Us and Them

In 1968, Jimmy Page and his manager Peter Grant acquired the rights to the name of the Yardbirds. Wishing to give new impetus to their fading star, they relaunched briefly as the New Yardbirds. It was in this format that Page performed in the early autumn of 1968 with established music professional John Paul Jones on bass and two unknowns from the Black Country making up the quartet called Robert Plant and John Bonham. The rest is history of course but have you ever wondered how the more familiar name Led Zepellin came about? Several stories exist but the most likely involves a conversation between the two late rhythm players of The Who. Having just enjoyed a secretive recording session with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Nicky Hopkins, John Entwistle joked to Keith Moon "we should call ourselves Lead Zeppelin because we'll go down like a lead balloon". The famous quintet was doomed from the outset due to the lack of a credible singer. Steve Marriott, Steve Winwood and Terry Read were all "otherwise engaged" so that was that. However, the shrewd Page took the name and Entwistle's artwork with him to launch his own group a couple of months later. Well, almost.
Have you ever wondered why Page chose to spell it Led instead of Lead? Interviewed in the last month of 1968, his answer was succinct; "If we spell it Lead, the thick Americans will mis-pronounce it" (as the implement used for walking a dog...). Very clever when you stop to consider it. He had grasped the American audience even at that stage.
It was therefore with more than a hint of mirth that I learnt of the sacking of Cheryl Cole off an American prime time TV show. Now I have to confess that my knowledge of Cheryl Cole is limited with a capital L. However, I have heard her speak.
In Britain, we have a plethora of regional dialects each with its own identity. Broadly speaking, we become used to them from the Geordie to the Taff to the Scouser to the Scot to the Cockney to the Black Country Yam Yam. The fact is that strong British regional accents don't work stateside because we become desensitised to how strong and unintelligible they can be. Cheryl Cole would have had more chance with sub-titles and one of those people doing sign language next to her to give her audience a fighting chance.
This does go to prove one inescapable fact. You can have all the looks in the world but if nobody can understand a word you're saying you have the functional merit of a chocolate teapot or an ashtray on a motorbike. I am at a loss to understand the thought process of the producers who hired her. What can they have been thinking?
To quote their President, we may have a special relationship but our differences are as strong as ever they were.