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19 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD Inducted Into HOLLYWOOD ROCKWALK (Photos)

Def Leppard 2000. 5th September 2000

Def Leppard were inducted into the Guitar Center RockWalk in Hollywood, CA on this day in 2000.

The band attended a ceremony at 2pm outside the Guitar Center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, CA on 5th September 2000 during their 'Euphoria' US tour.

Following an induction speech by Queen guitarist and band friend Brian May they placed their hand prints on the RockWalk cement and were presented with a plaque.

Rick placed his foot in the cement and his daughter Lauren also added her hand print.

They joined many other bands and artists in receiving the honour on the alternative to the more famous Hollywood Walk Of Fame (located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street).

Hollywood's RockWalk is "dedicated to honouring those musicians and innovators who have made a significant contribution to the rock and roll art form".

The 'Euphoria' world tour has just entered its final month with the band having played in Sacramento, CA on 4th September before heading off for another show in Post Falls, ID the day after this event.

Read highlights from Brian May's induction speech below along with quotes from the band members at the time. Plus and Joe and Brian's 'open letters' to each other a few weeks after the event.

A number of photos can be seen courtesy of Gettyimages and a link to the RockWalk website which still has a profile of the band including some small photos.

Brian May Induction Speech - 5th September 2000

"I first met the guys in Def Leppard in some place in Munich. In some very small grubby bar and we said a few words and that was kind of it. And I didn't really know who they were at that point. The next thing that happened to me was I was producing this young band of Englishmen [Heavy Pettin']. I was thinking that they wanted to sound like me. But in fact all they wanted to do was sound like Def Leppard. And I became pretty pissed off with this in the end. And they said well you should go and see 'em and you'll realise what we mean."

"So I happened to be in Los Angeles, where we are now, and they were on at the LA Forum. And I went and sat down there and watched them. No, I went and sat down, and then they came onstage and I had been a lot of times to the Forum in Los Angeles. I mean I don't know if you know. We used to do this a long time ago as well with Queen and I've seen a lot of people play there. But I had never ever seen anything like this because from the moment they hit the stage to the moment they went off after the last encore, nobody sat down. Everybody was on their feet. Everyone was like this (arms in the air) including me. I was just totally devastated."

" So I was a convert at that point. What happened was they knew I was there and they asked me to come back and play with them the next night. So I was up on stage with them the next night. And I will never forget that night. It was something that is kind of burned in my memory forever. We played 'Travellin' Band' I think and I nearly got blown up by their pyro. It's by pure chance that I'm here now."

"What I want to say in essence about these boys is that this kind of thing doesn't happen very often. You have an immense talent. You have a vision. A kind of corporate vision or a shared vision between some young guys. And then the next 20 years of their life they spent devoted to fulfilling that vision. And a lot of tough things have happened to them as you all know. And Joe Elliott rang me up on the night Rick had his accident and had his arm torn off. And he said Brian you're not gonna believe what's happened. And we were all like stunned to the core. And Joe said maybe he'll never play the drums again. Maybe he doesn't live but even if he does live he may never drum again."

"A few months later Joe called me and said Rick's doing it. He's back in there with us. And Rick Allen as you all know now re-established himself. he didn't just come back to drumming but he invented a whole new style to deal with the fact of what he was dealing with. And Joe said something else to me. He said at that point. He said it's not just like we got Rick back, he said we got something else back. It's like it did something to Rick. It's brought out something in him. There's a spirit, there's a strength. There's a kind of dignity and dedication and he is a bigger person because of this."

"And that's really the way I feel about the whole band. As you know they lost Steve Clark a while later. And Steve Clark for god sake, he's the originator of riffs. You know he's the lynch pin, You know, he's one of the great writers and riff makers of our generation. They lose this guy and again you know they could have been giving up, going home and crying. But in fact what they did was carry on and they carried on with something extra. ."

"They have grown and what Def Leppard have is a kind of spirit. And it's not just about survival. I mean they have survived god bless 'em and that's wonderful. But what they've done is they have become something bigger and deeper and their stuff means something. You know it makes you cry. It makes you laugh. It's not just churning out some kind of formula. Def Leppard are an original and inimitable and immortal as far as I'm concerned."

Def Leppard 2000. 5th September 2000

Joe Elliott Open Letter To Brian May - 30th September 2000

Dear Brian,

This is your old pal Joe Elliott here. Just dropping you a note to thank you for being the one and only guy who could have, and indeed did, induct Def Leppard into the Rock 'n' Roll Walk Of Fame. With very short notice, you were cool enough to come down to the Guitar Center in sunny L.A. and say some pretty nice things about us. It just brought it all home.

