Print - Interview - Phil - Download Festival - 29May2019
May 29, 2019 10:07:38 GMT -8
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Post by CindyJ on May 29, 2019 10:07:38 GMT -8
INTERVIEW: DEF LEPPARD’S PHIL COLLEN “WE GET BETTER EVERY YEAR”
There’s just 16 days between us and Def Leppard taking to the Main Stage at Download 2019. We cannot wait for them rock Donington Park to the ground when they play ‘Hysteria’ in full.
To get hyped for the big day we caught up with Def Leppard’s legendary guitarist, Phil Collen. In our interview with Phil Collen you can find out what it meant to the band to finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, why Download will always be special to them and if the band will ever do a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ style biopic.
Earlier this year you were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame where you received the largest number of fan votes. What did it mean to be finally inducted?
The fan vote means more…When we heard that, it made it such a big deal. For the last 10 or 15 years, I’d bump into fans and they’re almost in tears, ‘why aren’t you in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?’
They were so precious about it, so passionate. So, for that reason more than anything else it’s really great to see us finally get in there. It does make a difference…it’s like all of a sudden other people’s perception of the band changes – which is great.
Queen’s Brian May inducted you on the night and gave a speech about knowing you all since the early 80s. What did it feel like when you heard his speech?
He was the only person we ever thought would do the induction thing. We knew that Mutt [Lange] wouldn’t go to the ceremony as he doesn’t do stuff like that and he wouldn’t have inducted us as he’s part of the band. Our number one choice was always Brian May – he’s a musical superhero to me and always has been.
We did that jam at the end where both Brian May and Ian Hunt [Mott The Hoople] are both up there. That was lovely as well and that really meant everything just doing that.
Brian’s speech was wonderful, really touched your heart – it was great.
You headlined Download in 2009 and 2011. How does it feel to be back in Donington Park?
We’ve done it three times, we did the regular Donington [Monsters Of Rock] just after Rick’s accident. 2009 was a picture-perfect day, the sun was brilliant and we played amazing. I’m really hoping for a really beautiful English summer’s day, that would be amazing. We’re always really good.
One of the things I’m really confident about, even if I’ve f**ked something up onstage, is that the band is so good then you can just fall back on it – it’s a machine. I’m really confident in us and I like the fact that we get better every year: the singing gets better, the playing gets better…I’m sure we’ll be great.
What’s your favourite memory of Download?
Obviously the first time when we done Donington, when everyone stood up and gave [Rick] a standing ovation, because he didn’t even think he’d be able to do this literally a year before that. That moment was incredible, tears in your eyes and all that stuff.
The 2009 time: it was warm, we were in a groove and it was just beautiful. It’s a great festival with so many wonderful bands on.
Last year you did a co-headline tour with Whitesnake who are also playing the Main Stage on Friday at Download. What’s it like to hang out with David Coverdale?
I love David, he’s awesome. He actually done a duet on my Delta Deep album and we covered ‘Mistreated’, that was great. First band I ever saw was Deep Purple, it was actually with Ian Gillan on the Machine Head tour, but I was a huge fan when David joined. I thought, ‘wow, what a great voice’.
We’ve been friends for years, love him. He’s great – such a vibe – love the band as well. It’s just really fun reconnecting with people you love and know and respect and have been there for years – that’s really cool.
You’re playing ‘Hysteria’ in full at Download, but what else do you have planned for the show?
I think what you’ve really have to do, especially at a festival, is to do a Greatest Hits part two. You do the album and then a ‘best of’ type thing, otherwise people are going to be p**sed off. It’ll probably be similar to what we did on the British tour, that was the best British tour we’ve ever done, the one we done in December…I think it will be a summer version of that outdoors.
‘Hysteria’ became renowned as a difficult album for you to make, it took three years to record, Mutt Lange leaving and then returning as a producer, Jim Steinman leaving as producer, Rick Allen’s crash and a huge recording bill. A lot has been made of these setbacks, but what are your favourite memories from that time?
I have loads of good memories. Thank god, for Mutt Lange because he was steering the ship and writing the songs with us, ang going “you can do it”. Just pushing us and mentoring and all of that stuff. It wouldn’t have been like that if he hadn’t been around, because we tried it with some other producers and they just didn’t get it.
