Friday, 5th February 2021
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PHIL COLLEN Writing For New DEF LEPPARD Album/To Release New Solo Music

Def Leppard 2020. Def Leppard 2021

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen was recently interviewed on US radio and gave an update on new music/solo work.

Phil was interviewed alongside Michael Cartallone and Joel Hoekstra by Jay Jay French for his podcast.

Phil talked about joining the band, Pyromania album/tour, The Marquee Club, Steve Brown, favourite live show, Donington 1986, South American Crowds, Setlist/Live Vocals, New Songs Live, good advice, The Stadium Tour 2021 and new solo music.

Next Def Leppard Studio Album

Phil again said that he and Joe are constantly writing and working on new music for their 'ongoing' next album project.

Highland Park Collective Song

He revealed a recently released single he features on that was actually released at the end of 2020.

Phil contributed to a single by Highland Park Collective alongside Morgan Dorr who he revealed he has been writing new music with.

Listen to the song below which features Phil guesting on vocals rather than guitar.

New DJ Project

He revealed a collaboration with a producer called David "Swagg R'Celious" Harris.

New Solo Material

He also said he is set to release new music, presumably as "Phil Collen" with Delta Deep member Forrest Robinson and their 2018 touring member Craig Martini.

One of which will be an instrumental and may tie in to his mentions of a solo album in 2020.


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

Visit the Album News section for more news on new music (based on band member quotes).


Jay Jay French Connection Podcast - Phil Collen Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

Joining Def Leppard In 1982

"No my first album was Pyromania. I joined in '82. I came in just to play guitar solos originally."

"I knew the guys. We used to hang out. I'd spent the night, I'd sleep on Joe Elliott's couch. He'd come down to London, sleep on my Mum's couch. On the floor, him and Steve."

"And then when Pete Willis got fired. Actually the first time, Joe phoned me while they were on tour with Ozzy in the States and said could you learn 16 songs in two days?. I'm like yeah yeah. And he said we've smoothed it over."

"And then like a year later he phones. He goes it's just not happening. Can you just come and play guitar on some nes stuff. I said yeah yeah."

"And that was it and we never stopped. So I never got asked to join the band and it just. And then that album exploded."

You were never officially asked to join the band?

"No. I think I got one of them. Years later a Diamond award or something like that. But yeah I was never actually asked per se."

When you joined what did you say to yourself?

"No actually. Success back then when I started, You all must know this. I thought was in a band you sell out your local theatre or cinema or something. And that's success. Success for me was when I gave up my day job which was a motorcycle dispatch rider messenger. And then all of a sudden I'm getting paid to play guitar =. It's like whoa this is cool."

"So that was huge success. I thought it was that. I was just hanging out I know these guys. They're my buddies. And we went from - actually our first gig was The Marquee Club in London. And the end of in nine months we sold out Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. So it kind of blew up like that."

"And that really - we didn't expect that. No one did, but yeah I didn't really know what I expected 'cause I think I was just for the moment. It was like this is great, I'm with my buddies, we're hanging out. We're actually going on tour. This is really cool."

"And this album is amazing. This producer Mutt Lange is just incredible and all of this stuff is just really cool. So we just kind of, we didn't know. And then you know MTV happens, as you know, and it just kind of yeah just blew up."

"And we never had a break. We kept going you know."

Where was home after Pyromania tour?

"I went back to my Mum's place in East London. Walthamstow. So I just hung out there for a while and then we all actually got places and then we was trying to figure out. And there was this tax thing where you get really highly taxed in England. So no one lived there really. So everyone went to different places."

Touring/Success

"We didn't do that. But we - our thing was recording. We got stuck in the studio. I mean one of our albums took three years. Another one was like two and a half. So they were - and that was back in the day when you actually went to the studio. So yeah that was where we got a lot of our kind of chops in really. And learnt how to sing, how to play."

"And especially being around Mutt Lange 'cause he was just amazing you know."

The Marquee Club

"Unbelievable. We used to have a residency. My old band Girl. We used to play there kind of like. You'd have it for a month and you just played like the weekends for a month. And it was just awesome you know."

Steve Brown

"You know Steve Brown he's from New Jersey. He's my buddy. Vivian was going through some cancer stuff and so he couldn't make the shows. So Steve stood in for him. My wife was giving birth and died twice giving birth. And it was like f**k guys I've gotta go. And Steve was there. This was just by chance. Just a night before we're playing a show. And I said I've gotta leave. Can you learn all my sh*t in a day. ."

"He said yeah I know all the Viv stuff and I've kind of got your stuff down. And the vocals. That's the big one 'cause I do a lot of the main vocals. Sometimes me and Joe will switch. Steve just nailed it. I went away. I was away for like a week. He just stood in and absolutely and just especially when you're talking these big shows. That was a stadium tour with Journey."

