U.K. coverage of Led Zeppelin's award inspires word of the week: 'gong'

In U.K. reports, I keep seeing the word "gong" used as a synonym for "award," as in "Led Zeppelin received the Outstanding Achievement gong at Tuesday's GQ awards ceremony."

Evidently, this is like a trolley or a lift: They mean different things over there compared to how they're used on my side of the Atlantic.

Maybe I deserve a gong myself since I figured this out from context clues.

Here's one example from the print media. A small GQ write-up here quotes both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant on the frequency of awards throughout their career.

Page says:

"In our day we never got any."

Plant invokes the magic word, adding:

"The thing is, when the temples get grey, the gongs start coming in thick and fast."

You said it, man. Long live the gong!

On a completely different note, the first review I've seen trickle in from the world premiere of the guitar documentary "It Might Get Loud" in Toronto a few hours ago says this:

"Could this movie possibly live up to the hype? My friends, this movie lived up to everything I thought it would be ... and then turned it up to eleven."

Read the whole piece here.

Could a gong be in the future for Davis Guggenheim? I've already quoted Bob Thompson of the National Post here, who foresees an Oscar.

Pictures speak louder than words

A lot can be said for nonverbal communication, which happens to be the subject I studied in college two semesters in a row. So much is being made of the posture and facial expressions of the Led Zeppelin members who turned out to pick up their GQ award in London last night. Both the mainstream press and Zep fans in multiple online forums are taking stabs at interpreting what can be gleaned from examining a few photographs of the event.

The Sun uses a visual analysis of Robert Plant at the event to weigh in on any future collaboration among all three 60-somethings: "Hopes of a full-on LED ZEPPELIN reunion took a knock on the night. Bassist JOHN PAUL JONES and guitarist JIMMY PAGE both said they were keen to reform the band. But ROBERT PLANT, who had a long chat with Gavin & Stacey stars ROB BRYDON and RUTH JONES, looked unimpressed."

On both the official discussion group at LedZeppelin.com and on For Badgeholders Only, fans today have been taking the phrase "Every picture tells a story" quite seriously. One user of both forums pointed to the photo shown above (from left, John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant) and said that "the body language doesn't look real cozy." Pressed for further explanation in FBO, the user continued, "Look how Jimmy is posed facing slightly toward the middle of the pic as one would tend to do. Robert is clearly leaning away from Jimmy and has placed his foot and shoulder firmly in front of Jimmy as if trying to be dominant." Some agreed with such naysaying analyses, while others commenting were less skeptical.

Any comments from the LedZeppelinNews.com peanut gallery?

Led Zeppelin awarded in person; Page, Plant and Jones accept GQ's top honor in London

All three original surviving members of Led Zeppelin made a surprise appearance in London Tuesday when the bandmates shared a podium to receive GQ's Men of the Year award for 2008.

"The U.K.'s most celebrated awards ceremony," held at London's Royal Opera House, marked the first public appearance together by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones since they performed a one-off concert last December, also in London, with Jason Bonham filling in for his late father on drums. That exclusive performance, which reunited the group's surviving members for their first full show since 1980, is the reason the Led Zeppelin members earned GQ's Outstanding Achievement award.

Page and Jones were on hand in June when another magazine, Mojo, honored Led Zeppelin with an award as voted on by readers to recognize the live show. Plant, however, was touring the United States when his Led Zeppelin bandmates picked up the Mojo award in person.

It is also Plant who was absent earlier this year while Page, Jones and Bonham were jamming on new material in England.

Surely, much could be made of Plant's photo op with Page and Jones at the GQ Men of the Year award ceremony in London on Sept. 2. For now, all that can be discerned from this rare appearance by all three original surviving members of Led Zeppelin is that they are, for now, willing to look back and appreciate their long and storied past.

Many fans are quick to call this month Zeptember, and rightly so, as the coming weeks are to include several reminders of Led Zeppelin's magic. Namely:

• At Knebworth Field House, the site of the band's final U.K. concerts in 1979, a fan-initiated memorabilia exhibition celebrating Led Zeppelin closes today with a scheduled personal appearance by Zacron, the artist behind the group's third album.
• Page is slated to walk the red carpet of the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 5, for the world premiere of "It Might Get Loud," a movie joining him with fellow guitar superstars The Edge and Jack White.
• This Sunday, Sept. 7, marks the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's first live performance. Fans in Denmark who were present for that historic moment in 1968 will relive it 40 years to the day when a Led Zeppelin tribute band recreates the group's famous music.
• This month, author Frank Reddon of Enzepplopedia fame is to release the first book of a series recounting Led Zeppelin's early years in detail, as told by numerous voices including some previously untapped primary sources who witnessed the group's power firsthand.
• Led Zeppelin has been nominated for a Vodafone live music award in the category of best live return, again for the O2 Arena concert. Winners are to be announced at the third annual ceremony, to be held Sept. 18 in London.