Still rocking, still evolving: Rick Allen on 49 years of Def Leppard

At 62, Rick Allen is still living one of rock’s most improbable second acts. In India for Brit rock band Def Leppard’s first headline tour, the drummer — who returned to the stage after a near-fatal accident cost him an arm — is finally playing to an audience that grew up with the band’s songs. Allen spoke toMohua Das about why arriving in India feels “like coming full circle” and finding new generations of listenersWelcome to India. It’s not your first time personally, but were you aware of the kind of following you have here?Yeah, there was a tour cancellation back in 2008, which was such a disappointment to us. So, we hope that India will become a place we can keep coming back to like it’s just normal, instead of all this anticipation that’s built up over so many years. But the response so far — especially in Shillong — was one of the best audiences I think we’ve ever played to. They all knew the words. It was such a compliment. We were somewhat aware of the following, but you don’t realise that until you’re actually in it. Growing up in England, I was exposed to a lot of different cultures and I was around a lot of Indian people. It almost feels like coming full circle… from growing up experiencing different cultures in my own country, to then going out and feeling like the minority in other countries. It’s great.Your return to drumming within two years of the accident in 1984 is usually spoken about in terms of resilience, but rebuilding must have been far more complex…It’s very complex. It’s everything… the things that motivate people. For me, it was the power of the human spirit that got me to a certain level, but it was also guilt, letting other people down. Seeing my parents so sad and depressed even when I was suffering myself. So it’s not all about the good, it’s not all about the bad… it’s recognising all the different ingredients that go into making something whole, like a wonderful ‘dal’. It’s not just the lentils, it’s everything that goes into it. Now I’m at an age where I can maintain a certain level of contentment. I’m a work in progress. But for now, I’m in a good place.The band held off from putting its catalogue on streaming platforms for a long time. Why did you, and what changed when you finally made that move in 2018?We felt streaming platforms tended to devalue music. There’s always been this tension between the business end of music and actually being a musician. Back in the days of vinyl, before computer companies went to record companies and said, 'We can clone music,' they didn’t really push back, and that was a fatal mistake. People began to expect music for free, even though it takes time and effort to create. We saw it like walking into a museum, taking a painting off the wall, and saying, 'Well, it’s mine now.' So, we held off as long as we could to preserve some value in the music. But at a certain point, it became like a tidal wave. If you didn’t get involved, your music wouldn’t reach as many people. That’s the positive. More people get to hear the music. But if the disparity between how artistes were paid then and now came more into line, it would be fairer. It’s disheartening when new musicians can’t make money from their own work. Their music becomes a calling card to get people to shows, with revenue coming from tickets and merchandise. Your music is now also finding new life through reels, and TikTok trends. What has it been like connecting with this generation of listeners?It’s the evolution of how people listen to music. When we play live, you’ll see parents our age with kids who weren’t even born when our first record came out. When I meet the kids, I’ll say, ‘I hope your parents didn’t force you to listen to our music!’ and they’ll say, ‘No, we really love it.’ It’s great bringing that new energy on board. Our music and our concerts are like a family event. We don’t use the f-word very much. Yeah, once in a while, but it’s something that’s acceptable to everyone.There are a lot of myths and cliches around ‘rock gods’. Is there something you’d like to set straight?It’s funny that we actually like being made fun of, and I think that shows maturity. There’s a movie called ‘Spinal Tap’, which is a spoof on the rock industry, and some of the things they make fun of, I’ve actually seen people behave that way. That kind of entitlement, being too much of a rock star, too full of yourself... I think with maturity comes reality. We’re human beings. We make good music, we make people happy, and that’s the most important thing.Rock isn’t at the centre of pop culture the way it once was. What do you think will keep it moving forward?I think collaborations are really important. There was a moment when you saw Aerosmith collaborate with hip-hop group Run-DMC on ‘Walk This Way’, and it became something more than just a rock song. It reached a wider audience. It’s the same with what we did with Taylor Swift (in 2008 on a TV show that pairs country music artists with musicians from other genres). It’s important to reinvent and present something familiar in a different way. And suddenly, you have a whole new audience.It’s legendary that the band’s 'victory meal' on every tour is always an Indian curry. How did that come to be and has being here elevated it?It’s true! I just had a wonderful masala dosa this morning for breakfast, and I’m really going to miss it when I go home. We all grew up in England, and Bradford has one of the largest Indian populations outside of India. So it was normal for us — the culture, the food. You’d walk down the street, buy barfi, and all the Indian goodies, it just became part of us. So now it’s natural for us to just enjoy a really good Indian meal.