Robert Plant said he hasn’t been writing new music because “the world is in such a mess”, he explained during an on-stage interview on March 25 in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I want to write but the world is in such a mess. Whatever I have to say, it’s so trivial and so subjective, it doesn’t exist, really. I’m so sad with everything that is about. I can’t even start commenting on it in case I can’t come back here again,” Plant told interviewer David Fricke, according to an audience recording of the interview published online.
Plant hasn’t released any original music since his 2021 album Raise the Roof with Alison Krauss. Prior to that, his last original solo material was released on his album Carry Fire in 2017.
Plant’s current band Saving Grace have only performed and released cover versions of songs.
“I really wish I could write,” Plant added later in the interview. “I wish I had a voice that was worth listening to on that level, but I don’t.”
Plant has avoided making directly political comments in recent years. Earlier this month, he deleted posts featuring a mural of Woody Guthrie after some fans began political debates in the comments.
Plant previously publicly supported Bruce Springsteen after he delivered a series of speeches opposing Donald Trump. While introducing the song “Friends” during a performance with Saving Grace in Tampere, Finland on May 18, Plant said: “Bruce Springsteen is touring right now in the UK and he’s putting out some really serious stuff. So tune in to him. And let’s all hope that we can be…” The band then began performing “Friends”.
Plant again backed Springsteen in an interview published in Mojo Magazine’s October 2025 issue. “There are people I know that say I should say what I think, but there’s so many strands to it,” Plant said. “It’s a slow death of everything we ever loved. From an American viewpoint, I could only add my support to Bruce Springsteen because he actually knows it, he lives in it.”
While performing “Ramble On” in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 16, Plant changed the lyrics of the song to include “Gollum, the orange one”.
Plant briefly discussed politics again in the March 25 interview, saying: “We’ve got a government as well … it’s like ‘Sesame Street’ on acid.”
During the March 25 interview, Plant also referenced artificial intelligence-generated articles and Facebook posts which make false claims about him, such as supposed tour announcements and even false claims about him getting married.
“It was just so beautiful and so ironic to sing it in this era where we don’t know truth from fantasy,” he said as he explained the song “It’s a Beautiful Day Today”.
“Apparently I got married yesterday and it didn’t look like her, whoever she was. I don’t know what’s happened to me today,” he added.
Days earlier, a misleading Facebook post claimed that Plant had married his partner, including an AI-generated image of their supposed wedding.
your still the transparent achilles of craft plus the democratic and republican party both suck very badly
If you don’t like it here Mr Plant then go home. Seriously this guy hasn’t done anything musically relevant since the 80s and now he takes veiled shots at our government. It’s time for retirement Plant and its long overdue.
Absolutely!!!
I’m from Jersey.\n Always love Led Zeppelin. Always will love your music. Your writing, stay out of politic.\n Yes.American bruce Springsteen is a moron politics. It won’t do you any good
Again proving that just because you (were) a star doesn’t mean your smart
I agree
I don’t like it here and I am home. Less than 40% of us voted for the orange felon, brother.
His music has been highly relevant to his most recent album eith Krauss and conversely you need to stay off the internet as you are irrelevant
maybe he hasn’t done to.much for music but that doesn’t mean his opinion is wrong , what right do you have to tell him what to do maybe you should shut your mouth. Because he’s right 8. the fact that things are a mess I dont care if you support Trump or not Or Ai or not I’m sick of the fake AI articles on Facebook also claiming people are dead only to find out they are once again wrong. And any president who just thinks he can do whatever he wants will learn the hard way you can’t do that. So what is Robert saying that is so offensive to you? and. there has never been another band like Led Zeppelin and. never will again same as Beatles , there is only one , so leave home alone and get a life Or better yet don’t read Led Zeppelin news , easy .
Plant claims Springsteen knows something because he lives here in the u.s., but he’s wrong – Springsteen’s an idiot now, if he ever had any understanding of America or Americans he’s lost it. “The orange one” that Plant jokes about is saving the world so that Plant can happily lift songs from old blues masters in the future.
No Jerry, [sigh] you’re the idiot
I agree
Plant’s music, Mighty Rearranger being one example released in the 21st century is very exciting given the ways it jumps from genre to genre and culture to culture. My personal opinion is that he is still a fantastic creator.
What a pathetic comment. Really pathetic.
I will jump in here, for my final comment. I have kept up with the state of most of the Western societies pretty well lately. One thing I’m sure of, nobody from England should talk down about American politics or society in any way. From everything I’ve heard and read, freedom of speech has all but completely disappeared in Great Britain. People being arrested daily, simply for social media posts that are seen as unacceptable. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Their culture is disappearing rapidly, because their immigration system is even far worse than ours was several years ago. England is reverting back to the country that we left 250 years ago. So, go ahead and keep it. We are fine here, even without his approval.
