http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/entertainment/5702031.htm

Posted on Fri, Apr. 25, 2003
Def Leppard: 'X' marks the spot
ROD HARMON
Herald Staff Writer

It wasn't long ago that the members of Def Leppard felt they had to
apologize for their very existence.

In the '90s, the British band that had once dominated pop metal suddenly
found itself being lumped in with hair bands that were sent back to the
clubs by the alternative movement. The group even tried to change its
sound, with disastrous results.

"You weren't ashamed, but you definitely wanted to creep around with a
brown paper bag over your heard," said guitarist Phil Collen.

That's all changed, thanks in part to VH1's "Behind the Music" and a
made-for-TV movie that chronicled the band's turbulent history, including
the loss of a founding member to alcoholism, a car accident that cost its
drummer an arm, and a struggle to remain viable in a fickle industry. Their
latest album, "X," debuted at No. 11 on the charts, the song "Pour Some
Sugar on Me" is featured in the "X-Men" sequel, and concert halls are being
filled with fans of various ages.

It's OK to like Def Leppard again.

On Saturday, the band will play Livestock 13 in Zephryhills Festival Park.
Collen recently spoke to the Bradenton Herald from a tour stop on the
second leg of Leppard's tour in support of "X:"

"X" retains the classic harmonies of Def Leppard, but has a more subdued,
less glossy feel. I was surprised that you opened with an acoustic guitar
track instead of the usual bombast. What was the attitude going into this
record?

We wanted to make a record for ourselves and not prove anything to anyone
else. With "Slang" (1996) and "Euphoria" (1999), we wanted to be accepted
by a certain bunch of people. For this album, we asked, "What do we want to
do?" If a song required big backing vocals of 200 voices, we'd do that.
That was liberating.

Are you doing anything different on the second leg as far as production or
setlists are concerned?

Yeah. We change the setlist every night, and throw in some rarities. We
have a very dynamic light show, which we didn't have for a while, because
it was considered untrendy. Now, we're allowed to do what we do without
getting punished for it, so that's kind of cool.

Have you always changed your setlist every night, or is that a recent
approach?

It's a recent thing. We used to be very anal in our approach; we would get
a set that worked and stick with it. Now, we change the first half of the
set. Some nights will have "Pyromania" stuff, some nights we'll do stuff
from "High and Dry," and other times will be stuff from "Retroactive." It's
really cool, and it keeps us fresh as well.

Speaking of "Pyromania," I've always admired how the guitar playing on that
record sounds so heavy, yet melodic.

Right.

How did you accomplish that?

A lot of credit has to go to (producer) Mutt Lange, because he's been the
biggest musical influence on our career. He has a great way of doing it
that doesn't make you feel intimidated or weirded out. I learned to play
guitar a lot better because of him. I think that goes for all of us,
really.

People always ask why a band breaks up. I like to ask what keeps them
together, because you're talking bout a group of people who eat, sleep,
play and live together 24-7 for months at a time. What has kept Def
Leppard's core lineup intact for 20 years?

Well, the longer you're together, the more you experience as a unit, and
that basically means you're able to relate to certain experiences only with
each other. You know - births, deaths, marriages, divorces, highs, lows,
things that suck, things that are great. But you can only share them with
these guys that you live with. And I think after a certain amount of time,
you respect each other's privacy, you give each other space, and when
someone needs a hug or needs to be told they're out of line, you can do all
of that.

That's something you can't do when you're starting off, because most
musicians are a weird bunch. They're flaky, especially when they're young.
If you can get past that ego, the weird flakiness, and all the
stereotypical general musician (expletive), and come out on the other side,
then you're OK.

Def Leppard's studio albums have always been several years apart. Why?

We do such long tours. When you go on tour, people usually think you're
just playing their town, and then you go off and make another record.
(Laughs.) On the "Hysteria" tour, we did the U.S. three times. After that,
we had a two-week break and went straight back in and did "Adrenalize."
We've sped the cycle up a little bit, we've cut it down to three years.

How is touring different now than it was in the '80s?

We're experiencing a very weird thing right now. People are really going
nuts. There are younger people there, and stuff we hadn't seen on the last
two tours. I have theories about it, but I don't really know what it is.
There's all the VH1 stuff that came out, and the fact that we got through
the '90s. I know Steve (Clarke, guitarist) died, but the band carried on,
and we came out of the other side. And I do think that people see that, and
there is a bit of respect. And all of a sudden, the earlier songs become
more valued in a different way. I don't know if it's Indian summer or what.
I don't know.

Do you think VH1 played a part in Def Leppard's resurgence?

Big time. Huge, actually, because it allowed people to see what was
actually happening with the band. There was a time, especially in the '90s,
when we all felt, "Don't lump us in with all this other stuff. We had our
own thing happening before there were these Cinderellas and Poisons and
Wingers." That's what happens when you have a successful band, there are at
least 100 bands there to dilute all the good.

Does your audience now include your original fans and their kids?

Yeah. I would say it makes me feel old, but it doesn't, actually. It makes
me feel quite invigorated.

How do you hope Def Leppard will be remembered?

Being an artist, you hope you've touched people in a certain way. But I was
walking down Sixth Avenue the other day, and "Sugar" was bursting out of a
(strip) bar. (Laughs). So that's how we will probably be remembered.

Rod Harmon, features writer, can be reached at 745-7051 or
rharmon@bradentonherald.com