Danny Stag of Kingdom Come on dealing with Led Zeppelin clone band criticism

During a recent interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr, of the Rock Interview Series- Danny Stag, guitarist of the band Kingdom Come, opened up about the criticism his band faced for being labeled as a Led Zeppelin clone band. Stag expressed that, in hindsight, the band should have embraced the comparison as a compliment. “We should have just said, ‘Well, now that’s an incredible compliment to be even mentioned in the same breath as Led Zeppelin. Next question.’ That’s what we should have done,” he remarked.

Stag shared his frustration over the dismissive comments from critics, especially after dedicating a decade in Los Angeles to secure record deals, write songs, and record demos. “I didn’t pay out in LA for 10 years—sleeping around trying to get record deals, writing songs, recording demos, doing all this crap—to have somebody dismiss me as being a bad imitation of Jimmy Page,” he said. He emphasized that he considered himself worthy of recognition as a talented guitarist in the big league. “I hate the word famous but known around the world as a good guitar player, you know, in the big league more or less,” he added.

Despite the comparisons, Stag revealed that his musical influences were quite different. “I was way more into Jimi Hendrix. I never bought a Led Zeppelin record. I loved Led Zeppelin 1 and 2. I listened to them all the time, but I never rushed out to buy the next Zeppelin record. I wasn’t like a fan; I was way into Hendrix, my biggest influence,” he explained.

For the entire interview please watch below.