DISGRACELAND: Led Zeppelin Pt. 2—The Haunting at Headley Grange

Host: Jake Brennan
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Episode Theme:
This gripping episode explores the creative chaos, occult obsessions, and ghostly legends that haunted Led Zeppelin during their legendary recording sessions at Headley Grange. Mixing gothic horror and music history, Jake Brennan paints a shadowy portrait of how luminaries like Jimmy Page turned myth, superstition, and the energy of a decaying English manor into rock history—most notably, the making of “Stairway to Heaven” and Led Zeppelin IV.

Overview

DISGRACELAND dives into Led Zeppelin’s creative residency at Headley Grange, an allegedly haunted English manor house, and how the eerie atmosphere—and Jimmy Page’s fascination with the occult—influenced their biggest albums. The episode threads together chilling ghost stories, the band’s unique recording approach, tales of obsession, and the birth of songs that changed music history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Haunted Houses and Occult Obsession (03:20 – 11:00)

• Opens with the tale of Malcolm Dent, caretaker for Jimmy Page’s Boleskine House (formerly owned by infamous occultist Aleister Crowley), encountering supernatural phenomena—pentagrams, altars, and chilling noises.

  • Quote: “He was confused and ill at the same time. It was a feeling of dread. His hands began to shake, and then suddenly his flashlight went dead.” (07:06)

• Jimmy Page’s deep fascination—or “obsession”—with Crowley and dark magic.

  • Quote: “Jimmy did what thou wilt. Besides, when it came to George Harrison and the Beatles, they were yesterday's news.” (11:00)

2. Arrival at Headley Grange (11:01 – 18:14)

• Zeppelin’s search for a creative environment leads them to the decaying but atmospheric Headley Grange—eschewing the sterile London studios for someplace raw and inspiring.
• The Manor's dark past: once housing paupers, orphans, and outcasts, rumored to have left behind restless spirits.
  • Descriptions that bring the setting to life: “swallowed by lush green vines, snaking and slithering like the rings of a tree.”
• Not all members are thrilled; John Bonham and John Paul Jones see grime and discomfort, but Page sees potential and magic.
  • Quote: “Bonzo had 21 cars for Christ’s sakes. For him and for Jones, Headley looked like some D dump you’d squat in when you were barely getting by.” (14:35)
• Plant drawn in by the Tolkien-esque vibe; Page’s aim: not just music, but to “revive a spirit that lay dormant inside these walls.” (15:45)

3. Recording Led Zeppelin III: Spiritual and Sonic Experimentation (18:15 – 23:40)

• Lays out Headley Grange’s tradition among haunted English houses (Blickling Hall, Temple Newsome, Littlecot House).
• The band’s attempt to channel the house’s eerie energy into music—“pulling songs out of thin air”—yields acoustic and experimental work for “Led Zeppelin III.”
  • Praise for the magisterial, inventive sound design and fusion of darkness and light; backlash from fans wanting “meat and potatoes rock.”
• The success drives Page to return for what will become their magnum opus.

4. Recording Led Zeppelin IV & The ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Moment (23:41 – 29:00)

• Describes the iconic “When the Levee Breaks” drum recording—mics hung from the staircase for engineered “acoustic magic” (21:20).

• Tales of supernatural disturbance:

  • Audio engineer Andy Johns hears phantom furniture being dragged above his room—finds the room empty. Bonham is unnerved by “someone breathing” in his room and moves to sleep downstairs.
  • Quote: “All night long there was this deep inhale, exhale, of another person. But there was no one there—and it freaked Bonzo out.” (25:19)
  • Meanwhile, “Headley didn’t make Jimmy uneasy. Quite the opposite actually. The energy here got him high.” (25:40)

• The birth of ‘Stairway to Heaven’:

  • Jimmy Page, by the hearth with his guitar, Robert Plant scribbling lyrics. Plant later claims “it was like he wasn’t writing the words himself—he was the vessel. Someone or something was writing through him.” (26:24)
  • The song and Page’s legendary guitar solo seem to come from “somewhere else.” (27:41)

5. Legend Grows: Success and The Magic (With a ‘K’) (30:12 – 34:50)

• By 1973, Zeppelin reaps stadium-sized success. “Untouchable… steamrolling a record previously held by the Beatles.”

