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Def Leppard's Rick Allen: Rock 'n' Roll Survivor Making A Difference
by Paul Rosner

Rock stars have long been held on a level that approaches idolatry, often giving them a sense of invincibility and insulating them from the rest of society. This insulation is perhaps necessary because of the adulation and exaltation of overzealous fans, who cease to realize that their heroes also have personal lives. Even so, some of these same rock "gods" buy into their star status so completely that they forget they belong to the same species. Ultimately, the fault rests with both the stars themselves and their eager worshippers, who are all too willing to forgive almost anything if the hits keep coming.

Though the so-called "god complex" can have long-lasting negative effects on those it engulfs, the true measure of a human being is found in that person's response to trying circumstances (and having fans throw money, praise, and their bodies at you could certainly be considered trying from a moral perspective). When 15-year-old Sheffield drummer Rick Allen was tapped in 1978 by English rockers Def Leppard to join their ranks, his own test would come quickly. Less than one year after joining, Allen and the band were opening dates for the Australian giant AC/DC, who was just entering the biggest, most popular stage of their career. In 1981, Def Leppard released High 'N' Dry, which soared on the wings of the MTV favorite "Bringin' On The Heartbreak." But that was just a warm-up for what was to follow in the next few years, beginning with the 1983 release of Pyromania. That international smash record featured three top 40 hits, highlighted by the '80s rock standard "Photograph," and sent Def Leppard's stock into the stratosphere. After nearly a year of solid touring in support of the album, Def Leppard was one of the biggest bands in the world. Hopes were understandably high for the group's fourth record.

For Rick Allen, who was riding a wave of energy from adoring fans around the globe, life was about to change in a way that no one could have predicted. On New Year's Eve in 1984, Allen was driving well over the speed limit when his car overturned, throwing him from the vehicle and severing his left arm. While many of us would surely have dropped into deep depression following such a loss, Allen renewed his faltering love affair with the drums and became determined to overcome any obstacle in his path. The results speak for themselves: after Allen taught himself to play one-armed with the aid of an adapted electronic kit, Def Leppard produced the phenomenally successful Hysteria. That 1987 effort featured an astounding six top twenty hits, including a No. 3 ("Armageddon It"), a No. 2 ("Pour Some Sugar On Me"), and a No. 1 ("Animal").

More importantly, Allen realized the importance of taking nothing for granted. As he readily admits, the accident made him a different and better person—it spiritually transformed him. More than a decade removed from the dizzying heights of Hysteria, Allen and Def Leppard are still at it, recently releasing their tenth album, the aptly titled X. Perhaps even more impressive is Allen's 2001 creation with massage therapist/healer Lauren Monroe, the Raven Drum Foundation. This not-for-profit organization was established to "provide free educational programs in the arts and opportunities for personal growth during times of adversity"—the same personal growth Allen himself experienced during his own difficult and trying time.

Musictoday recently spoke with Allen by phone from his home in Southern California. We talked about the highs and lows of rock stardom, how long Def Leppard can go on, and Allen's passion for making a difference in the lives of other people. We came away impressed by the drummer's honesty, conviction, and absolute lack of a "god complex." We also spoke with co-founder Lauren Monroe about the Raven Drum Foundation. With the creativity, energy, and desire Allen and Monroe bring to the table, big things are certainly on the horizon for their organization. Did Rick Allen pass the many tests laid before him? Judge for yourself...we certainly think so.

Musictoday: What led you to the drums of all instruments?

Rick Allen: A friend of mine, John Richardson, he told me that he'd been given a guitar. And then when he got this guitar and started playing it, I felt a little left out. So, I went home and asked my folks if it was okay if I got a drum kit, and of course, their answer was no, because we came from not very much money. You know, both my parents worked. But, my mum was great. She said, "Okay, we'll start putting money into a fund." Actually, that's what we did—we put a drum kit on lay-away and kept going down there and giving my little bit of spending money every week and my mum kept putting money in and they were really smart, my parents. They were really smart, because [they said], "Instead of you getting a drum kit right off the bat, why don't you start going to lessons and seeing if its something for you. We don't want you to lose interest after a couple of weeks"—you know what kids are like, short of attention and everything. So I started going for lessons, and I went to this guy who played with Joe Cocker—who was also from my hometown of Sheffield—and he showed me how to read and all the basic rudiments of playing, and that was all I needed. I just needed someone to show me the basics and I was away. I really developed a passion for playing. So, really, it was humble beginnings of my friend getting the guitar…and then when I finally did get the drum kit, then the two of us formed that first group called Glad.

