The
Shark episode or
Mudshark incident was an alleged event which took place at the
Edgewater Inn in
Seattle, WA, on 28 July 1969, involving
Richard Cole, a road manager for 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,
[1] 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.
[2]
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), 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:
“ One girl, a pretty young groupie with red hair, was disrobed and tied to the bed. According to the legend of the Shark Episode, Led Zeppelin then proceeded to stuff pieces of shark into her
vagina and rectum.
[3] ” Davis notes that Led Zeppelin's road manager
Richard Cole, disputed this version, and quotes him as saying:
“ It wasn't
Bonzo, it was me. It wasn't shark parts anyway: It was the nose that got put in. We caught a lot of big sharks, at least two dozen, stuck coat hangers through the
gills and left 'em in the closet . . . But the true shark story was that it wasn't even a shark. It was a
red snapper and the chick happened to be a fucking redheaded broad with a ginger
pussy. And that is the truth. Bonzo was in the room, but I did it.
Mark Stein [of
Vanilla Fudge] filmed the whole thing. And she loved it. It was like, "You'd like a bit of fucking, eh? Let's see how your red snapper likes this red snapper!" That was it. It was the nose of the fish, and that girl must have
cum 20 times. But it was nothing malicious or harmful, no way! No one was ever hurt. ” Cole elaborates on this version in his own book,
Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin Uncensored. He explains that:
“ Word about the escapade spread quickly. Rumors circulated that the girl had been raped...that she had been crying hysterically...that she had pleaded for me to stop...that she had struggled to escape...that a shark had been used to penetrate her. None of the stories was true.
[4] ” Apart from the comment from Cole, there has never been any definitive proof this incident actually happened. There has been no photographs or films produced nor corroborative witness statements. Many of the purported details of the event are contradictory.
A later visit in 1973 resulted in Led Zeppelin being banned from the hotel. The band and their entourage
“ caught some 30 mudsharks and left them under beds, in closets, elevators, hallways, bathtubs and all over their rooms. They threw beds, TVs, mattresses, lamps, drapes, china and glassware into Elliott Bay.
[5] ” On the
Frank Zappa /
Mothers of Invention album
Fillmore East - June 1971, the above described events are the storyline of the number "Mud Shark".
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