Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell on Whitesnake’s Lineup Changes: “If David Coverdale had only charged membership, he’d be a gazillionaire!” – 2022 – Interview – The Stadium Tour
Classic Rock Magazine: Def Leppard talks about the making of their new album, Diamond Star Halos, playing state fairs in the 2000s, getting new management, and the band’s terrifying plane incident in the mid-’90s.
A Vivian Campbell excerpt has been provided below. You can read the entire interview with the rest of the band @ this location.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
On Being in Def Leppard:
Vivian Campbell:
“There isn’t another band on the planet like this. And what it comes down to is a collective sensibility. My two big experiences prior to Def Leppard were with Dio and Whitesnake, and neither situation worked out well for me. Ronnie James Dio named the band Dio, which tells you all you need to know. And Whitesnake: has there ever been a band in the entire history of rock music that’s had as many musicians pass through the turnstiles?
“If David Coverdale had only charged membership, he’d be a gazillionaire! In Def Leppard it’s different. Joe (Elliott) isn’t your typical ego-driven singer. There’s more humility to it. We’re all in service of the music. And we all look after each other to a certain extent.”
“I don’t mean to paint a false rosy picture. There’s been times when I’ve had an arm out in each direction stopping members of Def Leppard from fucking killing each other! Shit does happen, you know? But we all see the big picture. Whatever the problem, we work it out. And you can’t be an asshole in this band. There’s no latitude for that at all.”
On being diagnosed with cancer in 2013:
“When you first hear that word, the bottom falls out of your world but once you get beyond that, you just deal with it. It’s all good now. I’m feeling great. But I don’t think that whole thing really changed me that profoundly. I think it cemented what I already believed. I wouldn’t say I’m fatalistic, but I’ve always been acutely aware that we’re on the clock. So I guess it amplified my world view.”
You can read the entire interview @ this location.
