obviously own every single LP, watched every video footage and knew everything about the band and the members, with a group of friends I also went to a live concert reunion he had with Robert Plant in 1998 in Milan.
But what I was going to tell him?
The collaboration Paul Smith was launching with Led Zeppelin was a set of four scarves printed with the first four zeps albums along with a remastered box set of records, and Jimmy's book 'Jimmy Page Anthology'.
We set up the store for the event, displayed the scarves and the books together with lots of Zeppelin memorabilia from original vintage gig posters to the famous Gibson EDS 1275 double neck.
The idea of the project was walking people into a time machine, taking them to the original 1970s vibe, through the music, with the clothings.
It was a success.
Seeing Jimmy Page in the flesh was something very unique.
There wasn't much to say, of course, except some small talk, in regard to the exhibition and the set up decided. He didn't unveil any secret, or confessed any untold story about the 12 dizzying years between the '68 and the 80s where they were the most influential group of the era and I didn’t asked any stupid question or made any horrible fan statement, luckily.
It was like seeing an old friend who doesn't know you, but you know lots about him.
A good old chap.
