You almost have to feel sorry for Robert Plant. Sure, the man has enjoyed an immensely successful career as a solo artist, one that’s lasted more than three times as long as that of his former band, Led Zeppelin. He’s aggressively pursued his ever-wandering muse across the globe, and enjoyed fruitful recording collaborations with the disparate likes of Alison Krauss (their 2007 album Raising Sand won a Grammy for Album of the Year), Nigel Kennedy, Phil Collins, Patty Griffin, Afro Celt Sound System and (of course) former Led Zep cohort Jimmy Page.

And yet, even though it’s been close to 38 years since Zeppelin drummer John Bonham’s death, and the subsequent end of the band, Plant still can’t make a move without somebody asking, “What about a Led Zeppelin reunion tour?”

A recent Esquire interview, done in support of the excellent Carry Fire – Plant’s latest album, recorded with the Sensational Space Shifters, his backing band since 2012 – found Plant once again fielding the question. When the interviewer informed the singer that his editors would kill him if he didn’t ask Plant about the possibility of him “going back to do the big gig,” Plant responded with a tart, “My suggestion to you is to make sure you wear the right clothes when they kill you.”

Plant’s quotable mixture of candid charm and barely concealed annoyance is extremely well-honed, at this point; after all, despite his considerable solo achievements, he’s been answering the same question since the early Eighties. And until either he or Page leaves this mortal coil, he’ll likely keep having to answer it. Here’s a look back at some of his many responses so far.