Fan Interviews Part 4 Heidi

RC: Hello Heidi, welcome to the Rock Chronicles. I will be asking you a series of questions, mostly related to Def Leppard but first I would like you to tell me a little about yourself, where do you come from, what are your interests and what do you do?

Heidi: I come from Tucson AZ and I was born with the name of Maria. Heidi is just a name my friends came up with for me and I went with it.

My interests include going to concerts, writing, listening to music, watching DVDs. Sometimes go shopping but I am not high maintenance. I like traveling and I like some anime parties (I am getting very tired of Anime admittedly though). I am just your average Def Leppard fan but the difference is I have a deadly life threatening illness called Acute deep vein thrombosis which causes blood clots in my body. Usually, they're only in your legs but I have them all over and they have caused me to have a seizure disorder too.

RC: Okay, now on to the questions. The new tour is officially underway and they are playing their first gig in Cincinnati Ohio. They’ve been touring every year now for awhile and in the past, they often went as long as three years in between tours. How do you feel about them touring every year and basically having the same tour because they haven’t had an original album since X?

Heidi: I love Def Leppard very much and love their live shows but I have to admit, I was a bit shocked and disappointed after hearing we were going to hear the same show over again and here's why...

I was shocked because I thought they would be more concerned about getting their album done and I was disappointed because I was hoping for new stuff, I was glad to hear they would play older stuff though.

RC: I love them, don’t get me wrong but they’ve gone a long time in between albums. I love seeing them every time but I think they need to push more of the songs off a new album like on the Yeah tour; they need to promote that more.

The new album they are finishing once the tour is over sounds like it will be in true Def Leppard form and with them not singing anything off it on this tour, do you think that is because Joe is worried that it will be on you tube before it can come out, that will prevent a leak anyway, considering what happened with the Yeah album?

Heidi: Well anything’s possible, it could possibly still get leaked but I think the chances are much smaller this time, not impossible though.

RC: They’ve named the tour Down stage thrust tour, do you think the album will eventually be changed to something with thrust in it or do you think they’ll keep the name Sparkle Lounge?

Heidi: As of right now, I think they'll keep the Sparkle Lounge title. In the future, I may believe otherwise but as of now, I think their current title will be kept.

RC: Def Leppard is known for being a unique band and coming out with the unique music that makes them Def Leppard, do you think they should change their style to be able to compete with today’s changing music or would that ruin their careers?

Heidi: I think if they changed their music just to complete with today's music or to sell more records, I think that would anger and disappoint a lot of fans and some would consider that selling out. Def Leppard has always been a band who made the kind of music they wanted to make whether that type of music was considered 'hot' at the time or not. I think it's best if they kept it that way.

RC: When the Yeah album was leaked, music critic Andrew Mc Niece gave it a poor review and actually said it would be the end of their careers in not so many words, do you think Yeah was a mistake or was that album just prematurely judged and did you like it, if not why?

Heidi: There's always going to be those people who don't like something and a lot of times it's the people who are picky or hard to please. Not always but a lot of times and I doubt Def Leppard cares what some guy has to say. You can't make everyone happy, there's always going to be someone who doesn’t like something you do and I think the Def Leppard boys know that

As for of my opinion on it, it was a bit different from what I was expecting, I must admit. I'll also admit, it kind of reminded me of the 70s but I actually liked a lot of the songs on the album. I even have a couple favorites off it

RC: Back when they first became popular, the meet and greet was a very popular thing and they were known for having those passes with hidden meanings.

Would you like to see the meet and greets come back like how they were then when the entire band would be there but of course then, if you got that pass with a hidden meaning, they were expecting something if you came backstage. What did you think of that?

Heidi: You know, here's my opinion on the meet and greets and the canceling of meet and greets, they are getting older and as much as they love their fans, they probably don't want to meet people all the time. It's understandable and the fans need to understand that without getting all defensive, a true fan would understand that. Plus with possible stalkers out there these days, I understand why they do not have m&gs. Now as far as bringing them back, if that's what they want to do, then sure, go for it.

As far as them expecting something, I would never just put out like some groupie whore but I have to admit it would be tempting to do something with them, considering they are all gorgeous but in the end, I probably wouldn't because they are all married. I have always said I'd never do anything with someone married and intend to keep my word on that.

RC: If Def Leppard brought that back and made changes where say instead, you got a pass if they did a drawing or something for the first say 50 people, do you think that would work and would it be fair to everyone?

Heidi: See, the only reason I think they should not do that is because some people who don't win would WHINE AND WHINE about how unfair it is and how Def Leppard ripped off their fans. I don't see that happening though. As for my opinion on that, I have to admit I'd see why they do that if they did but I'm not too keen on the idea.

RC: I’ve asked this of everyone and I’ll ask you. Who is your favorite Def Leppard member?

Heidi: OMG! If you asked me when I first got interested in Def Leppard, I would have said Steve and as I got into them more, I would have said Steve and Sav. As time progressed, I would have said Joe and after seeing them last year and being exposed to Viv's projects, I'd have said him. Now I love them all but if I had to choose 1, it's be Phil, I loved the terror twins

RC: Joe said in an interview that he once expressed interest in playing the drums in a band. Do you think if Joe were the drummer for Def Leppard instead of Rick, that they’d be Def Leppard at all or would they be an entirely different band?

Heidi: Everything would have been completely different, they may have still became famous but I think it would be a different band.

RC: Rick Allen is one of the most recognized drummers in the music industry and by far the most courageous man I’ve ever met and he’s very down to earth and sweet. After Rick came back when he recovered from his accident and performed onstage for the first time since, he was greeted with the most heartfelt applause and Joe Elliott was quoted as saying he was a better drummer now than before the accident. Do you think if Rick hadn’t been in that accident that he’d be as good of a drummer as he is now?

