Til Def do us part
Going Def ... We talk to Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen
By SIMON ROTHSTEIN

Formed in Sheffield back in 1977, Def Leppard have proved to be one of the world's most successful and consistent rock bands.

And we caught up with them as they celebrate the release of their tenth album, X.

We put YOUR questions to singer Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen.

Def Leppards' 1987 album Hysteria sold 15 million copies worldwide, topping both the British and American charts and making it one of the biggest selling heavy rock albums of all time.

And now the boys have rolled back into town with their first single since 1999, Now.

The song is a mix of the classic Def Leppard sound with a more ambient electronic style of music.

The band have been writing and recording the new album, X, for the past nine months.

In that time they played just one live show - a sold out concert in Houston, Texas in front of 60,000 people.

Read on as Joe and Phil tell us all about the new record, upcoming tour dates, what they really think of manufactured pop groups and the secrets of staying together for 25 years.

What has been the high point of the last 25 years for Def Leppard?
Elaine, Grantham

Phil – We got a diamond album for Hysteria, which means that you go ten times platinum. You're up there with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. That was kind of neat and a nice pat on the back.

Emotionally one of the high points was after Rick Allen's accident - when our drummer lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984. We came back and played the Monsters of Rock festival. It was really emotional and a definite high point seeing everyone out there. And it was a big achievement for Rick.

There have been loads of great things but those are the two that really stand out for me.

Joe – Gig wise, it would be San Diego in 1983 as that was the first time we ever played in front of a massive crowd, it was about 55,000. That was a nice little moment.

The diamond award was a lot of fun, we got presented with that in New York. Usually you just get these things given to you backstage, have a quick photo and then carry them around hoping the glass isn't going to break for the next nine months

But this was more like the Oscars. You see all these posters with the album sleeves on, and there you are alongside Thriller, Rumours, Dark Side of the Moon, Sgt Peppers and stuff like that. And you think to yourself that it is amazing. It was the first year that they ever gave them out so that made it even more special.

Generally the fact that we are still doing it is a highlight. When you've been wanting to do this since you were 12-years-old, it is just amazing to keep doing it. That's a highlight in itself.

How have you managed to stay together for so long?
Mike, Southampton

Joe – We have a common goal. We are pretty much on the same page with what we want and the kind of music that we make.

There is a strong friendship and great sense of humour inside the band. In a band you are onstage for two hours and for 22 hours you are not – so you've got to have something in common.

We may be sitting around the table travelling together and somebody says: "Do you remember that advert for Lego in 1968?" And we can all say yes and laugh about it. We may be talking about Match Of The Day from 1982 or Tales From The Riverbank. It's something we've got in common, it is not like we are from different countries or generations. There is no culture divide at all.

Phil – We like each other. We throw the ego thing out of the way and all have the same work ethic. That really helps. We experience the same stuff – we've all had marriages, divorces, births and deaths. Two of us had our parents dying, and we've all been together and experienced it together.

When you've been together this long it becomes a friendship and, without sounding like a clichι, a family. We spend more time together than most families. Most people get divorced and the kids leave home over a 25-year period. We are still together and it's pretty amazing really.

Does it feel sometime while writing a song that you can predict each other's ideas?
Suff

Phil – You not only know what the other person is thinking but actually what they are going to say as well! That is the scary bit, we can actually finish each others sentences which is a bit spooky.

The great thing is that all five people in the band write. You can sometimes have a bit of a dry patch and hopefully someone else will have good ideas.

We have such different influences, likes and dislikes. We are actually so different it is unbelievable. Vivian likes Crowded House, I like Erykah Badu, Joe likes 70s bands like Mott the Hoople still. It's weird how diverse our influences are.

Are you going to release a Def Leppard boxed set at any point with rarities, live tracks and other interesting stuff?
Keikka, Finland

Phil – We've actually recorded every tour we have ever done. We have a great selection of stuff – including stuff with Steve Clark and tracks from before I joined the band 20 years ago.

