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Few bands have used the video medium with more skill than Def Leppard. As the band members admit, it may well have been their inventive use of the visual aspect of rock and roll that helped catapult their last album, Pyromania, to becoming one of the most successful hard rock albums of all time.
"We've
always been a visually-oriented band," guitarist Steve Clark explained. "When
your roots are in the clubs, where you often have to play with other bands every night,
the ability to strike an image that the fans remember is a necessity. We were noticed not
because we dressed and acted so strangely, but because we didn't. All the other bands at
that time were concerned with dressing as outrageously as possible and dying their hair
ridiculous colors. We tended to look and act rather conservatively. People remember us, as
well as our music."
While the Leps' conservative look may have first attracted audience attention, the band's striking video images - whether wielding broadswords or pursuing beautiful women - have managed to hit a responsive chord within rock fans everywhere. From the mini-epic quality of Photograph to the eeriness of their new rendition of Bringin' On The Heartbreak, Def Leppard have been able to perfectly balance their storyline with live action. According to Clark, achieving this delicate blend was far from easy.
"We've learned an incredible amount about video over the last few years," he said. "It's funny because when we first entered the music business, we didn't know very much about recording. Then, after working with Mutt Lange, we thought we knew everything there was about the studio. But just as we were getting cocky, along came video and we had whole new set of rules and regulations to learn about –it was a totally alien form to us. After all, we were just kids off the streets of Sheffield, what did we know about television except how to turn one on?
"At first, we were content with just filming ourselves playing a song live - that's basically what we did on our first video for Bringin' On The Heartbreak. By the time we got around to making clips for Pyromania we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do. We did Photograph, Rock Of Ages and Foolin' all at one session that lasted three days. That way we could put all our energy into making the clips good, then turn our attention to going on tour."
The band's rather unusual operating procedure worked like a charm. While most groups would be wary of investing the time and capital needed to make three videos for one LP, Def Lep's confidence that Pyromania would sail to the top of the sales charts prompted their precedent-shattering move.
"Another reason we did that was because we wanted to do the videos in England, and we knew that once we left home, we'd probably be in America for six months or more," Clark said. "There really wouldn't be time for doing anything except live clips at that point, and that was something we didn't want to do. We're very concerned with the way we present Def Leppard, both on album and on video, and we've been lucky in that we've had expert guidance about what songs to use, and how best to do them."
One of the offshoots of their video ventures is the
possibility that one or more of the Leps may eventually turn his video experience into a
film career. It has been suggested on more than one occasion that vocalist Joe Elliott, a
performer whose charisma carries over the footlights to entertain upwards of 20,000 fans
each night, would make an excellent movie performer, should he have the desire. A
spokesperson for the band, however, insists that any future plans for the Leps will have
to wait until their recording career comes to an end.
"It seems that everyone wants a piece of the band now," the spokesperson said. "They've been hot since Pyromania came out almost a year~and-a-half ago, and they'll be hotter than ever when their next album is released. There will be no limits to what they can accomplish. I have no idea if Joe Elliott has any intention of making movies once his music career is over. I know he just bought a house in Ireland, and he seems to enjoy the quiet life once he's away from rock and roll."
The band members see video as merely an extension of their music career, not a separate means to an end. "We made the clips to promote the albums, "Clark said. "People sometimes see it the other way around. I've had a lot of fans come up to me and say, 'I love the video song.' It's like it's a soundtrack recording or something. We'll never forget that the music comes first. I sometimes find video a little distasteful for that reason. People associate a band with their video images rather than with the music they produce, that's a little scary.
"I still enjoy having my own idea about what a song means," he added. "I don't know if I'd have liked having videos on TV when I was growing up. I always found my own mental images to be very strong and appealing. I hope that we're not limiting the imaginations of the fans out there.
"On a happier note, videos have really helped make us stars," he added as his face broke into a broad grin. "I'm recognized everywhere I go now, and that's very exciting. We’re in millions of living rooms every day, which has made a big difference of us. Before video, the only times you ever was a band with either on the pages of a magazine or live at a concert. Now there's a third alternative with videos. I hope they last as long as Def Leppard does - forever."