"John Bonham practically destroyed my room one day; he did a good job."

Neal Preston: Hi Nando!

Wikimetal (Nando Machado): Hi Neal, good to talk to you!

NP: Hey, how are you doing, man?

W (NM): I'm very happy to speak with you, it's an honor.

NP: Well, thank you very much.

W (NM): And congratulations on your incredible work, it's legendary. We usually interview musicians and artists, but it's amazing to have the opportunity to speak with you.

NP: Oh, really? That's great. I may not be a musician, I don't play very well, but I try to be an artist.

W (NM): You're a great artist. We've had the opportunity to interview other photographers in the past, like Bob Gruen and John McMurtrie, who is the official photographer for Iron Maiden. It's very similar to Rock n' Roll and Hard Rock; they're very visual art forms.

NP: I would say it's almost the same thing.

W (NM): So, to start: for many years you were Led Zeppelin's official photographer. Do you remember the first time you met or how you were hired to be the band's photographer?

NP: The first time I photographed them was in 1970, even before I had met them and worked for them. I photographed a press conference they held in New York and also photographed the show the following day at Madison Square Garden. But a few years later, after I moved to Los Angeles, I started doing various jobs for Atlantic Records, and through Atlantic Records I started doing more and more work for Led Zeppelin through the label. And then, before the 1975 tour, Danny Goldberg – who was the band's press agent at the time – called me and said, “If you want to tour with Led Zeppelin, the job is yours.” So I said yes.

W (NM): And when you were photographing those four legends, did you know how big and important they would become? Did you have any idea that you were being part of such important moments in rock history?

NP: No, I had no idea. Even if I had stopped and thought about it – which I didn't – it wouldn't have been real, you can't see that far ahead. And besides, I was too busy working to think about what would happen to the photos, if they would become famous. In many ways it was just another job – a very good job, no doubt – but it was a job, and I worked hard at it. But you never think when you're doing it, you never think about how those photos will be remembered, or if they will be remembered at all. You have no idea.

W (NM): So, speaking about the book you're releasing now, it's a very interesting digital book with hundreds of photos of Led Zeppelin, including some unpublished ones. What are the main differences between making a conventional book, which you've done in the past, and this book, which is sold exclusively through the iTunes Store?

NP: Well, the main difference is that I can't autograph the copies.

W (NM): I was going to ask about that now, there won't be any autograph sessions, I suppose.

NP: No, although someone did email me asking me to sign their iPad. Well, look, the differences are enormous. In a traditional book, you have an art director working with you, who helps with the layout and organization. And then you look at the first version and have to make sure the reproduction is good and everything else. And then you print the book and then wait for it to arrive from China, or Italy, or wherever it's being printed. But with a digital book, we don't have an art director, we have a software developer. So it's a very different process. The software developers I used for this book are from a company called Brandwidth. It's in the book, you'll see. And they're from England, so it was a long process to deal with that, also because I had never done anything like this before; in fact, almost nobody had done it before, so we were learning as we went along. We were breaking new ground. But it was a very, very different experience from making a regular book and it took a long time.

W (NM): I can imagine. Changing the subject, Neal, I'm going to ask you to choose a song. We have a classic question on our show that we ask everyone we interview. Imagine you're listening to your iPod on shuffle or a radio station and suddenly a song starts playing, and you lose control, you feel like you need to start headbanging, whatever, you lose control. What song would that be for us to listen to on the show now?

NP: "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who. My neighbors always know when I'm coming home because they hear that song before they hear the car.

W (NM): Since you mentioned The Who and you had the chance to photograph Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, and all those legendary bands, what do you think was so special about Led Zeppelin's performance? I didn't have the chance to see those bands play live. Do you think they are a step ahead of any other show, or do you think there are others just as good?

NP: I don't know about taking a step forward. I mean, you mentioned those three bands: Led Zeppelin, Queen, and The Who… they were all fantastic, but they're all different. With The Who, I tend to focus more on Pete Townshend because I'm a big fan of his, so the photographer in me and the fan in me wanted to look at Pete Townshend the whole show. With Zeppelin, there's an element of danger, like, "what's going to happen today?", it's hard to describe. But again, when I'm working, I'm not really thinking about anything like that. With Queen, it's more of a spectacle, more like a carnival.

W (NM): And speaking of The Who and Led Zeppelin again, I don't know if you had the chance to travel with The Who as a photographer, but who trashed hotel rooms more, Led Zeppelin or The Who?

NP: Well, I think the question would be: Keith Moon or John Bonham?

W (NM): Exactly.

NP: Well, from what little I've seen, I think the award should go to Keith Moon.

W (NM): Seriously?

