DEF LEPPARD Frontman Interviewed On 'Stuck In The '80s' Podcast

Sean Daly and Steve Spears of TampaBay.com's "Stuck In The '80s" podcast recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott.

The entire chat is now available for download as an MP3 audio file at this location. The podcast can also be streamed using the audio player below.

An excerpt from the chat follows.

Stuck In The '80s: You recently reissued 1983's "Pyromania" album with all sorts of bonus cuts and live stuff. How influential was that album's producer, Mutt Lange, on your career?

Elliott: We were fans of his before we worked with him. We were like just young kids, like rock 'n' roll students, so we were more willing to listen to him than seasoned musicians would be. He'd had the success [AC/DC's "Back in Black", for starters] that we hadn't had. By the time we got to working with him in '83, he said, "Look, we can go out and make another "High 'N' Dry" or we can try to make a record that nobody else has ever made before." … It just sounded like an adventure to me, like doing "Sgt. Pepper" or something.

Stuck In The '80s: Okay, we have to rib you about something. People are still talking about the heat generated between you and Taylor Swift singing on CMT's "Crossroads". Joe, Joe, Joe, what is she, 15 years old?!?

Elliott: She's 18 or 19 now! And I was only 49 at the time! We did discuss this in rehearsals. I told her, "Look, this is going to be a little weird on certain songs, especially on things like 'I'm hot, sticky sweet, from my head to my feet' when we're doing "Pour Some Sugar on Me". I'm not going to make eye contact!"

Stuck In The '80s: Despite the warning, she was going crazy, writhing around in that minidress. That's quite a performance.

Elliott: She's such a sweetheart. We were actually very protective of her. We became like Super Dad. She'd been such a big fan, like all her life. The opportunity to work with her was just too good to pass up.