We have live songs from all over the States, England, Europe and Japan. It would be nice one day to sift through the whole lot and say, "this is the best song from this year and that tour" and release it. We have spoken about this often and it is just a matter of getting the time to do it.

The new album X is breathtaking. What are your favourite songs on the new album?
C Duddy

Joe – It changes every day. I haven't actually played the album in eight weeks. I keep playing it around in my head and right now I think my favourite tracks are still Everyday and Cry.

We've been doing the new single, Now, acoustically for five weeks and I'm not sick of it yet. It still sounds great.

There is not really a lot on X that I don't like. It is too new for me to have got sick of anything. I feel the same about it now as I did three months ago. And three months ago would have been the time for me to say "this shouldn't be on the record" and I didn't say it because I don't believe there is anything on the record that shouldn't be there.

Phil – It varies. I really like Gravity because it is a bit different. I think Long Long Way To Go is really cool. We didn't actually write that but the first time I heard it I thought, "wow, I wish I'd written this". That is why we did that song, we've never really taken anyone else's song before because we've not heard anything that floated our boat. And I think we really nailed it, it is very heartfelt with flamenco guitars and it reflects the lyrics. That is my favourite at the moment.

Joe Elliott's voice seems better than ever on what I've heard of X and on live promotional performances for the album. Has he done anything in particular to improve it?
Caz

Joe – Not particularly. The way these songs have been structured, is that a lot of them have been written around the vocal line and that is the way it should be. We've done that in the past but not really gone to town. Before it has been a wall of sound with us, I have been one of the armoury of five of us all in an equal line going into battle. On this record, because it is a pop record, the voice is the most important thing.

It has become very unfashionable to scream in a high register and that is something that suits me fine because it is not particularly the most pleasant thing to do, it is like ski-ing uphill all your life. You are not just emotive, you are actually physically hurting yourself doing it. On this record we have done that where it feels comfortable but on a lot of the stuff we are selling the lyric in a way that is pleasant for people's ears. We are trying to make a record that leans more towards the Hysteria kind of pop than the rock of Slang or even Europhia.

Is X aimed more at pop fans or rock fans?
Jonnie, Bath

Phil – It is aimed at both. When we recorded Hysteria the plan was to do a rock version of Thriller and have hit singles which crossed over. It made rock music palatable to a lot of people who wouldn't necessarily have been listening to rock music.

I think that our new album is carrying on in that tradition. I think we didn't do that in 1990s, we had a few albums out but I don't think we succeeded. But on X I think we really do – I think it has enough diversity so it's rock when it wants to be and pop when it wants to be.

Joe – We aimed the record at what the five of us wanted to put out. We've always said that we made records for ourselves but we've actually lied in the past when we've said that. On two occasions we've also made albums because we think it is what people want to hear or what the media thought we should be doing. You take notice of these people, and you shouldn't necessarily take any notice.

We made the record in the way that we felt like making it. It was like pushing a snowball off the top of a hill, it just got its own momentum. Once we got the first three or four songs going everything just made sense.

After all this time in the business, are you guys still blown away by the fact that you have actually managed to achieve your dream of becoming such a hugely successful band? Do you still say to yourselves "I can't believe we've achieved all of this"?
A Miller, Arkansas

Phil – Oh yes. Even little things like when we were in Munich yesterday and someone had driven all the way from Italy who we hadn't seen for six years, that is a big deal. People in America drive from Seattle to Florida, that means a lot.

When you first start a band it is a really big deal to play the local cinema and you dream about maybe getting on Top of the Pops one day. I just remember looking out at some of the audiences we've played to and thinking Jesus Christ. It is way above and beyond what we ever expected. We never take that for granted, it is always special.

What are the smallest and largest gigs you have ever played?
Aaron, Cornwall

Phil - We played a cave in Morocco when we did three continents in one day. That was unique, there were steps down to the sea and we played when the tide was out.

