Phil Collen is a busy guy. The British guitarist joined hard rock band Def Leppard in 1982 as the band was recording its breakthrough album, 1983’s Pyromania and has remained an integral part of that band’s sound since then. But that’s not all he’s known for. The youthful, blonde axe man who, contrary to what some might assume is a rock star’s regimen, adopted a lifestyle that includes sobriety, veganism, martial arts and physical fitness.
I spoke to Collen recently in regard to his very first invitation to be part of Joe Satriani’s G3 tour and he seemed downright giddy to be a part of this year’s lineup. Juggling his own projects, including his side blues band Delta Deep and the production work he’s doing on an upcoming album for veteran California rock band Tesla, Collen has a massive world tour on tap this summer with Def Leppard. But that doesn’t hinder his enthusiasm for being selected to join the G3 lineup.
Speaking to me from a tour stop in Tucson, Arizona, Collen was feeling a bit under the weather but was still pleasant and friendly during our chat.
Read our Q&A below, and get more information on the show via local.cltampa.com.
You’re a busy guy. Def Leppard’s Hysteria just celebrated its 30th anniversary and Pyromania its 35th. You’re also gearing up for a big summer tour and your side band, Delta Deep, has a new album coming out soon. So, what attracted you to this G3 tour with so much going on for you right now?
Yeah…crazy busy. I had a break, time-wise. I was able to do it and I thought it would be really cool to do. I’d done the G4 experiment which is like a camp in Monterey, California and it was so much fun…it was just a blast. So when [Joe] invited me to the G3 thing, I was like “Yeah. I can actually do that.” And, we just released the whole Def Leppard catalog digitally through Universal Records and that’s been a deal that we’ve been trying to figure out for the last like 15 years or something so now you can stream or download it all. And, with the Delta Deep album coming out, we actually are going to be playing some of that stuff live that we’re going to incorporate into our show.
Are you going to have that full band with you as well?
Pretty much. (Stone Temple Pilots bassist) Robert DeLeo isn’t going to be with us, he’s doing some STP stuff, and they just got a new lead singer. But Craig Martini, who I met on the G4 thing, is going to be with us. He’s played with Paul Gilbert and he’s a great guy.
How does this type of show differ from the big arena shows you do with Def Leppard?
Well, I’ve never done a theater tour of the States; I’ve only ever done arenas, sheds, and stuff like that and I’m loving the theaters. I’m loving the sounds and I’m not wearing an ear monitor because I just want to soak up what a theater sounds like. It’s very cultured, it’s really cool. It makes you play different. When I go on at the end with Joe and John Petrucci, I wear an ear monitor because everything’s so loud...you know, it’s three guitars and you kind of get lost so I do that but, it’s a joy for me. There’s these beautiful, old theaters…some from the 1920s and it’s a gorgeous thing. It’s just great to be a part of that culture.
I know from seeing you play live before that you really thrive on audience reaction. How’s it been on these shows?
We’ve been getting standing ovations. It’s a totally different thing. The crowd is not even all guitar-head type people, its music appreciation people. There’s people we meet at the meet and greets and they’re not guitar players, they just love music. It’s like loving classical music or jazz; you don’t have to play to be a part of it and that’s what’s really lovely and the fact that we’ve been getting that reaction where there’s an audience having a blast is really cool. I didn’t expect that. I thought it was gonna be slightly different but it’s been great.
That’s interesting because I was wondering what you’d say to people who feel that this type of tour appeals only to hardcore, guitar gear heads? What do you think this tour offers to everyone else who might attend?
Well, here’s the thing: we played L.A. the other night which is always, predominantly a tough crowd because everyone’s like ‘Ooh, c’mon…impress me.’ It’s like the L.A., New York, London thing where they sit there with folded arms critiquing and all that and that’s not what we experienced. We played San Diego recently, too, and a friend of mine came down to the show. Afterwards he said “I’d never listen to this music in a million years but I’m blown away by the diversity of the three artists.”
You know, it’s something really special. We kick off with a jam-fusion classic; Billy Cobham’s “Quadrant 4” off the Spectrum album which is kind of nuts then we do another instrumental which is really high energy and then we slow it down and do this blues thing, and Debi Blackwell-Cook (singer for Collen’s side band, Delta Deep) comes out and everyone falls in love with her voice.
