Top 94 Quotes & Sayings by Jason Bonham

I don't think I've ever met a drummer who didn't tell me that my dad was an influence. He's a tough act to follow.

At some point I got sick of people calling me Bonzo junior. But now that I'm older and wiser, I'm just honored to be mentioned in the same breath.

Joe Morello, my dad was really into him and Little Richard's drummer.

I think to myself, How would things be for me if my dad was still alive? Would we get along? Would we argue? You know, we never got to the falling-out stage with each other.

When your Dad was the creator of 'Moby Dick' you kind of steer clear of getting compared in a solo-ing aspect.

My dad provided me with a great way of life, and he was very charitable man.

I heard heart wrenching stories about fans who had tickets for the 1980 show in Montreal, the first concert that didn't happen, when my dad died. They'd be in tears. It was hard to deal with sometimes.

I always say dad was a lot more funky than people think.

Performing my father's songs at the Led Zeppelin O2 reunion concert in 2007 was an honor that I will forever remember as one of the most bittersweet, yet greatest nights of my life.

I did not want to go onstage and play Led Zeppelin songs; there has to be more than that. I wanted to create a complete experience of what Led Zeppelin means to me, growing up around them and being part of it all my life.

Dad's influence naturally came into me, rather than trying to emulate every detail. His way of teaching me was to be sparse, and to be explosive when it needed to be.

I feel that it was my destiny to play with Led Zeppelin, and of course I had the chance and I did it to my best ability.

Well, when you grow up in a family situation like in England, you're whole - we call it pub culture, and it is, really. You grow up, you literally come home from work, everyone goes to the pub at 6:30, you drink till 10:30, go home and go to bed. That was our entire life - all my aunts and uncles, and my grandfather drank 'til he was 85.

I don't think there are any easy Led Zeppelin songs.

I don't mind talking about dad and stuff, because that's part of my life, you know? For me to pretend to be like him, and do the same things he used to do is over. I can see past it now. It took me thirty-eight years and sobriety to realize who Jason Bonham is.

To be able to play 'In The Air Tonight' was one of my bucket list things I didn't think I was ever gonna be able to say I did.

It's beyond my wildest dreams to come out, represent my family, my father and the music of Led Zeppelin.

I am notoriously hard on myself in terms of working on new material and while I am critical of my performance on the Led Zeppelin material, I am way more critical of my own stuff. I'm pretty hard on myself.

If you listen to five nights of Led Zeppelin back to back they are all different.

Every drummer I've ever spoken to or read an interview with - my dad is always in their top three. I'm honored to share his name and represent him all these years after he's gone.

One of the reasons I do the Led-Zeppelin Experience is because I really didn't get the chance, while he was alive, to understand how great my father was. I never got the chance to tell him.

My daughter wasn't into that type of rock music and kind of played it off. But then these teenage boys started coming around, and Led Zeppelin, I don't know, it became reinvented. Now she's very proud of her grandfather.

It took a thing like my father's death to make me decide that I actually wanted to pursue drumming.

My biggest 'Spinal Tap' moment was a stupid one as well. When we were rehearsing for the Zeppelin O2 gig, I was having an argument with my drum pedals. I actually took them outside, and drove over them several times with the car. Shouting at them and telling them they'll never work again.

You know, I went through the whole blond hair bit. And dad took me to see The Police when I was 13. And I was like, this is a cool band, dad. See this is a cool band. And I felt bad for years because then a year later... I never had a chance to tell him how great I think was. After he passed away, I would go and listen to his music.

I was listening to the 'Song Remains The Same' version of 'Dazed And Confused' and, oh my God, that is such an amazing version live.

Led Zeppelin was Led Zeppelin when John Bonham was on drums. It's timeless.

South Florida was definitely not a bad place for my kids to grow up.

My daughter is going to college and I'm very proud of her and my son is pursuing his own career in rap.

If you had asked me in 2005, when I had just joined Foreigner, that I would leave the band in 2007 to play with Led Zeppelin, I would have said you're nuts.

