http://jamesonjournals.blogspot.com/2005/04/joe-interview.html

Joe Interview

SJ: "Joe, it's a pleasure to finally talk to you. I promise, I won't take up
much of your time but as we discussed in the e-mails, the public is very
interested in the story behind the controversy between you and a Mr. Andrew
McNiece.

First though, I want to ask you about the Cover's album coming out. I have been
reading comments on what fans think of this and I've heard from both sides of
the coin. Some love the idea and some hate the idea and would like to hear an
album of new material from you guys. Any comments on that Joe?"

JE: "Well Sarah, we've been working on some new stuff but it's hard to say when
things will happen being we're getting ready for a new tour and being busy in
our personal lives. We'd love to do an album of new material and hopefully it
will happen but as I told you, in the e-mail, I don't like to give out
information because things change all the time and I don't want to promise
something and can't deliver.

A covers album is something I've wanted to do for a long time and I finally get
to live out my dreams and sing songs from my childhood idols."

SJ: "I've always wanted to be a singer but trust me when I say you don't want to
hear me sing. I think it's great that you are able to fulfill your dreams Joe.
Do you sometimes get star struck around your idols? I know when I interviewed
Steven Tyler a few years ago, he was sitting right across from me and I couldn't
speak. I felt so dumbfounded and embarrassed that I was just sitting here
staring at this man I've admired for 10 years and was about to interview him."

JE: "I've felt that way too Sarah and at times I feel in complete awe of them
because they've accomplished so much. I have too but growing up in Shefflield
and having worked in the spoon factory, you tend to think that something is
always just beyond your reach and it made me want to work that much harder to
achieve my dream."

SJ: "Were you ever one of those fans that go to the concert and buy a t shirt
and hang out after the show in hopes of meeting the band? I know girl's do it,
goodness knows I used to do it but did you hang out and get to meet your
favorite bands?"

JE: "Yes, I got to meet David Bowie, one of a few of my favorites and I lived to
see Queen in concert. As you've probably seen on various websites, we wanted to
be Queen and I was fortunate enough to meet Freddy Mercury shortly before he
died. Another idol of mine was Mott the Hoople and I have been fortunate enough
to be able to work with Ian Hunter on his next DVD."

SJ: "I got to see the little clip they offer on the website and I loved the
song. You did a great job in singing with him."

JE: "Thank you Sarah, I had a lot of fun."

SJ: "Joe, I know you're short on time so I will get to the point of this
interview. I recently became aware of this little feud going on between you and
Andrew McNeice who runs the Melodic Rock website. As I've told you, I'm going to
be conducting and interview with him as well so I can get both sides of the
story.

This seems to all start with the fake track listing that was sent to him, having
to do with the Cover's CD that you guys are coming out with. Can you tell me the
story Joe? Did all of this really start with a track listing that ended up being
false?"

JE: "Yes, it started back in early 2004, someone sent him the track listing for
the Cover's album and I'm informed that Andrew at Melodic has posted a track
listing for the album on his website. I immediately became suspicious because
the band and I don't like to tell what's going to be on the album until it's
confirmed because anything can happen, whether the song ends up not working like
we want it to and we have to scrap it or there's a problem deciding if it should
be on there at all.

I began to wonder who sent him the track listing and the band and I started
discussing whether or not we had a leak in the Leppard camp. None of the band
saw a reason for sending him the fake track listing. What point would that make
besides upsetting him as it seemed to do and we didn't have any reason to fight
with him. Like I've said, we don't like to give out any information unless we
know for sure that we want it on the album."

SJ: "Joe, did you or any of the band members send him the false track listing as
perhaps a joke or to throw him off the scent? If say maybe you had suspicions
about a leak in the Leppard camp and wanted him to get different information?"

JE: "No Sarah, none of us sent him a false track listing but someone did."

SJ: "This opened a whole new can of worms once this false track listing was sent
to Andrew and he was sent an advanced copy of the CD and he reviewed it and put
it up on his website. You accused him in your letter of stealing the CD and said
some pretty harsh things like "He/she or it has luckily stumbled across a work
in progress copy on someone's desk. Someone who admittedly should know better
than to leave a copy lying in view of such a low life and you go on to say that
they have no ears and any idiot hearing it would know it's not finished yet.

Then say, "Please give it back to whomever you stole it from and you go on to
call him a nasty name. Do you think Andrew stole it, whether directly or
indirectly Joe?"

JE: "I was very upset when I wrote that letter, I admit that but to answer your
question Sarah, I'd have to say yes he did indirectly because I know someone
within the organization sent him the CD and to take that and print up a review
is guilty by association. I don't care if he didn't walk in and take it off a
desk, he still got it under false pretense and used it to his advantage."

SJ: "Joe, do you feel this could alienate some of your fans by the way you
handled things when you wrote that letter?"

JE: "I've heard some of the responses on the forum and I know I haven't exactly
won over everyone but I'm sure that they can understand where I might be coming
from. I tend to fly off the handle at times but I'm very firm about not giving
out information on albums we're working on until it's confirmed. I hope the fans
won't stop supporting us because of this ridiculous thing going on between the
music critic and I but I won't hold any grudges if they decide not to."

SJ: "Joe, do you have any idea who's behind sending Andrew the CD?"

JE: "I'd rather not say until I have proof but I will say this much, if I do
find out, I'm sure we'll have our leak and it will be taken care of."

SJ: "Andrew stated at one point in his review that he thought the Cover's album
would kill your career for good. What do you think of that Joe?"

