PODCAST! Joe Elliott interview debunks Def Leppard debauchery (well, sort of)

This is it.

This is the one.

I might have had more fun recording this week's Stuck in the '80s podcast than any other. It's safe to say that Joe Elliott, the Def Leppard frontman and world-class rocker, is my new best friend.

Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick play Ford Amphitheatre this Friday, Aug. 14. To hype the gig, my boy Joe called in to talk the mastery of Mutt Lange, the titillation of Taylor Swift and just how many hookers were actually backstage on the Pyromania tour.

Listen and learn RIGHT HERE. (Also availble on iTunes!)

The Hirsute Playlist: Songs about hair

As a former suburban dirtball and a current owner of far too many concert tees with skulls on them, I’m stoked about the weave of hairy rock bands coming to Tampa. The St. Pete Times Forum gets Judas Priest and Whitesnake Aug. 16, then Metallica Oct. 3. Poison, Def Leppard and Cheap Trick come to Ford Amphitheatre Aug. 14.

The way I see it, the amount of fun you have at a concert is directly proportional to the number of concertgoers who desperately need a haircut. Or, for that matter, a bath. Which means, of course, that the Poison brouhaha is going to be the greatest gig in the history of rock! So to celebrate hairy fun and hirsute fans, here’s a playlist to get us in the furry mood. Bang your coifs!

Get a Haircut (and Get a Real Job), George Thorogood
Bar-Ba-Sol, David Cook
Keep It Greasy, Frank Zappa
Pull Your Hair, R. Kelly
I Kissed a Blonde Girl, Lil Wayne
Razor, Foo Fighters
Apple Shampoo, blink-182
Red Headed Woman, Bruce Springsteen
The Curly Shuffle, Jump ’n the Saddle
I Think I’m Going Bald, Rush

Questions for Joe Elliott, Def Leppard?

Hey kids, tomorrow the crack staff of the Stuck in the '80s show will be interviewing Joe Elliott, frontman for Def Leppard. The bawdy Brit boys are coming to Ford Amphitheatre Friday, Aug. 14 with Poison and Cheap Trick. (TICKETS) There's a lot of history with these blokes, both on the stage and under it. The Forever Fiancee is a raving fan, so I knew she's gonna pepper me with queries. But what about all of you Pyromaniacs?

WHO HAS QUESTIONS FOR DEF LEPPARD?

Pyromania Deluxe: Def Leppard 1983 classic gets remixed, remastered, rerocked

Def Leppard
Album: Pyromania: Deluxe Edition (Island/Mercury)
In stores: Tuesday, June 23
Why we care: Back in ’83, when Def Leppard was king and its drummer still had two arms, rock radio (not to mention a relatively fresh phenomenon called MTV) was overrun by the flaming hits of Pyromania. Produced by Robert “Mutt” Lange, whose isolated guitar riffs and lumbering drums helped break AC/DC, the album charted big, fat head-banging goodness: Photograph, Foolin’, Rock of Ages. It was style over substance — and it sure defined that magical decade.
Why we like it: This special ’luxe treatment gives you the remastered album plus a full, shaggy live show from ’83, which features a surprise appearance from Queen’s Brian May. (1992's Adrenalize has also been spiffed up, this one with B-sides, covers and live cuts.)
Reminds us of: Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick play Tampa's Ford Amphitheatre on Aug. 14 (TICKETS)
Download this: Travelin’ Band (w/May) (LISTEN)
Grade: A

And now...FIVE BEST DEF LEPPARD SONGS!!
5. Bringin' on the Heartbreak (1981) (VIDEO)
4. Stagefright (1983)
3. Photograph (1983) (VIDEO)
2. Foolin' (1983)  (VIDEO)
1. Hysteria (1987) (VIDEO)