Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith Reflects on His 1991 Def Leppard Audition: 'They Did Okay Without Me'
In a recent interview, Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith reminisced about his 1991 audition for Def Leppard, a pivotal moment in the band's history following the tragic loss of guitarist Steve Clark. Smith, who was battling alcohol addiction during a break from Iron Maiden, was one of five guitarists invited to try out for the band.
Smith recalled the invitation in an episode of the Metal Journal podcast, where he described the audition process: "Phil [Collen, Def Leppard guitarist] phoned me up - him and [photographer] Ross Halfin phoned me up - and said, 'Would you be interested in coming over?' I said, Yeah. So I went to L.A. I played with him for a couple of days, I sat down with Phil and we went through some songs."
He continued, "It sounded good. And they're a great bunch of guys. But it didn't work out, so... Plus my Psycho Hotel album was just about to come out, so I was kinda [indicates '50:50' thoughts on the idea]. But who knows? It was worth pursuing."
Smith humorously concluded, "They did okay without me." Despite not joining Def Leppard, Smith's reflections offer a fascinating insight into the band's search for a new guitarist and the challenges of pursuing multiple musical paths.
In 2023, Phil Collen discussed Smith's audition with eonmusic, revealing why former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell emerged as the band's top choice to replace Clark. Collen stated, "We invited five people we knew, five friends. And Vivian just fit in straight away; it was just like [it was] meant to be. [But] Adrian is great - he's a great singer. That was one of the other things [we were looking for], if you can sing. And there was some other people. We played with John Sykes - also an amazing player, amazing singer. [But] Vivian's voice [was] unbelievable. And more than that, he just fit in the style of what we're doing."
Def Leppard is set to begin a residency in Las Vegas on February 3, with plans for a unique show experience, as mentioned by Joe Elliott. Meanwhile, Smith continues his musical journey with Iron Maiden, leaving fans to wonder what could have been if he had joined Def Leppard.