NP: In terms of longevity and number of rooms, I think it would probably win… I'm not sure, but that's an interesting question. Maybe it's a tie.

W (NM): What about strange things happening on tour?

NP: There are some stories I can talk about and some I can't, if you know what I mean. John Bonham semi-destroyed my room one day; he did a good job. He thought John Paul Jones had a bigger suite than his, because my room was next to Jonesy's, so we opened all the doors and instead of Jonesy having a double suite, it looked like he had a triple. And when John Bonham arrived and saw that, he decided to destroy the third room, which unfortunately was mine. So I had to sleep on Jonesy's couch for five days, unless I wanted to sleep with hamburgers and Coca-Cola in my bed. Or worse.

I watched Celebration Day and thought it was good, but it was a different band. It didn't have the same vibe… it was very good, but it wasn't Led Zeppelin.”

W (NM): Hey Neal, how did you become a photographer? What was the beginning of your career as a photographer?

NP: Well, I was in high school and I used to take my camera to rock concerts. Back then nobody cared if you took a camera or not, you could take whatever you wanted. So, like any other kid in my neighborhood, I tried to play in a rock and roll band, but I wasn't very good. I ended up being a better photographer than a guitarist, so I started taking my camera to concerts in the late '60s. And I ended up meeting some guys who were the promoters of the local shows near my house. And I gave them copies and they let me into the shows for free and I took pictures and ended up meeting people in the business. People who started making little rock and roll magazines, it was a very new thing back then, and it kind of happened… I was still in high school. When I graduated high school I had already been working in the business for a year and a half. And that was in 1970. My God, I'm old. And in 1971 I moved to Los Angeles, which was kind of the center of the whole music business at the time, at least as far as I knew, and I've lived in LA ever since. But that's how it happened, without me trying to make it happen, if you know what I mean.

W (NM): I read an interview where you said you're an old-school guy who liked contact prints and film cameras. Do you still use them? What are the advantages and disadvantages of new technology in photography?

NP: Well, yes, I still use film whenever possible, I'd say I probably use half and half, film and digital. The only reason I use digital is if the client asks for it due to a deadline. I prefer film, I like the look, I prefer the film editing process. I think digital cameras are a tool to use when we need them, usually for speed. But I don't particularly like how the photos turn out… they look like they're going to break, you know? And I really don't like the editing process and workflow with digital photography, I hate messing with photos on a screen. They are a tool, but when I can choose, I use film. Definitely film. I have my Nikons and my Hasselblads.

W (NM): That's great. Speaking of Led Zeppelin again, do you have any memory of a Led Zeppelin photo that you didn't take? Any moment when you wish you had your camera or maybe you were changing film, something like that, and you thought, "I wish I had taken that picture."

NP: Maybe one or two personal moments – nothing I'd like to talk about. Generally, I was there to document whatever was happening, and I really did document it. There was one time we did a cover for Rolling Stone, and unfortunately, the camera was broken, so nothing came out. And I'll tell you: I'm still upset about that.

W (NM): I can imagine.

NP: This was at the Plaza Hotel, and this was Cameron Crowe's first Rolling Stone cover. It was supposed to be a group photo we took, but we had a problem with the camera, so… C'est la vie! I'm still pissed about it. Why did you bring it up?

W (NM): What is your relationship with the band members today, and what did you think of the Celebration Day show in 2007, as well as the DVD that was released at the end of last year?

NP: Well, the relationship with them is good. I gave Jimmy several photos for his big autobiographical book that came out with Genesis Publishing two or three years ago. I took photos for the reunion show, and I kind of felt… I was there seeing the real thing, and I wanted that to live in my memory the way it was, not just for the reunion show. I watched the films and thought it was good, but it was a different band, I thought. It didn't have the same vibe… it was very good, but it wasn't Led Zeppelin.

W (NM): I had the opportunity to go to the premiere in London and the band was there. I felt they wanted to do a reunion that would prove how good they were, unlike other reunions they had after Bonham died, at Live Aid for example, where the show wasn't as good. I think they wanted to prove to the world that they could put on a fantastic show. That's how I felt.

NP: Well, that's what they said in interviews, that they didn't like the previous meetings. I was at the 40th Atlantic meeting in '87 or '88, something like that, I was there. I don't remember it being very good. I saw Live Aid on television because I was in London working on the London Live Aid show, and they were in Philadelphia. So I saw it on TV and thought it was pretty bad. And others that I don't remember, apart from Celebration Day.

W (NM): I think those were the main ones.

NP: Without John Bonham, none of them would be Led Zeppelin; he was a huge, huge part of the band. And it's funny, because you can say the same thing about The Who without Keith Moon, but there's something… I think Pete Townshend is so strong that he overshadows any other drummer they could have had. But John Bonham… I don't know, it's a different band.

