DEF LEPPARD Guitarist Vivian Campbell On Touring With Cancer - "I Don't Feel Like Laying At Home In Bed"
August 12, 2013, 10 years ago
Rob Duffy of The Huffington Post recently caught up with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell, who is currently being treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; an excerpt follows:
"The band has been very accommodating," he says. "We've been able to [make it] work because there have been enough gaps in the schedule. Chemo treatment number six I did on the 18th of June, and then the next day I flew to France to join the band. And then I [flew] back to LA on the 7th of July for my seventh treatment, and I [left] for Canada the day after that."
After each treatment is over, Campbell says he "won't be feeling well for a day or two, but for the most part it's been something I've been able to handle."
However, the Def Leppard guitarist, who has also played with DIO and WHITESNAKE, adds that continuing to rock in the face of cancer wasn't necessarily always his plan.
"Hell, I didn't want to miss it. I don't feel like laying at home in bed! But I didn't know at first. You never know how chemo is going to affect you — it affects people in different ways, depending on your cancer, what stage it's at, and what kind of treatment they give you. I told the guys in the band that I'd go as far as four chemo treatments and then I'd make a decision. By [then], I was pretty confident I was going to be able to do this."To read the article in its entirety, visit this location.
Def Leppard will release Viva! Hysteria - Live At The Joint, Las Vegas on CD, Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital Download on October 18th in Europe, October 21st in The UK, and October 22nd in North America.
Viva! Hysteria will also be preceded by a full theatrical release in several countries. Go to DefLeppard.com for all details.