Mt: Who were your early heroes on the drums?

RA: Actually, Stewart Copeland [Police]. I used to listen to a lot of big band stuff like Kenny Clarke. I started listening to Billy Cobham. So my influences were really varied. Actually, just recently I got to meet Billy Cobham for the first time, having seen him and listened to him on records for years, and he's the sweetest guy—really nice. But it was a whole variety. And then when I met Steve Clark with Def Leppard, he kind of introduced to me to listening to Led Zeppelin more and more, and John Bonham really became a sort of a guiding light, as it were. So, it wasn't necessarily one drummer, it was many different styles. I was fishing in those days for what felt good to me, and it was really a good thing for me to depict many different types of drummers…and also marching bands. Fortunately, where I lived, there was always a marching band. Every couple of weeks, every Sunday, they'd go out there on the streets playing, and that was also something that really interested me.

Mt: Did you ever get into any of that marching band music yourself?

RA: Not necessarily, but I played around with it at home, imitating my version of bass drum booming and snare drum rudiments—only really at home, I never really did that as a profession, per se.

Mt: Who out there right now really catches your ear?

RA: I've been listening to Coldplay. They're an English band, and I've really been listening to them. I've really been more about a song's drummer, as opposed to a drummer's drummer, if you know what I mean. I love the idea of being able to listen to a song and read what's good for the song, not necessarily what's good for me. As I get older, the idea of self-indulgence really doesn't interest me; it's more what's good for the whole. What sounds good for the whole song. And then I've been listening to U2 and those guys for years. But there's some good players out there, some really good players.

Mt: Describe the early days on the road with Def Leppard—your initial club dates, the first excursion that you made around the U.K—what were those days like for you?

RA: Really humble beginnings, playing local bars, local clubs, and trying to make a stir. From 1978 onwards, and then sometime around '79, early '80, we were really fortunate that we got a record deal, which is pretty unheard of these days, to only have been going for a short time. But we thought that the songs that we were writing were good. We were influenced by some of the greats, but we thought that a lot of the music around that time was very self-indulgent. What we got out of the whole punk scene was really the short, to-the-point pop song, instead of these giant epics by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer and Deep Purple—although we really liked those guys. We were more into that whole short pop song. The beginnings of Def Leppard…it was good because we involved all our friends. My brother was doing the sound at the time. It was really fun; it was like school kids. And it was positive, because it kept us off the street corners. And when we finally made a trip overseas, one of the first shows that we ever played was right here at Santa Monica Civic Center, and that was opening up for Pat Travis. It got a little crazy after that, because we started to experience some of the excesses of rock 'n' roll. Some [of those] people were professionals at doing that.

Mt: And you were, what, seventeen at the time?

RA: Yeah.

Mt: When you first hit big, how did life change for you?

RA: For a start, I woke up one day and realized I had a bank account. It was like, "Wow, this is unheard of; this is really odd." Fighting with growing up and being in this situation of endless possibilities, and it was difficult at times, but really, really fun at others—polar opposites, if you know what I mean. It was being a young man and grappling with growing up, becoming a man, and all the temptations that go with being in that situation.

Mt: By the time Hysteria comes along in 1987, you're a 24-year old multi-millionaire, a huge rock star. How do you keep your head?

RA: Well, I think the fact that we remained friends with the band; we all support each other to this day. Three of us live over here [in the States]. I am really fortunate, because we did start out as friends and we remained friends. It's sad when bands go the opposite way, and I don't think it would have been very much fun had we not been friends—it kept us all enthusiastic and wanting to make music. I think if we were on the road and didn't like each other, it would be a really, really painful experience. Everybody has their own idiosyncrasies—you know when to avoid them—but at the same time, we always knew that we had somebody within the band that we could go and ask for help. You know, "I need to talk about this with you," and it was a good experience. I wouldn't change anything, not even the accident. Even that was a part of coming into manhood and taking responsibility for the things that I had done, the things that I've experienced. I think it was all leading up to what I am doing now with the Foundation.

