Def Leppard Quotes
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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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Our first single wasn't put out by any big-name record company. We had been playing in clubs for a while and we wanted to put out an EP. None of the record companies would have us. They told us that our type of rock and roll wasn't happening. We decided to show 'em they were wrong, so we recorded the stuff on our own and put it out on our own private label, Bludgeon Riffola Records. When it started to sell a lot of copies, the record companies 'suddenly' discovered us. It was strange, but we felt vindicated.
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Recording Hysteria and Rick's accident, and the Steve thing, but that was over a period of years. I miss him more now than I did when he first died. I think about him all the time. It bugs me more now. What a waste!
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Forget about being a guitar player. There's plenty of guitar factories and shops - you can do that'. That was my career officer at school. My mom said 'Fuck them, do what you feel, don't be discouraged by it'. That was cool. We all came from a working class, very supportive background. Joe's mom helped him fold sleeves of the first EP.
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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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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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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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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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I can think of maybe a couple of days before my accident or the day of my accident that I could have definitely done things slightly different.
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When Phil turned up it was a great kick up the ass for me ... It provided me with some really good competition. I had probably got into a bit of a rut. When Phil joined it was a completely fresh attitude.
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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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And more importantly, I wouldnt be the person I am today, I wouldnt be where I am now and I may not even have been here if it wasnt for the accident.
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If you're driving, don't forget your car.
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We make music for escapism. It's like Star Warsfor the ears. Cult movies are really cool, but I'd rather go see a Steven Spielberg movie.
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I don't think we'll ever get too theatrical on stage. I can't see us using exotic props or fancy stages. Of course, we want to put on the best show possible, but we want the music to be the star of the show, not the stage set.
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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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Just follow your gut. If you seriously believe that something is the right thing to do, if you are so convinced that your stomach is knotting up every time someone suggests an alternative way of doing all this, take a deep breath and just say, "You're wrong."
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That was the most exciting period, I think: at first, when you get the success on that really large scale.
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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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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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The best holiday I ever had was the first one I went on without my parents, when I was 17.
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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.
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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.