Why shouldn’t Robert Plant have a go about the orange idiot who has had a go about Britain not wanting to join in the illegal war that he started. He has completely lost the plot and should be locked up
I am that fan who queried the Woodie Guthrie pic. As Woodie Guthrie was a staunch anti fascist. I believe Mr Plant knew that.Mr Plant is very well read. I cannot comprehend why touring red states at this time Is appropriate. Having said that I am very concerned about his and the bands safety. It is not safe to fly in the US at this time.
Maybe dial down the melodrama a tad.
Amen to that. Why would it be inappropriate to play in red states? When all the violence is happening in blue states? And there are currently no travel warnings in the U.S., so I’m not sure where that came from.
Robert plant is an icon and he is welcome to express his opinion anytime he wants i I’m not talented enough to write a song but I can at least sympathize with his comment the world is a mess and I agree with that 100 percent it’s a disaster. I could see struggling trying to come up with anything that would be happy to write about but we are alive still that is good news. Robert I’m sure anything you came up with would be appreciated by your real fans I know it would be played in my home.IN MY PERSONEL OPINION your still the best vocalist of my time and I like lots of different music so brother rock on and do what you do best. I grew up with ZEPPELIN you all where the best and still are.
You must be one of those tolerant liberals. Unbelievable to suggest such crap. You are the problem and you’re to damn blind with hatred to even recognize it.
Why is it unsafe? What a drama queen you are
He’s lived in Texas for years. There is no boycott call out there. Boycotting is a strategy – South Africa, Palestine, etc. consumer boycotts, Arizona during the years it wouldn’t recognize MLK’s birthday. But it makes little sense for someone to declare a boycott when there’s no call from those in whose name it would be done to do so, is there?
Robert Plant 🪶 you are a LEGEND ✨ can’t help forget about the time you appeared on The David Letterman show and David Letterman introduced FATE OF NATIONS 🌍
So has Robert forgotten what a mess the world was for the entire 20th century???? I mean there were wars, genocide, hunger, political assassinations etc.
I give you full credit on that one. It’s common knowledge that the late 60’s and early 70’s were the most turbulent and violent times in this nation’s history. I believe that almost perfectly coincides with the pinnacle of Led Zeppelin’s success. So, blaming writers block on the state of society, is a bit of a cop out.
Sesame Street on acid that’s perfect robert
Let’s leave Political references out. Not a good idea!!! It’s private. I love Robert Plant.
Why??
I do not understand?
Gollum the orange one,also perfect
America has been transformed into a wellspring of vitriol and hate that saps creativity and hope. Here’s to better days where we look forward to dancing on the graves of fascist authoritarians. May entrained arterial plaque soon find purchase in the mango menace’s cerebral vasculature.
Another person on the wrong side of history
Those who love music, as an Irishman,who I am cannot help but give Mr. Plant due praise for his timeless dedication to the craft. There are many fine lead men ,alive or dead, Robert surpasses. Many vocalists, Robert surpasses, many songwriters, Robert Surpasses, He has evolved,matured , certainly not a has been try to recapture Warhols 15 minutes. He keeps regenerating and the 15 minute rule can never apply to him,ever, Ozzie had that quality in a different way.
Mr Plant MUST WRITE,YOU MUST WRITE MR PLANT. Pain and anger are the tools of a songwriter. Give us an ancient Cetic story. Hell ,Springsteen made it all up. So can you, Robert
If you look at the new album – nothing “new” yet radically new and beautiful interpretations of songs most of us have never heard. So it is “new”. That has a powerful value for continuing a tradition to new generations. If you think about how deep the well is of music in the Midlands, never mind the Mississippi Delta, he can spend the next 20 years (one hopes) digging into the past and still coming up with new creations that enlighten us.
Wow. Such a musical genious but ignorant when it comes to the real world. So sad to waste such a talented mind. TDS.
Yes, totally agree. Love all his new material, but anyone who admires the garbage that Springsteen is spewing about Trump, I have lost all respect for.
I’m from Jersey.\n Always love Led Zeppelin. Always will love your music. Your writing, stay out of politic.\n Yes.American bruce Springsteen is a moron politics. It won’t do you any good
May Truth prevail, speak it, write it.
The World is in a state of hell because it is End times. Better get right with Jesus. The World will end on Friday April 13th 2029. Apophis hits and it is the end of Human civilization. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
No offense Mr. plant but you’re older than dirt now, you should have retired in the 80s
You absolutely still have that voice, we want to hear it. We need to hear it.
Disappointing to hear such an uninformed, typical liberal response. Believing in science, secure borders and Americans first is only “fascist” to braindead lunatics.
