Sammy Hagar was eager to probe Def Leppard's Joe Elliott about the band's lack of lineup changes over the years.
The conversation between the two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singers was filmed for an upcoming episode of the AXS TV show Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar.
Def Leppard famously stuck with Rick Allen, even after the drummer lost his left arm in a horrific car accident in 1984. The most recent lineup change in the band's history was in 1991 after the tragic death of guitarist Steve Clark.
Hagar expressed bemusement at Def Leppard's sense of loyalty, noting that he'd been fired from bands multiple times in his career.
Being that all the members of Def Leppard come from poor backgrounds, Elliott explained that they've never taken for granted the chance to do something "so extraordinary" as play in a rock band for a living.
"When Rick lost his arm, the way that we'd become by then — only five years as a band — we were so tight that we were like, 'You don't kick your brother out of your family if he has an accident,'" Elliott continued. "'If he can't do this, it's up to him to tell us.' That gave him the confidence to give it a go."
Hagar, implying his experiences in Van Halen and Montrose, called the Def Leppard example "unheard of in rock."
"I mean, I've been thrown out of so many bands," he replied. "You go all the way with these people to the top, sell a gazillion records and do all this stuff and all the sudden they throw you out for some ego trip or something."
You can watch a clip in the player above.
Watch the full episode on Sunday, April 19, at 8:30 a.m. on AXS TV.
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