Def Leppard continues to chip away at its heavy-metal label
Put it this way: If the Bee Gees are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, doesn't Def Leppard deserve its day in the Cleveland sun?
Def Leppard? Those Sheffield rockers whose music has sometimes been overshadowed by a swarm of unfortunate incidents, notably the death of guitarist Steve Clark because of alcohol abuse and a horrific car accident that cost drummer Rick Allen an arm? The band with the big hair and heavenly harmonies that seemed to be at odds with the heavy-metal mantra?
Ah, there's the rub, lead singer Joe Elliott says. Def Leppard never was really heavy metal, despite the legions of followers it spawned in the wake of the albums "Pyromania" and "Hysteria."
"In a different world, we tried to be the Beach Boys," Elliott says during a phone interview. "We always wanted to be AC/DC meets Queen."