Popdose Contest: Name the New Led Zeppelin Singer!

Popdose Staff October 28, 2008 81

As you’ve surely heard by now, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham are planning on launching a Led Zeppelin tour and album without Robert Plant, and are “trying out a couple of singers.” They’ve said they aren’t looking for a Plant soundalike, so we thought we’d see if we can’t all put our heads together to come up with a suitably bizarre list of left-field candidates for the job.

We’ll get the ball rolling with three of our favorite choices:

1. Kenny Loggins
2. Clay Aiken
3. Art Garfunkel

Now we want to hear your nominees — and we even have a prize for you: The person who submits our favorite wildly inappropriate fill-in for Robert Plant will receive a brand spanking new copy of The Who at Kilburn: 1977, a DVD release from the Who’s archives that’s reaching shelves on November 18. Follow the link to check out details (and watch a 93-second clip), then help the Led Zep remnants find their new lead singer! You can enter as many times as you like, right here in the comments, and the contest will remain open until we say it’s over. Good luck!

  • mojo

    I'm not eligible for the contest, but I must put in a good word for…MARTIN FRY (yes!)

  • David

    Must. be. Karen Carpenter.

  • http://www.yarnivore.com/francis Francis

    Morrissey. Contest over.

  • stuff

    Lee Dorian (Napalm death era)

  • http://www.bullz-eye.com DavidMedsker

    Tom Waits
    Dave Gahan
    Andrew Eldritch

  • el bandito
  • David_E

    Ken Nordine.

  • http://popdose.com MatthewBolin

    One word: WING

  • el bandito

    My friends and I used to play a game where we would fill in Peter Tork's name in bands – doesn't sound that fun, but say it out loud – Crosby, Stills, Nash and Tork…making me laugh right now. Vanilla Tork, Anderson, Buford, Wakeman and Tork…alright I'll stop, but you get the idea. Think how different these bands would have been with Peter Tork…one more…Emerson, Lake and Tork.

    PETER TORK…Led Zeptork

  • http://www.popdose.com DwDunphy

    Dammit, Matt. Now who's cleaning the milk offa my monitor??!!

  • http://www.popdose.com DwDunphy

    Neither am I but I must submit Leonard Cohen.

  • http://avarana.blogspot.com MarlboroTestMonkey7

    Daniel MacMaster!

  • http://urthona73.blogspot.com Bill S.

    Sarah McLachlan.

  • Lalaha

    Bjork – her outlandish swan outfit at the Oscars was a desperate cry of her inner Swan Song!

  • http://avarana.blogspot.com MarlboroTestMonkey7

    Or the singer for the Fred Zeppelin, whosoever he may be! Else, Jon Anderson.

  • E

    1) Stanley from Life, Sex & Death
    2) Tortelvis. Of course.

  • http://www.popdose.com DwDunphy

    Um… he's dead. Then again, so is Karen Carpenter, so carry on.

  • http://www.drcastrato.blogspot.com drcastrato

    oh my god yes! “we'd like to do a new number called, Word Jazz”

  • JonCummings

    Charo.

  • MC

    Ann Wilson (Heart) or
    Cindy Wilson (B-52s)

  • http://www.drcastrato.blogspot.com drcastrato

    i heard Steve Albini was interested…

  • http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/ GrayFlannelSuit

    Give me Shatner or give me death!

  • http://dandyperiscope.blogspot.com/2008/10/do-you-like-music-from-80s-youve-never.html Grant

    I vote for Michael McDonald, since both he and Robert Plant are only occasionally intelligible.

  • Ian

    Easy! Sarah Palin. Who wouldn't want to see her invite all the Joe Six-Packs in the audience to squeeze her lemon till the juice runs down her leg? She could also do the “(I Hate) Immigrant(s) Song” and “Communication Breakdown”. I can even visualise the fantasy sequence in the inevitable concert DVD, she arrives in the wilderness with a bow and arrow, kills all the animals in the forest, then God appears, sheds a mysterious cloak, only to reveal Sarah's own wizened (though still unexplainably attractive) face. This would all happen during her half-hour tambourine solo on “Living Loving Hockey Mom”.

  • http://avarana.blogspot.com MarlboroTestMonkey7

    DIE!!!!!

  • JohnHughes

    I'm excusing myself from the contest, but I had to suggest Fred Schneider:

    “Hey, hey, Mama, like the way you MOVE!
    Gonna make you DANCE! Gonna make you….GROOVE!”

