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Def Leppard Tour History Fan Archive.
Phil Collen's Adrenalized Book Is Now Available Worldwide

Tuesday, 27th October 2015





Phil Collen 2015.
Phil Collen Autobiography

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen's first autobiography Adrenalized is released around the world today.

The book has now been released everywhere via Atria books following its UK/European release on 22nd October.

Read an excerpt from the book where Phil talks about Steve Clark's death.

Phil took part in a signing event on 19th October in California where some fans got to purchase the book ahead of its main release.

The book has been co written with journalist Chris Epting over the last two years. It tells the story of his life from early years in London up to the present day and his career in music with bands like Girl and of course Def Leppard.

Phil talked more about the book in some of his most recent interviews - read quotes below.

The main Hardcover version is out around the world (including the UK) via Atria Books on 27th October.

This version has 240 pages whilst a Paperback version is released in the UK with 320 pages in May 2016. Order links shown below.

Read more in the Phil Collen Adrenalized book section.


  • Pre-Order @ - Amazon.com - Hardcover 27th Oct (240 Pages)
  • Pre-Order @ - Amazon.co.uk - Hardcover 27th Oct (240 Pages)
  • Pre-Order @ - Amazon.co.uk - Hardcover 22nd Oct (240 Pages)
  • Pre-Order @ - Amazon.co.uk - Paperback 19th May 2016 (320 Pages)
  • Pre-Order @ - Amazon.co.uk - Kindle Edition 22nd Oct
  • Pre-Order Digital (UK) @ -

The Weeklings - Phil Collen Interview Quotes

A revelation from Adrenalized – you’re still not an official member of Def Leppard.

"Right! (laughs) I think they did sneak me in there somewhere though."

Why did you decide to write a memoir now?

"I didn’t, actually. I was at the Gerson Institute for a fund raiser and a friend of mine, Chris Epting, who’s my co-writer, suggested I write a book. I don’t really like the idea, as it seems egotistical but Chris convinced me we could do it in a different sort of way."

Digital Journal - Phil Collen Interview/Article Quotes

"It's notes of 57 years in 200 pages. That's it, really. It's like a TV show without the commercials. Me and my wife, Helen, went over it, and we changed a lot of it."

In this book, Collen discusses how Def Leppard's smash hit "Pour Some Sugar On Me" became extremely popular, and he shares his encounters with such global music stars as Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin), Elton John, Mick Jagger (of The Rolling Stones), the late B.B. King, as well as Taylor Swift. He also opens up about Def Leppard's 2014 co-headlining tour with rock band Kiss.

Examiner - March 2014 Phil Collen Interview Quote

"It’s my story, everything from growing up, the Girl stuff, Def Leppard and all the other stuff that’s going on. I was asked to write it. I didn’t go, “Oh, I need to write a book.” It’s fascinating and there’s so much stuff there. There’s two books worth, so it’s an interesting concept."

Arizona Republic - Phil Collen Interview Quotes

"It wasn’t as easy as someone ghost-writing. I did these interviews with Chris, then me and my wife, Helen, we went through and pretty much redid the whole thing based on how I speak. So it really is me. Having said that, when you do a book, it's like a TV hour. You can’t get that much in. There’s so much that goes on. And there’s a lot of it where you go “This is irrelevant. It wouldn't interest me, so I don’t see it being interesting to other people."

Adrenalized: Life, Def Leppard, and Beyond - Book Description

A revelatory and redemptive memoir from the lead guitarist of the legendary band Def Leppard—the first book ever written by one of its members—chronicling the band’s extraordinary rise to superstardom and how they’ve maintained it for three decades.

Meet Phil Collen. You may know him as the lead guitarist in Def Leppard, whose signature song “Pour Some Sugar on Me” is still as widely enjoyed as when it debuted in 1988. Maybe you’ve heard of him as the rock star who gave up alcohol and meat more than twenty-five years ago. Most likely you’ve seen him shirtless—in photos or in real life—flaunting his impeccably toned body to appreciative female fans.

But it wasn’t always like this. Collen worked his way up from nothing, teaching himself guitar from scratch as a teenager by imitating his heroes. He slogged it out in London-based pub bands for years, long before Def Leppard formed and transformed from unknowns to icons (all thanks to a little album called Pyromania), from playing openers in near-empty arenas to headlining in those same stadiums and selling them out every night. But as Collen discovered, true overnight success is a myth. Like the other band members, he had to struggle and fight his way to the top; in the end, he says, “our work ethic saved us.” Just as it still does.

This is Collen’s story, starting with his first real taste of success and wild rock and roll excess as a member of the seminal glam rock outfit Girl. But once he joins Def Leppard, it’s also an amazing underdog tale featuring a bunch of ordinary working-class lads who rose to mega-stardom, overcoming incredible obstacles—such as drummer Rick Allen losing an arm in a car crash and the tragic death of guitarist Steve Clark, Phil’s musical soul mate, who lost his fight with alcoholism. Featuring personal, never-before-seen photos of Collen and his band mates on stage and off, Adrenalized is a fascinating account of the failures, triumphs, challenges, and rock-hard dedication it takes to make dreams come true.






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