Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

What So and So Sez: An Interview with Rick Allen

by Doug Van Pelt
Heaven Metal Magazine

HM: What made you switch to acoustic drums after all these years?

Rick: "I've never really 'switched,' as it were. From the Def Leppard point of view, yeah. But from my own point of view at home. I'm sitting here looking at my kit that I've used for years. As far as during the 80's, Pyromania onward, I really didn't use electronic drums. The opportunity never really arose to go back to basics, as far as down to larger and larger than life. It was more difficult to create that using electronic drums. With the emergence of certain types of music, things going full circle, things are going back to the basics. That's great for me, since I obviously miss the primal sort of physical side of playing drums. When we started recording Slang we realized that it would fit, the sound on it was very . . . That's the question I dug all my old albums out -- stuff that I used to listen to, and I did away with all the more drum machine oriented stuff. The dynamic groups form a real . . ."

HM: I've got kind of a silly question here, but it might not be so silly, perhaps. Uh, does the title Slang have anything to do with Mutt Lang's last name?

Rick: "Uh, no . . ."

HM: I thought that would be kind of . . .

Rick: "The title kind of conjures up rock & roll itself. Normally, the first words you learn in a foreign language are bad words, you know, slang words. You know, so, in a lot of cultures around the world, if you don't know the street language, or you don't know the lyrical content, so you just . . . English is sort of a misused language."

HM: How had the Slang tour gone so far?

Rick: "Very good, maybe kind of patchy at this point. There's a hell of a lot of competition out there. There'll be like three, four, five shows coming through the same building in a week's time. But, we've been very happy with the tour."

HM:Which Def Leppard songs are your favorites, the fast ones or the slower ones?

Rick: "You're asking the wrong person. Each song has its own character. There are always gonna be favorites. Off the new album, I enjoy playing . . . it changes from week to week. From the old stuff, I like playing 'Sugar,' and songs like those, you've got to play them differently than the way that you played it originally on the album. So, it's like . . ."

HM: How has your personal lifestyle changed from the days when you were a young band, right when On Through the Night was coming out, up to today?

Rick: "I live in my own house now, as opposed to in my parents'."

HM: That's a big change.

Rick: "Yeah, I guess we sort of grew up, you know. I can't really think of things I could call a big change. You know, we just carry on and do the best that we can."

HM: What do you think about Jesus?

Rick: "I think He was an amazing chap. He's revisited us quite a few times, without us really realizing it."

HM: In what ways do you think He has revisited us?

Rick: "Through various people . . . I think in one way or another, the message is carried on."

HM: What do you think about His claims to be "The Way the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by me?"

Rick: "It's difficult to put your faith around something you cannot touch. It's one thing to believe, and it's another thing to really, you know . . . I think it's really up to the individual."

HM: Have you ever thought much about some of the historical facts about His actually walking on the earth and saying the things He said?

Rick: "Yeah, I think it's all possible, but I think it's probably been taken out of context. You know, stories that are so many thousands of years old. I think a lot of it are stories that are handed down over and over again."

HM: Have you ever thought about how some of the documents and books we consider historical or accurate, like Homer or other ancient books, where the Bible comes under more scrutiny than some of these books, whereas, in fact, the Bible has more validity, or things that back it up scientifically than these other books do?

Rick: "Again, I think it's down to the individual. I think the idea of preaching is kind of wrong. I think it's down to individual view, the individual perception, and is ultimately a belief or a non-belief. I really think that is something you can't ram down someone's throat. I think people either come to a realization or they don't."

HM: So, would you basically sum things up and say that truth is relative?

Rick: "It's very relative, to where about somebody is in their life, you know. Like, the experiences or mistakes, or whatever, that they either learn or don't learn from."

HM: How would you react to the person that said that reality, or truth, for him, was taking a gun and killing and killing you or me, who didn't agree with his philosophy?

Rick: "I think he's taking his own belief system and is distorting it to the point where it is evil."

