The Song Remains the Same (1976) - full transcript

The members of Led Zeppelin are called back from vacation by manager Peter Grant to play Madison Square Garden. The film is enhanced by each of the band member's personal fantasies (hallucinations?), such as the opening scene (which is awfully confusing the first time around) in which Peter Grant, dressed in a 1930s black gangster suit drives a 1930s black Ford to a house and blasts everyone with a machine gun.

Lift me up.

"Jack lifted the lid of the great stone oven

and dropped inside.

From his hiding place,

he heard a mighty rumbling voice:

'Fee-fi-fo-fum

I smell the blood of an Englishman

Be he alive or be he dead

I'll grind his bones to make my bread”

Whoa, horsy, whoa. Whoa, horsy.

"Fee-fi-fo-fum"

Hello, my love. What have you got?

Hi. Peter called while you were out

and he left this for you.

Tour dates.

This is tomorrow.

All right. Let's go.

Hello.

Good evening.

He was eavesdropping out there.

It doesn't. "The Song Remains the Same."

It's fucking true, isn't it, a bit?

He comes around, he's selling pirate

posters there as well, inside the building.

And the concessionaire, "I don't know."

One of those--

- Are they good?

- No, they're fucking terrible.

They're the first photo.

- Oh, no, not that again.

- The old Chris special...

...was wheeled out once again.

I can't take it.

- I think we ought to be pirates.

- And they all--

And when you give them a pull,

nobody knows, right?

"We didn't know anything about it, no."

This is a song that sometimes takes a building...

...in a manner which our forefathers

were very used to.

- Did you hear that?

- I couldn't believe it.

It's right though, isn't it?

That feeling that's left everybody.

The cosmic energy.

Everybody goes, "Yeah!"

Jimmy Page, guitar.

This is called "No Quarter."

Don't fucking talk to me. It's my bloody act.

I do bet I'll leave you anytime.

You couldn't even get in a starting line.

You're gonna tell me that you let--?

I bet it wouldn't happen in Europe.

I don't know how he got in the building.

This isn't Europe or England.

No, I can see that, because it's so inefficient.

- Evidently, somebody got--

- Talk to me...

...because I'm the manager of the group.

You had people inside this building

selling posters...

- ...and you didn't know about it?

- I didn't know about it.

As soon as we found out about it, we stopped it.

As soon as we found out about it

and told you, you stopped it.

All right, so you caught them before I did.

Well, how much kickback were you getting?

- None. I knew nothing about it.

- Oh, come on.

You don't know your concessionaire?

Your mate's selling the T-shirts and making a--

He's the one that told Richard about it also.

- He came back and-- Didn't he--?

- He does everything.

- He does the security one night.

- No, he doesn't.

One night he's the guard

of the fucking dressing room.

That's fucking typical, isn't it?

So long as we screw

an extra few bob out of the group--

You really think I got something out of that?

You're the fucking controller of the take,

you silly cunt, aren't you?

That's like saying that anybody who jumps

on the stage I'm responsible for too.

- I don't know--

- Don't be stupid. Of course it's not.

It's your responsibility to see that the

concessionaire of the building you rented--

You rented it, and you control it.

--Isn't selling fucking pirate posters.

You have to-- Somebody has to come

and tell you that it's doing.

It doesn't matter, so long as

there's an extra nickel to be drained...

...by exploiting Led Zeppelin, it's great.

You know, with the fucking

Stars and Stripes behind it.

We never took a dime in concession yet,

on anything.

This is called "The Song Remains the Same."

Any tickets for sale?

Got any tickets for sale?

How many guys out here? How many guys out here?

- It's just us.

- There's two now.

You're in luck. We're in good shape.

Only two now.

- Ask these guys. They're in charge.

- Can we get in?

- If it's up to me, yeah.

- Thank you.

- Thanks a lot.

- I couldn't find them.

Hey, thanks a lot.

- Thanks.

- Hey.

A lot of fun. Lot of fun.

A lot of fun.

Jimmy Page, electric guitar.

- Do you expect trouble?

- No comment.

- That's all you're gonna get.

- Okay.

No comment.

You know, the thing is, "no comment"

is more incriminating than a comment.

- A man here getting a ticket...

- It's just for the folks back home.

- Is it'?

- Yes.

No comment.

I think this is a song of hope.

Does anybody remember laughter?

Our percussionist.

On drums, John Bonham. Moby Dick.

John Bonham!

John Bonham! John Bonham!

One hundred and thirty pounds

of glory, John Bonham.

Led Zeppelin's road manager says

he put the money in the deposit box...

...and when he went back, it was all gone.

The police say there was money in the box...

...but they can't tell exactly how much.

The group's personal manager, Peter Grant...

...discussed the theft

at a news conference today.

It was brought back

by our attorney, physically carried...

...because that's his function.

And when he comes back,

it's put into a safe-deposit box.

Police said they were questioning anyone

who had access to the safe-deposit box...

...but that's about all they would say.

The money is reportedly

the largest amount ever taken...

...from a hotel safe-deposit box

in New York City.

We ascertained there was money in that box...

...by one of the clerks.

He noted one of the transactions.

Today was a leaving day, anyhow.

So we had, you know, that amount of money...

...because we had to pay off

airplanes and hotels.

After he met with newsmen,

police took Grant himself...

...and two of his employees

to the precinct for questioning.

New York, good night.

[ENGLISH]