Mt: What has it been like living your life in the public eye with all your dirty laundry hung out for people to see?

RA: At a certain point, I've just got to let go. Hey, everybody has dirty laundry, no matter who you are. It's just that mine happens to be aired in public. But I think that's part of my strength, that I'm not afraid to admit it these days. We could literally sit here and talk about absolutely anything down to the finest detail, and there are no secrets. And it's unusual for somebody to be in a life where they can actually walk the walk, if you know what I mean. I've been forced to air those sides of myself that I am not very proud of, but on the other hand, it's very cathartic. It's a way to break through the layers of your self as a person.

Mt: I would think it would either make you a hermit or very introspective…

RA: Absolutely, absolutely. Like I said, I didn't have a choice, and that not having a choice led me to a place where I'm comfortable with it. I'm okay. And other people in my life are okay with it, and at least they know what they're getting when they get into any kind of relationship with me. There's no secrets. Hopefully, I learned as much as I can. It's good when you can learn through experience, as opposed to "don't do that…I tried that once." You just don't pay any attention to that. We're all experiential beings. We need the direct experience—the direct relationship—with whatever it is before we go, "Ah! Now I know what they were saying."

Mt: It's the essential part of growing up and becoming an adult, I guess…

RA: Yes, yes.

Mt: You guys are getting ready to head out for a brief U.K. outing?

RA: That's right, I actually leave on Wednesday. I fly to London and then fly over to Dublin, and then we've got press and TV, and then I think our first show is on the 10th—I haven't actually looked at the itinerary—in Dublin. Then we drive up to Belfast, and then from Belfast—Belfast being in northern Ireland—from Belfast, we go over to England, and go through to the 27th. And then, I'll be back here on the 28th. The first show in America is going to be on the 24th of March.

Mt: How has the response to the new album been back at home?

RA: Actually, really good. People compare it to the classic sound of Hysteria or Pyromania with somewhat of a contemporary sound mixed in with it, which is kind of what we were looking for. We wanted something that had mass appeal, but with some sort of edge. I think working with different producers really helped us produce that sound.

Mt: What about response over here in the States?

RA: Again, the response in the States has been good. The song "Now" has been on the radio for a while and is doing really well. What we're hoping for is a release of another song called "Long Long Way To Go" that hopefully should be coming out in February.

Mt: After all these years as a musician, you're still a young man. Do you have plans beyond Def Leppard?

RA: The Raven Drum Foundation takes up a lot of my time these days. It's a great way for to me to give back to the community, because the community's been giving to me for years and years and years. The hospital system in England gave to me in a great time of need and I've since become a patron of one of the hospitals connected to the one where I was when I lost my arm in '84. It's a teen cancer ward, and we did a drum show down there…gave people the experience of a small drum circle. It really inspired people; it gave them a reason to smile; it made them forget about their own problems for a while. We did some simple breathing exercises, simple visualizations. It was really good. Just two days ago, I got a phone call from Neil, one of the patients who was in there and was just about to go through chemo, and now he's in total remission. Whether we had anything to do with that or not, we helped him some way or another. It was so good to hear from this guy, because he went through a really bad patch and it was really good to hear that everything was okay and that he was at home, loving life, really loving life. We were just so happy for him.

Mt: Sounds amazing.

RA: It kinda makes it all worthwhile, you know. We've been doing a lot of work over here in California, especially with an organization called LA's Best. They set up after school programs for kids who are in really, really terrible home situations. We did a presentation for all their teachers and that was really successful, as well. Again, breathing, visualizations, some interesting exercises that involve getting in touch with your intuition, and then ultimately going into a drum circle, and they loved it. They thought it was great. We've been asked to do a presentation at the Eisenhower Hospital in Palm Springs. We've been working with LA Goal. Do you remember the movie I Am Sam? Well, LA Goal inspired part of the concept for the movie, and they work with Down's Syndrome kids and autistic kids. That's a really powerful experience going into that situation. I threw out everything I ever knew about playing drums, and we just approached the drum in a completely different way. We'd start just using our fingers, rubbing our fingers on the drum to make almost a wind sound; we'd talk about what that sounded like, how that made the kids feel, and they were like, "Wow, it sounds like the wind, or a storm, or it sounds like the ocean"—all these different ways of kind of getting them out of their shells and getting them involved. I taught how to facilitate a drum circle by just using hand movements: down for less volume, up for more volume, shake your fingers around for thunder, and they get into it so much. They love it, they really love it. I've been working with lots of other people that are joining with Raven Drum Foundation. We like to call it the Arts Collective. It comprises of artists, musicians, healers, indigenous folks from all over the globe. As the collection gets bigger, we can call on more people to go out there and work in their communities. The reach of Raven Drum gets greater and greater and greater as we get more and more people involved. That keeps me really busy.

