Music

Joe Elliott Explains Why Def Leppard’s Not A Heavy Metal Band, And Hey, That’s OK

by 2/26/2015

Fresh off his appearance on That Metal Show’s season 14 premiere, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott sat down to chat with VH1 Classic On Tap’s Nik Carter. Among other subjects, the singer discussed their recording plans, his love of classic British rock and how the music press has never quite gotten the band. Among their many misconceptions is the idea that Leppard are a heavy metal band. “We’re not dissing metal when we say we’re not metal. We’re not a reggae band either,” said Elliott, but, he added, “Get Scott Ian(from Anthrax), get Glenn Tipton from Judas Priest, and get Lemmy in a room and say to them ’Def Leppard are a metal band. Discuss.’ They’ll all burst out laughing and say, ’Off course they’re not. They’re a good hard rock band.”

You can watch the full interview above or go to VH1 Classic On Tap for more interviews with the biggest names in classic rock. And keep an eye out for an extended interview with Joe Elliott on a future episode of this season of That Metal Show.