Shark episode
Encyclopedia
The Shark episode or Mudshark incident was an alleged event which took place at the Edgewater Inn in Seattle, Washington
, on 28 July 1969, involving Richard Cole
, a road manager for the English rock band
Led Zeppelin
, and members of the American psychedelic rock
band Vanilla Fudge
. The bands were in Seattle for their appearance at the Seattle Pop Festival
at Gold Creek Park on 27 July 1969, and were staying at the Edgewater Inn. This hotel, now known as the Edgewater Hotel
, is located directly on Puget Sound
, and at the time allowed guests to fish directly from their room windows.
The Shark episode is alleged to have involved some type of sexual act with a fish. However, there are many variations on the story, all involving one or some of the band members, as well as variations of the type of fish (often claimed to be a shark
or mudshark), and the nature of the acts performed.
Rock journalist Stephen Davis
, in his Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods
, provided the following account of the event:
Davis notes that Led Zeppelin's road manager Richard Cole
, disputed this version, and quotes this dubious variation:
The red snapper
is not indigenous to the Puget Sound, but a resident of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cole elaborates on this fabricated version in his own book, Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin Uncensored. He explains that:
Apart from the comment from Cole, there has never been any definitive proof this incident actually happened. Many of the purported details of the event are contradictory. No photographs or films have appeared, nor corroborative witness statements. Stein has since claimed he gave the Super 8 tapes to Vanilla Fudge road manager Bruce Wayne and doesn't know what happened to them.
A later visit in 1973 resulted in Led Zeppelin being banned from the Edgewater Hotel. The band and their entourage
On the Frank Zappa
/ Mothers of Invention album Fillmore East - June 1971
, the above described events form the storyline of the song "Mud Shark."
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, on 28 July 1969, involving Richard Cole
Richard Cole
Richard Cole was heavily involved in the rock music business from the mid-1960s to 2003, and is most famous for being the tour manager of English rock band Led Zeppelin from 1968 to 1980.-Early career:...
, a road manager for the English rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, and members of the American psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band. The band's original lineup – vocalist/organist Mark Stein, bassist/vocalist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist/vocalist Vince Martell, and drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice – recorded five albums during the years 1966–69, before disbanding in 1970...
. The bands were in Seattle for their appearance at the Seattle Pop Festival
Seattle Pop Festival
The Seattle Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Gold Creek Park, Woodinville, Washington from July 25 to July 28, 1969. The event was organized by Boyd Grafmyre....
at Gold Creek Park on 27 July 1969, and were staying at the Edgewater Inn. This hotel, now known as the Edgewater Hotel
The Edgewater
The Edgewater is a four-story, 223-room hotel in Seattle, Washington. It is located on the Central Waterfront on a pier over Elliott Bay and is the only over-water, and water-front hotel in the Seattle area...
, is located directly on Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
, and at the time allowed guests to fish directly from their room windows.
The Shark episode is alleged to have involved some type of sexual act with a fish. However, there are many variations on the story, all involving one or some of the band members, as well as variations of the type of fish (often claimed to be a shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
or mudshark), and the nature of the acts performed.
Rock journalist Stephen Davis
Stephen Davis (music journalist)
Stephen Davis is an American music journalist and historian.Davis was born in New York City and attended Boston University. He began his career writing for the Boston Phoenix in 1970...
, in his Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods
Hammer of the Gods (book)
Hammer of the Gods is a book written by music journalist Stephen Davis, published in 1985. It is a biography of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. After its release it became a New York Times bestseller, and is probably the best known Led Zeppelin biography in existence...
, provided the following account of the event:
Davis notes that Led Zeppelin's road manager Richard Cole
Richard Cole
Richard Cole was heavily involved in the rock music business from the mid-1960s to 2003, and is most famous for being the tour manager of English rock band Led Zeppelin from 1968 to 1980.-Early career:...
, disputed this version, and quotes this dubious variation:
The red snapper
Red snapper (fish)
The red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, is a fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States and, much less commonly, northward as far as Massachusetts. In Latin American Spanish it is known as huachinango or pargo...
is not indigenous to the Puget Sound, but a resident of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cole elaborates on this fabricated version in his own book, Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin Uncensored. He explains that:
Apart from the comment from Cole, there has never been any definitive proof this incident actually happened. Many of the purported details of the event are contradictory. No photographs or films have appeared, nor corroborative witness statements. Stein has since claimed he gave the Super 8 tapes to Vanilla Fudge road manager Bruce Wayne and doesn't know what happened to them.
A later visit in 1973 resulted in Led Zeppelin being banned from the Edgewater Hotel. The band and their entourage
On the Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
/ Mothers of Invention album Fillmore East - June 1971
Fillmore East - June 1971
Fillmore East – June 1971 is a live album by The Mothers, released in 1971. It was the twelfth album by Frank Zappa. It was produced by Frank Zappa, and mixed by Toby Foster.-History:This was a live concept-like album...
, the above described events form the storyline of the song "Mud Shark."