http://www.electricbasement.com/interview_joeelliot_october2000.htm DEF LEPPARD - What Doesn't Kill You... English Rockers Keep It Going 10/17/00 By Keith McDonald (Eightball Entertainment) Some people would say that Def Leppard are one of the most cursed bands in the history of rock and roll. Through the death of long time friend and guitarist Steve Clark and the accident that caused drummer Rick Allen to lose his arm, the band has persevered. Yet, fans that really know the band would say that despite their many tragedies, they are probably one of the most influential bands to ever come along. With their trademark melodies and big harmonies, Def Leppard have continued their mastery of the pop song with their most recent release Euphoria. I had the chance to speak with singer Joe Elliot who filled me in on what's been going on with the band. Touching on the troubles the band has faced and how the band keeps going, Joe explains that "this is what we do for a living and we like what we do. We've had two major tragedies. We've been lucky in that the good has outweighed the bad, but when it's been bad, it's been real bad". He'd rather concentrate on what matters the most to him, and that's his music. With the release of Euphoria, the band has return to the sound that made Def Leppard household names throughout the world in the 80's. "We're not going back to the 80's sound" Joe states, "this is a more Def Leppard sound. Slang was an experiment that had to be made. We did that intentionally. It reconfirms who we are: a band capable of writing pop- rock tunes where the songwriting, structure and melodies are the important parts". As for how well Euphoria has done so far, Joe notes that "it's over 600,000 in the States and gone Gold in Japan and Canada. I think 1.1 million worldwide which is pretty damn good. It's way down on what we used to sell but the music business has changed a lot". The first single Promises "did exceptionally well on radio as did Paper Sun". As for the music of today, Joe adds that "there's attitude in music, but no melodies. We have become the alternative" as the "alternative has become the mainstream. There are very few pop records on the Billboard Top 200. With the exception of Metallica and a few others, nothing is challenging pop music. In the 90's, it became cool to stand on stage and look at your shoes. I miss David Lee Roth, that kind of character. There's nobody out there like Freddy Mercury" as there are a "collection of bands where you don't know the names of each individual member. You had Def Leppard and Bon Jovi who had albums in the Top 10 because their songs were commercial and got radio play". As for the demise of MTV, the channel that the band dominated in the 80's, Joe states that "I don't watch MTV anymore since it became a game show. I don't have any interest. I used to love it when they played videos" and that "you have to wait around to see a video. It's become almost a rap channel; they took the rock right out. They did an 80's retro show and it got the best ratings and they don't learn from things like that. I find that astonishing". Joe does like the alternative to MTV, that being VH1. Joe adds that "I like VH1 because it plays music programs, even Behind The Music is interesting". Def Leppard was highlighted on the very popular show and received some of the highest ratings. "It doubled our back-catalog the first time it was on. I can only be thankful to VH1 as I was to MTV in the 80's". Joe concentrates on radio more than TV these days. "As long as we maintain a decent relationship with radio, people can maybe hear Def Leppard on their way to work. My feelings for radio are very good and I hope it opens doors for bands that play similar music. It's not a crime to write a great song". Joe blames grunge for the downfall of pop artists. "Nirvana was a melodic band, but hundreds of bands became Nirvana clones. Silverchair sounds and looks like them and Bush made Nirvana's next record. You get an A&R guy who says 'get me a band that sounds like Def Leppard or sounds like irvana'. Korn's next record could be affected by the fact that so many bands sound like them now. They might make a record that doesn't sound like Korn, which is what we did with Slang. It pisses you off". Despite all the hardships the band has endured, Def Leppard still keeps on going. Joe credits it to their "great working relationship (with their label) and that we were signed for 11 albums. We were a career building band, not like a 'first one didn't sell; drop'em'. We signed for six albums and halfway through they offered us a fantastic contract for another five. We may not have lasted if we had released an album every year". He also "would put it down to friendship, strong commodore in the band. We enjoy the kind of music we play. If we didn't like each other we wouldn't do this. We constantly write great songs that keeps us out on the road, making records and keeps us fresh". The band has no thoughts of slowing down as they gear up for a new album. "I'd imagine we'd start next year because this tour will go on till October". As for the new material and which style they will go in, either Slang or Euphoria, Joe notes that "it's very difficult to say until we get the core of the music written, then we'll know. I would imagine it would be 50-50. We're always going to write melodic songs. It would be nice to write an album that was half experimental and half what people would expect. It just comes natural to us to write pop songs. There's a lot more depth to us than the average hard rock band". As for the future Joe sees the band "touring into the next century. We love playing live and we'd love to carry playing for the next 30 years". Hopefully they'll be able to do that.