Page 94 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019
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PHIL COLLEN
going multi-platinum. There was babysitting the son of their hard-living Collen and Joe falling to pieces. We lost our manager, it
Elliott, enjoying
something about guys in make-up, that guitarist Paul Chapman? the high life on wasn’t really on Jet anymore and the
attracted women more than multi- Yes, that’s true. I remember that well. the road. whole landscape changed.
platinum success. Ha ha! It was really Me and my girlfriend at the time, Liz,
interesting. Even now people sometimes used to go around to Paul and his wife’s Then, on July 12, 1982, the day of the
say, “Did you join this band so you could place. It was funny because his son had World Cup final, you got a better offer
get all the chicks?” but trust me, I’d had all these Tonka toys and Tonka was Paul’s when Joe Elliott called you. Although it
girls galore in a band no one ever heard of. nickname of course. Girl got very close wasn’t the first time Def Leppard had
But it was never about that. Def Leppard to UFO. They took us under their wing asked you about joining, was it?
was never a case of sex, drugs and and took us on tour with them on No, that’s right. Girl had become friends
rock’n’roll. We were all about borrowing numerous occasions. The very first tour with Def Leppard. When Steve and Joe
loads of money off our record company we did was in Europe with them. Phil came down to London, they’d stay on the
so we could make a great album. Girl was Mogg, Pete Way… all of them, they couch at my mum’s place in
very different to that. We were trying to really looked after us saying, “You want to Walthamstow. She’d make them bacon
write songs to get us out there. Def do this, but you don’t want to do that...” and eggs and Heinz beans in the morning.
Leppard was more like a spiritual quest to So, yes, I knew Joe, and about a year
write a great song, record a great album, Things started to go wrong for Girl before he’d called me and said, “It’s not
make the iconic statement. That’s what come the release of the second album working out great with Pete [Willis]. Do
we were doing while everyone else was Wasted Youth. Why was that? you think you could learn sixteen songs in
chasing women and all of that stuff. I On the first album there was a direction. two days?” or whatever. And, of course, I
thought it was wonderful when I joined We had all our influences together – punk said, “Absolutely!” But then he called back
Def Leppard and realised we were all on and post-punk, bands like Japan, New and said, “We’ve smoothed it over. It’s
that same page. I very rarely see that with York Dolls, Aerosmith – and we meshed okay.” But those problems with Pete are
other bands. them all together on Sheer Greed. Even the well documented and it went on
imagery and the colour on the sleeve constantly. I thought it was a real shame
Girl supported UFO on a couple of looks good. But on the second album because Pete played great. Remember,
tours. Is it true you ended up because of the lack of success it was when I joined, all the rhythm guitars on
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