It's great to get insight into the era of 80's rock-n-roll via a treasure trove of photographs skillfully captured in front of Mark Weiss' camera lens. This event is the perfect time capsule for Mark's work finally being released upon the masses in 2012."- Phil Collen (Def Leppard)
Dee Snider: This is a great photo. Dee Snider basically stood up for our rights as artists. He is an extremely intelligent and cool guy. This obviously upset those people with closed minds who in their ignorance expected him to turn up in his stage attire expecting him not to be able to tell the difference between entertainment and real life. His inclusion in this period of our history is momentous and really means a lot to all of us as artists.’Äù Dee Snider: This is a great photo. Dee Snider basically stood up for our rights as artists. He is an extremely intelligent and cool guy. This obviously upset those people with closed minds who in their ignorance expected him to turn up in his stage attire expecting him not to be able to tell the difference between entertainment and real life. His inclusion in this period of our history is momentous and really means a lot to all of us as artists.’Äù
PMRC Crowd with signage: ’ÄúOver the years touring the US I’Äôve met many people like this. We were once set upon in a Dallas airport in ’Äô87 by a bunch of homophobic, religious extremists who verbally accused us (Def Leppard) of helping to spread AIDS. I still meet people like this and it cracks me up since I’Äôve been a vegetarian for 29 years and 25 years sober. I think it’Äôs the fact that when these types of people get turned on they react in a very opposite and negative way ala Norman Bates or like the military reclusive dad in the film ’ÄòAmerican Beauty’Äô. If you really want to see this in action check out the movie ’ÄòRock of Ages’Äô. It sums it up beautifully with Catherine Zeta-Jones portraying the Tipper Gore character.’Äù
Lita Ford: ’ÄúThe ultimate 80’Äôs rock chick. Lita’Äôs image was what every aspiring female musician wanted and what every other rock guy wanted on his arm. Rock of Ages, the film brings home that point. Lita comes from a great rock-n-roll lineage being the lead guitarist for The Runaways also featuring Joan Jett. We have the pleasure of touring with her this summer. I’Äôve known Lita for years and she’Äôs great. I’Äôm really looking forward to touring with her. Maybe we can finally get those songs written that we’Äôve been talking about.’Äù
Motley Crue: ’ÄúAnother band that we’Äôve known for many years’Ķ.Motley Crue the definitive crowned kings of the Sunset Strip. Motley Crue inspired and influenced a whole generation from glam to goth metal. Again another band that stuck it out-all original members. They get total respect from me. It was a joy to tour with them last Dec (2011) in the UK.’Äù
Poison: ’ÄúOur touring buddies. We actually went out with Poison in 2009 and will be out with them again this summer for our 2012 Rock of Ages Tour. I really admire bands who stick it out through thick and thin. Poison is one of those bands. I’Äôve known all the guys since the 80’Äôs and it’Äôs great to see them come out the other side. On a side note I just played guitar on a Bret Michaels’Äô single called ’ÄòGet Your Ride On.’Äô Poison and Def Leppard have 6 songs total in the new Rock of Ages movie. See you out on tour gentlemen!’Äù
Jon Bon Jovi: ’ÄúI remember when Bon Jovi started blowing up. We had done a festival in Germany with all these other bands-Ozzy, the Scorpions, etc. and it just ’Äòwent’Äô. The songs were great, the image was amazing, and it seems the stars actually lined up right in front of us. When you have that going for you it’Äôs totally unstoppable. We’Äôve always got on great with Jon and all the boys. Def Leppard shared an amazing parallel with Bon Jovi. The thing that keeps us all relevant is that we’Äôve managed to make great songs that stand the test of time.’Äùsongwriter sometimes overlooked because the ’Äòicon’Äô gets in the way.’Äù
Guns N Roses: GNR hit the scene in ’Äô87 and immediately they had an edge that a lot of the 80’Äôs bands didn’Äôt have. They had a dangerous punky attitude that was more akin to Johnny Thunder’Äôs Heartbreakers than Jon Bon Jovi. I love Slash’Äôs guitar work especially in the arena of 80’Äôs shred guitar as his whole thing was about feel and groove. This translated to the GNR songs which made them really unique in that environment. I still bump into the guys occasionally and we have a great rapport.’Äù
Def Leppard: ’ÄúOn tour somewhere in the US in 1983. This was our Pyromania tour. We went from opening act to headliner and outrageous album sales. This tour was a pinch me moment because all of our dreams actually became a reality. Rick Allen, our drummer, sporting the union jacks was a wee babe at 19 years old in this photo. I was the oldest at 25. We had no idea for an image. Joe Elliot and Rick got their garb from a London market and all of a sudden that was the look.’Äù
