Def Leppard recently chatted with SiriusXM. In the video below, vocalist Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen recall some of the group's most iconic moments, including what led to the band coming together, why Phil was never formally asked to join the band, performing with Brian May from Queen, reaching new heights with their song "Photograph", and much more.
An excerpt has been transcribed as follows:
Joe Elliott: "Queen were in Montreal, I think, uh, recording Hot Space, and we were on tour opening for Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. And this guy pops his head around our dressing room door and says, 'Hello, I'm Brian from Queen.' And we're like, having bought his records for the previous seven or eight years, like, no shit."
Joe Elliott: "And we're gonna be going through some of our most iconic Def Leppard moments. One day I bumped into Pete Willis on the way on from work, and he said he was putting a band together, and I just jumped in when he said he was, I said, 'I'll give it a go.' And they saw my awesome record collection, and I was tall and I got the gig. We didn't have oddly any gear, we just had this idea of a band. I mean, talk about Little Acorns. If I hadn’t missed the bus home that night, I wouldn't have seen Pete Willis and then I wouldn't be sat here. 'Getcha Rocks Off' is a Pete Willis riff that he actually stole. Well, half the riff would belonged to another guitarist, but, uh, we all borrow, especially when he's 17 years old. I'm just left with coming up with melodies and lyrics for you. So I just started writing, facing everything that I knew on everything I'd bought or heard. The naivety is what carries it across, really. It was just a bunch of young kids having a goal. It's something that their heroes had done ten years previously. Now it's our turn".
Phil Collen: "Pete Willis wasn't doing great. And um, Joe says to me, 'Do you wanna come down, play some solo, some lead guitar on the new album?' I'm like, 'Yeah.' I knew the guys, so I was just helping a buddy out. But what was really interesting, my first gig with the band was the Marquee Club in London, which is about the same size as this, actually when Pyromania exploded, it was definitely a pinch yourself moment. We still had that mindset, that mentality. We were just playing here, but it was like all over MTV. We're playing, you know, arenas selling them out. And we actually never stopped from that moment on. And I wasn't asked to join the band. We were just out and on tour."
Joe Elliott: "I think we asked him ten years ago, 'Okay, do you wanna join the band?' Thank God he said, 'Yes.'"
Phil Collen: "And here we are."
Joe Elliott: "September ‘83, we were playing the LA Forum and we had, you know, a message that Brian May wanted to come down. And we were like, 'Okay, well sort him out a pass.' He says, 'No, he wants to come and play with you.' We're like, 'Oh, oh, wow.' Again, this guy's been an enormous part of an enormous band. With an enormous influence on us. So he brings his gear down and um, sets it up on stage. And we were stood out at the mixing desk watching this iconic guitarist on our stage, start playing the riff to 'Photograph'. And that was like, wow, okay. I think we've kind of arrived. We hadn't made it, but we'd arrived, you know, and we've been friends ever since. Yeah, when 'Photograph' was like voted the most popular video on MTV, even beating up Michael Jackson, was a eureka moment. You don't get paid the second year video got played on MTV. We didn't see a penny until that tour was finished. So we are still on like a hundred dollars a week when Michael Jackson's beating it. We were selling out arenas, but we had still hadn't seen any money, so it was just weird."
Catch Def Leppard live on The World Tour alongside Mötley Crüe, beginning May 22nd at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, UK. Check local listings for complete ticket details including VIP offerings. To purchase tickets, visit motley.com and/or defleppard.com.