Mutt had a whole concept for it, it was like: ‘we can’t do Pyromania part two, because every other rock band in the world is making that album now’. So, we used different influences; there’s everything from The Police, Prince and Run DMC – ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ is basically a rap rock song.
It was pure inspiration for me, just sitting next to him and him being that musical genius and that really inspired me..Yes, we had some setbacks but [‘Hysteria’] was a jigsaw puzzle in a way. ‘Don’t be ordinary, be exceptional’ that was his whole thing. Anyone can be ordinary, it’s kind of easy and boring, but it’s a lot harder to work your arse off and actually do something a bit different. That’s what we really did and that’s all down to Mutt.
The last time you worked Mutt was on 1992’s ‘Adrenalize’. Would you ever consider working with him again?
It’s a little different now, the industry’s different. Like I said [Hysteria] was working a jigsaw puzzle and that takes time, you can’t just do that, and I know that’s how Mutt likes working. Unless we did the odd song, an album wouldn’t be really accepted in the current format of the music industry – it’s like, ‘bang, bang bang – do it on your laptop’.
Def Leppard’s last studio album was released in 2015. Are you working on any new material?
We actually recorded stuff while we were on tour – you have to. I think what happened with us, we signed with our old label Universal and for the last year we were promoting our catalogue, because all of sudden the catalogue was on a new record label. In the meantime we have been writing, we’ve got half an album’s worth of stuff already started, for sure, it’s just a matter of finishing it off. It’ll probably be some time next year.
There’s been a big resurgence in music biopics (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Dirt, Rocket Man). In 2001 VH1 aired the TV movie – Hysteria – The Def Leppard Story, which Joe called “the biggest pile of s**t ever made”. Would you be open to a biopic being made about the band again?
It’d be a bit boring now wouldn’t it, as it’s been done. The Queen one was great, I haven’t seen the Motley Crue one yet. Anything else would be cashing in…we’re not as interesting as that; Motley Crue were honestly crazy and there was a lot going on. We were fairly dull in comparison, we were always going to studio: ‘let’s work on this new sound’. It’ ain’t exactly sexy, you know what I mean? It’s a totally different thing.
I had a book out as well and initially they wanted sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll and that’s what everyone does. You get a bit of success and everyone does exactly the same thing: women are throwing themselves at you, everyone’s getting drunk and high. It’s just boring, it’s the same for everyone unless you’re The Stones…Motley Crue and Guns N Roses, those are slightly different.
For us, I can’t think of a story that would be interesting for other people and for other bands. It’s a cop out and just a bit lame. at this point, for anyone else to do anything like that.
You’re renowned for your health regime and vegan lifestyle, what tips would you give Downloaders to stay healthy?
I feel better than I did when I was 30 and I look better than I did when I was 30! I think that’s the thing, it’s not like me trying so hard to do that I just don’t like the alternative.
We’re actually out there onstage and it’s a performance and I think you have to look a certain way… I don’t drink and all that stuff as it takes away from it. The vegan thing, I’ve been a really strict vegetarian for 35 years and then eight years ago I knocked all the dairy and stuff out -it was for ethical reasons originally.
I do know a lot of unhealthy vegans, I think you have to research and even with training and working out you need to research what’s good for your body. There’s so many things that are bad out there and you just have to find the right stuff. I feel really good right now and have done for a while, so yeah that definitely works.
You’ve been in Def Leparrd for 37 years and the band has been together for 42 years. What do you think is the secret to your longevity?
I honestly think it’s about being British. My Mum and Dad went down the air raid shelter and so did Joe’s Mum and Dad…We can’t even imagine that, the idea that all that stuff was on fire and someone was trying to kill our parents – it’s so weird.
I think we honestly got a value system from our parents. We’re all from a very working class background and that awful tragedy and awful catastrophe, that was going on around the world, it made our parents have a different view of things. I think they passed it on to us and we were the next generation.
We’re always joking about the Monty Python sketch, where it’s the knight and they chop his legs off and chop his arms off and he’s carrying on. That’s kind of what we are we don’t see a problem with it. Literally in Rick’s case, “yeah, it’s a flesh wound” [laughs].
I think it’s this British working class resolve that we inherited from our parents… I think that’s how we’re able to go through all this. F**k this is a dream, being a rock star at 61 years old and running around with no clothes and getting to sing and play.
Don’t miss Def Leppard when they join our other headliners Slipknot and Tool plus over 100 more bands at Download 2019 on 14th-16th June 2019.
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