Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen is featured in a new interview with Jeb Wright at Classic Rock Revisited, where he discusses the band's career and his new blues project, Delta Deep. An excerpt is available below:

Jeb: You’ve been doing the music thing for more than a few years. It is great that you can still tap into the creative well. You do things like Manraze and Delta Deep that are not what one would expect from you. It has to be gratifying for you not to lose that passion.

Phil: "I think something has happened in the music industry recently that makes it where there is no reason to be in a band. It is all Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber and that’s all fine and dandy, but there are a lot of people that love music that are left out. The whole reason for making music is different.  Many just want to make money and be noticed. I want to make music as an art form. With Joe and the guys we are just in it to make art. 

The new Def Leppard album is the best thing we’ve made since Hysteria. We approached it differently as the industry has changed. We have done it for the reasons we got into it for in the first place. We are just creating music. We don’t have a record executive telling us we need three singles and five filler tracks. 

Even the fans tend to think you should go one way, but it is really important to go your own way, as that is what got you there in the first place. That is what got the Rolling Stones there, and that is what got Led Zeppelin there, and Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix… they didn’t listen to everyone else. Something has happened in the industry and in life in general for us, and it has allowed us to do what we want to do. We are not just in it for money or fame. It separates the men from the boys, I think."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

It was recently reported that business magnate and presidential hopeful Donald Trump is set to introduce UK rockers Def Leppard at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on August 15th, two Iowa Trump campaign aides told CNN on Friday.

However, this isn’t sitting well with Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, who has posted the following via his Facebook page: “I really, really, really hope that there's no truth to this rumour. Def Leppard have never been a political band, and if we were, I for one wouldn't be associating my name with this clown.”

The concert, which also features bands Styx and Tesla, will take place at the State Fair Grandstand on the fairgrounds in Des Moines. Stay tuned for updates.

Def Leppard’s tour schedule is as follows:

August
7 - Sturgis - SD - Buffalo Chip Campground
8 - Sioux Falls - SD - Sioux Falls Arena
10 - Oklahoma City - OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
11 - Kansas City - MO - Starlight Theatre
14 - Sedalia - MO - Missouri State Fair
15 - Des Moines - IA - Iowa State Fair
17 - Cincinnati - OH - Riverbend Music Center
18 - Nashville - TN - Bridgestone Arena
21 - Dallas - TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
22 - Woodlands - TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
23 - Austin - TX - Austin360 Amphitheater
27 - St. Paul - MN - Minnesota State Fair
28 - Grand Forks - ND - Alerus Center
30 - Noblesville - IN - Klipsch Music Center

September
1 - Allentown - PA - The Great Allentown Fair
3 - Louisville - KY - KFC Yum! Center
4 - Maryland Heights - MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
5 - Tinley Park - IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
16 - Auburn - WA - White River Amphitheatre
17 - Ridgefield - WA - Amphitheater Northwest
19 - Mountain View - CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
22 - Chula Vista - CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
23 - Phoenix - AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
25 - Albuquerque - NM - Isleta Amphitheater
26 - Denver - CO - Pepsi Center
28 - West Valley City - UT - USANA Amphitheatre
30 - Spokane - WA - Spokane Arena

October
2 - Bozeman - MT - Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
4 - Bismarck - ND - Bismarck Civic Center

Photo by Helen L. Collen