The UK´s Classic Rock awards are normally a relatively genteel affair for old rockers happy to be recognised in the autumns of their careers.
No-one obviously spread the message of bonhomie to Cream bassist Jack Bruce. In an astonishing outburst, he called Led Zeppelin´s reunion “lame” and Jimmy Page a “crap” guitarist.
Bruce was attending the awards show to accept the Classic Album award for Cream´s Disraeli Gears, released in 1967, but it was his after-show interview which has made the headlines.
Bruce was speaking to Classic Rock´s writer Dave Ling.
Dave Ling: It´s good news that there might be more from Cream?
Jack Bruce: “Well, the trouble is that I´m doing so many amazing things on my own. Cream is just a band from many, many years ago, and we did do something [referring to the reunion shows in 2005]…
"Fuck off, Zeppelin, you´re crap. You´ve always been crap and you´ll never be anything else."
Cream's Jack Bruce
“Everybody talks about Led Zeppelin, and they played one fucking gig - one fucking lame gig - while Cream did weeks of gigs. Proper gigs, not just a lame gig like Zeppelin did, with all the [vocal] keys lowered and everything.
“We played everything in the original keys. [Becoming animated]: Fuck off, Zeppelin, you´re crap. You´ve always been crap and you´ll never be anything else. The worst thing is that people believe the crap that they´re sold. Cream is 10 times the band that Led Zeppelin is.”
Ling: That´s a bold opinion.
Bruce: “What? You´re gonna compare Eric Clapton with that fucking Jimmy Page? Would you really compare that?”
Ling: To be fair, they´re different kinds of player, aren´t they?
Bruce: “No! Eric´s good and Jimmy´s crap. And with that I rest my case.”
At the earlier awards ceremony, other winners included:
Band Of The Year - Foo Fighters
Living Legend - Ozzy Osbourne
Showman Of The Year - Paul Stanley from Kiss
Event Of The Year - Led Zeppelin at London´s O2 (December ´07)
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