http://www.dailymail.com/news/Entertainment/2003072436/ Rock of ages Guitarist talks Britney, kids & at 40, rockin' till they drop Philip Maramba Daily Mail staff Thursday July 24, 2003; 10:30 AM It's a tribute to a rock band's staying power when it can schedule a tour loaded with corporate-sponsored arenas 20 years after its breakthrough album, instead of headlining venues where the festival seats are barstools. Def Leppard blew up along with a fledgling MTV network on the strength of their album "High and Dry" and the monster smash "Pyromania." Riding the success of video hits like "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages," the band was in the vanguard of the early '80s New Wave of Heavy Metal, a catchall label lumping them together with British groups as disparate as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Motorhead. Featuring a dense, clean guitar sound molded by uber producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (whose credits include AC/DC and his wife, country-pop star Shania Twain), the band separated itself from the hard rock pack with catchy pop-rock choruses and radio-ready hooks. The combination reached its zenith with the release of 1987's "Hysteria," which yielded seven chart hits, including the arena rocker "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and power ballads like "Love Bites." The album has gone on to sell more than 12 million copies. But as the heavy rock scene grew grittier and more aggressive in the '90s, the Leppards' slick formula no longer stuck and the group found itself out of the spotlight. It was about this time that tragedy visited an act already beset by adversity. In 1985, drummer Rick Allen had his left arm severed in a car accident, but kept the beat going with the aid of a custom-made, foot-driven drum kit. In 1991, however, the band lost original guitarist Steve Clark after years of substance abuse when he was found dead in his London apartment. The group soldiered on to complete its album, "Adrenalize," in 1992, which included "White Lightning," a tribute to Clark. Not long after its release, the band added former Dio and Whitesnake guitar slinger Vivian Campbell to play opposite guitarist Phil Collen. The release of their 10th album, "X," in 2002, with its debut at number 11 on Billboard's Top 200 served as testimony to the devotion of the band's following. Def Leppard picks up its "X" tour with a 37-city North American swing including a stop Wednesday at Huntington's Big Sandy Superstore Arena. Guitarist Campbell spoke in a phone interview from the suburbs of Detroit about the tour and life playing with the video generation's first hard rock icons. Q: Your video for "Rainbow in the Dark" with Dio shared airtime with Def Leppard in the early days of MTV. Did you have any relationship with the band back then? A: Well, I was a big fan from the mid-'70s, but I didn't actually meet them until 1987, when I was with Whitesnake. Afterward, (lead singer) Joe Elliott moved to Dublin. I'm from Belfast and we got to know each other through mutual friends. Q: How did you like their music? A: I liked their first single, "Wasted," but not so much their first album. I bought their second, "High and Dry," and liked how they progressed. I didn't even buy "Pyromania," though, because I was so thoroughly bombarded by them on MTV and the radio that I didn't need to. Q: What's the difference between touring with Dio and Whitesnake as opposed to Def Leppard? A: Well, there was a 17-year difference between me and Ronnie James Dio, so it was kind of like touring with your dad. (Laughs.) And with Whitesnake, which had an Englishman, a Dutchman, an Irishman and a Cuban, there was that whole cultural difference. There was no cohesion. But when I first met Def Leppard backstage, I immediately liked the interaction. It was like watching a bunch of friends who played music together. I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I could play with guys like this?" Q: Are you doing any writing with the group on the road? A: We don't do any composing while we're touring; we save that for our days off. Thanks to laptops and different programs, though, where we used to sit in a room with an acoustic guitar, we can submit more developed ideas of what we hear for songs. Q: On your latest album, the group worked with Per Aldeheim and Andreas Carlsson, who produced hits for Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. What was that collaboration like? A: We wanted to get some perspective on the sounds that would be accessible for radio play. Some people thought it was sacrilege, but if you listen to our work, our vocals are complex. Pop music is strong on vocals. We're not that far from the Backstreet Boys -- we've just got more guitars. Q: It's been more than 20 years since the group released its first album. How has the band's audience changed? A: Well, it's older. (Laughs.) But we reach younger people, too. Of course, we'd like to see more. And once they come to a concert, regardless of what they do in their 9-to-5 life, we bring out the kid who bought our albums. Q: And what about your approach to life on the road? A: It's a lot different from when we were in our 20s. Back then, there was a lot more drinking and drugs, but we've all grown up. You should see us backstage. We're all herbal tea and mineral water. We go to the gym. I'm the only person in the band who'll actually drink a beer onstage. Sometimes, I'll even -- (mock gasp) -- have three or four before a show. (Laughs.) Imagine that! Q: You have two daughters. How do they deal with having a rock and roll father? A: Well, Lily is 4 and she's getting some understanding of what daddy going to work means. Una is just 2 and she's still pretty clueless. But they're both pretty cognizant of my leaving. It's difficult for me to leave them behind. They're beginning to understand what happens when they hear the word "airplane." Q: So what's it like to rock at 40? A: It's still an adrenaline rush, but it's a little strange. After all, I like to think I'm a responsible adult, but I'm onstage night after night singing "Rock! Rock! Till you drop!" I just try to keep things in perspective -- that we're up there for some light-hearted escapism. We're entertainers. I wouldn't be doing this if I were 50 pounds overweight and bald. I'm in good shape. I just try to carry on in the spirit of rock and roll. If you go DEF LEPPARD # WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday # WHERE: Big Sandy Superstore Arena, Huntington # TICKETS: $35-$45 # INFO: Call 342-5757 or on the Web at www.ticketmaster.com Writer Philip Maramba can be reached at 348-4809.