and Words
Well I’m down in the alley of Sally and I’m feeling my way
And it’s four in the morning, I don’t have a lot I can say
I know I’m looking for some satisfaction
But there ain’t much news
Got some walking from a back reaction
I’m hanging down and loose
Me and the boys have been drinking
Feeling like this is the wrong time for thinking
All I can say is I’m doing fine with just me and my wine
Lyric excerpts from Musixmatch.
Def Leppard filled hours of my time. I started listening to them in the 80’s before the release of Pyromania. It started with this album, High ‘N’ Dry. This was in the age before digital music when we still played cassettes tape. I played this album enough times to wear it out; that’s right, with this physical media it’ll eventually fail. The tape will either lose its fidelity or fail in some spectacular fashion. I truly had this album committed to memory.
Upon reflection, I purchased this album no fewer than four times. First, I bought the cassette when I heard the music on the radio and watched the videos on MTV (Music Television); they were fuzzy concert clips, but they were gritty and perfect. Second, I replaced this tape when I wore out the first one; the $10 was totally worth it for another copy of this album. Third, Def Leppard re-released this album after Pyromania; upon that re-release they added two songs. They keyboard-mixed “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak“; I’m a traditionalist and prefer the first version. The other song they added was this one, “Me and My Wine”. Finally, I purchased this album on CD; I ripped it and listen to the digital version now.
Are they the world’s unluckiest band?
Def Leppard is in many respects, my favorite band. They recorded “Me and my Wine” during the time of High ‘N’ Dry, but it simply wasn’t included in the album. It has the undeniable feel of this album, since their style changed considerably with their next album Pyromania. As the years pass, I reflect upon this tune with a morbid sense of fate. I can’t help but to wonder, is Def Leppard the unluckiest band? There are examples of other unlucky musicians like Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Aaliyah, but Def Leppard is in its own class. The aforementioned cases were struck by a single catastrophic event. In contrast, Def Leppard suffered multiple incidents, any of which may have been catastrophic.
Joe Elliot suffered from laryngitis
I attended the Def Leppard concert for the Pyromania tour when they came to the Hollywood Sportatorium (affectionately known as the Scumatorium) in the 80’s. It was during that tour when they needed to postpone some dates. Joe Elliot, their lead singer, had come down with a bad case of laryngitis and was unable to sing. I distinctly remember hearing that news on MTV. They speculated that it was caused by the screaming vocals of the earlier albums. It didn’t affect my particular concert date, but still, I remember this vividly. It was my first concert.
Selfishly, I didn’t care about the scope of the remaining concert dates. I can’t deny being curious, but this occurred during the 80’s and there was no convenient way by which I may find out. It something that sticks to my memory even decades later, though maybe only to make the case about their bad fortune.
Rick Allen crashed in a bad car accident
Rick Allen, their drummer, got into a car accident… a bad one. It occurred on New Year’s Eve in 1984 and it flipped his car. This arm was severed in this accident. Doctors initially re-attached it, but later amputated it due to infection. When I first heard about the incident, I distinctly heard that it was a DUI accident, though most web searches lead to articles that neglect to mention that.
As they were my favorite band, I had school mates who mocked me for following this band. One even mimicked a one-armed drummer. The joke was on them; that’s precisely what Rick Allen did. He returned to his bandmates and they all collectively persevered. I’m not sure how long Hysteria, their subsequent album, was delayed, but upon its release Rick Allen was playing drums again… yes, with one arm. He and the band persevered this setback.
Steve Steamin’ Clark died of an overdose
I’m not being cute with the Steamin’ moniker; the albums often listed him precisely that way in the credits. As I first heard this album, I was mesmerized by Steve Clark’s guitar. I don’t know how to play music, but I had this music seared into my mind. Visions of Steve Clark playing his Gibson ‘Starburst’ Les Paul on stage linger long past his death.
He passed in 1991, shortly before I finished college, and somehow listening to them was never the same after that. The official cause of his death listed alcohol, painkillers (for cracked ribs), and anti-depressants. He was in a six month leave from the band to seek help for his alcoholism.
Vivian Campbell, of Dio and Whitesnake fame, replaced Steve Clark. I won’t say that there’s anything wrong with Vivian Campbell, but it didn’t have the same feel. Or perhaps it’s just that I’m a sentimentalist.
Pete Willis was ejected from the group
Def Leppard fired Pete while recording Pyromania. Technically, this occurred before all the aforementioned incidents, but I discovered it last. I don’t remember precisely where I first read this, but it’s stuck to my mind. He talked Steve Clark into auditioning for the band. He paired well with Steve on the stage. His firing into the release of Pyromania perplexed me.
They fired him for alcoholism. The album’s title track glorified drinking (with lyrics like “I got my whiskey, I got my wine, I got my woman”). Their subsequent re-release added a song called “Me and My Wine”. One band member lost a limb due to a DUI New Year’s Eve accident. Another band member died from an accidental overdose of alcohol. I have not led what I would qualify as a life of virtue, so I wouldn’t presume to judge them for their behavior. However, I do wonder what qualifies as excessive drinking among this bunch.
Vivian Campbell came down with cancer
Admittedly I just found this one out while I was reading through their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. I read the reference to cancer, and simply wondered WTF?! In 2013, Vivian Campbell had a persistent cough. After it wouldn’t quit, he got it biopsied, and the diagnosis was Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
This particular story has a happy ending. After a few months of chemotherapy, he has been cleared and as far as I know continues to be in remission. He’s still in the band today.
Perhaps the World’s Most Resilient Band?
Each time I hear this song and its sophomoric glorification of drinking it elicits not moments of my own drunken stupor with friends, but of the tragic loss that has plagued this band. While I can legitimately say that this is one of my favorite albums, it did not compel me to drink. It’s not a moment of judgment, but instead one of regret, much like watching promising athlete suffering a career-ending injury.
That said, perhaps we should look at it under a different light. Def Leppard first formed officially in 1978, and they continue to tour today. That’s 43 years. They have persevered through alcoholism, severed limbs, overdoses, and cancer to make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. Should they be known more for their overcoming adversity? Are they the world’s most resilient band?
I can’t deny that persistence; I even admire it. However, they’ll never again be the same band that so enchanted me as a teen; that was just a snapshot in time.