Def Leppard's Joe Elliott on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nomination: 'I'm Not Taking Anything For Granted'

Def Leppard has been eligible for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination since 2005. But after taking take a look at the poll for the category of 2019 — and the opposite 5 first-time nominees — frontman Joe Elliott isn't complaining about his band's 13-year wait.

"You're wanting on the likes of Todd Rundgren (23 years) and Roxy Music (21 years) and Devo (15 years), and it took them lengthy sufficient to get a nomination," Elliott tells Billboard. "So I don't really feel so unhealthy now that we acquired neglected whenever you see individuals like them, individuals I used to be out shopping for their information after I was 12 years previous. So it's alright. It's kinda cool."

Elliott first caught wind of Def Leppard's nomination after the group wound up its tour with Journey on Sunday (Oct. 7) in Los Angeles, when managers instructed him "it was undoubtedly gonna occur… I'm on vapors 'trigger we've simply achieved 60 exhibits everywhere in the U.S., I've acquired a glass of chardonnay and I'm pondering, 'As one door closes, one other one opens…' I imply, it's probably not gonna change my life, actually, by some means — however Jon Bon Jovi has been telling me for not less than 12 months that sure, it would."

Nevertheless, Elliott and firm try to maintain a lid on their pleasure as voting will get beneath manner. "We'll wait and see," he says. "I'm not gonna maintain my breath as a result of I understand how this may go. Judas Priest didn't get in final 12 months, and it's a giant disappointment for them that they didn't. So I'm not taking something as a right." Nevertheless, Def Leppard is buoyed by the fan vote that contains one poll, and normally picks ultimately inductees equivalent to Bon Jovi, Chicago and the Moody Blues. 

"That's type of swung our consideration into a way more constructive scenario," Elliott explains. "People hold sending us snapshots in the event that they're on the (Cleveland) museum — 'Check out the fan vote!' and there's our title on the prime, like 300 p.c larger than whoever is the No. 2 selection of the followers. That kind of makes it much more real looking for us. It's not this cloak and dagger factor, it’s really bringing the true individuals to have a little bit of a vote on it, if you’ll."

Elliott was additionally happy to study that authentic guitarist Pete Willis, who left after Def Leppard's second album, was included within the eligible roster — "Pete is essential within the very early embryonic model of this band," Elliott says — and if the group is inducted it would carry Willis again out into the general public for the primary time in a long time. "I actually couldn't inform you how that's going to pan out," Elliott says. "Would we welcome his firm? Well, why not? If he's nominated, he's rightly nominated. He does need to be on the listing."

While Rock Hall voting is happening Def Leppard shall be busy on the highway, enjoying Hysteria full-album exhibits in Hawaii, Japan, Australia and different markets, wrapping up for the 12 months throughout mid-December in London. The group has achieved some "ins and outs" of recording, although no new album is deliberate in the intervening time. But Elliott acknowledges that he’s hoping there shall be one thing constructive to speak about throughout early December, when the Rock Hall inductees are normally revealed.

"When I take a look at the listing of who's in, it's simply apparent you'd need to be in that membership, isn't it?" he says. "I'm undoubtedly not Groucho Marx, 'Any membership that may have me as a member I don't need to be a part of.' When you suppose that each band which means something on the planet, ranging from the Beatles and the Stones and any artist that influenced them — your Chuck Berrys, your Little Richards, and many others. and many others. — then after all you need to be in. Why wouldn't you?"