Def Leppard would refuse induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, says frontman Joe Elliott – even though he was involved in the launch of the institution.
He believes the best awards a band can receive are those that prove an audience has enjoyed their work, rather than one handed over by a committee.
Elliott tells HuffPost: “I did one of the first fundraisers to help build the place in Cleveland – but for some reason that doesn’t count for anything. But that’s life. It doesn’t bother any of us.
“In fact, we’ve kind of decided that, even if we get asked, we’re going to politely refuse, like the Sex Pistols did.
“My point is, it’s nothing to do with the fans. I think they get, like, six percent of the vote or something. It’s people that don’t like what we do that decide. So I don’t want to be in that particular club anyway.”
The frontman says his best-ever award was his first gold disc, because “it’s the representation of one million people who bought your album.” He believes those honours are more valuable than the Hall Of Fame, or having a TV documentary, which he describes as “Nice – but not that important.”
Only one situation would change Elliott’s mind: “Unless there was some kind of online campaign by our fans – because they were annoyed by us.”
Def Lep recently announced they’d put their 11th album on hold after receiving an “unprecedented” number of invitations to tour.
This year’s Hall Of Fame induction stars Green Day, Lou Reed, Joan Jett, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Bill Withers. It takes place in Ohio on April 18.
