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Classic Rock Briefs For Thursday, October 16, 2008

Recording Engineer Jay Messina Talks About The Early Days of Working With Aerosmith

This is the kind of stuff that might be more interesting to audio geeks than to the typical Aerosmith fan, but who knows? Some fans may find this kind of history interesting. It gets rather technical, something that’s sure to please the hard-core audio crowd, and perhaps the nostalgia may even bring a tear or two to their eye. Full Story.

Meat Loaf Back on Track For Florida Performances

After exhibiting some rather strange behavior at an awards ceremony in the U.K. recently, it appears that “The Meat” is back in shape after a short stay in the hospital. Vertigo and a some medication he was taking for a torn retina are being blamed for his recent bout with odd behavior and an apparent lack to navigate at the London event. Full Story.

Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot Angers Some Hockey Fans By Violating Stanley Cup Etiquette

I’m not sure there actually is any official etiquette having to do with the National Hockey League’s beloved Stanley Cup, but if there is, I’m guessing Joe Elliott violated it the other night.

Def Leppard was performing just prior to the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs game in Detroit. This all has to do with some deal that was cooked up to involve the NHL and the British rockers called “Face-Off Rocks,” and at some point Elliott picked up the Stanley Cup trophy and then set it back down. Upside-down.

Many hockey fans are a bit ticked off over this, and knowing how seriously they take their hockey up over the border in Canada, I have to wonder if they’ll ever let the group enter their country again!

Seriously, though, I think it’s understandable that a British guy might make such a mistake. Elliott says he takes full responsibility for the mistake, but also points out that “Like most of my fellow Brits, I’d never seen it (Stanley Cup) before until it was handed to me sideways, by which time I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right. Whoops." Full Story.

Ron Wood’s Wife May Not Let Go Without A Fight

Although there were reports that Ron Wood’s wife Jo had met with her attorneys recently, that may not mean that she has given up on her marriage quite yet.

Today, the word is that Jo intends to fight to save her marriage.

“I don’t want to divorce Ronnie but I don’t know if he’ll come back. I really don’t know what is happening at the moment. I haven’t spoken to him about it," she is reported to have said. Full Story.

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Tags: Aerosmith Engineer, Def Leppard, Joe Elliott, Marriage, Meat Loaf, NHL, Ron Wood, Stanley Cup

Former Def Leppard Guitarist’s Personal Demons Detailed In New Book

Steve Clark joined up with Def Leppard in 1978 after being recruited by original guitarist and founding member Pete Willis. Clark and Willis shared lead guitar duties until Willis left the group due to his drinking problems.

Clark was very influential during his years with the group and contributed very significantly to the band. Has has been credited as having a major role in the creation of the group’s material at the time.

A new book by Clark’s former girlfriend, Lorelei Shellist, herself no stranger to the glare of the spotlight with her background as a runway model and actress, sheds new light on the struggles that Clark dealt with that may have contributed to his untimely death in 1991.

Shellist recently revealed news of the new book by way of the New York Post’s “Page Six,” and talked about “living on the other side of glamour.”

She goes on to say,  “Nobody talks about the lonely side of it, traveling from city to city living out of a suitcase. I believe [Clark] had serious manic-depressive disorders and OCD.”

What Shellist says about some of Clark’s habits provides further evidence that he probably contributed greatly when it came to writing music for Def Leppard. In another quote, she says: “He was a brilliant musician and songwriter, but he would wake up in the middle of the night and write. He could never get a good night’s sleep . . . he was haunted."

Clark’s death at the age of 30 in 1991 was ruled an accidental overdose that resulted from a night of heavy drinking mixed with the consumption of anti-depressants and pain killers. Clark was on a leave of absence from the group at the time of his death, to provide him with some time to deal with his drinking problems.

Lorelei Shellist’s new book, Runway Runaway, is scheduled for release on November 25th and can be ordered on the website that has been set up to promote the book. There is also a book tour in the plans for Shellist that is scheduled to begin sometime this fall.

Tags: Book, Def Leppard, Guitarist, Lorelei Shellist, Runway Runaway, Steve Clark

Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell Says Music Piracy May Benefit Classic Acts

Now here’s something you don’t hear every day. A recording artist who sounds like he is applauding music piracy — an activity that has been frowned upon (to say the least) by the recording industry. With roving spies (both human and non-human) scouring the net for illegal copies of popular tunes, and lawsuits filed against downloading grannies (even those that are not still among the living!), Campbell clearly has a different view.

He does point out, however, that he sees music piracy primarily as a benefit for classic acts. and not so much for the groups that are starting out and working to make a name for themselves.

Campbell makes and excellent point. One wonders how many youngsters have discovered the music of groups like Def Leppard or Aerosmith or any number of other classic bands by downloading their music from popular music-sharing sites and networks.

