Phil Collen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philip Kenneth Collen (born December 8, 1957 in Hackney, East London, England) is one of the guitarists for British rock band Def Leppard. He joined the band in 1982 following the firing of Pete Willis. He is not to be confused with Genesis drummer Phil Collins.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Because of his upbringing in Hackney, Collen speaks with a Cockney accent. At the age of 16, Phil got his first guitar (a red Gibson SG), taught himself how to play, and left school to pursue a career in music. He then joined a line-up of early bands including Lucy, Tush, Dumb Blondes, and Girl. He'd known Joe Elliott and Steve Clark since 1981 from the London music scene and had been asked to consider joining then. However, there was no need to replace Pete Willis at the time.
When Willis was dismissed, Collen wasn't formally asked to join the band, only to come over and to do a few solos for the Pyromania album. His ability on the guitar impressed producer Mutt Lange and the band so much that he was instantly recruited. He quickly bonded with fellow guitarist Steve Clark, with whom he created Def Leppard's trademark dual guitar sound. He and Steve were even known as "The Terror Twins".
After Clark's death in 1991, Collen faced the challenge of not only dealing with the loss of a friend, but also with the burden and responsibility of reproducing Clark's style while creating and recording all the guitar parts for their next album, Adrenalize. At this time he considered quitting the band, but remained steadfast.
[edit] Equipment
In 1986, Collen teamed up with Grover Jackson of Jackson Guitars to develop an ergonomically correct electric guitar called the PC Archtop. He has since designed three more Jackson electric guitar models (PC 1, 2 & 3). The PC1 is currently produced and sold through Jackson (now owned by Fender).
[edit] Side Projects
Collen has worked in numerous side projects, some of them together with Joe Elliott. One of his recent side projects was a tribute to David Bowie and Mick Ronson. He and Elliott also got together with the Trevor Bolder and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey from Spiders from Mars and keyboardist Dick Decent to form Cybernauts. In 2001 they released a great live album of classic Bowie hits. In addition, Collen has also appeared on a number of other music projects.
Recently, Phil organized a band of his own called Man-Raze, comprised of former Girl bandmate, Simon Laffy, and the drummer from the Sex Pistols, Paul Cook. He also made a guest appearance with the band Sheer Greed on the song "Eveybody Wants" on their album Sublime To The Ridiculous.
peta Recently, Collen joined PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals."It started freaking me out eating dead body parts. The whole (cannibal serial killer) Jeffrey Dahmer fridge concept of things was weird. It started when I was a kid, but you know, you have that whole parent propaganda when they say, 'Oh no, you got to eat this, and it's OK,' and even when you go, 'Well, that chicken is kind of like a dog,' and they go, 'Come on, eat, eat, eat your meat,' and I always felt kind of uncomfortable," Collen told PETA. He also filmed a Public Service Announcement for the group.
[edit] Personal life
Collen currently resides in Southern California with his wife, Anita Thomas. He also has a son, Rory James Collen, from his past marriage to artist Jacqueline ("Jacki") Collen-Tarrolly. He also has a daughter named Samantha.
[edit] Trivia
- Collen is a vegetarian.
- He practices kickboxing.
- He has been dubbed by some as "The Shirtless One", because he typically performs shirtless.
[edit] See also
| Def Leppard |
| Joe Elliott | Vivian Campbell | Phil Collen | Rick Savage | Rick Allen |
| Steve Clark | Pete Willis | Tony Kenning | Frank Noon |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio Albums: On Through The Night | High 'n' Dry | Pyromania | Hysteria | Adrenalize | Retro Active | Slang | Euphoria | X | Yeah! |
| Compilations and extended plays: Def Leppard EP | Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits (1980-1995) | Best of Def Leppard | Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection |
| Singles: Bringin' on the Heartbreak | Rock of Ages | Animal | Pour Some Sugar on Me | Love Bites | Armageddon It | Rocket | Let's Get Rocked |
| Concert Tours |
| Early Tours 1978/79 | On Through The Night World Tour | High 'n' Dry World Tour | Pyromania World Tour | Hysteria World Tour | Seven Day Weekend Tour | Slang Tour | Euphoria World Tour 1999-2001 | X World Tour 2002/2003 | Rock Of Ages Tour 2005 | YEAH! Tour 2006 |
| Related Articles |
| Robert John "Mutt" Lange | Terror Twins |
