Getting trapped in one's own past glories is a pitfall for many classic-rock stars, but Robert Plant has managed to avoid it. As he explained during a recent interview, he's done it by always following his muse.

"You know, singing in a band, or just singing generally, you've got to be inspired," Plant said during a discussion with filmmaker Russ Spencer (you can watch the video above). "So I just choose a path that suits me. When I want to do it, then I do it. When you are a performer you love to perform, you know, but monotony is not something I would be a party to ... so I have to cut my cloth accordingly. Some people want it the same every night. I can’t do that ... it’s not my gig."

Plant's creative wanderlust has been known to frustrate Led Zeppelin fans pining for a reunion with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, but as he explained, reopening old musical chapters isn't something that interests him. "I’m not a guy who really revels in the past," he said. "If I did, I would be in a much different position now. But that would be kind of hollow, perhaps."

So what's tickling his creative fancy these days? His latest band, the Sensational Space Shifters, which he enthusiastically calls "a remarkable combination. It’s not about R-O-C-K rock. It’s a melange of psychedelic British urban trance music mixed with the power of delta blues and the spirit of Led Zeppelin. Amen."

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