Newport, Victoria 2023

Desert Island Discs is a BBC radio institution, having been broadcast continuously since 1942. More than 3000 guests have been “cast away”, asked to pick eight recordings they would take if marooned on a desert island. In the wee small hours when I can’t sleep, I plug in my earphones and tune into the show’s vast back catalogue.

Some guests are more interesting than others, and some are not what you would expect at all – Robert Plant, for example.

When Led Zeppelin ruled the world during the 1970s, lead singer Plant was the man we boys all wanted to be: bare-chested, fabulous mane of blond hair, a voice beyond human and a lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. My music historian friend Ian Wright (about whom I’ve written before) nominated Plant as “the greatest voice rock had ever heard” when writing about contemporary legends in 1978.

Plant’s selected discs for the desert island ranged  from delta blues to Bollywood, to African folk songs, from ska to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – but not one hard-core rock anthem among them … maybe he’s just sick of listening to Led Zeppelin tunes.

And then, asked to name the one track above all he would save from the waves, Plant selected Serenade by the mid-20th century Italian tenor Mario Lanza, from the musical The Student Prince.

Whaaaat?

Now, I know Mario but I wouldn’t have guessed he’d had much influence on Robert Plant.

Mario was one of my father’s favourites. Dad was a civil engineer whose musical tastes were mostly opera or musical theatre. His CD collection was full of stuff like The Three Tenors and Mozart’s Greatest Hits, and a couple were Mario Lanza collections.

After Dad died we agreed this passion should be recognised at his funeral.

Coincidentally, a family friend called Blake Bowden, a now-established star in Australian musical theatre, had sung Mario songs in cabaret. He offered to sing at Dad’s service, and suggested Serenade.

We held the service in Dad’s church where he and Mum had worshipped for 50 years. Blake’s vocals filled the high ceiling and we just knew Dad would have loved it.

I doubt Dad had ever heard of Led Zeppelin, and he certainly wouldn’t have known Robert Plant from any other long-haired hippie. We were young children in the 1970s and Dad worked long and hard to give us a safe and happy home. Popular culture pretty much passed him by.

Robert Plant explained his unexpected choice by saying Serenade was “the first song that made me stop and feel the goosebumps”. Dad might have said the same.

In my mind’s eye, I can see Mario and Dad crooning together on some celestial desert island somewhere. One day, Robert Plant can join them.

 

StereoStory#704

Discover more from Stereo Stories

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Hugh Jones is an experienced media manager and journalist. He worked for News Limited in Australia for more than 20 years in a wide variety of editorial roles, including as a newspaper editor. He has also worked in the United Kingdom, both in London and the provinces. He now works in public relations and strategic communications, advising a wide range of organisations on their communication needs. Hugh is president of the Williamstown Literary Festival, a long-time supporter of Stereo Stories.