DEF LEPPARD's PHIL COLLEN: 'There's An Integrity We've Got That A Lot Of Other Bands Haven't'

In a recent interview with The Patriot-News, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen was asked if the band was working on new material. "Yeah, some really cool, hard-rock stuff," he replied. "I don't know when that will be out. It's a matter of fitting in when we can record. I don't think we'll go into a studio. You can pretty much do it in a trailer. We've recorded a bunch of stuff while on tour. That might be the way to go ... to not take a whole block [of time] out and say, 'We're going to record for a year.' That's the way the industry's gone. It's more singles-based. You don't have to put an album out, you can put a song out here and there."

Asked if he thinks a band like DEF LEPPARD could make it big today, Phil said, "No, definitely not. The times have changed. It was a time and a place and you have to be aware of that. The fact that we're out there still touring and writing new music is fascinating to me in this environment. I think we're really blessed, actually."

On the topic of why he thinks DEF LEPPARD is one of the few bands from the '80s that have a large, devoted fan base, Phil said, "There's an integrity we've got that a lot of other bands haven't. They go away after awhile, and we've never stopped. We do new songs. Writing new material is the lifeblood. We are real, we walk it and talk it. The fact that we've known each other for so long and gone through so many experiences, good and bad, it keeps us very tight."

Regarding the secret to keeping a band together, Collen said, "We're from a working-class background in England. I've known lots of bands and they're weak in the way they approach things — they get so upset over the slightest little thing. I think there's something about [our background] that keeps you going. The things that make other bands split up don't even register with us."