  • JimStocker

    The surviving member of Milli Vanelli. Led Zepanelli

  • EightE1

    Russell Hitchcock, Kenny Rogers, or Pat Boone, baybee. Booney already covered “Stairway,” so you know he can bust out tha metal shit.

    Rob
    EightE1

  • Anthony Hansen

    First off, Fred Schneider would be AMAZING.

    Secondly, I nominate Shooby Taylor.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MutYIgL4Gbk

    Of course, he's dead now, so the tour would have to be credited to Led Zep and Zombie Shooby.

  • jbacardi

    Joanna Newsom.

    Elton John.

    Ramblin' Jack Elliott.

    Maria Muldaur.

    Ringo.

    Me.

    I can do this all night…

  • http://www.bastardradio.com steed

    Wildly inappropriate. I say – ME.

  • MC

    How about John McRea of Cake. He really knocked it out of the park when he covered Black Sabbath's War Pigs…

  • spy12

    inappropriate… how about celine dion or vanilla ice

  • Steven

    IAN ASTBURY!!!!

    The man had the gall to try to fill Jim Morrison's leather pants by singing with the Doors so why not take on another ridiculous challenge by replacing the GOLDEN GOD.

    How many people would possibly be egotistical enough to step onstage and assume anyone could possibly replace one of rock's great legends?

    The only thing more ridiculous than replacing Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin is Gene Simmons concept of replacing all of the original members of KISS. (and for the record, I am actually a fan of that band.)

  • JonCummings

    Dolly Parton. Heck, she's already covered “Stairway to Heaven”…

  • chadwicktron

    1. Johnny (Rotten) Lydon, 2. Dennis DeYoung, 3. Ray Stevens, 4. Cher, and 5.Mark Mothersbaugh.

  • breadalbane

    Alison Krauss.

    Not only would she be fantastic, it would piss off R. Plant to no end.

  • breadalbane

    But should Ms. Krauss be unavailable due to some sort of touring commitment or something….

    Leon Redbone. Seriously, wouldn't that be awesome?

    (strum, strum, strum, strum)
    “Ooooh, if it keeps on rainin, the levee's gwine to break”
    (strum, strum, strum, strum)

    (continued strumming through bass saxophone solo)

    Leon Zeppelin? Led Redbone? Whatever yoou wanna call it, I'd pay money to see it.

    Plus, the guy knows hundreds of songs by obscure old blues artists that the band could rip off. Er, I mean contemporize. Er, I mean graciously give proper credit to. Eventually. After a court order.

  • Eric S.

    The obvious choice is David St. Hubbins. He's got the hair, and the crossover medley possibilities are endless: Kashmir/Stonehenge, Whole Lotta Love/ Big Bottom ….

  • MichaelFortes

    Engelbert Motherfucking Humperdinck.

  • Maxus

    Ruth Pointer.

  • http://avarana.blogspot.com MarlboroTestMonkey7

    Jon Stevens of Noiseworks!

  • Elaine

    1. Leona Lewis
    2. Gary Cherone
    3. Bo Bice

    no?

  • Old_Davy

    1. Roger Waters – As appealing as it might be to meld two of the biggest acts of the 70's into one, and indeed it should draw quite a crowd to the shows, it would be a terrible combination.

    2. Since death does not seem to be a discounting circumstance, may I suggest Dan Fogelberg?

  • rockrdude

    Brian Setzer would be a hoot.

    But really.. if they're going to do this right:

    Led Zeppelin + Paul Rodgers

  • Jon

    Who was that terrible singer that actually had an album produced after he got booted from 'American Idol'?

    William HUNG!!

    He must be looking for a band!

  • MC

    OK, there is only one fair way to decide: Call Mark Burnett and start the ball rolling with Rock Star: Led Zeppelin

  • dcincinci

    In all seriousness, Glenn Hughes. The former lead singer for Trapeze and Deep Purple would do Zep's music justice. Plus he's a great bass player and that would free up John Paul Jones to play keyboards exclusively on certain songs.

  • eddie

    Michael Jackson would be really good. I love the mashup of his ABC vocal over Zep's Heartbreaker (seek ye ABC Breaker by DJ Moule)

  • Dan

    Tay Zonday. Composer and performer of Chocolate Rain. Imagine him belting out – “If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now…”