If you want to try your luck in music, you should choose a band you love and stick with them. If they become successful, then become their guy.”

W (NM): Yes, I was going to ask you that. You've worked with many talented artists, but what do you think made Led Zeppelin such a unique band? Perhaps they are four equally talented and charismatic artists… What do you think made them so unique?

NP: I don't know, I'm not a rock critic, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask that, but they say sometimes you catch the light in a bottle, and it seems that's what happened. You know, in my childhood and adolescence I used to listen to all the English bands, and I listened more to Jeff Beck's band than Led Zeppelin. It took me a while, until their second album, to really get into Led Zeppelin. But I don't know, I've been asked this question before… and I can't quite figure out the answer. It's easier for me to talk about other bands and what they did that was special… but I don't know. I remember when I was 18, 19 years old and I had just started working in the business. I'm a huge fan, I remember everyone had to go, you had to get the tickets. It was really important, and you would die if you didn't get tickets to that band. I think they belong to the people.

W (NM): Yes, these are unknown things that make them a great myth. How do you think you gained their trust?

NP: Well, I don't know, but I think I have to thank Peter Grant for that, because he had a "feeling" about me, and that's how it works, he was like a street guy, you know? He knew the tricks of the street. He said he could smell a person, know if they were nice or not, and he could literally smell them. I think I smelled good that day. That's one of the big questions I've never had answered: why me? And I guess I should say: why not?

W (NM): You're right. I think it's a mix of talent and luck, perhaps.

NP: Look, if you have a job like that, needless to say, if you don't have talent you won't get hired, so it's a gift. But I think the other thing is just as important. You have to know how to behave around them, you have to know when to shut up. You can't act like you're the fifth member of the band or you'll be fired quickly. I think a lot of that is common sense. As I said before in the interview, it was a job, and it was a very, very important job, but it was a job, so I didn't really act any differently with them than I would with anyone else. But there was definitely a trust issue involved, without a doubt.

W (NM): Do you think there are bands today that will become relevant in 40 years? Does this have anything to do with the revolution in technology or media, or can it happen at any time?

NP: I think it can happen at any time. Good music is good music, and bad music is bad music. The only question is: will people have the opportunity to listen? I don't listen to much music. If I happen to turn on the radio and something I liked is playing, fantastic, then I'll listen to something new. But I don't sit down and say, "Okay, today I'm going to listen to several albums I've never heard before and I'm going to find something I like." I'm not like that, I like old and reliable things, but I think you never know when the next great band will appear, you never, you never know, and when it does, it's a very good thing. I think music is a very important thing in people's lives.

W (NM): Absolutely. Before asking the last question, I'd like to thank you, Neal, we're going to tell our listeners to buy this fantastic book on iTunes. It's unbelievable, it's a different experience for anyone who likes music, and listening to Led Zeppelin while reading the stories and seeing the images is incredible. And if we can manage it, it would be fantastic to bring it to an exhibition in Brazil or something like that.

NP: I would love to. I would love to go to Brazil for an exhibition, a gallery show, something like that. I've been several times already, I went to Brazil with Queen in 1981, and for the Amnesty International Tour in 1988 with Bruce Springsteen.

W (NM): I went to that show.

NP: Oh, really? It was a good show, wasn't it? In São Paulo, right?

W (NM): Exactly.

NP: Are you in São Paulo or Rio?

W (NM): I'm in São Paulo. I was 15 in '88, but I was there. But I couldn't go to the Queen concert and I'm still frustrated about it, because I was 8 years old.

NP: Well, it was amazing, when we were there with Queen it was like being with the Beatles, it was huge.

W (NM): Yes, I had the chance to see the DVD they released not too long ago, called Rock Montreal. It was the same tour, so it was the last tour where they had four members on stage, so it was unbelievable. So give me some advice for a kid who wants to become a photographer.

NP: Well, some advice for anyone wanting to get into the music business is that things are different than they used to be. If you want to try your hand at music, you should pick a band you love and stick with them, and if they become successful, then become their guy. Instead of jumping from band to band… stick with one band, one artist, whatever you want, and put your cards on the table. And keep working on your art, because you never stop learning. I'm still learning about photography, and I've been doing it for two years. You can always learn, and sometimes it's not the light you add, but the light you take away.

W (NM): Very well, Neal Preston on Wikimetal, thank you very much, one of the great photographers in the world, I hope to see you very soon. It was great talking to you, Neal.

NP: Whenever you need to, you too. Say "hi" to everyone in São Paulo and I hope to be there soon.

W (NM): Great, thank you very much.

NP: Bye, bye.

Listen to the entire episode here: