PHIL COLLEN On DEF LEPPARD Being Excluded From ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: 'It Doesn't Bother Us At All'

Phil Collen says that DEF LEPPARD isn't bothered by the fact that the band has not been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked why he thinks DEF LEPPARD has yet to get the nod, the guitarist told Tigman of the Albany, New York radio station Q103 (hear audio below): "I have no idea. It's nothing to do with us. The people vote, and it's usually a trendy thing. So, hey, for whatever reason [we have not yet been inducted]. Honestly, it doesn't bother us at all. We hope our fans just like the music, they come to the tours, buy the records, and the music means something special to 'em. All of that stuff really means nothing. If it ever happens, great; if not, great."

Collen went to reiterate that he is "not even slightly" upset by the fact that DEF LEPPARD has been excluded from the Rock Hall. "It doesn't even come into our radar," he said. "Other people get really upset about it, and me and Joe Elliott [DEF LEPPARD singer], we laugh at it. It's got nothing to do with what we do; it really doesn't. What's special is playing the Royal Albert Hall for a bunch of cancer victims who happen to be teenagers, and everyone having an amazing night. That's way more special than [being inducted into] the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame."

One of the top-selling rock acts of of all time, DEF LEPPARD has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2004.

Collen's comments echo those made by DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen, who told SiriusXM that he wasn't concerned about being included in the Rock Hall. "I think if the fans put us on a pedestal, that's good enough for me," he said. "I don't need a board of directors, or whatever, to decide whether I should be up there or not. And I mean that with all sincerity. Our fans have proved to us, they've shown to us over the years, time and time again, that they are so behind this band, and that, to me, is… that's all that matters."

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott also said in a 2015 interview that it didn't bother him at all that his band has yet to get inducted. "In fact, we've kind of all decided that, even if we get asked, we're just gonna — how can I put this? — politely refuse, like the SEX PISTOLS did… Unless there was some kind of online campaign by our fans, 'cause they were annoyed by us," he said.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.