After all, I do not suspect that copies of Dreamboat Annie or Pyromania have been flying off store shelves or flowing in record numbers out of Amazon.com’s warehouses in recent years. With new and younger fans embracing some of this classic groups, it does have the potential to provide them with a source of income from touring. Surely more physically demanding than the rigors of touring, but a buck is a buck, right? You sure as hell can’t download a actual live show now, can you?

Beyond that, I’m sure that some of them, if not the majority of classic artists, enjoy the opportunity to get up in front of a crowd of adoring fans — many of them newly-minted at that!

Classic rockers probably do greatly benefit from the whole piracy thing, and at the same time,  we should not underestimate the influence of popular video games like "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Star" for their role in reviving interest in decades-old acts whose music is being featured prominently as part of this new generation of video entertainment.

Classic rock is far from dead, and as strange as it may seem, illegal activity like music sharing probably has a lot to do with keeping it alive, which leaves this writer a little conflicted about the issue. It’s difficult to harbor a lot of resentment towards an activity that may be helping to keep the music of my generation going strong, but then again…

I’m sure record company executives aren’t overjoyed to hear this kind of talk coming from someone like Vivian Campbell, but I think it may be hard to argue that his observation is not correct.

Perhaps those same record company executives are wishing they could silence voices like Campbell’s similar to the way the Chinese government has been silencing protestors during the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

Tags: Def Leppard, Music Piracy, Music Sharing, Vivian Campbell

Def Leppard On Cutting Edge of Live Rock Entertainment

Sure, Def Leppard has been around since their glory days in the 1980’s when hits like "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages" blared from car radios across the land, but that does not mean these middle-aged rockers don’t keep up with the latest in technology.

At their upcoming show at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena on August 23, the group will introduce to fans something they are calling "Rockzimity Marketing." It’s all about delivering content to concert goers using technologies like Wi-Fi and Blue Tooth, by setting up "hot spots" at various locations in the arena which will transmit the content to fans who bring their Wi-Fi and Blue Tooth-capable devices to the show.

Upon entering the arena, the well-equipped fan will be greeted with a message from the band, which will welcome them to the "Sparkle Lounge," which originally referred to the name of the backstage area where the band hangs out when they are not performing for their fans. It was also the name the group chose for the latest album.

There will also be an opportunity for tuned-in attendees to win a trip to the "Sparkle Lounge," after the show, where they will presumably be able to mingle a bit with the band. There will also be discounts offered on select Def Leppard merchandise, giving ticket holders yet another reason to bring along whichever gadget they own that will allow them to tune into this unique medium.

"You have to differentiate your music in today’s industry and how you introduce things to your audience," says frontman Joe Elliott. "This is the direction for the future of the way fans connect with artists, it also adds another dimension to our live performance by getting the fans involved from the moment they walk though the door — literally."

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One of the best things about this is that there are not extra charges of fees involved. None of that "standard text messaging rates apply" stuff or anything like that during the show, which make sense since this is being called "Rockzimity Marketing." Who the heck would want to pay to be marketed to?

Still, this does sound like a cool idea and will likely make fans feel more involved with the show. The chance to win a backstage visit provides an additional benefit to those who tune into the new service at the show.

Tags: Blue Tooth, Def Leppard, Detroit, Joe Louis Arena, Rockzimity Marketing, Wi-Fi

Interview With Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell

Guitarist Vivian Campbell certainly seems to be quite comfortable with his role with Def Leppard. Having played in the past with both Dio and Whitesnake, Campbell says: "This is the band I was destined to be a part of."

In a recent interview with Campbell, Music Radar talked to him about a number of issues, with perhaps the most unusual topic being how he’s dealt with "big-headed lead singers."

Def Leppard’s most recent album, Tales From The Sparkle Lounge, was a bit of a departure for the group when they invited Tim McGraw to lend his talents to the effort. Campbell is quick to discount any notion that Def Leppard is becoming a country band however, and says that McGraw was "more in our world than the other way around."

You can listen to the interview at the Music Radar site and even download it if you prefer.

In other Def Leppard news, the group is teaming up with another country star in October. Taylor Swift will be filming an episode of CMT Crossroads with the British Rockers. Swift has been a Def Leppard fan for a long time and is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the group. She had this to say about it: "I have been screaming the words to Def Leppard songs for years … so it’s amazing that I’m going to get to share a stage with them this year!"

Def Leppard Gear   Def Leppard Ringtones   Def Leppard Posters

First Tim McGraw and now Taylor Swift. Vivian Campbell says there’s no way that Def Leppard is not going country but collaborating with these country performers may have some Def Leppard fans beginning to wonder.

Tags: Def Leppard, interview, Taylor Swift, Vivian Campbell