The best thing for a beginner, especially if you can't read music like me, are guitar tabs. Download a program called Powertab (
www.power-tab.net). It's free to download, then you can subscribe to the powertab forum (which is also free). You'll have access to just about any Zeppelin, Hendrix, or Cream song you want. I downloaded it a few months ago, and I have gotten so much better since then.
Start our playing on acoustic, like everyone else said. Some of the songs you probably want to learn may not sound perfect on an acoustic guitar, but it is so much easier to transition from acoustic to electric