"They managed just fine without me." Adrian Smith, the guitarist for Iron Maiden, reflects on his 1991 audition for one of the most prominent bands in rock history, Def Leppard.
In the wake of the heartbreaking death of their guitarist, Steve Clark, who lost his battle with alcohol and prescription drug addiction at his home in London on January 8, 1991, Def Leppard was on the lookout for a new guitarist. Clark’s untimely passing occurred during a break from the band, which he took to confront his struggles following the completion of their wildly successful Hysteria world tour.
Adrian Smith was among five guitarists who were invited to audition for this prestigious role. Speaking on the Metal Journal podcast, he recounted how Phil Collen, a guitarist for Def Leppard, reached out to him. "Phil and [photographer] Ross Halfin gave me a call and asked if I’d be interested in coming over. I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ So off I went to Los Angeles, where I jammed with him for a couple of days and we went through several songs together.
"It sounded really good," Smith reminisced. "The guys are fantastic. However, it didn’t quite pan out. At the same time, my Psycho Hotel album was about to be released, so I had some mixed feelings about the whole situation. But who knows what could have happened? It was definitely a worthwhile experience.
"In the end, they did just fine without me,” Smith added, chuckling.
For those curious about the outcome of this audition, in 2023, Phil Collen discussed Smith's tryout during an interview with eonmusic. He explained why Vivian Campbell, known for his work with Dio and Whitesnake, became the top choice to fill Clark’s shoes. "We invited five friends we knew to audition," Collen explained. "Vivian instantly clicked with us; it felt like fate. While Adrian is a phenomenal musician and singer—one of the criteria we were looking for—Vivian's voice was simply incredible and matched our style perfectly. We also jammed with John Sykes, who is undoubtedly a brilliant artist as well. But Vivian just fit right in."
In an exciting turn of events, Def Leppard will kick off a residency in Las Vegas on February 3. Joe Elliott, the band’s frontman, recently teased that they have something entirely unique planned for these performances, differing greatly from anything they have done before.
Since 1993, Paul Brannigan has been a music journalist, having held the position of Editor at both Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (now defunct). He contributes to Louder and has authored books on iconic musicians such as Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times bestseller This Is A Call), and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-written with Ian Winwood). His biography on Eddie Van Halen, titled Eruption in the UK and Unchained in the US, was published in 2021. Brannigan has contributed to renowned publications like Rolling Stone, Mojo, and Q, has experienced life on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, interacted with legendary bands like Fugazi at Dischord House, and has interviewed a variety of artists ranging from Aerosmith to ZZ Top. Originally from Northern Ireland, he now resides in North London and is a supporter of Arsenal.
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