Conti.ue to stay true to yourself.
I’ll never be a fan of yours again.
Anyone who stands behind Bruce Springsteen dosent love or deserves to make a dime in America 🇺🇸 get lost
Continues to stay true to yourself!
Bull-hooey! His last good idea was in the early 70’s. Time to call it a day, Bub.
Saw Saving Gracein New Orleans. Truly a magical show and did not disappoint. Thank you for so many years of incredible music.
No worries mate….you just don’t understand….still have your albums from the 70’s…
It’s all ok in the USA.
Keep telling yourself it’s all okay in the US. It’s a freaking mess and boiling over to the rest of the world. Robert Plant was absolutely correct. Keep your head buried in the sand.
Its so sad, the world of 67-71 is fading before our eyes The song does not remain the same after all 🙁
Plant is not writing ow because he is too busy going to pubs and freeloading
Idiots que ip to buy him a drink….idiots
Some people commenting should brush up on their grammar. Presumably thicko americans. Also, Walking into clarkesdale was a masterpiece, as was No Quarter. There is no substitution for knowledge.
It disappoints me so much to hear members of bands that I loved so much back in the day feel they are so relevant we really care what they think. Anyone that follows Soringsteen obviously has TDS. Springsteen is such a fake. Stay in England Plant. Ill remeber the 70s when you made sense. They are arresting people in England for disagreeing with the government on social media and this fossil is complaining about Trump. Lol
The world has always been a mess you will probably continue! So write your music and give us some hope.
Robert Plant,please keep doing what you’re doing. I’ve been a fan since Led Zeppelin 1. Ignore the negative comments. Positively lives longer anyway. Stay well.
Robert Plant is and always has been an incredibly talented singer and song writer. His music helps me get through the bleak state the world is currently in.
I look forward to hearing more music from him and I know it will be beautiful.
I wish Robert Plant would should read this and it’s simple , Robert Stay out of politics it will just ruin your career .
Your fellow British people they love Donald Trump , and they can’t stand A true American Idiot his name is Bruce Springsteen ,that is A FACT .
Robert I agree with you and I sing for fun . This is what happenswhen we have no leadership.My mum grew up in swansea wales.She sang big band music in wales.All the people tell I should sing professionally.I sing zepplin and cover very well.Your the best from another Welsh english friend .
I find that music is my safety net and my comfort in times of strife. I know Robert will never read this, but if he ever did I’d urge him to create some music that would comfort him and share it with us. Everyone has a happy place and they are allowed to go enjoy it. Why make things harder for yourself by dwelling on the negative? Indulge in your pleasures and invite others to share your passions.
Haven’t song writers written some of their best stuff when the going gets rough. So go ahead and write and forgo the whining you talented bloke. Leave politics aside before you go woke.
Anyone can come to America and say what they please. It is the way we do things. Stop acting like a bunch of baby fascists and read the Constitution.
Sad to see Musicians get into other country politics you dont hear them griping about Iran Slaughtering 32,000 people do you? Just Orange Man Bad .. it’s a Joke
Is Rosie O’Donnell returning to the country she despises to be closer to “Orange Man Bad” perhaps to join forces with Bruce Springsteen & Robert Deniro. Perhaps to inspire his inner Woody Guthrie to write “Ode to Aging Wokesters”
Anybody that supports Donald Dump doesn’t deserve to live in America and they’re dumber than a box of rocks
Seen a lot since 1960. Don’t like what I’m seeing now. Grew up just taking care of myself, enjoying what I earned through hard work. Never wanted what someone else had, just because it was more than I had. Respected my elders. Helped anyone who needed help. Now most people want to control what someone else thinks, what the have, how much they should keep… think they are the only right ones. I have had friends from all backgrounds, political parties, economic levels. Let’s just take care of ourselves, help those we can, listen to others opinions without hating them, and show a little love. If I’m evil for being conservative and Christian, no apologies. Stop trying to force your beliefs and will on everyone else. Like my Pops used to tell me when I was young,” let Russ worry about Russ, and screw all those “a” holes.
I guess the negative responders on here didn’t grow up during the 1960s here in the US. The garbage going on then was as bad as today. In some ways it never stopped being garbage.
So, kudos to Robert. He knows the score.
Robert has a right to his opinion just like the rest of us. It’s ironic that so many people want to tear down his opinions with their own. Only an idiot would think/say that America is doing well right now.
Hilarious to see how easily outraged and triggered the self described alpha males in trump cult are if someone even hints at not blindly following their orange god. And how they all come out of the woodwork to make sure you know how outraged and triggered they are. BTW I think sesame street on meth is more accurate. Acid is for the peace and love crowd. Meth is for people who storm the capitol, assault police, and deficate in places other than a toilet, that’s Trump’s base.
