BW&BK spoke to DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott during the band's recent promo activities for Yeah!, their new covers album that is out in stores now. The band has reached far back to their roots with tributes to T.REX, THE KINKS, SWEET, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA, DAVID BOWIE, FREE and THIN LIZZY among others. When asked if he's met any of his idols, Elliott perks up:

“Whoa! Well, one of the first bands, other than standing at the back of the Sheffield Hall when I was a kid and trying like mad to get Marc Bolan’s autograph when I was 11 years old, I did get to meet and get some pictures taken with a few of the bands, when I was 15 and 16 - people like Thin Lizzy for example. But the first, which you may class as glam bands, that I first met, was Slade, who we don’t cover on the record. But we did do a concert with them; we opened for SLADE in 1979 in their hometown of Wolverhampton, and that was the first time we ever met people that we bought records by. As a band, Def Leppard, I mean, I’ve since spoken over the phone with people like Andy Scott from Sweet, because he’s now a DJ in the south of England. I know Ian Hunter very well nowadays. I’ve never met Jeff Lynne (ELO mainman) or DAVID ESSEX, and obviously never met Marc Bolan; he died. I’ve met David Bowie on various occasions, and he’s a very, very pleasant gentleman, contrary to what a lot of people say (laughs). But he was an idol of mine. And they always say ‘Never meet your heroes; it’s pointless,’ but Bowie was spot-on.”

Check out the new issue of BW&BK (#97) for a major feature on Def Leppard.