Jason Bonham has spent much of his life honoring his father’s memory. Whether performing Zeppelin’s greatest hits with his own tribute band, or sitting in for his dad at the band’s final reunion show in 2007, he has carried the torch with dignity and passion.”
But despite his incredible talent, Jason has always been open about the pressure of living up to the Bonham name. Hearing his father’s voice again, so vividly captured in Becoming Led Zeppelin, was a stark reminder of the weight he carries.”
For Jason, watching the documentary was like reconnecting with his father in a way he never thought possible. And while the world remembers John Bonham as one of the greatest drummers of all time, Jason remembers him as something even greater—a father, a mentor, a hero.”
As Jason Bonham tells the UCR Podcast, he also helped sort out an important detail regarding how his late father, John Bonham, would be represented in the film.
He shared: “I got to see a version of it a few years ago and the voice was wrong. Probably from the years of them having a tape and it being transferred, there was a slight pitch issue.”
Bonham’s mother suggested that he watch the film as it was in progress and weigh in with his thoughts.
He recalled: “She didn’t tell me what I needed to look for, [but] she felt the same way. Obviously, they’re watching me to get my reaction. As I’m watching the documentary, I’m realizing, how are they going to do this? Because everybody’s narrating their own story and my dad’s not around. So there was an anxiety when he started to speak and I welled up.”
Jason Bonham is set to honor the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti by performing the whole album on upcoming tour dates with his band.