JE: "I think he has no clue what he's talking about. He's not in a band and he
doesn't know the first thing about what goes into producing and recording an
album. All he does is stick the CD in the drive and give it a listen then writes
his opinion. I do stick by one thing in what I said in my letter and that is he
doesn't have an ear for music."

SJ: "I won't even argue with this because I don't really have an ear for music
either. I just know what I like and leave it at that. So, tell me something Joe.
Does the band ever hand out CD's of what you're going to record to friends or
people you work with? Is it common practice to hand someone a CD and tell them
to give it a listen and see what they think?"

JE: "No Sarah, it's not but it has happened before but until recently, it's
always stayed within the circle of Def Leppard. We trust our friends and people
we work with so I doubt it was one of them."

SJ: "What would you do if you found out it was someone you were close with or
worked closely with and trusted to keep it to themselves?"

JE: "I'd feel betrayed of course and I'd ask them why they did it and then fire
them if they worked for us."

*Joe and Sarah laugh*

SJ: "Joe, I only have a few more questions for you and then I'll let you go. Is
there any possibility that the person who sent him the CD wanted revenge for
perhaps something that happened between the band and them? In other words, do
you have anyone that might be a tad upset about something that had gone down and
wanted to get back at you or one of the other guys?"

JE: "No one that I can think of Sarah, we've always been a tight knit group and
we have a trust established. I suppose something can always happen that would
change that but I'd like to hope that we could work it out or at least part on
good terms if we decided that it wasn't worth hammering out. I live by one
simple rule and that's you earn your way in life and that goes for trust as
well. You have to earn it and once it's gone, it's hard to get back.

I also stick by my friends and believe they'll do the same for me. I've been
burned sure but I don't necessarily hold it against them the rest of their
lives, it's just harder for me to trust them the next time."

SJ: "I'm actually the same way Joe. I always try to believe the best about
people. Let me ask you this. If Andrew had come to you or gotten in contact with
you somehow and asked if he could have an advanced copy of the CD to review,
would you have sent him one? Given you've already said that he doesn't have an
ear for music and one quote where you said "Any idiot who listens to this would
know it's not finished?"

JE: "Perhaps but probably not until it had been released or almost ready to be
released because of the amount of piracy going on and the amount of selling
things on ebay. I wouldn't give it out before hand because like I've said, it's
not finished and anything can happen."

SJ: "Joe, in all honesty, putting aside what Andrew's said in his review, do you
think this Cover's album is a bad move as far as your career is concerned? I
mean after all, the past three albums got little recognition, especially Slang
and X. I thought they were terribly underrated and promoted and if I had to lay
blame, I'd put it on your label."

JE: "Personally, I don't think so Sarah but then again, it will be up to the
fans and getting the album promoted. I agree that the last three albums didn't
get much publicity but it's kind of out of our hands, once it's released."

SJ: "Well, I thought both Slang and X was a very bold step as far as your music
is concerned. Most bands aren't that brave and those that are, don't live to
tell about it as far as becoming a big hit. I hope that the Covers album will
get the proper amount of promotion. What can the fans do as far as helping out
with that? I know that a lot of your fans feel you've been cheated and they want
to do what they can to help."

JE: "Well, getting airplay is a big key to getting it in the public eye, so I'd
tell them to call into the radio stations and request to hear Def Leppard and
they can also ask stores to carry our stuff. The audience is the target for both
retail and radio and if the public demands it, the stores and radio stations
will listen."

SJ: "Joe, I've really appreciated you taking the time to talk to me today and I
only have a couple of more questions for you. Let's go back for a moment to
Andrew's review and what you've said to him on the Def Leppard website. Do you
have any regrets about what you said? In the sense do you think you owe Andrew
an apology for flying off the handle as you put it earlier or does he owe you
the apology?"

JE: "I don't think I owe him an apology because he obtained the CD under false
pretense and it was done without our knowlege. Someone sent him the CD that we
obviously thought we could trust or maybe whoever did take it and sent to him,
actually stole it from the person that had it. I think he owes me an apology for
not asking permission to have the CD and review it before it's even ready.

If he had asked and I thought it was ready for review, sure I would have
probably had it sent to him but since it didn't happen that way, I don't see how
I owe him an apology but I do regret the way I went about it and I'm sure you
read the letter I wrote after that. I was a little more calm then and thought
about how I handled the situation and I could have handled it better but I still
would have been angry and rightfully so."

SJ: "One last question Joe, if you could talk to Andrew face to face about
everything that has gone down, what would you say to him?"

JE: "That's tough Sarah but I'm sure there would have been a lot more said that
we may regret later, when it comes to talking to someone in person rather than
on the Internet. I'd probably ask him who sent it and if he told me, I'd go talk
to them and ask them why. I'm sure tempers would flare and accustions thrown but
I would rather handle it face to face because then I know exactly what I'm
dealing with."

SJ: "Joe, thank you again for agreeing to do this interview with me, I know I've
taken quite a bit of your time so I will let you go now. I do hope this issue is
resolved for you and you can relax. It's been a true pleasure Joe and maybe
we'll get to talk again someday soon."

JE: "Thank you Sarah and the pleasure has been all mine. If the opportunity ever
arises, I'd be happy to talk to you again. I enjoyed this interview."

SJ: "Thank you Joe, I'll let your webmaster know when I have this up so you can
see it online since I'll have Andrew's interview up as well. Feel free to
contact me if you have any questions Joe. Take care of yourself."

JE: "I will Sarah and I look forward to reading it later."