Adrenalized: Life, Def Leppard, and Beyond

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Phil Collen with Chris Epting

Adrenalized: Life, Def Leppard, and Beyond

Published by Atria

Dec 19, 2015 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

Adrenalized is a weird book. Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, who joined the band for its third album, the 1983 smash Pyromania, penned his autobiography with writer Chris Epting. But it seems that both have missed the boat. The writing style is simplistic and bereft of much insight. The book consists of 211 pages of text split into four chapters, designated as such by nothing more than seemingly random breaks in the text. Following the four chapters, Collen includes a coda, which bizarrely switches gears, addressing politics, religion, ethics, gun laws, Ghandi, death, and general metaphysics.

Collen shares anecdotes about his time in pre-Leppard band Girl, which glammed it up on the UK scene at the turn of the decade. He discusses the creation of the band’s super hit “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” unexpectedly comparing the song’s vocals to Public Enemy. The band’s lighting director from the late ‘80s, Phay MacMahon, shares some interesting tales, in block quote, about the band’s in-the-round stage set-up and how the band members were wheeled through the crowd to the stage in what looked like laundry baskets meant to carry gear.

Ultimately (and unfortunately), Adrenalized is neither an insightful examination of Collen’s life and the times of his bands, nor a gossipy tell-all. Either one would have been welcomed. Instead, it’s simply a curious and fairly strange addition to the band’s output. Perhaps Joe Elliott will bring more to the table when he ultimately decides to pen his own tale.

(www.philcollenpc1.com) (www.simonandschuster.com)

Author rating: 3.5/10

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