Jade: Hi Ramona. I'm thirty years old from
RC: Thanks Jade, now I want to ask you some questions about Def Leppard. I began this blog and interviews because of my passion for Def Leppard and I’ve been a fan of theirs for nearly their entire career. As one fan to another, I thought it would be fun to interview the fans, since most of the time; it’s the band that gets interviewed. It’s my dream to interview them someday and get their prospective on the fans, performing and their thoughts on the changes that they’ve been through.
My first question for you Jade is how old were you when you first heard of Def Leppard?
Jade: I don't remember! LOL!! Probably 6 or 7.
RC: Were you a fan at that time or did that come later?
Jade: I was an instant fan.
RC: Do you remember what song it was that you first heard from Def Leppard and did that song make you a fan or was it because of something else?
Jade: I loved the song "Photograph," but I didn't really get into them until "Pour Some Sugar on Me."
RC: What is your most favorite memory of Def Leppard and why?
Jade: Being a little kid and going nuts over Joe Elliott's ripped jeans. I'm embarrassed to say I ripped my jeans, too. I guess it's just a nostalgic thing, is all.
RC: Have you ever met any of the members of the band and who is your favorite?
Jade: Nope. Never met them. Although I am a big fan of frontman Joe Elliott.
RC: If you could think of one thing to say to your favorite member of Def Leppard, what would it be?
Jade: I adore your music and appreciate you sharing your talent with the world.
RC: The boys are getting ready to go on tour and Joe says there are a few surprises in store for the fans including a song from High and Dry that they’ve never done before and of course they will sing all the favorites and I hope they will also sing Slang. Is there a particular song you love hearing every time you see them live and is there a song you never want to hear again from them?
Jade: I love hearing Rocket live, and I'd be happy if they trashed Goodbye.
RC: When the tour is finished, they will be heading into the studio to finish Songs From the Sparkle Lounge, what are your expectations from the album if any?
Jade: I expect that it will be the same Leppard quality we've become used to over the years, and I'm sure it will have a different, edgier sound than the previous work. I can't wait to hear it!
RC: Do you think it will do as well as Hysteria or better, if not, why?
Jade: I don't think anything will ever do as well as Hysteria. That album was just too big and appealed to too many different types of audiences to ever be repeated. Plus, I think many fans have moved on and don't really think of Def Leppard anymore-- the gall!
RC: I’ve been reading the forum and from listening to their recent interview on Rockline, fans seem a bit skeptical on the album title. Do you think an album title is important to the success of the album? Before you answer that, I ran across an article on Joe and it said “But with sales of over 65 million in the
Def Leppard is well known for its name as well as their songs and music style and of course Joe Elliott being the front man for Def Leppard, so with that do you think that the title of their new album could make or break their album sales?
Jade: I wouldn't say it would make or break album sales, and I understand why they called it that. It isn't a typical album name, but then again, Def Leppard isn't a typical band.
RC: Joe said in the interview that the title isn’t set in stone and even told a fan that they can suggest titles and send it to Def Leppard.com and they’d be considered.
When Joe auditioned for Def Leppard, of course at the time he met Sav, the band he was auditioning for was called Atomic Mass and Joe had a dream to be in a band called Deaf Leopard, which later changed to Def Leppard, do you think that with the simple spell change, if they hadn’t changed it, they’d be as successful or if they’d stayed Atomic Mass?
Jade: I think it's their talent, and not their name per se, that made them successful.
RC: I had the chance to look at your artwork and I must say it’s absolutely beautiful, you’re very talented. If Def Leppard were to come up to you and tell you that they’ve seen your work and they want you to draw the artwork for their next album cover and said they would pay you handsomely for it, would you do it?
Jade: Thank you. And absolutely; it would be an honor!
RC: If they loved it so much that they wanted you to do it full time, every time they came out with an album, would you want to work for them as their artist?
Jade: No. I enjoy what I do too much to give it up completely.
