Rock Talks: Plum enthusiast presents on Led Zeppelin, myriad other topics

In an unprecedented violation of marketing orthodoxy, the British band Led Zeppelin released its fourth album in 1971 with nothing on the front cover but a painting of an old man carrying a bundle of sticks.

A turn of the gatefold jacket reveals a similarly wizened, wizardlike figure standing atop a mountain, holding a lantern to survey what lies below. And the record doesn’t even have a conventional title, just four obscure symbols selected by each member of the quartet.

The overall presentation lends itself to the aura of mystery and mysticism that the group started cultivating with “Ramble On,” which makes allusions to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” and continuing with “The Immigrant Song,” an ode to invading Norsemen.

Retired Franklin Regional teacher Erik Selinger draws on lyrics from the latter for “Valhalla, I Am Coming: Fantasy Elements of Led Zeppelin,” a program he is presenting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10 and 17 at Plum Borough Community Library. Register at plumlibrary.org.

The first week addresses the band’s connection to the Viking and Greek mythology aspect, and the second focuses on the Tolkien aspect.

Led Zeppelin’s lore is among the dozen-plus topics compiled by Selinger for a series of presentations he calls Rock Talks.

“I can’t play an instrument. I can’t sing a note. But I love rock music,” he said. “I just want to share my enthusiasm and my interest in it.”

From its 20th-century pioneers to current practitioners, the Plum resident shares elements of “history, literature, science, pop culture and humor” as they pertain to the enduringly popular musical form.

Speaking of which, Led Zeppelin’s fourth album went on to sell 37 million copies, whatever the title may be. The inclusion of a song called “Stairway to Heaven” didn’t hurt sales.

‘Something a little deeper’

Whatever the case, the band is among Selinger’s favorites, and it’s the one he chose to spotlight in teaching a continuing education class for Westmoreland County Community College.

“It would be great to just sit around and listen to Led Zeppelin, and talk about how great they are,” he said. “But I wanted it to be something a little deeper.”

The approach landed him an Aug. 11 gig at the Carnegie Science Center’s next 21+ Night. The “Valhalla” program complements the center’s current exhibit, “Vikings: Warriors of the North Sea,” which features more than 140 authentic artifacts and a full-sized replica of a Viking boat.

On the flip side of Zeppelin’s legacy is a penchant for making music that sounds similar to that of other performers, such as a tune on its second album bearing a strong resemblance to a recording by blues singer Howlin’ Wolf.

“As much as I love Led Zeppelin, you can’t listen to ‘The Lemon Song’ and then hear ‘Killing Floor’ and not realize they ripped that off,” Selinger said.

Somewhat in response, he developed a presentation called “Credit Where Credit Is Overdue: Recognizing the Contributions of Black Artists to the History of Rock Music.” The starting point is Robert Johnson (1911-38), a musician of such extraordinary talent that — add this to the fantasy-and-mystery category — legend had him selling his soul to the devil.

“One thing is certain. If it weren’t for Robert Johnson, you wouldn’t have the Rolling Stones. You wouldn’t have Zeppelin,” Selinger asserted. “You wouldn’t have a lot of these bands.”

‘Such a fertile ground’

At the other end of the chronological spectrum is his “Rock in the 21st Century,” profiling groups including Lucero, the Hold Steady, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and the Gaslight Anthem.

“There are bands out there making what is, in my opinion, great rock music,” he said. “But it doesn’t get any airplay.”

His idea for featuring contemporary artists came from one of his community college classes.

“At the end, I always take questions, and somebody said, ‘Well, what do you listen to today that’s new?’ And I started mentioning some of these bands, and then it clicked,” Selinger said.

Another Rock Talk program is “Black Sabbath: Devil Music or Hippie Swing Band?” While the originator of heavy metal has a strong association with the occult, the jazzy side of its music tends to be overlooked, as far as Selinger is concerned.

“There’s that whole swing side of them, especially if you isolate drum tracks,” he said. “Bill Ward really just swings with the drums.”

More Rock Talk topics examine the likes of “Women of Punk,” “Great Music Inspired by Great Literature,” “Have a Drink on Me: The Science and Songs of Alcohol” and, appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day and fans of Thin Lizzy, “Shamrock and Roll: Rock Music From the Emerald Isle.”

“It’s such a fertile ground,” Selinger said. “There’s so much you can do, so many different directions you can run.”

He always is looking to share, and the price is right:

“I will do it for nothing. I will do it for the love of doing it.”

Contact Selinger at rocktalkspgh@gmail.com, 412-327-2844 or on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter @ROCKTALKSPgh.