A Pre-Led Zeppelin Robert Plant Once Staged a Drug Bust Protest as a PR Stunt

On August 10, 1967, a short-haired, pre-Led Zeppelin Robert Plant walked down a West Midlands sidewalk toward a courthouse, flanked by demonstrators bouncing signs in protest of Plant’s drug-related charges. “No condemnation without investigation!” One sign read. “Robert Plant must go free,” implored another.

Within the context of the hazy, pot-smoke-filled Summer of Love, the protest was timely and dramatic. It was also completely fake.

Robert Plant Staged a Drug Bust Protest as A PR Stunt

In the Summer of 1967, Robert Plant was pursuing a career as a rock ‘n’ roll vocalist with the English rock outfit Band of Joy. His manager, Mike Dolan, was in charge of PR. Dolan’s role as public relations manager was a fairly quiet affair until Plant got a traffic violation for “driving without due care and attention.” Plant had pulled out in front of a passing car and ran into a tree—a milquetoast infraction that hardly suited a rising rock ‘n’ roller.

So, Dolan took a few creative liberties and, er, re-framed Plant’s upcoming court appearances. “Robert Plant is well-known for his sympathy with the ‘Flower Generation’ and being an ardent supporter of the campaign to legalize the smoking of cannabis,” Dolan wrote in a press release for local music paper The Midland Beat. “In view of this public appearance, a large number of flower children, and other Robert Plant fans, have decided that this will be an ideal time and place to display their support to Robert’s beliefs.”

Confused? Let’s catch up. Dolan’s press release claimed that Plant’s court appearance had to do with drug charges, not a minor traffic violation. The statement also mentioned a “large number” of protestors, but the real number was around seven people—mostly Plant’s bandmates, his girlfriend, and other acquaintances. In short, Dolan’s entire press release was a fabrication meant to get the aspiring rock star’s name in the papers. Amazingly, it worked.

A Double Win For The Future Led Zeppelin Vocalist

Band manager and renegade press maker Mike Dolan told The Midland Beat that nearly 30 fans of Robert Plant had crafted banners and signs in protest of Plant’s (fake) drug charges. In reality, only seven people accompanied Plant to court. Though, they did bring signs that referenced marijuana, including ones that read, “Happiness is pot-shaped!” and “Don’t plant it. Smoke it.”

Just as Dolan suggested, countless members of the press flocked to the West Midlands sidewalk to photograph the woefully mistreated rockstar (heavy on the air quotes). Plant wore South Asian clothing, including an Indian bridegroom chest piece. The women who walked alongside him wore mini-skirts and strappy sandals. In appearance alone, the event was quintessentially 1967.

Once inside the understandably curious courtroom, Plant defended his case and pled not guilty. Because the prosecution couldn’t prove to the magistrate that he had been careless when pulling out in front of a moving car, the court dismissed Plant’s case. Dolan’s fake protest also gave Robert Plant invaluable press in the earliest days of his career, making August 10, 1967, a pretty fantastic day for Plant, all things considered.

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