Monday
Jan082018
Remembering Steve Clark
Monday, January 8, 2018 at 08:28AM Steve Clark died on this date in 1991 at age 30. I often wonder how the trajectory of Def Leppard would have continued if Steve had gotten sober and lived to enjoy this immense success.
To their collective credit, the members of Def Leppard have done a great job keeping the memory of Steve alive. This is a group of men that has exhibited true friendship in the face of a host of crises. What would have broken most bands just made Def Leppard stronger.
Here's a great throwback clip of Steve performing in 1983.
Reader Comments (7)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_sLu7sUbJI
Not sure on the crowd. :( Must be too new of a song then.
Though grainy and out of focus as hell with marginal sound at best, one can still fill in the pixels and reimagine the aural clarity to experience all the grandeur that is Steve Clark’s legacy, no matter how little this is to go on.
I recall reading shortly after his death in 1991, a recollection by Joe Elliott, I believe, about how the band had been assembling in the studio for months to work on new material that would eventually become “Pyromania”.
Apparently, Clark had gradually become more and more unreliable, prone to either being late or not even bothering to show up at all for these writing sessions to the point where the band had actually begun debating firing him.
Right smack in the middle of one of those almost daily b*tch sessions amongst the band, with Steve in absentia once again, just as the fuming and complaining had escalated to a crescendo, in walks Clark, slightly drunk with an early afternoon “hair of the dog” beer in one hand and his guitar case in the other.
According to Elliott, if my memory serves me correctly, you could hear a pin drop while Clark pulled his signature Gibson Explorer out of its case, plugged in and proclaimed, “How about this? ...” , only to launch into the platinum opening riff of what would become “Photograph”, like he just hummed it to himself moments ago in the taxi on the way over.
“That was Steve.”, said Elliott.
Several of the usual suspects here listed their favorites, as well, yet I found yours particularly solid to the point of sending me back to revise my list.
Well, don’t know if you caught it but Allyson’s done it again, listing her “Best of 2017” list and several of us took the liberty of adding ours in the Peanut Gallery also known as Comments.
If you wouldn’t mind, could you go back 9 or so posts ago to list your faves as, like I said, I’ve found your recommendations so excellent! This also goes for anyone else who hasn’t posted a list. I look forward to your recommendations, as well!
A belated “Cheers!” to all! Rock on in 2018!