RC: Do you think working for them would take away some of the glamour of loving them as Def Leppard and if so, why?
Jade: No. I don't see them as some glamorous group in the first place; I see them as human beings with feelings who don't particularly like to be objectified. So, I don't think working with them would burst that bubble, metaphorically speaking, because that bubble doesn't exist for me in the first place.
RC: I have always dreamt of working for them and even though I love them to pieces, I think it would change things a bit but I’d still do it because they are my passion and I think I could do a good job for them.
Let’s say you worked for them and traveled with them on the buses, from city to city and state to state, do you think you’d like traveling so much? Joe has said touring takes a lot out of you so its not for everyone. Do you think you’d get tired of it after awhile and want to just throw in the towel?
Jade: No. I'm pretty resilient.
RC: For most of their careers, Def Leppard had been with Q Prime, their managers and they’ve recently changed to Island, Def Jam Music Group, do you think under the new management, the management will promote them better and get them more recognition on their albums?
Jade: I sure hope so!
RC: When Def Leppard became popular, they sold out the venues within a matter of minutes and they were on the cover of every rock magazine, on television, touring the world including countries such as
As big as they were then and as popular as they still are, they are considered by some a band of the 80’s, meaning a band of the past, do you think they have evolved enough to be able to compete with the bands of today or did the Grunge bands like Nirvana forever affect their popularity?
Jade: I don't think it was the grunge bands that did it per se. I think it's the fact that the sound that is popular keeps changing, and rather than changing themselves to be popular, Def Leppard has stayed true to their own roots, their own type of music. I think that's commendable.
RC: When they were on the cover of every Rock Magazine, it told the world that they were the band that everyone was listening to and had millions of screaming female fans that worshipped the ground they walked on and some still do but with the lack of as much publicity in magazines, do you think that affects them selling out the venues like they used to?
Jade: Yes, I do think so.
RC: Def Leppard was known for the parties under the stage during a concert and having probably literally hundreds of women that were mostly naked wanting to full fill their every fantasy, if you had, had the opportunity to be there under the stage, would you have done it?
Jade: Hell no. That's not my style.
RC: Back then female fans who slept with them were considered groupies and they had probably thousands over their careers and now are settled down, married, most with kids and even Joe is planning a family and they no longer party as much and don’t hopefully indulge in the groupie girls. Do you think the meaning of a groupie has changed from the 80’s to now?
Jade: I personally think that the groupie scene with Def Leppard has not changed, and has perhaps gotten worse. I see so many women obsessed with them that it's not funny anymore. So I see groupies as not necessarily people who are sleeping with the band, but rather who WANT to sleep with the band. Perhaps they follow the band around incessantly. Perhaps they do try to get with the members of the band. Who knows. But to me they're still groupies, and it's still disturbing.
RC: Considering the fans, groupies, lack of privacy, their lives always talked about on radio, in magazines, their popularity of course and living out of a suitcase 18 months at a time, would you ever want to trade places with them, even for a day? If so or not, why?
Jade: Maybe for a day, because I love attention. But I can't imagine living their lifestyle for much longer than that! It would be too draining, too demanding on the senses.
RC: Just a few more questions Jade and then we’ll call it a day. What about them made them your favorite if you couldn’t say their music?
Jade: What else is there?
RC: Do you consider yourself an objective fan? Meaning, if you were to say run into Joe in a coffee shop and you were sitting at the same table because the restaurant was so crowded there were no other tables and he asked you if he could share yours, would you gush over him, ask for an autograph and a picture or would you be able to just sit and shoot the breeze with him?
Jade: I would ask for an autograph, but I wouldn't gush at all. It's just not my style.
RC: Thank you Jade for participating in this interview with me, it has been a pleasure talking to you and now I have some insight as to what another fan thinks of the band and if they were to see this interview, perhaps they would gain some insight too and they’d probably appreciate their fans giving them a different opinion on their music.
Jade: Thanks Ramona!
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