"So yeah Steve jumped in there and was able to do it.I think it's a really smart thing to do all the time to be quite honest."

Favourite Live Show

"I guess Donington. We dome, when Rick lost his arm. We'd done a few rehearsal things in Ireland. And we come back and played this Monsters Of Rock Donington thing. And he didn't know whether he could actually get through it. So he did and people were crying and everyone was cheering for him and everything. So that was a highlight. That was really good."

"And actually every time we've played Donington or Monsters Of Rock. Download or whatever it is now that's always been really good.."

South American Crowds

"Yeah all of South America. Rio. Rock In Rio we done that a couple of years ago. Crazy. Crazy crazy crazy."

Setlist/Live Vocals

"Absolutely. Even songs. You know we love to do like the odd deep track. And we do occasionally but you have to have the hot chestnuts in there. You have to have Pour Some Sugar, Photograph, Love Bites, Hysteria. There's a list of them. And they have to be close to what they are as well"

"A lot of people go that's not real singing. It's like yeah that's us singing. We don't use samples or any of that. So when we rehearse that's the thing. We have to maintain a level of excellence to be able to do that."

"Even the playing. You know I mean some of the stuff I can't play that fluid. Like sitting around now. I would have to kind of delve in a bit deeper to get to that level. But especially the singing."

"I mean we do like warm-ups every day. Like constantly like an hour a day. I mean I work out every day but as much time goes in to singing. And for all of us. So we'll do that soi there's a level of excellence and we keep trying to raise the bar."

"Me and Joe we were fans of like T. Rex, Bowie, Zeppelin, everything. You know Queen. And even the light shows, laser shows. You know The Who, Zeppelin all of that stuff and we'd try and kind of put all of that into it."

"So with technology the way it is each year the bar raises. You can make it look better. It's more specific. The lasers are sharper, the lights are sharper. Everything. So we kind of update everything."

"But there's a level of excellence as well as regards playing and stuff. Like no one can get tired or running around. You gotta be on, you know, it's gotta be exactly the same. Or as good every single night."

New Songs Live

"We never do more than three new songs. I mean and one of the ways to get round it is you do the most exciting song, new song first. With some much theatrics that people are going whoa!. And they don't even notice the song and then you transition into one of the hot chestnuts afte that. And you kind of get away with it."

"Yeah but you really have to go overboard and then you still have to deal with another one or two later on. You can slip them in but it's a constant. There's a psychology behind it. Absolutely."

Best advice he ever got?

"I get great advice all the time. I mean I an Hunter. I remember I stood in - when Mick Ronson died we done a benefit at Hammersmith Odeon. And it was Roger Taylor from Queen. And it was a bunch of guys. Mick Jones from The Clash. Lots of different bands."

"Me and Joe had a band called the Cybernauts which was Bowie's...Trevor Bolder, Woody Woodmansey on drums, and we done all these Bowie songs. So we did that and I was rehearsing with Ian and he said you know when you hit 55 you stop caring."

"You stop worrying about things as a man. I said well what do you mean then?. He said well you don't worry if you're being judged by a 16 or a 20 year old no matter how hip they are."

"You just all - you really don't care. And I said oh really, OK. And around 50 or whenever it was. Absolutely you stop worrying about it."

"And it's such a brilliant thing. I wish I'd have known earlier because you're worried. You're concerned about things that are not really worth worrying about."

"I don't mean...obviously the band#s gotta be great. You gotta keep writing songs. You gotta keep this level of excellence. But I'm talking about things that put you off and kind of that you go I don't feel good about it. Someone thought it was uncool."

"F**k them. It really doesn't matter. And I thought that was a great bit of advice. But I get them all the time. I can't think of any off hand, but they're constant you know."

New Def Leppard Music

"I'm constantly, me and Joe Elliott, are writing. We're always writing all the time anyway. So we're doing that."

"I'm writing some other stuff. I actually done a thing the other day. The other month. We actually started it pre-COVID. This guy Morgan Dorr. We've just been writing like music together. There's a producer called Swagg R'Celious (David "Swagg R'Celious" Harris). He actually got an R 'n' B Grammy of the year last year."

"So really diverse stuff. I'm kinda doing stuff."

Def Leppard 2020.

New Solo Music

"And I recorded a couple of tracks and some instrumental stuff as well. That we're just gonna be releasing with Forrest Robinson on drums whose insane drummer. And Craig Msrtini on bass. And we've just got this just some music that's coming out recently - soon."

"So hopefully. I don't exactly know when that's gonna be. But I'll let you know."

No Social Profiles

"I haven't got one. I stopped doing Twitter, Facebook. Just a few years ago I stopped doing all of it."




Def Leppard 2020.

Def Leppard / Latest Release


Def Leppard / Latest Tour

Def Leppard World Tour 2021


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