We've done a few 55,000 seater gigs including Wembley. So those are the two extremes – a stadium and a cave.

Hi guys I saw you in Sheffield on July 13. It was a great show. How was it for you performing after a lot of young pop acts?
Darren Gibson

Phil – It is something we have done our whole career. Just a few weeks ago we did a real live gig – everyone was singing and playing live – in Kansas. And again it was a very big cross section, you had Michelle Branch, India Arie, Train, O-Town and we finished the show.

I like those sort of gigs when it goes really smoothly. I think people who go to one of those events go to enjoy it. And we are fine, you could stick us on with anyone.

Joe – We've only done one show like that in England. We've done a few in the States but it comes across differently in America.

I would equate it with Top of the Pops except it is on a stage rather than on the television. Whether it be us or Iron Maiden or Linkin Park, if somebody says we've got you a spot on Top of the Pops then you are going to take it.

The Sheffield gig was in our hometown and we were asked to play four songs. And we played live and everybody else lip-synced. To us that is making a point, a rock band could and should do this and do it on their own terms. We just went out and did our thing – we don't dance and we don't mime.

We've done some similar gigs in America – Top 40 radio stuff. But over there, the Top 40 has a lot more credibility than it does over here. The ones that we did were with real artists like Shaggy, Jewell and Train. There is a big difference between that and fat Rick.

The singles charts are dominated more than ever by manufactured bands. How does this make you feel?
David, Southampton

Phil – I think it is pretty tragic actually. What I find so tragic is that there is nothing new. No new artists – there is no Kurt Cobain or Sting/Police coming out with something new. There is no punk ethic or really cool stuff coming out. It is not very encouraging. It is just karaoke now.

There are some cool bands at the moment, like the Strokes, but nothing that is really blowing the world apart. It would be nice if someone came along and stirred things up.

Joe – I wear two hats on this. On paper it is no different from Motown – you had these artists that danced and sang Holland Dozier Holland songs. But in reality there is a huge difference – they were good.

People like The Temptations, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder - these guys were absolutely brilliant and they could actually sing live.

So on paper it is a similar thing but with Motown it was more real somehow. It's not an age thing, I know people always say the old stuff is the best, it is just that you can't compare Hear'Say with the Four Tops. You just can't. I was just watching Hear'Say on BBC2 and Mylenne had a head-mic on and the thing fell down and she was still singing. Am I the only person who spots the fact that they are lip-syncing?

I think I speak for most fans when I say that we want to see more new material in your live sets. Will you be playing a lot of new songs this time around or sticking to a greatest hits set?
Amy, Nottingham

Phil – We usually try and vary it. We've done this before though. We've gone out there and gone "this is a new song off the new album" and we've played it really enthused but you can hear a pin drop. That is the same with any band you like and have a history with, you want to hear the music you are familiar with. Whenever you do that you have to be very careful.

Having said that we are getting a little bit tired of this greatest hits thing so perhaps we will introduce more new material than we usually do.

Do you have any reservations about doing Top of the Pops?
Craig Rush

Joe – Top of the Pops is just a shop. You can go to Harrods and buy the cheesiest thing on the planet or the most amazing thing on the planet – it is all in the same building. Top of the Pops is the same thing.

Take the Logical song, you might not remember the original but trust me it is much better than this cr*p version that is in the charts now. You can have something like that or something good like the new Linkin Park single or The Rising by Bruce Springsteen. They can all be on the same 30-minute TV show.

Is there one album, in particular, that you feel defines the band more so than any of your other albums? If so, which one and why? Thank you and best wishes to all of you always.
Nicole Nykamp

Phil – Hysteria. It was like the apex for us. It was the first time we got everything right. Our career was leading up to that point. It was the perfect hybrid record. It wasn't blinkered narrow-minded rock like a lot of stuff at that time was. We had clean guitars and influences from new wave bands like the Police. Really it was the culmination of everything we wanted since we were kids. We had seven hit singles off it as well.

