Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott says he’s taking nothing for granted after the band received their first Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nomination yesterday.
The Sheffield outfit were named alongside Todd Rundgren, Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, The Cure, Rage Against The Machine, Roxy Music, Devo, Kraftwerk, the Zombies, MC5, John Prine, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, LL Cool J and Janet Jackson.
Speaking with Billboard about their nomination, Elliott says: “You're looking at the likes of Todd Rundgren, Roxy Music and Devo, and it took them long enough to get a nomination, so I don't feel so bad now that we got overlooked when you see people like them – people I was out buying their records when I was 12 years old. So it's all right. It's kinda cool.”
Elliott reports that it’s not going to change his life one way or another, but adds: “Jon Bon Jovi has been telling me for at least 12 months that yes, it will.”
The vocalist adds: “I’m not gonna hold my breath because I know how this can go. Judas Priest didn't get in last year, and it's a big disappointment for them that they didn't. So I'm not taking anything for granted.”
The current Def Leppard lineup of Elliott, Rick Allen, Vivian Campbell, Phil Collen and Rick Savage have been listed, along with late guitarist Steve Clark and the band’s original guitarist Pete Willis – and Elliott says that if the band are inducted, it could give them the chance to reconnect with Willis.
Elliott says: “I really couldn't tell you how that's going to pan out. Would we welcome his company? Well, why not? If he's nominated, he's rightly nominated. He does deserve to be on the list.”
The winners will be announced in December, with the induction ceremony taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, on March 29, 2019.
Def Leppard recently wrapped up a North American tour with Journey and will return to the UK and Ireland for a run of UK and Ireland dates in December, which will see the band revisit Hysteria.
Find a full list of dates and how to get tickets on our Def Leppard tour page.