Mt: How did you meet Lauren Monroe [Raven Drum Foundation co-founder]?

RA: I met her in Boulder, through a mutual friend of ours. She was working for the Boulder College of Massage at the time. She worked on me and then, really, she was my spiritual counselor. We'd stay on the phone and just talk about things. I'd talk about some of the experiences that I went through when I lost my arm, some of the inexplicable experiences that she helped give me a language for. It just really helped, and a couple of years ago, we started talking about how we could give back to the community. She had a lot of ideas of her own and, between the two of us, the most natural way to go was through music. And that just grew into other things. She's been a tremendous help in many ways, personally, professionally, everything.

Mt: Lauren, I was looking at the Web site, and of the current programs, the Warrior Drum program just seems amazing. Talk a bit about the rewards of enabling physically challenged individuals to pursue their muse.

Lauren Monroe: At the moment, the warrior drum circles are still in development, because we're working on some of the technologies so we can go in and be able to facilitate in a way that the participants can be fully empowered through the instruments. We are not working with the physically disabled as of yet, but we are planning within the next year to work with LA's Best—Los Angeles County school system's enrichment programs—working with physically challenged kids. Previous to that, we've been doing lots of other circles.

Mt: What are you most proud that the Raven Drum Foundation (buy gear) has been able to accomplish so far?

LM: I'm personally the most proud of the Arts Collective. We have put together a collective of people that come from so many different backgrounds—spiritually, religiously, artistically—as well as closing the boundaries of science and spirituality. We have doctors that are interested in meeting with tribal people and bringing patients with cancer and HIV into situations of ceremony of healing. I am most proud of the collective that we are gathering and the work that we are doing through the arts to help people.

Mt: What's on the horizon for the Foundation?

LM: Lots more circles and outreach. We're going to be doing a monthly program at the Eisenhower Hospital in Palm Springs, and we started a monthly program at Los Angeles Children's Hospital. We're going to continue educating teachers and working with kids; they have 3,000 children they want us to work with. And there's a safe house for women that we're going to be doing monthly work with, as well. Everything we're doing is all through volunteers and people who want to be here. There is a lot of fundraising to get community support.

Mt: What does Rick bring to the table with the Foundation?

LM: Rick is a beacon. He's the light for all of us. His path has been one of incredible inspiration for all of us. Everyone who comes into contact with him receives that from him. He has a lot of wisdom that he brings from his experience losing his arm and coming back in the music world. He leads us in a lot of ways, just by his experience. I don't think he realizes how important he is to so many people.

Mt: Thank you Lauren.

Mt: Rick, how much longer do you think Def Leppard will go on?

RA: I think as long as we feel we're making a valid contribution and that we can go out there and make people happy and entertain folks; that's really what we've discussed among us. Like, "It's 25 years later guys. We've had a good run; we're doing really well." There's really only the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith and a handful of other bands that have really gone past the point where you're like, "Wow, these guys are going to be around forever." We'd really like to keep doing this as long as we make records that people go out and buy and enjoy listening to.

Mt: Do you have any advice for people who feel the calling to enter the music business?

RA: I think to surround yourself with people that give you positive encouragement—whether that be musicians or your family. Find people with a common interest, a genuine interest in what you're doing, and draw from that. Try and develop a passion for the instrument, not for the business. I think it's important to do that. I went though many different stages in my career: before I had my accident, I was starting to lose interest in playing drums. I think, in a way, it was important that I went through the accident, because the first thing I could think about when I came around in the hospital, was "Wow, I really want to play drums again." I think developing that passion for the instrument, for music in general, is really the most important thing.

Article resource: http://www.musictoday.com/news/artist/def.asp
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