The Reason Why Robert Plant Hates the Ukelele

Who exactly is Robert Plant? Fans of the rock group Led Zeppelin obviously don’t need to be told who he is, as the name will probably ring a bell right away. However, other individuals who haven’t listened to that particular group’s music as much may not be familiar with the name. Even those who listen to it casually may not be intimately familiar with the individual members of the group. As it turns out, Plant is most commonly associated as one of the most influential members of the group. It appears that he also hates ukuleles and doesn’t seem to be too fond of memoirs, either.

Why Does He Hate Ukuleles?

Fans who are familiar with Robert Plant will probably not be terribly surprised that he’s not always incredibly forthcoming in interviews. In fact, he sort of has a tendency to tell people what he does and doesn’t like, all without choosing to elaborate on the reasons why. During one such interview, he was asked about playing the ukulele and stated emphatically that he absolutely hates the instrument. When asked why, he mumbled something about it being related to an incident that happened years ago that he would rather not discuss. During that same interview, he also mentioned that he had recently been requested to make a contribution to another band member’s memoirs, which he flatly refused to take part in. Again, there wasn’t much elaboration on his part.

He Finally Tells All

Later during this same interview, he was finally convinced to elaborate on his utter hatred for the ukulele. Apparently, the conversation got started innocently enough, as the person conducting the interview had said that he had spent a great deal of lockdown trying to learn the instrument and found it to be quite enjoyable. Apparently, Plant was quick to disagree, telling him that it was a rubbish instrument that no one should ever play and that in fact, it should not even exist. He went on to elaborate that one of his bandmates in Led Zeppelin had picked up a ukulele during one of their travels, choosing to play it a great deal of the time while they were on the road and even backstage in the dressing room. Apparently, this was something that irritated Plant a great deal. He now claims that he positively hates the ukulele and he wants nothing to do with that instrument now, or ever. By the same token, he seems to be equally unfond of old English tunes or traditional music that is commonly played on the instrument.

Stirring the Pot

During this same interview, Plant also recounted how he enjoys stirring the pot, so to speak. At one point, when he was living in the United States, he had purchased an old vehicle that had formerly been used as a police car from an auction company. He went to the trouble of painting the car dark blue from bumper to bumper, with the express intent of making other motorists believe that he was driving an undercover cop car. If that’s not diabolical enough, he took things a step further by applying a single bumper sticker to the back of the car that people could only read when they got within a few feet of the automobile. It was basically a reference designed to stir up people from the southern part of the country, telling them that they needed to drive faster because banjo music was approaching. He said that he rather enjoyed seeing the expressions of motorists when they immediately slowed down because they thought he was an undercover cop car, only then being close enough to read the bumper sticker that basically served to insult all who saw it.

The Problem with Memoirs

As it turns out, this interview was quite revealing. He was asked if he had ever considered writing his memoirs, prompting him to recount how he had been requested to help contribute to one and refused to do so. He then went on to explain that he doesn’t think much of people that consider writing their own memoirs, often because the circumstances contained therein happen merely by chance, not because that particular individual does anything special to create such a situation. In short, he was basically saying that most people who write memoirs are a bit on the self-centered side. He then went on to elaborate that if he ever were so inclined to do so, he still wouldn’t write anything because his family doesn’t know most of the stuff that he did while he was touring with the band and he doesn’t want them to find out about it.

Future Interviews

Judging from this particular interview, It might be a safe bet that there won’t be a lot of people lining up with a desire to interview him in the future. He has always been known for being quite blunt, even to the point of being a challenge to talk to. However, time doesn’t seem to have mellowed him one bit. In fact, it seems like he has grown even more dedicated in his opinions, refusing to simply agree to disagree with another individual. Instead, he still seems to enjoy stirring the pot, making the decision to spend much of this most recent interview in more of a confrontational manner than anything else. No one would question Plant’s abilities as a musician. That much is safe to say. However, it definitely isn’t likely that he will be doing anything that involves playing the ukulele anytime in the near future. In fact, if it were up to him, every ukulele in the world would probably be smashed to bits. By the same token, it doesn’t look like he will be writing any memoirs in the near future, either. For now, fans of the group will have to settle for this interview, as it may be the only thing that they get from Plant for quite some time.