’ÄúHere we are taking part in a soccer game against Z95FM, a radio station in Allentown, PA. From left to right that’Äôs me, Steve Clark in the background, Joe Elliott. And I think that’Äôs Rick Allen with the #10 shirt on. It was halftime. When we played these ’Äòpublicity’Äô games we always won because soccer wasn’Äôt yet popular in the states but we had been playing the game since we were kids. So here we always came across like heroes. However, we came unstuck when we played in Latin America specifically to a bunch of 17 year olds in Mexico City who whupped our asses.’Äù ’ÄìPhil Collen (Def Leppard/Manraze)
’ÄúMe and Joe Elliott getting our ’Äòrockstar’Äô on live on stage during the ’Äô83 ’ÄòPyromania Tour’Äô. We had the whole rock thing going but also appealed to girls in a kind of Duran Duran kind of way. Musically we echoed that creating rock music that could be played on top 40 radio thanks to Mutt Lange.’Äù
Steve ’ÄòSteaming’Äô Clark guitarist of Def Leppard Pyromania Tour ’Äô83: ’ÄúMy best friend and other half of the ’ÄòTerror Twins’Äô-a moniker given to us by Side Phil Wilkey (our monitoring engineer) for being drunken and disorderly. Steve was an absolute gentle soul whose biggest influence was Jimmy Page of Led Zeppellin. Steve had a unique ability to take his influences and not copy them but make them utterly original while still paying homage to the source. I don’Äôt know where he came up with his ideas but I loved playing them when I joined the band back in ’Äô82. I still miss Steve everyday.’Äù
Joe Elliott lead singer of Def Leppard Pyromania Tour ’Äô83: ’ÄúThe great thing about Def Leppard is that we had no idea that we were as unique sounding as we were and that we had started influencing other bands as we were all still in ’Äòfan mode’Äô-none more than our Joe whose best quality in my opinion is his humble innocence. Joe’Äôs sound and voice is what people aspire to and want to emulate. Yet in his humility he simply continues to give credit to the music that has influenced him.’Äù
Rick ’ÄòSav’Äô Savage bassist of Def Leppard Pyromania Tour ’Äô83: ’ÄúThe Fender Precision bass guitar in this photo was stolen. It was one of Sav’Äôs favorites. I’Äôd have to check out the facts but I think it was later found and had something to do with being buried in a backyard somewhere-all a bit weird. Don’Äôt quote me on it. I’Äôll ask him and give you an update. Sav is one of the founding members of the band along with Joe. Sav’Äôs favorite band is Queen. I always hear it in the songs and riffs that he comes up with. This helps when you throw all of these influences in the pot. Together they all ultimately come out in the ’ÄòDef Leppard’Äô sound.’Äù
Rick Allen drummer of Def Leppard Pyromania Tour ’Äô83- ’ÄúWhen I first started playing with Rick I thought he was using a double kick drum. But he had this amazing technique where he would flick his heel on the pedal and make it sound like a double kick. Rick’Äôs technique was pretty grownup for a rock drummer as he used jazz techniques and he was so young. I remember once on this tour we went to jam with a band at the hotel we were staying at but Rick wasn’Äôt allowed in because he was under aged. This was to be Rick’Äôs last tour with this way of playing. The next year on New Year’Äôs Eve he had a horrific car crash that severed his left arm. This actually led to a period of total inspiration for him and everyone who was around to witness. When Steve and I visited him in the hospital he told us he’Äôd been practicing on the pillows in his bed and that he was going to replace his lost left arm with his left leg and a series of pedals that would allow him to continue drumming. The result was astounding. He would get up at 8am every morning and play til nightfall every single day. He not only dealt with the frustration of learning a new way to play drums but then there was the everyday life stuff ie., tying shoelaces and even standing up straight. Rick pulled this off big time with humility and humor. He continues to be a huge inspiration to me, the band, and many others.’Äù
Me (Phil Collen) guitarist of Def Leppard Pyromania Tour ’Äô83: ’ÄúHere I am onstage with my Ibanez Destroyer which you can hear among other things on the solos of Photograph, Rock of Ages, and Foolin’Äô. An interesting thing about what I’Äôm wearing-my suitcase with all of my clothes was stolen from a Florida hotel and I only had shorts on when I made the discovery. Some fans took me to an army surplus store hence the camo fatigues which became my staple for the rest of the Pyromania tour.’Äù
’ÄúI have always been there for the artists who were there for me when I began my career. We’Äôve all had and continue to have, peaks and valleys to overcome in our personal and professional lives. Without their loyalty and belief in my craft, I would have never been able to continue making my rock ’Äòn roll dreams a reality’Äù. ’Äì Mark Weiss