VIVIAN CAMPBELL: DEF LEPPARD Will 'Do Something Unique That We've Never Done Before' In January 2016

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell was recently interviewed by Robin LaRose of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's classic rock radio station Rock 101. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A few excerpts follow.

On DEF LEPPARD's touring plans for 2015:

"It's a very busy year. We haven't had a year like this probably since 2008. We are going around the world, starting in Canada. And then we go to Europe for three or four weeks. Then we start a massive American tour — 50, close to 60 shows or something, I think. And then we're going to Japan. Quite possibly Australia and New Zealand. And then we're going to the U.K. in December. And then we're gonna do something unique that we've never done before, next January, which will be announced very soon. And on top of all that, we have a new record coming out later in the year. So it's a busy time for us indeed."

On DEF LEPPARD's upcoming studio album:

"It is just about finished, yeah. It's not mixed or mastered yet. And all the packaging and the artwork and stuff [has not yet been completed]. So we're not in a hurry to release it. It won't be out until the second half of the year, but it will definitely be released in 2015. And it's a great record, actually. For those that know, I'm the new guy in DEF LEPPARD — I've been with the band for 23 years — but I've gotta say, in the 23 years, I've been the Ronnie Wood of DEF LEPPARD. This is the best record that we've made. So I'm really excited about that. The bummer is I, actually, didn't have a lot to do with it. So I think that speaks volumes; that they're better off without me. But it is, actually, a really, really good record, and it's a very diverse record too. And it touches strongly on the rock element of the band, which was the first box that we ticked when we were doing it. We set up live in the studio when we first started recording this record — which we haven't done since '96 and the 'Slang' record. But we wanted to do that, because we're such a really, really strong live band, and we really wanted to capture some of that dynamic that you can't really do if you do it piecemeal, bit by bit — the normal way that we'd record. So we went in and just did it old school for a while. And then, after that, we got on to the more painful process, the more analytical and thoughtful production parts of the record, which is like pulling teeth, frankly."

"LEPPARD's a very production-savvy band and there's only so much you can do, doing it old school, when you're DEF LEPPARD. I've been dealing with some health issues, too, the last couple of years, so I kinda missed a big part of the record. I missed the whole middle section. The record was done in three instalments over a year in Dublin. And I was there for the first one and I was there for the last one, but I missed the whole middle part, which was probably the most difficult part. I'm kind of thankful I missed it, actually, I was doing chemo."

On his continuing battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma:

"I'm doing great, actually. I did a stem-cell transplant last October. 'Cause the chemo didn't really work. I did three runs of chemo over two years, and it was, kind of, close but no cigar. So I went in and did a stem-cell transplant in October, and I did a scan… My first scan was on December 31 and it showed clean, so I'm looking good. My strength is coming back. As far as I'm concerned, I'm over the hill and done with it, but you never know with these things."

On whether continuing to tour with DEF LEPPARD was therapeutic for him while he was getting treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma:

"Absolutely. And that's actually… Over the last two years, when I was doing chemo, I only missed four shows as a result. It was a very, very important part of the recovery process for me — the mental part and not capitulating to cancer, to be able to work, and the band were very supportive. I did chemo, actually, last summer while were were on tour with KISS. There were a couple of really, really rough shows for me — a bit of backstage puking going and all that stuff — but I was glad to have the opportunity to do that, 'cause I couldn't imagine anything worse than being sick and having nothing to do but feel sorry for yourself."