PHIL COLLEN On DEF LEPPARD's ROCK HALL Induction: 'They're Just Running Out Of People To Put In There'

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen spoke to Tom Bedell of Q104 radio in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada about the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked if he thinks BON JOVI's 2018 nod and his own band's honor means that '80s hard rock is finally getting the respect it deserves, Collen replied (hear audio below): "Not that. They're just running out of people to put in there, to be quite honest. Let's be real. And there's not that many bands left — that's the other thing. I know that's not really a consideration, but, yeah, if you stick out there long enough, there's gonna be... They're gonna go, 'Oh, who do we put in this year?' And they kind of scrape the barrel. So, yeah, we'd get in at some point, I guess."

Pressed about who else he thinks should be inducted into the Rock Hall, Collen said: "Honestly, I really don't care. It's not something I really follow, to be quite honest. The fans get really passionate about it. They're always going, 'Why aren't you playing that?' And, 'Why aren't you playing the Super Bowl?' and all this. And it's, like, I don't know. I have no idea why it's taken so long and all this stuff. But there you go. And it's not something that really concerns me. My real buzz is actually getting up there and playing live. The fact that I'm 61 and I can still run around like a 20-year-old is pretty amazing. And playing these songs that we've written that do stand [the test of time]. Some of these songs we've got are 35 years old and older, and we're actually out there playing them and people really dig them. That, to me, is a big deal. All the other stuff — award ceremonies and all that stuff — not really my thing, I've gotta say."

Asked which songs DEF LEPPARD is planning on performing at the Rock Hall ceremony, Collen said: "It'll probably be down to the event [organizers] as well. They want your three most popular songs. So I'm sure it'll be, like, 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', 'Hysteria' and another one. So, kind of a no-brainer, really."

The current lineup of DEF LEPPARD — with the late Steve Clark and original guitarist Pete Willis — will be inducted. So far there's been no announcement as to who will officially induct the band into the Hall.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony with take place on March 29 at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center. HBO will broadcast a truncated version of the ceremony later in the year.

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

DEF LEPPARD's brand new greatest-hits collection titled "The Story So Far - The Best Of", was released in November.