DEF LEPPARD's VIVIAN CAMPBELL Picks THIN LIZZY's PHIL LYNOTT As His 'Rock God'

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell was the featured guest on BBC's "The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker"during the "Rock God" segment. Vivian picked late THIN LIZZY frontman Phil Lynott and stated about his choice (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Phil was an absolute rock star. When Phil walked into the room, everyone noticed and he held everyone's attention.

"It was such an inspiration to me and to my musician friends," Vivian continued. "Growing up in Ireland, in Belfast in the '70s, it wasn't a fun place. But to witness this band, THIN LIZZY, get this international success, to be on shows like 'Top Of The Pops', but yet they were the cool band when everyone else was doing disco music.

"I met Phil Lynott so many times," Campbell added. "I had a band called SWEET SAVAGE. We were teenagers. We had pretty much a regular gig at a pub in Dublin called McGonagles, and on several occasions Phil got up with us and performed a LIZZY song, which obviously really helped our credibility. It really kind of helped us to look up to this man and to this band and to say it's possible to move beyond what it is that we see around us in our daily lives and to dream big. So thank you, Phil Lynott."

Vivian had previously credited his stint as the touring guitarist for THIN LIZZY more than a decade ago for inspiring him to launch LAST IN LINE, whose initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

Vivian told Rock Cellar Magazine: "In early 2011, I was a stunt guitar player for THIN LIZZY for a few months. DEF LEPPARD took all of 2010 and by the middle of 2011, Scott Gorham called me and asked if he could borrow me for a while to do a European tour with THIN LIZZY, and I jumped at the chance.

"THIN LIZZY were a favorite band of mine in my formative years," he explained. "When I was a teenager and really honing my craft and finding my style as a player, THIN LIZZY's music was probably what I disseminated more than anything else and the guitar players in THIN LIZZY were hugely influential to me; Scott Gorham himself, Brian Robertson, and in particular through my love of THIN LIZZY, I discovered Gary Moore for the first time. Gary was probably my ultimate guitar hero. So being onstage for a few months with Scott Gorham and Brian Downey and playing the songs and riffs of my youth, it really reconnected me with my instrument."