Yeah, I don't get the "best ever" stuff, either. The guy was a great drummer, no doubt about it. Cool sounding drums: check. Nice strong groove: check. Hugely influential: double check.
But I'll tell you what I don't get: In all my years of drumming I never would have guessed that so many people would one day be using his likeness for their usernames and avatars (obviously wasn't thinking internet forums).
Seriously, I can recall off the top of my head two, maybe three, drummers on this forum using another drummers' likeness on usernames and avatars but probably a dozen who use Bonham's.
Is everyone too embarrassed to admit or remember that Neil Peart was such a huge influence? Because as I remember back on it, Neil Peart was consistently at the top of everyone's favorite drummer list (refer back to MD reader polls from that era). I'm tempted to wonder if it's because he didn't die right after Moving Pictures! Apologies if this is coming across as flippant, but I've been growing increasingly curious about the nature of Bonham's legendary status as it continues to grow.
It also makes me wonder if Bonham would still be so wildly popular if he were still alive and an old geezer trying to live off his glory years. Maybe his drumming might seem a little stale by now and lost some of its luster.
But I really am impressed with Bonham's staying power over the years, even if I don't totally understand it. As a kid growing up playing drums through the late '70s and '80s, Bonham never cracked my top 10 favorite drummers. Perhaps he's higher on my list now, but at this point I have so many favorites, it's not even funny. He's just one among many.