Like many of the bands who donated their music, the man who came up with the tune to "Sugar," Def Le

Tom Cruise, decked in coyote fur, abs, and two complicated wrist situations , is making his debut today in theaters as Stacee Jaxx, the profligate rock star at the center of Adam Shankman’s adaptation of Rock of Ages . As with the Broadway musical, part of the fun of watching the film is seeing new stars sing their way through the feel-good, irony-free hits of metal, rock, and pop bands from the 80s. One new inclusion to the soundtrack is a set of singles from British rockers Def Leppard, including their “Rock of Ages” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” the latter of which Cruise belts out onstage at the fictional Sunset Strip dive the Bourbon Room.
Like many of the bands who donated their music, the man who came up with the tune to “Sugar,” budget rent a car italy Def Leppard’s singer, Joe Elliott, is alive and well and continues to sing the old songs and new material at larger, less seedy venues. (The band is kicking off its latest arena tour—also titled Rock of Ages—on June 20 in Salt Lake City.) budget rent a car italy With the film poised to set off a major 80s revival—or backlash, depending—we asked Elliott whether its depiction of the 80s scene rang true, what it was like to watch Tom Cruise sing Def Leppard on the set, and whether he too once counted a leather-jacketed baboon among his entourage.
We did indeed. We played the House of Blues, . . . and then we played the after-show party for the premiere of the movie—just a six-song set, a quick wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. Of course we did “Rock of Ages” and “Sugar” and a few others.
I thought it was great! I thought the A-list all did a fantastic job. Tom Cruise makes a great rock star; I’m a huge fan of Alec Baldwin. I even think that Russell Brand’s good, and he normally annoys the hell out me, but he’s great in the film.
Did you have any hesitance about getting involved in a musical movie? There are a lot of people who perhaps don’t think of the 80s as that long ago, and consider the songs that you made, and make, as still real, tough, viable music—the opposite of a Broadway-style musical.
I completely understand what you’re saying. But the point is, it’s been 55, 60 years since Bill Haley did “Rock Around the Clock”—it’s actually become part of everybody’s DNA. You know, it’s become part of the heritage of the United States of the America, and spreading all over the world. Rock and roll is now the establishment—it’s not dangerous anymore. For rock and roll to start becoming part of musicals . . . it’s just logical. The next step, you’re going to find residencies in Vegas, by people like—as you already have seen—Motley Crüe, Cheap Trick. . . . Because our generation, they’re getting a little older, they’ve probably got a little bit more disposable income. Instead of just going to Vegas and throw your money in slot machines, they’re going to go see Motley Crüe. I don’t really see a downside to that.
If anything, actually, it’s maybe tamed down [from] some of the stuff I saw going off, whenever I infrequently visited the Rainbow [the club in West Hollywood]. . . I told you I saw bigger shoulder pads.
I mean, Stacee Jaxx’s character looks almost budget rent a car italy like a 70s character, with his shirt off, covered in fur, with the hair—there’s a bit of Steven Tyler, a bit of Iggy Pop. They’re not poking fun of the actors, but it is a comedy. budget rent a car italy It’s not like Spinal Tap, which is poking fun—and rightly so [ laughs ]—it’s just like a celebration of the 80s. But it’s pop and rock. It’s all encompassed into one genre.
Many of the bands that came later in the 80s, after you started, sounded a lot like Def Leppard, but added a lot of fashion and big hair and posing—and you guys never did too much of that. I mean, you did have some hair—
The fact is I’m not saying we were pioneers—but budget rent a car italy we certainly came before they did, so consequently, because of our success, a lot of these bands were actually manufactured by an A R man saying, “Find me a band that sounds like Def Leppard.” And some of these bands that may have had their own ideas were pushed off course by record companies’ pressure to sound like us. And when something is a copy of something else, it is normally a weaker copy, and that’s just fact. Some of them, you could listen to it and go, “Wow, that really sounds like us, or trying to sound like us, but totally missing the point.” But I never really spent too much time and energy worrying about it. We just got on doing what we did and whatever happens happens.
budget rent a car italy When Kurt Cobain came along and tried to kill off the 80s, he wasn’t trying to kill off Def Leppard. budget rent a car italy He could have lived with Def Leppard. What he couldn’t deal with was the hundred of other sound-a-likes. And that was the problem. And that’s why the 80s imploded budget rent a car italy and started eating itself. There were bands that sounded like G.N.R., bands that sounded like Bon Jovi, [and bands that sounded like us]—it was one of those three, copied maybe 20, 30 times. It was just a weaker version. And the novelty wore off pretty quick.
budget rent a car italy I think it was a bit of both. But I think the new generation—which was the 90s—are always going to come along and [challenge] the previous generation. Like the 80s, we came along and we wanted to challenge what happened in the 70s, but the big difference was, we wanted to join —we didn’t want to kill. We wanted to join the gang, to be in the same league as a Zeppelin, or a Stones, or a Deep Purple, all these great British bands we grew up with. When the 90s came along, they just wanted to kill everything, because they were just, like, miserable and very angry—and it was very angry music. But that’s what happens—you get polar opposites come along and challenge the norm.
All five of us were there, when he was filming “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” It was in Fort Lauderdale, about a year ago. We had just played West Palm Beach the night before, and we were invited down to watch, budget rent a car italy and it was a lot of fun, I have to say.
He was indeed. I was a foot away from him, talking to him between takes. . . . He [said], “Look, I just want you guys to know, I’m doing this with the most integrity as possible. I’m not poking fun. I’m doing this to honor you guys.” You better believe it, take a man for his word. And he did a fantastic job—he was just a really sweet guy, nice guy.