Legendary rocker Jimmy Page isn’t signing autographs at Indigo, just stamping
Posted July 21, 2015 12:30 pm.
Last Updated July 21, 2015 6:42 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Fans looking for a “Whole Lotta Love” from rock ‘n’ roll icon Jimmy Page were in for a “Heartbreaker.”
Followers of the famed Led Zeppelin guitarist started lining up on Monday night outside of the Indigo Bookstore on Bay and Bloor streets in hopes of being one of the privileged few to catch a glimpse of the legendary rocker during a stop on his book tour Tuesday afternoon in Toronto.
But unlike most book tours, Page was only stamping books, not actually signing them.
The book tour, which has been underway since fall of last year, is to promote the re-release of his 2010 autobiography, Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page. The original autobiography, published by Genesis Publications, was limited to 2,500 copies and were personally signed by Page for a price of about US$700.
The re-release sells for about $55 at Indigo, and everyone who lined up to see Page was required to purchase a copy of the book, because that was the only item he agreed to stamp.
The lucky few awarded wristbands for the event weren’t permitted to bring in any other memorabilia for the legendary rocker to stamp. And Indigo’s event listing made it clear that Page would not do any personalization of the stamp whatsoever – though “candid photography” was permitted.
The strict rules didn’t ruffle one longtime fan.
“It’s a privilege actually to meet him, so I’ll settle for that. It’s fine with me,” she told CityNews. “Led Zeppelin is the soundtrack of my life.”
Unfortunately, distancing celebrities from their fans at signing events is nothing new. The Toronto Blue Jays recently advertised a Roberto Alomar signing event by specifying that fans could not ask for personalized messages and were not permitted to take photos of the baseball star.
But Page’s impersonal stamping event makes one wonder just how far things will go.
Perhaps one day fans will line up for the exclusive opportunity to just view a celebrity – with the purchase of a book and eight hours waiting in line, fans will be able to walk past the celebrity as he sits, sleeps or drinks a cup of coffee. For an extra fee, the celebrity will exhale in your general direction. A select few fans will be able to purchase actual eye contact from the celebrity.
Until then, fans will have to be content with a stamped, overpriced book of their guitar hero.