Page 12 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019

Jess Cox (Tygers Of Pan Tang): Most of the Fast Eddie Clarke: Punk was refreshing. Fast Eddie Clarke: It was a very British form of
punk bands were awful, but some were good. We Especially when they said: “Fuck off everybody.” music. The fucking Americans weren’t coming
were well into The Clash, the Pistols, stuff like The I’d been saying that for years. up with anything, anyway.
Tubes. But we all loved Led Zeppelin and Black
Sabbath as well. Brian Tatler: Punk brought things back down Andy Dawson: Saxon were going strong well
to the grass roots, didn’t it? You could go and see before the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal
Biff Byford: We didn’t really get on with the a band in the pub. The New Wave Of British Heavy kicked in.
fashion – the bloody safety pins through the Metal adopted the do-it-yourself attitude.
noses. We did take on the studs, though. There Biff Byford: We were playing quite a few shows
were a lot of studded jackets around at the time. with a lot of youngsters in the crowd. It was quite
We nicked that and turned it into our own style, an aggressive stage show. There was a lot running
as did Motörhead. Punk may have pitched itself as the sworn around and shouting. I think we took that from the
enemy of the ‘dinosaur’ punk bands.
Fast Eddie Clarke: bands, but it had the
Motörhead were accepted unforeseen side effect Fast Eddie Clarke: I thought Saxon were fucking
by all the punks. We had “NONE OF THE MUSICIANS of galvanising some blinding. They were a great band, they had great
long hair, but we wore BACK THEN WANTED STARDOM of the more clued-in tunes, and what a great bunch of guys. When they
leather jackets and we longhairs. Motörhead, supported us on the Bomber tour I used to go out
played loud and fast. We OR BIG WADS OF MONEY, THEY formed in London and sneak into the crowd to watch one of their
were in the same family. JUST WANTED TO PLAY THEIR in 1976 by former tunes, See The Light Shining, every night.
MUSIC AND MAKE A CRUST.” Hawkwind bassist
Rob Halford: The press Lemmy, were one such Biff Byford: We were always chasing a record
just said: “Fuck off, heavy Fast Eddie Clarke group. Barnsley’s Son deal. We’d send cassette tapes off to people. If they
metal, it’s over.” We said: Of A Bitch – soon to didn’t like one lot of songs, we’d throw them in the
“No it’s not.” We saw that punk was gonna be change their name to Saxon – were another. bin and write some more songs.
a short-lived experience. I found it very insulting
that someone would dismiss not only the bands Fast Eddie Clarke: The audiences at our early gigs
but also the fans. So that made us even stronger. were disenchanted rockers. They had long hair and
leather jackets but they didn’t like the punk thing. Around the same time, a gang of streetwise
Thunderstick (Samson): Punk came along They were into Deep Purple and Black Sabbath East Londoners were making a name for
and swept everything away. The first time back in the day, but they’d fucked off to America. themselves in the pubs and clubs of the
I saw it, I thought: “These guys can’t play their capital, most notably the Ruskin Arms in
instruments.” But then I quickly realised that it Biff Byford: Motörhead were flying the flag. Manor Park. Their name was Iron Maiden,
wasn’t all to do with just playing the material. They were big way before us. They were the and they were led with gritty ambition by
It was about a lifestyle. ones busting down the doors. bassist Steve Harris.

Samson with Bruce
Bruce (left) and
Thunderstick SAMSON: GETTY
(second from right).

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