The times me and Sav sat up all night listening to Queen records, planning our meteoric rise to rock 'n' roll stardom! We just wanted to be Queen, period. As time went by and our career was in what you would call the "growth stage", we frequently pulled out those old records (or tapes if we were on the road!) just to remind ourselves of what we wanted to achieve; worldwide domination or bust!!! That's the influence you & Queen had on us.

We first met (you're forgiven if you don't remember!) in 1981 somewhere in Europe. We were opening for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, you were recording, HOT SPACE, I think. We'd just finished our set when after a polite knock on the door, in you walked and said "Hi, I'm Brian May". No shit!!!! I learned a big lesson that night, which I hopefully will never forget; you don't have to be an asshole to make it in the biz.

It was inevitable that our paths would cross again. They did, in 1983, and when we dragged you up on stage with us at the L.A. Forum to do a ripping version of the old Creedence Clearwater Revival classic TRAVELLING BAND, we had by then reached a level of success that was slightly more in line with your own! However, the influence has never waned and thankfully neither have the wonderful occasions when we have been able to share a stage together.

It was an absolute pleasure to be involved with the remaining members of Queen at the Freddie Mercury tribute show, and you joining us on stage for NOW I'M HERE (one of your songs, remember?) will forever be one of my proudest moments. It isn't very often one gets a chance to say "Thanks, man" to somebody who has been an influence on your life, too many people in the biz don't think it's cool to do so. I do.

I just wanted to let you know. Again and on behalf of the rest of the guys; "Thanks, man" for being who you are, a wonderful guitarist, a good guy and a true friend.

JOE ELLIOTT.

Brian May Open Letter To Joe Elliott - 5th October 2000

Open letter to Joe Elliott,
c/o The Rock Group Def Leppard, on tour somewhere on the Blue Planet

Dear Joe,

I was deeply chuffed to read your letter on the Def Lep site - good stuff gets around quick! THANKS for the thanks - it means a lot. Everything I said at the induction, I meant. You know, as we have often reflected, over the years, it's a Funny ol' Life......

Whatever it was when we were kids, that made our pulses race when we heard a guitar string bend, it urged us on a path which became the biggest part of our whole life. The Voice whispered, "You will spend your days chasing Butterflies and Rainbows, riding a gleaming Iron Locomotive. You will spend many years learning your skills; joy and tears will be the tools of your trade; you will follow in the footsteps of those who in former days were called "Jokers", "Fools", "Artists", and "Journeymen", and you will attract more love but also more scorn than any of your former classmates."

"And", the Voice went on, "somewhere along the way it will dawn on you that since you have been, almost by accident (almost), singled out to paint pictures from Life, the pictures you paint will reflect the breadth of Life that comes to you. Some of it will hurt bad. But the more Life, the more Art. As long as you have the guts to stay on the line....."

You guys stayed on the line, and grew with the Sun and with the Rain. I'm happy I was the one who could help plant your Star in the Sidewalk. And Joe, I will always be proud to be your pal.

Cheers Guys!!!

BRI, Oct. 5th 2000

Rick Savage - 5th September 2000 Interview Quotes

"It's an honour to have something like this. It really is. It's not something that you strive for. It's not something you think about. Because I think if you're starting out and you start picturing this type of occasion. Then one, you're in it for the wrong reasons and two, you'll never get here in the first place. So it's nice when it comes along you know. We've always prided ourselves on doing what we do the best we can. Hopefully selling lots of records because that's the real - the truest test. And I suppose a spin off of selling lots of records is things like this. I think it's more of an honour for your family and your children in years to come. To maybe look upon. You know, it's OK. It's an honour."

Joe Elliott - 5th September 2000 Interview Quotes

"It's great. I mean it's completely mad really because it's like so out of the routine of what we normally do. We normally get up late. Soundcheck, do the gig. Go back to the hotel or get on a bus or a plane or whatever and - and you know if we're on a bus it's sometimes 12 hours overnight into the next town. You know, you just drink coffee and more coffee and toast and on you go."

"And today all of a sudden it's like we feel like royalty you know. We're getting ushered from one room to another to talk to people. And Brian did this like fantastic speech inducting us you know with all these cheering kids out there. Got to dirty our hands up and stuff. And some of the other artists that there are out there that you're gonna be either side of. Jimmy Page. There's people like this and it's very flattering. It's a good time."

Phil Collen/Rick Allen - 5th September 2000 Interview Quotes

Phil - "It's really good. Obviously we've been saying. It does feel - it's not a chore at all. Yeah it's tiring and stuff but we're really pleased and honoured to be here. It's great. It's just really, really cool."

Rick - "I just like the idea of being included once and for all because we've been doing it for a long time."

Phil "Nice to get our props and the fact that it's LA. We live kind of in the area. So the local thing as well is kind of neat."


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