Heidi: I happen to think the accident helped Rick snap back into reality because even Rick has said himself, before the accident, he let it all get to his head and the accident changed that. I do think that because of the accident, it has made him a stronger drummer and perhaps in some views, a better one. It's hard to say if he'd been as good if the accident didn't happen but I think he'd still be a pretty good drummer.

RC: Joe seems adamant that he’d never do a solo album and you’d have to hold a gun to his head or didn’t see a reason to be in the band anymore but lots of artists like even Viv Campbell go off and do their solo thing. Do you think Joe is saying that if you do a solo album that it means you aren’t really into being in the band as much anymore and you feel the need to see if the grass is greener on the other side? I got the impression when I had asked him my question that he thought by doing a solo album, it meant that he thought if you did one, you’re questioning your part in the band do you think that’s what he meant?

Heidi: I think it depends on who the band is, in Def Leppard's case, no, I don't think it means that at all, I think when Joe said that, he was talking about himself. He wasn't saying in general if someone does a solo album, it means they aren't into the band, I think he was just talking about himself.

RC: For some reason, I’ve always gotten this weird vibe when I hear about a band doing a greatest hits album because when a band comes out with one, sometimes not long after, the band either breaks up or it means they are no longer selling the amount of albums they used to. Def Leppard did one and some say it was their best album to date, do you think that if a band does a greatest hits album it means they can no longer produce the music they used to or be able to compete with their own best selling album?

Heidi: I think when a band has been around so long, they feel it's time to release an album with their biggest hits. Does that mean the band can't sell well anymore? No. Of course it doesn't, does that mean they will for sure sell more? Again no. Of course not, it just depends; it's different with each band

RC: If something were to happen and Joe one day said “I quit” and they started looking for a new lead singer. Do you think that anyone else could ever fill his shoes?

Heidi: Def Leppard is currently Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell. Nobody else could fill either of their shoes.

RC: Def Leppard is a band that doesn’t change members like some change socks as I’ve seen some bands do, due to creative differences or lack of chemistry. They are like a family and they’ve seen each other through the most impossible situations. Do you think their closeness with each other has helped in still being a successful band after thirty years along with talent of course?

Heidi: Definitely, they are a very close band and that is good for a band like them. It's not always good to be close or different in some bands cases but for them, it works. They each are different in their own ways as well as close to each other and that works for them.

RC: Do you think it’s fair to say that Def Leppard has always been a band that has never forgotten what it took to make them a success?

Joe grew up in Sheffield, a town known for its hardships and he didn’t have much money. He worked in a factory, a job he didn’t care for much because deep down, he wanted to be a musician more than life and he was always very good to his Mum and Dad and they supported him in his dreams.

Do you think that Joe if he’d grown up differently, had money growing up and never knew what it was like to be poor, he’d be an entirely different person and maybe not appreciate his roots as much?

Heidi: Yes. The problem with these rich stars is they never knew what it was like to have no money so they take things for granted and think they can do what they want with no responsibility for their actions and I think if Joe grew up rich, he'd be no exception.

RC: Along those same lines, do you think how all of them grew up, affected their music and what kind of style they have?

The way I’m thinking is that a lot of bands write songs based on actual experiences and although Def Leppard doesn’t really do that, do you think the kind of band they are had anything to do with how they grew up?

Heidi: Yes, maybe so, in most cases, the way band members in most bands grow up usually has something to do with their music and style whether their songs would be based on actual experiences or not.

RC: When I think about certain bands its kind of funny because for instance, Def Leppard is a British band and most of them grew up in the UK and they have the biggest fan base in the US but in the US, some American bands are bigger in say in Japan. Do you think that if Def Leppard had been an American band, they’d be bigger in the UK than they are now?

Heidi: Yes, they probably would

RC: Let’s go back in time and change history a little bit. The year is 1959 and little Joe Elliott was born in Sheffield England and as the years passed, Joe grew up but had a different dream than the one he made come true and that was a dream to become say a writer, a writer of poetry. Atomic Mass goes world wide and becomes a very famous band with Sav and the rest of them and Def Leppard was never born. Knowing what it is like having Def Leppard around and picturing a life without Def Leppard, which do you think is better? Would history be the same without them?

Heidi: In a way, I think history would be different without them. They set influenced a lot of bands and made it possible for a lot of bands to do what they do today.

RC: Let’s talk about the current tour. There are a lot of surprises in store for us this summer Joe said and they are going to sing a song never performed before and maybe the stage would be different. Do you expect this tour to be different from others over the past say 5 years?

Heidi: I think it may be slightly different if they plan to play songs they haven't played before.

RC: After 30 years of music, a lot of bands have come and gone, some retire and other’s break up, do you expect Def Leppard will still be around and touring in another ten years?

Heidi: It depends how they feel in 10 years lol, if they wanted to, they'd be here in 10 years, I'd say.

RC: If Def Leppard had come out let’s say in the 90’s, instead of the 80’s, do you think they would have made it with the style they have now compared to the bands that were coming out in the 90’s?

Heidi: I think they style would have been completely different if they came out in the 90s. Technically they came out in the 70s.

RC: I have only a couple of more questions for you and then we can wrap things up. When you think of Def Leppard, do you think of them as a band of the past, present or future?

And if you can ask your favorite member one question what would it be?

Heidi: I would have to think about that question lol and as for what I think of the band, I think of them as a band of the past and present, I can't say the future yet.

RC: Thank you Heidi for participating in this interview with me. I hope you will come back another time and tell me all about the shows you’ve seen and what you thought of them. It’s been a pleasure talking to you.

Heidi: Thank you for interviewing me lol

RC: This has been a fan interview with Fans of Def Leppard from the Rock Chronicles, stay tuned for more coming up.