DEF LEPPARD’s PHIL COLLEN Answers The Question: ‘Is 80s Hard Rock Finally Getting The Respect It Deserves?’

Phil Collen

Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen was questioned by Tom Bedell from Q104 Radio if 1980’s hard rock is finally getting the respect it deserves. Look at what hew answered:

“Not that. They’re just running out of people to put in there, to be quite honest. Let’s be real. And there’s not that many bands left — that’s the other thing. I know that’s not really a consideration, but, yeah, if you stick out there long enough, there’s gonna be…

They’re gonna go, ‘Oh, who do we put in this year?’ And they kind of scrape the barrel. So, yeah, we’d get in at some point, I guess.”

On Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, he said:

“Honestly, I really don’t care – RN’R Hall of Fame -. It’s not something I really follow, to be quite honest. The fans get really passionate about it. They’re always going, ‘Why aren’t you playing that?’ And, ‘Why aren’t you playing the Super Bowl?’ and all this. And it’s, like, I don’t know. I have no idea why it’s taken so long and all this stuff.

But there you go. And it’s not something that really concerns me.My real buzz is actually getting up there and playing live. The fact that I’m 61 and I can still run around like a 20-year-old is pretty amazing. And playing these songs that we’ve written that do stand [the test of time].

Some of these songs we’ve got are 35 years old and older, and we’re actually out there playing them and people really dig them. That, to me, is a big deal. All the other stuff — award ceremonies and all that stuff — not really my thing, I’ve gotta say.”