Def Leppard News - JOE ELLIOTT On DEF LEPPARD's HYSTERIA Album/New Music-Touring

Monday, 7th August 2017

Prev | Next

JOE ELLIOTT On DEF LEPPARD's HYSTERIA Album/New Music-Touring

Sam Walker/Joe Elliott

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott appeared on UK radio on 3rd August to promote the new Hysteria reissue and the full audio is available.

Joe spoke to guest host Sam Walker on the Mike Sweeney show for BBC Radio Manchester.

He also appeared on Breakfast on BBC 1 TV in the same city before heading down to London for other press and the Q And A session.

Joe talked about the recent US tour/2016 tour, staying busy, 30th anniversary of Hysteria, making the album, success of the album, musical influences, The Def Leppard EP, recording the album/problems, Mutt Lange, new Def Leppard music/solo work and 2018 tour hints.

He briefly mentioned new music and next year's tour at the end.

Listen to the full 13 minute interview via the BBC iPlayer (UK Only).

Joe's part starts at 6 mins into the 3 hour show and ends at 20 mins in. 'Love Bites' is played after Joe leaves.

Visit the Tour News section. For more news on future tour plans.

The Mike Sweeney Show - Joe Elliott Interview Quotes

Bona Fide rock legend Mr Joe Elliott/2017 US Tour

"Bona Fide. What a great phrase that is. Good morning."

Hello. How are you doing? You look ridiculously well.

"I'm good. Yeah I don't know how. I did get a good night's sleep but getting up a 7am still rubs against the grain a bit."

You've just come back from a huge tour as well haven't you?

"Well, huge by who's standards?. 38 shows for us is just like, you know, a walk in the park. Essentially it was a big tour that kind of started last year and finished this year. We did so many shows last year. We started off, you know, we did the British tour at the end of 2015 and that followed a huge tour of the States and Canada. Which was followed by another tour of the States and Canada, Different cities and then this year different cities again because the demand to come back was ridiculous."

"So we're now on a little mini break until we get to Rock In Rio in Brazil 22nd September. We got eight shows in South America and then we've got a bit of off the road which will be taken up with studio time. So this band never stops working." - (21st Sep...)

30th Anniversary Of Hysteria

"The fact that it's 30 years, it doesn't seem like 30 years. I was just doing the Breakfast TV and I'll probably say it again all through the day 'cause I'm doing press for the next two days. But if you were wrongly imprisoned for 30 years, it would be a hell of a long time. But when you make a record like Hysteria and it gives you the opportunity to work as long as you want to. As often as you want to. I think it's a fantastic thing. I don't see Hysteria as an albatross any more. There was a time where we were, let's say mildly annoyed with the fact that everything we did was always judged against that record."

"But then you think like; 'Yeah, so?'. Everything McCartney's done has been judged against Sgt. Pepper. And then everything he did solo was judged against Band On The Run and everything Pink Floyd did was judged against Dark Side Of The Moon. So you think well, OK. So you look at Hotel California By The Eagles or Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and you go every band has got this problem?. That's not a problem at all. Like I say it's a wonderful thing if you can do it once even. It's a great thing but no I can't believe it's 30 years since it came out 'cause I remember. So well, it just doesn't seem that long when you're actually that involved in it."

Did you know it was that good?

"We knew we'd made a good record. It's kind of out of your hands after you deliver it. There's kinda not much else you can do. But with it being the 80s. It was so much easier back in the 80s to roadmap how it was gonna go. Now days nobody has go a clue. You know you think back ten years and people like Lily Allen just sets up in a basement with a webcam and her career is born out of it. Katy Tunstall buys a few pedals, does her thing - boom!, you know. Same thing with Ed Sheeran and you do it in a different way. It's a lot more organic these days."

"Back in the 80s you could almost plan to the dozenth copy if you like. Oh this album's gonna sell this amount. We knew it was gonna be successful. We didn't realise how successful and we also didn't realise the ups and downs it would go through cause in England"

UK/USA Album Success

"Essentially in England. It was the big breakthrough. It went straight in at Number One. We sold a million copies in the UK on that album. Which is - not many bands do. But in American where we'd had massive success. It was very slow out of the gates. It took 49 weeks to get to Number One."

New Def Leppard Studio Work/Solo Work/2018 Tour

"We're gonna do some work in the studio. Everybody in the band's got separate projects that they're working on. You know Phil's got a band called Delta Deep. I've got a side band called the Down 'n' Outz. And we've got albums to be done and Def Leppard are gonna write some new stuff and they'll be a tour next year. I can't make any big announcements now, but I can hint at things."

Heavily hinted!

"Like Father Christmas. I might be coming, I might not."

Very excited to be talking to this man next @BBCRadioManc @DefLeppard 30 years since Hysteria! pic.twitter.com/8B1wnLlJE0
— Sam Walker (@WalkerSam) August 3, 2017