Joe – I would cheat and pick Vault, our greatest hits album, because it defines 15 years. It's got the bits off the other records which I think are good. If there was no greatest hits then I would pick Hysteria.

Hi guys, love the new single. If you could pick one person or group to write and perform a song with, who would it be?
Robin, Manchester

Phil – I actually think that would be really naff and we would never do that. It makes me sick when you see celebrity love-ins, it just makes me want to puke. Writing a song for somebody else is a different thing and us individually doing stuff on someone else's record would be fine.

Joe – Imagine Def Leppard and Christine Aguilera doing We Are The World. They can be forgivable sometimes when they are for charity. But then you hear the Elton John one with the opera singer and you just think "oh, please".

If I could write with and perform with anyone, it would have to be the Rolling Stones or something shocking like the Backstreet Boys.

What is your favourite biscuit?
Kitty, Wigan

Joe – Hob nobs for me. You can't eat just one, it's the same as Pringles, once you've had one you just want another.

Phil – Chocolate digestives.

How do you personally handle less favourable reviews? So much goes into making an album and having a critic or fan say unfavourable things must be hard to listen to. Take care & keep rockin'
Ann, Wisconsin

Phil – We are so bullet-proof. We couldn't give a s**t. The reason why we don't get annoyed is that we feel sorry for some of these people, they are 35-years-old and living with their mum and have never had a girlfriend.

Joe – Or they are 18 and living with their mum and the only romance they have ever known is jerking off in front of the mirror. They don't really qualify to comment. To be honest if you get 20 reviews and 19 of them are good the only one you remember is the bad one.

I know what it is like to be a reviewer because I know people who do it and they have been honest me and said they get 20 albums to review in six days. So they are listening to them while they are vacuuming, so you might catch three of the songs. They don't give it a chance, you can't review everything on one listen.

And if it is not a like-minded person reviewing it, they have to at least be sympathetic towards that kind of music, then you are just like lambs to the slaughter.

There is this great scene in Spinal Tap where the director guy, Rob Reiner, is going: "We had an album called shark sandwich and the review just said s**t sandwich." And the band just sat there saying: "that's quite good isn't it."

I heard the other day that we got single of the week in Kerrang but when they reviewed the album they said about Long Long Way To Go that it was as romantic as dipping your d**k in a bucket of s**t.

They have an agenda, they all want to be Lester Bangs, the legendary American writer. His writing was funny but he wanted to get his personality across in the review more than he wanted to get the review across.

But we don't harp on about it!

What is the most extravagant thing you have ever bought?
Becky Lewis, Bristol

Joe – My house, that is about as boring as it gets.

Phil – There is the stupid Rolex incident. I used to drink and me and Steve Clark were in Dublin. We borrowed Joe's car – which was like the band car but it belonged to Joe – and were driving around absolutely shattered and drunk. I got my ear pierced again, which I didn't even remember.

I bought a gold Rolex watch and Steve bought a Cartier and we woke up in the middle of the afternoon and we were like "arrrgghhh" and had no memory of any of it. It was pretty bizarre.

I am getting married next year and as a fan for 18 years I just wanted to ask….Do you play weddings?
Steve Claringbold

Joe – You've not put down where you are from, if you snooze then you lose. The answer is yes we would have done but we don't know where it is.

We've had questions from all around the world asking which countries you will be touring in the near future, can you let us know?

Joe – That is difficult to do as nothing is booked yet but on paper we've got Britain in November followed by Japan going into December and the States taking us up until spring. Then after that it all depends on how the record does.

We've just gone through Germany and we kind of feel a bit bad for not playing there so we'll play there as well. If we do Europe then we'll probably do the festival run and just break the American thing up. So we may do a winter indoor tour in the States, come back and do some festivals in Europe, and then go outdoors in the US afterwards. That is just hearsay at the moment though.

article resource: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001330009-2002361962,00.html