HM: Can you see the problem with being able to label something as "evil" with an absolute manner, and at the same time, saying that there are no absolutes, and everything's relative?

Rick: "Yeah, but you know, I think killing someone would be an awful thing."

HM: Yeah, I do too. But do you see how someone could take relativism, and take that to its logical conclusion, and you can't stop somebody from killing, and say that they're wrong? I mean, certainly you and I could jump on 'em and take their gun away and throw 'em in jail, but . . .

Rick: "The way we were brought up, you could say it's wrong, but that doesn't necessarily mean to say that somebody else who was brought up in a different way, that they may see it that way."

HM: Well, I believe too, that killing someone is wrong and it's evil, and that certainly, you have the right to believe whatever you want to believe, and I have the right to believe what I want to believe. I've come to the conclusion that, not only do I want to live in a society that has absolutes, but I believe that there are absolutes -- that the law of gravity is real, and that God's principles are real too. Some other people would disagree.

Rick: "I think the argument with the law, is whether people see that, or even perceive that, as being a reality. I think it's up to the individual -- and they will find it through their own experience."

HM: One thing I've always kind of found fascination is how Jesus, as much of a diplomat and the epitome of kindness and love that he was, he also let the chips fly, as it were. He said, "This is the way it is," and ultimately, it led to his death. He didn't meander, or water down what He was saying. He preached in a sense, and I think that, of course, with His personality, he was the kind of person that I would want to be preached at by, because He lived what He talked about.

Rick: "That's what you have allowed and have let into your life, so that's good for you. But is that good for somebody else? It's like live and let live, as they say. You know, I think, ultimately, good will prevail . . ."

HM: From my perspective, I certainly believe that what Christ said is true. Some of the things that He said, which I believe to be true, are offensive to some people. You know, He talked about Hell and judgement more than any other person in the Bible, but if I focus on that, or if I focus in an uncivilized manner, neither you nor nobody else out there is going to listen to me.

Rick: "You know, a person at the age of 10 years old, doesn't have the same things that they say or believe in at the age of 20 years old. It's a whole learning process. I think we learn to have the right to believe and to have opinions."

HM: I definitely agree too. One thing we have in this forum . . . hm is a magazine which used to be called Heaven's Metal, and it predominantly covers the Christian hard music scene, but we also have a platform in every issue where we dialogue with someone who doesn't necessarily fit under that label, and give them a chance to say what they believe and communicate what I believe. Like I mentioned before, we always try to approach the topic of Christ and His claims. Some may perceive it as preaching, but I usually try to keep it in a friendly manner -- like if you and I were having coffee, we might have the same conversation.

Rick: "You know, I have sort of a god of my understanding, and that helps a lot. I pray to my god of my understanding, and it helps me get through my daily life. I haven't always been that way, so I'm understanding that I have some kind of belief, to get back on track."

HM: As a fellow searcher, or as a fellow learner, who is on a journey through life, I would encourage you to experiment some time, and request to the god of your understanding to reveal himself to you -- if Jesus is His name; if He's as real as He says He is, in the Bible, to show that to you.

Rick: "I believe that at certain times in my life He has, and it's been tremendous."

HM: I've hesitated to bring it up, because I know you've been asked a million times about your accident, but what sort of spiritual things became evident to you at that point in your life, if any?

Rick: "Just that not only in my own inner strength, but there was a lot of outside strength -- a group of people that really helped."

HM: Yeah. Well, I know you've probably heard this before too, but you certainly have been an inspiration to many people, by picking up the pieces and carrying on in your life, and overcoming the obstacles that were set in your path.

Rick: "Well, yes and no. I've still been dealing with a lot of feelings in my life, but I can go forward in a way that I can remain true to everyone."

HM: I hope someday, perhaps we can sit down for a cup of coffee and continue our discussion.

Rick: "Okay."

HM: Well, great. Once again, thanks for your time. Take care, Rick.

Rick: "Okay, you too."