When Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident four years ago, he thought his career was over. Today, Def Leppard's 24-year-old drummer, playing a customized kit that allows his left foot to compensate for a missing left arm, often forgets he's disabled.
"I don't even think in terms of two arms anymore," he says. "It seems like a small thing in the grand scale."
Allen was driving with his girlfriend when he lost control of his car on New Years Eve in 1984. "It was my temper that made me put my foot down and pass the other car. I blame myself for not curbing my temper."
"Right after I came around, I didn't realize what had happened to me. Your mind breaks you in gently. I could still feel my arm. There's a phanton nerve, a presence."
Initially mired in self-pity, Allen quickly adjusted to the loss, thanks largely to the support of his band mates and fans.
"I'm not as brave as everyone makes out," he says. "I didn't really have a choice. I had to adjust or face not being with the band anymore. That's the name of the game for me, to take what I've got and build on it."
In concerts and videos, Allen makes no attempt to shield his disability. During the first photo session after his accident, Allen asked the photographer to go for the best shot, "whether it's my left or right side." He enjoys playing live and dreads re-entering the studio in November. "It makes you think and play a little stiffer. Besides, walls don't clap."
