During a recent interview with The Prog Report, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen was asked if he and his bandmates discuss the possibility of their group eventually being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. "We don't talk about it, actually," Phil said (hear audio below). "We talk about how pathetic it is when it comes up. Everyone else talks about it. We go, we're a rock band that sold 100 million albums, most of them, actually, in America. We're a real rock band, we've been together for 30, or nearly 40 years, and the fact that that's not recognized is kind of a bit weird. So it really doesn't faze us. It's someone else's problem, and [we] don't care, honestly." One of the top-selling rock acts of of all time, DEF LEPPARD has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2004. Collen's comments echo those made by DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen, who told SiriusXM that he wasn't concerned about being included in the Rock Hall. "I think if the fans put us on a pedestal, that's good enough for me," he said. "I don't need a board of directors, or whatever, to decide whether I should be up there or not. And I mean that with all sincerity. Our fans have proved to us, they've shown to us over the years, time and time again, that they are so behind this band, and that, to me, is… that's all that matters." DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott told HuffPost Live in a 2015 interview that it didn't bother him at all that his band has yet to get inducted. "In fact, we've kind of all decided that, even if we get asked, we're just gonna — how can I put this? — politely refuse, like the SEX PISTOLS did… Unless there was some kind of online campaign by our fans, 'cause they were annoyed by us," he said. Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation. Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014. DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.
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