Def Leppard's Joe Elliott Blasts 'Lazy' R.E.M And Tom Waits Fans

Singer angered by hair metal label   17-Oct-11

Def Leppard vocalist, Joe Elliott, has struck out at "lazy" music fans who label his band as a hair metal band, claiming that if Def Leppard is hair metal, then the same applies to Led Zeppelin.

In an interview with The Daily Record, Elliott commented:

"We used to get riled when people called us a hair metal band. If that's true, then so are Led Zeppelin.

"It's a ridiculously stupid, lazy term by people who can't be bothered listening to the music because they are fans of REM or Tom Waits. We've put up with that all our lives.

"When it comes to bands like Motley Crue and us - and this is not me bitching - I have been asked about having a beef with the English press.

"I said that the only people who get into the Hall Of Fame are the Tom Pettys and Bruce Springsteens.

"They don't want us or Black Sabbath in there because it is seen to be dirty. It is just a game and you fall foul of it sometimes."

The singer also discussed his dislike for the term "'80s rock band", claiming that the phrase has negative connotations compared to other decades:

"Whenever I see articles in American newspapers or the pop page in the Evening Standard with a footnote that says, '80s hair metal groovers', I just think when did people ever call the Rolling Stones a 60s band? "Why is it the 80s bands that get that decade pinned on to them like a negative connotation." He added.

So there you have it; it's a tough life being a millionaire rock star...

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Rich Beech
@sonicamped