Def Leppard Quotes
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If I couldn't play drums it would have destroyed me. If you're thrown in the deep end you swim, and that's basically what I did. I had to do it and with the rest of the band behind me and the encouragement I got from people from all over the world, I knew that I was going to play.
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I wanted to write a song that's known to the world as a classic, stadium-rock anthem.
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We were noticed not because we dressed and acted so strangely, but because we didn't. All the other bands at that time were concerned with dressing as outrageously as possible and dying their hair ridiculous colors. We tended to look and act rather conservatively. People remember us, as well as our music.
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I'm a big, big blues fan and the last several years I've really invested in the blues a lot, and I think my playing is getting better because of it - not necessarily better on a technical level, but certainly on a level of appropriateness.
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It's a catchy name. We didn't want to call ourselves anything too traditional. If we had called ourselves the something-or-others we would have been just another group in the crowd.
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I think Joe's a little harsh on our early albums. I still like to listen to them occasionally, and we all still get a kick out of playing Rock Brigade in concert.
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It's great to get insight into the era of 80's rock-n-roll via a treasure trove of photographs skillfully captured in front of Mark Weiss' camera lens. This event is the perfect time capsule for Mark's work finally being released upon the masses in 2012.
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I don't have to try and be a comedian to fit in the band. It's such a comfortable vibe. Had I been born in Sheffield, I probably would have been in the original lineup.
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If you're driving, don't forget your car.
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There's a standard that we never let ourselves go below. We're our own worst critics.
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We didn't know when to stop. It was like painting. We got it to its peak and then we thought, we've got more time, so we started throwing more paint on there.
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So you kind of know that anytime we want, we could do a tour without even an album to promote, which is kind of reassuring, cos that's what most people are coming to see - just us doing the old classics.
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In 1979 in Wolverhampton at a club I forgot the name of, my trousers split, luckily up the back. I duct-taped them together just before we went on. I didn't have any spare ones. I've had a few stupid incidents where things have been thrown on stage, but nothing that would put me off going on stage.
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And really, it's my home life that my own personal foundation is based on and not necessarily the life within the band.
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Deep Purple, 'In Rock'. My cousin got me into it. I really dug it and that's why I started playing guitar. There's been other albums over the years, but that was the first one.
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I never had a real job either. I sort of fell out of school and ended up playing guitar.
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The key to longevity? Maybe putting an album out every four years - people don't get bored of you! No, just joking. I think, not taking yourself too seriously. You've got to have a sense of humor. You have to be strong-willed to put up with all the bullshit that goes with the job. You've got to consistently write good songs, and have the right rock-n-roll attitude. The Stones are a perfect example. If we could last that long, I'd be very happy.
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When we try to write a pop song, we go for standard pop arrangements, even to the point where we will go to the key change at the end, which is really cheesy.
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The most frustrating thing for musicians who want to play stuff from the new album is when everyone goes out to buy a beer.
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I love the fact we're still on the road. I was born to be a factory worker really, so for me the chance to get on stage at Wembley 30 years after we started is amazing.
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I'd find myself leading girls on when I didn't realize I was doing it. I try to distingush between groupies and a genuine fan that just wants to get to know you better. But sometimes I'd really f*ck up. I'd think I was on to a fan that just wanted to talk. Then I'd find out she's trying to ring me up in the next city and writing letters.
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Def Leppard is a rock band that can sing.
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Manhattan's always fascinating, too, just a big, stinky, smelly conglomeration of numbered avenues and streets, but it's just got a vibe that's hard to beat. I shouldn't like it, but I do. I can't put my finger on it.
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Some people say that practice makes perfect but I just feel that the repetition works against me and I start thinking too far ahead during a show.