An unfortunate side effect of being one of the biggest rock stars in the world is that the more famous you are, the more willing people are to believe an outlandish story about you—something Robert Plant learned the hard way when the London Evening Standard reported that police arrested him in an Atlanta airport.
It had all the makings of a great story. As a touring musician, it stood to reason that Plant might be in the States for work. As a touring rock musician, believing that the Led Zeppelin frontman exhibited wild or rowdy behavior isn’t entirely surprising.
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The only problem, of course, is that it wasn’t true.
“Robert Plant” Was Arrested For Drunken Airport Behavior
On May 16, 1977, the London Evening Standard published a shocking story about Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. The newspaper reported that police arrested Plant “on charges of drunkenness and carrying a knife at Hartsfield International Airport.” Officer J. R. Kovsky, the responding officer on the scene, took Plant to the city jail in Atlanta, Georgia, where they gave him a fine of 75 dollars. (That’s just under $400 today.)
“Police said Plant gave his age as 19. But records show that he is 29,” the relatively short newspaper article continued. “Atlanta police sergeant W. M. Adams said officers were called to a lounge at the airport and found Plant unconscious. When Plant was awakened, he became unruly and had to be handcuffed after a scuffle, the officer said. In a radio interview later, Plant claimed he was being harassed. ‘I wasn’t doing nothing, man,’ he was quoted as saying.”
To the Evening Standard’s credit, their story had the makings for a believable anecdote about a rambunctious, unruly, and alcohol-loving rockstar. How else would he be drunk at an exclusive airport lounge? Or defending himself on the radio? Even his contemporary slang seemed to fit the bill. But just because something sounds like it could be true doesn’t necessarily mean that it is.
The Newspaper Issued An Apology The Next Day
The following day, May 17, 1977, the London Evening Standard issued a follow-up to its previous reporting. “This report was untrue,” the publication admitted, “and we apologize for any embarrassment caused to Mr. Plant. It is understood the Atlanta police arrested a 19-year-old youth who was impersonating the singer. At the time of the incident, the singer was horse riding in Wales,” which would have put Plant roughly 4,000 miles away.
The correction was swift, and the language of the newspaper’s report suggested that the story didn’t even run in all editions for May 16. Nonetheless, the misunderstanding was a prime example of the negative consequences that often go along with being a famous musician. Not only are people willing to imitate you and act in inappropriate and, in this case, even dangerous ways. But the general public is quick to believe the impostor, too.
Fortunately for everyone at the airport that day, the Plant impersonator didn’t harm anyone with the knife that the police reported he was carrying. And, notably, it would appear that he wasn’t actually lying about his age after all.
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