Then, John Petrucci comes out and it’s a totally different thing. His technical ability is ridiculous. But more than that, the melodies and the great arrangements from that, I think that, between the three of us, it’s so diverse. We’re all rock, electric guitar players and that’s what’s really weird about it. And I don’t know because I’ve never done the G3 thing before but a lot of people I’ve been speaking to who’ve been to all of them, and people who’ve been on the tours have said that this is their favorite one because it’s more of a show, it’s not just full-on guita,r so that was a huge compliment to me. And that’s what I try to do with everything I do. We just finished up the new Tesla album I produced which is coming out in May and that’s really diverse. We didn’t have any barriers.
It sounds like there’s a chemistry with the three of you on this tour.
There really is. When we do our jam part at the end, you know, usually with three guitars on the same stage it’s kind of a train wreck or a nightmare where everyone is doing their own thing but there’s so much respect and humble awareness…it’s like a really good jazz band from days gone. We’re listening to what each other plays. It’s really great. I’m loving it.
I know you said you’d worked with Joe at the camp you mentioned but had you worked with John Petrucci in the past?
No. The first time I met John was about a month ago when we were trying to figure out what songs we were gonna do. And, that’s the other thing, these two guys, they are sweethearts. They’re the nicest, most lovely guys you would want to meet. There’s no ego, they’re really gentle, lovely guys so that really helps as well.
I know you’re a vegan and you’re always in really good shape, you practice martial arts and you’re into really clean living. Do you think all that’s helped your guitar playing?
I think it’s helped everything actually. I really do. I feel better than I did when I was 25. I think it’s just a matter of, as you age, you change things out. I’ve changed the workout routine. Instead of doing really super heavy weights, I’m kind of doing body weight stuff and lighter workouts because my trainer, who’s amazing, said you have to protect the joints and the tendons so you don’t have an accident and it’s really working out better than when I was just pounding heavy weights. And I find that if I don’t do martial arts practicing, I start aching. My hips, my back, my legs…they start aching after a while. Consistency is the key. Obviously, on tour, it’s a little harder. But I do something every day.
What do you think you’re fans are going to walk away with by seeing you on this type of tour rather than seeing you on a bigger show. What might surprise them about your playing in this intimate setting?
I think the context; I’ve already had people come up and say that. I’ve already had fans and people I’ve never met say that. I met these guys after leaving the venue the other night who said, “I’m really shocked. I didn’t know you played like that.”
Reb Beach, who’s a really good guitar player came down the other night to see us in Reno. He’s played with Whitesnake and David Coverdale and we’ve toured together a lot and he said to me, “I had no idea you did that,” so I think it’s the context really. We get to spread out a little bit and play something else cause, normally, with me being a producer too, I think about guitar solos and I’ll say “Let’s not make it more than eight bars.” You gotta be able to hum it. Same with drum solos. If you can’t hum the drum solo or the guitar solo, it probably doesn’t have a place in this song.
So, going from that, it’s nice that we can open up. John Petrucci gave me a wah-wah pedal and I’ve been using that and it’s great. I hadn’t used a wah-wah pedal in like twenty-something years. So, things like that just kind of opens it up.
Is it kind of a rediscovery?
Yeah. Absolutely. And, you know, I do have to up my game because, these two guys…they’re just ridiculous players. They are phenomenal. So, I’m doing things I didn’t do like, I’ve shortened my guitar strap because you can get angles and there’s certain things you can do on there. It’s OK with Def Leppard because I can have it a little bit lower and it’s more the look and it’s rock and roll and all of that and it’s slightly restrictive but on this I’ve kind of raised it. And Joe will do warm-ups. I used to practice before I went on and I don’t think practicing is the right thing to do but warming up just helps you get loose first so I’ve been doing that as well and it really helps
Are there any plans to go out on the road to do a proper Delta Deep tour anytime soon?
I’d like to but we’re actually going to be doing a second studio album and that’s blowing me away too. It’s kind of going into a different area and it’s kind of drifting into R&B and soul and harder rock. It kind of has all influences on it, it’s getting interesting. We’ve done something that sounds like hard rock gospel.