  • Not everyone buys critical dismissal: “Dull and confusing? None of it mattered because Led Zeppelin were untouchable.” (31:00)

• Creative process at Headley grows more ritualistic:

  • Quote: “By day, the quartet tapped into that magic—magic with a K, the telepathic bond that made them better…driven by whatever spirit Jimmy had revived.” (32:15)
  • Bonham, Plant, and Jones now refuse to stay at Headley due to the mounting hauntings, opting for a nearby hotel—leaving Page alone to commune with the manor.

• Strange late-night happenings: sightings of a tall, translucent “Gray Man” on the stairs, geometric chalk markings (possibly occult) on the dining room floor, which Jimmy dismisses as “mic placement.”

  • Quote: “‘Mic placement,’ Ron thought. Pattern seemed too intricate…too intentional.” (34:30)

6. Onward Hauntings & Zeppelin’s Legacy (35:00 – 40:31)

• After Zeppelin, the band Genesis (with Peter Gabriel & Phil Collins) occupies Headley Grange; both are plagued by unexplained footsteps and supernatural rearranged furniture.
  • Peter Gabriel, in contact with “Exorcist” director William Friedkin at the time, claims that “Headley Grange was…partly haunted by Jimmy Page’s black magic experiments.” (39:25)
• Suggests that Headley Grange “wasn’t haunted before Led Zeppelin—Headley Grange was haunted by Led Zeppelin.” (40:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jimmy Page’s occult indulgence:

  • “M A G I C K. I’m talking about the real stuff. The dark stuff. The stuff that can change your life if you harness it correctly.” (06:04, Jake Brennan)

• On Headley Grange’s atmosphere:

  • “The place was damp. It was dank. It was lacking all the creature comforts that a band like Led Zeppelin figured they should be indulging in.” (14:31)
  • “Little did any of them know that when Jimmy talked about work, he was talking about more than just making music. He was talking about reviving a spirit that lay dormant inside these walls.” (15:45)

• On the supernatural:

  • “Bonham, being the hulking giant that he was, wasn’t one to get freaked out easily. He was going to sleep downstairs from now on, even if that meant sleeping on the floor.” (25:28)
  • “You see it—a tall, thin figure, a gray man, shimmering and translucent. You can feel it beckoning you, calling to you.” (33:56)

• On artistic inspiration:

  • “Later, Robert would say that it was like he wasn’t writing the words himself. He was the vessel. Someone or something was writing through him.” (26:25)

• On the Zeppelin mythos:

  • “If correct, that would mean that Headley Grange wasn’t haunted like all those other old English estates. That would mean Headley Grange wasn’t haunted before Led Zeppelin. Headley Grange was haunted by Led Zeppelin.” (40:00)

• On ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Satanic panic:

  • “The only thing that playing Stairway backwards truly reveals is that Jimmy Page’s guitar solo was fucking badass even in reverse. But it’s objectively laughable to think that Led Zeppelin planned out all this subversive backwards speak…” (39:15)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:20-11:00| Malcolm Dent’s Boleskine House ghost story and Page’s Crowley obsession | | 11:01-15:45| Zeppelin’s arrival at Headley Grange; setting the haunted mood | | 18:15-23:40| Writing and recording Led Zeppelin III at Headley | | 23:41-29:00| Creation of Led Zeppelin IV and “Stairway to Heaven”; hauntings | | 30:12-34:50| 1973+ Zeppelin’s commercial peak; repeated hauntings and rituals | | 35:00-40:31| Genesis moves in; Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins spooked; conclusion |

Final Thoughts

DISGRACELAND artfully melds spectral folklore, true crime energy, and pure rock lore to unravel Led Zeppelin’s mythic relationship with Headley Grange. In this episode, the line between artistic genius, the supernatural, and self-fulfilled legend blurs—making Led Zeppelin’s music sound, as ever, both haunted and immortal.

For More

• Hear more on Malcolm Dent’s full Boleskine House story—mini episode for All Access members ([36:57])

“Headley Grange wasn’t haunted before Led Zeppelin. Headley Grange was haunted by Led Zeppelin.” (40:00, Jake Brennan)