When I do the Led Zeppelin Experience I feel sort of responsible and it's a more nerve-wracking gig.

Everyone knows these stories about a wild and crazy guy called Bonzo, but at home he was just like any other father; always hollering at me for not doing my homework.

I think that my performances with Led Zeppelin got better with each performance and I think that our performances as Led Zeppelin Experience have also gotten better with each show.

I've been working on some original songs with the band that does the Led Zeppelin experience. We're going to start writing as an original band and see what comes out of it. It'll be kind of Zeppelin-esque because of the way the guys play - but there's nothing wrong with that.

He might have been in Led Zeppelin, but to me he was just dad.

I found my childhood scrapbook and there's an interview in there with dad from 1970. He talks about how long he's been playing the drums and he'd only been playing drums six years in 1970.

I love the fact that young people are into rock 'n' roll music.

Dad's the master, I'm the student.

I've had about 40 cars in my lifetime, maybe more, from Lamborghinis and McLarens to Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, but I always lost so much money.

I'm playing my father's music and I'm a fan of Led Zeppelin. The response has been beyond what I ever imagined it would be. Unreal. Everyone seems to understand the story I'm telling.

I've searched all of my life for approval from my dad who is not around. So if I can get approval by his fans or from peers and critics, it helps me.

I always regretted that I never had the chance to tell Dad how great I thought he was.

A song like 'When The Levee Breaks' has a very simple pattern, but it's hard to give it that feel that my dad gave it.

We were both into motocross. My dad would wake me up at 6:30 on weekends, brew some coffee and make some sandwiches for us. Then we'd spend the day racing together. I know he had this reputation as being wild and irresponsible, but I never saw any of that.

To play like John Bonham is the hardest thing in the world because you're not John Bonham. It's how you breathe out of your heart. It's your emotions.

It is hard to have your own identity when you dad is John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, but I accept and love the fact of who my dad is.

But I would say my favorite Zeppelin song to play is 'Kashmir.' I have a great time playing that one.

It's imperative that I continue putting together the best shows and take it to the next level. I'm talking to people about holograms, and my dream is to do the hologram drum solo with dad next to me.

I've loved Range Rovers. That goes back to when I was a kid. My dad had the first ever Range Rover that was ever made - the first wave back in the '70s - and he had one every year from that moment, and mom has continued to do that. From the moment they started Range Rovers, they've been in my family.

I've never been a huge fan of drum solos.

I'm a huge fan of Ayrton Senna and the color scheme of the old McLarens.

As I've gotten older, as I've gotten familiar with all different types of music, stuff that I didn't like when I was younger I actually kind of like now.

As far as being a drummer, to me it's a positive that he's my father. To be mentioned alongside him... I mean, you Google his name and mine comes up, too - wow! Not too shabby.

I've always wanted to do an album with half the people I've worked with. People like Robert Plant, Paul Rodgers, Jeff Beck and Slash.

My first four cars, I flipped - not sold them, literally rolled them or flipped them.

When the album 'Duke' came out, by Genesis, Phil Collins beat Dad in a drummers poll. My dad got me to learn 'Turn It On Again' by Genesis. I'd play it, and he'd go, 'Do it again,' until I got it right. I'd play it until I nailed it, and then he went, 'I don't see what the big deal is. My 12-year-old son could play that song.'

Somebody asked me the other day, 'What do you love the most about the show?' I said, 'The conversations that I have with my father in my head while I'm playing.' If I do something pretty good... I mean, I'm playing the gig and I'm saying in my head, 'Hey, check that one out, dad.'

Led Zeppelin sounded like nobody else. That spoke to the individuality of the band and the direction Jimmy Page wanted to pursue.

Growing up my heroes were American motocross riders. I didn't want to be a drummer; I wanted to be a motocross rider.

I know I live in the shadow of the greatest drummer in the world, so it's nice to have a bit of sunshine now and again.