More Robert Plant music. Less Robert plant copy cats and politics. Never cared about Bruce Springsteen’s music and or his liberal political view.
Let’s not be harsh to Robert Plant. He is a beautiful soul, and he has contributed so much to music over his lifetime.
As an artist, he doesn’t get involved in the fundamentals and the reality of geopolitics.
That’s fine. I don’t want him to be the Secretary of War. I want him to play beautiful music to make me forget about wars, and geopolitics, and the difficult things in life.
Bruce Springsteen is a has been. He shouldn’t try to sing anymore. He sounds pathetic. He portrays himself as a man of the people, but charges them outrageous prices for his concerts. I am a big fan of Led Zeppelin, but I wish Plant would not involve himself in politics. A performer’s roll is to perform. They are not politicians. It can be a career ender for them.
You have no idea about what performers’ jobs are. They have always had as their job to educate, to provoke, to enrage. The Griots of West Africa, the blueswomen and men of the Delta or the Great Migration, the MCs of the Bronx, banlieues or Gaza, and the classic rock icons of the Woodstock era, even the psalmists of the Bible – all would disagree with you. So please take some time to learn about the role of music in all our cultures over our common history.
I hope to god these insane, nasty comments are AI! As an American I can definitely say right now we don’t have the right to look down on any country. I grew up in the 70s and I’d take Nixon and Watergate over trump and Epstein ANY DAY. This is an evil country we live in and all of you trump voters know it. Make America great again? Trump, his family and friends are dancing on the piles of billions they’ve made off of you fools. Robert Plant used to live in the US. Did you know that? But let me add, you don’t have to be citizen to see what has happened. And damnit, this is a music site for fans of the members of Zeppelin. A place to escape to. Go find your nazi/ ice/ maga sites if your looking for somewhere to brag about living in hell!
If he’s so unhappy he can use the situation to fire up his creativity and write something, as that is what drives an artist and supposedly keeps them creating (more often when life is sad, depressing, difficult, experiencing divisiveness, etc.) versus when life is rosy and wonderful. But there comes a time instead of making excuses, simply say he’s decided to retire, and drop the facade of performing since he’s obviously no longer interested in doing so. It requires so much and at some point, perhaps his interests have shifted as is normal when people age. Nothing wrong with him wanting to do other things or spending time with family and himself now, just own it. Also, if he’s unhappy and that doesn’t suit him, he’s free to leave since this is not his “home.”
I DO believe that AI is generating the red neck postings here. For one thing, the haters seem to know how to spell. That’s a false flag right there ! But seriously, this era is no different than the 60s with Vietnam and Civil Rights. The nutters who think that hunting for deer and making jerky for the following year is going to save them from an Orange Apocalypse are dead wrong.
Music is a beautiful thing. Everybody has an opinion.
Right now America is messed up, have people on this form telling Plant to stay out of Politics, and some BS that UK loves Trump, thats BS to the max, what the problem is you have NAZIS in the white house
What a copout. You haven’t written a decent song in over 20 years (Mighty Reaaranger), only a piss load of covers with Allison Krauss and you can’t blame Trump for that.
Don’t get involved Robert. We know what happened to Lennon. An entire society has gone insane, which has happened throughout history, and they don’t want to be told home truths. We need a miracle to prevent what’s coming. Epstein’s mate is capable of anything. He’s radicalised tens of millions and it’s terrifying.
Robert Plant should not say anything about or in the US because in this environment he and almost any other artist will risk permanent revocation of their visas and even green cards. The fact that he received the Kennedy Center Honor from Obama would make him a prime target for Trump.
He’s already said enough. His lyrics and their music showed us the way. They showed us the beauty and intensity of the world and gave us a glimpse of moments of transcendence that don’t require money or power but just the ability to listen and groove. The fact that this world is going to Hell is not because Robert couldn’t write directly political lyrics, it’s despite all the music he did write and perform.
Rage Against the Machine wrote some of the most powerful political music of the 20th century and told us everything we needed to know but wound up being danced to at expensive festivals by wasted frat boys. Springsteen is an icon but his imagination of an America that was once an inspiration is so myopic it completely ignores the millions of people we’ve killed – 3M in Southeast Asia alone – and that brutality of American capitalism imposed all across the Global South with coups, invasions, occupations and brutal imperial wars for well over 150 years. Nina simone, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, and so many others here and across the world have laid out the realities and warned us up the future, but it wasn’t enough.
But Zep and the music its members have created since have provided unadulterated joy and transcendence. Their ability to blend elements from so many cultures into a whole that was so much greater than the sum of its parts was a model for how all of us could have lived together.
In the light we could have found the road and the fact we didn’t is on us.