| Phil Collen Interview | Classic Rock January 2008 |
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Man-Raze
When a Leppard, a former Girl and a Sex Pistol climb into bed, you're not going to get a musical missionary position.
As an archetypal power trio, Man-Raze - Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, former Girl bassist Simon Laffy and Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook - once memorably described themselves as a "rock version of the Police", and also claimed kinship to the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Nirvana. With the release of their debut album Surreal, Collen picks up the tale.
Surreal was supposed to have been released in June, then late September.
Most importantly, it had to be right. We want to get behind it by doing some gigs and promo, so the delay is okay.
On paper, a band featuring members of Def Leppard, the Sex Pistols and Girl doesn't compute.
[Chuckling] You're absolutely right. We're all Londoners, and it's odd that there's so much of the same stuff in our collective DNA. Plus we're all into reggae, a common denominator on this album.
Did you manage to attend any of the recent Police reuion shows?
I saw them in LA. They've improved so much as players, but the fuck-off attitude is still there.
Before joining Leppard you and Simon Laffy were in the UK glam rock band Girl. What does Simon bring to Man-Raze?
He's been doing a lot of deejaying and remixing of dance stuff. Simon's massively into groove, so he handled a lot of the album's production.
Despite all the talk of reggae and dance music, last September, Man-Raze debuted in front of 200 people at the Spitz club in London and realised their main focus is to be a rock group.
Completely true. It's not until you actually play live that you can tell those things. We've still got that punky and alternative edge, but the more we played, the more we realised what we had to do.
Can't Find My Own Way is extremely reminiscent of the Police
I hold my hands up to that. They're my fabourite band, so if it sounds like the Police on steroids I take that as a compliment.
In places on the album you sing a bit like Leppard's Joe Elliott, certainly in terms of intonation.
The truth is that both Joe and I probably sing a bit like Mutt Lange. Although we could both sing before, Mutt taught us how to do it properly. Working with him is like a university course. I learned to play guitar from Mutt too.
They're the exception rather than the rule, but certain songs can be pinpointed back to Leppard
A few yes. But we didn't want glossy backing vocals or mutli-tracking. It had to be, for want of a better term, real.
You used Mick Ronson's guitar and wah-wah pedal on one track.
That was a great thrill. It sounds fantastic.
How does Man-Raze's commitment to playing live fit into your Def Leppard commitments.
Both Vivian and I have finished our contribution to the record, so I've got time on my hands. Leppard's album could be out as soon as March, and dates are already coming through. At the moment Man-Raze are looking at a couple of dates in London, then selected ones in the States.
Is the Leppard album going to be called Welcome To The Sparkle Lounge?
Yeah. It's relevant because we wrote and actually recorded some of it in a backstage room we called the Sparkle Lounge during an American tour with Journey.
There have also been whispers of a Girl reunion?
I hear that stuff every now and again, but it's unlikely. With Leppard and Man-Raze, and the Pistols doing more stuff after the reaction they got, there just wouldn't be time. We've already got five songs lined up for the second Man-Raze record. Which is very different to the Def Leppard approach!.
Surreal is out now on Surrealist/Pinnacle Records.
Dave Ling © Classic Rock 2008 - Transcribed by Man Raze UK.
[Note] - It isn't out yet but it soon will be.