Viv Quotes

"I'm sure it appeared on the surface that I jumped from band to band for the sake of my career, but that's never been my intent. My whole desire in my career was to be in one band."

"I've always felt that I inherited an old soul, and I've tried to live my life with equality and balance. I do not, nor have I ever, considered myself anything any more or any less than a musician, and I cringe at the term 'rock star'. I suppose I'd like to be known as more than a hard rock guitarist. That was my purpose and ambition twenty years ago and there's been a lot of growth since."

"I don't have to try and be a comedian to fit in the band. It's such a comfortable vibe. Had I been born in Sheffield, I probably would have been in the original lineup."

On the differences between working with Def Leppard and previous bands:

"This is a real band, a real organization. No petty bullshit. None of that, 'My champagne is not perfectly chilled, cancel the tour.' No eggshells to be walking on."

"I don't know how anyone could vote Republican. It's so obvious that their only interest is keeping the rich rich."

"When I first saw Marc Bolan I was like nine years old, I said, 'That's what I want to do.' The long hair, the makeup, having girls around was cool."

On Def Leppard:

"I therefore consider it a great privilege to be part of a band who, as a fan, I have watched grown from young hopefuls to a bona fide rock institution."

Response after being asked if he felt like the "Ron Wood" of the band:

"Yeah, I'm the 'new guy'."

"I still have people saying to me, 'Oh, you're still together?' They don't realize Leppard's been around this whole time, because people just don't get to hear us."

"I never had a real job, you know, I always knew I was destined for stardom. That's tongue in cheek by the way in case you haven't noticed."

On what attracted him to music:

"Girls..... really um nah, I always just liked the sound of an electric guitar."

When asked if he was nervous auditioning for Def Leppard:

"No, no no, I knew...I actually knew I was going to be perfect for Def Leppard, sorry I hate to say that but I knew it, and I was very well prepared, so no, I wasn't nervous about it."

What was your scariest moment?
"Getting into a helicopter with the band."

What's your most prized possession?
"My sanity."

What did you do with your first rock 'n' roll paycheck?
"Paid my phone bill. I had to borrow seven times what it was to pay the bill."

What's the strangest thing you've ever autographed?
"A goat's hoof, while on tour with Dio. Some weird chick thought we were into devil worship ... It was cold, wet and disgusting!"

What's the strangest bill you've ever played?
"With Dio, my first time to Japan, middle of summer, and it was rainy, hot, humid. We went on at 2 AM after Foreigner and Sting and there were a couple of Japanese bands before us. Mama's Boys went on at the crack of dawn. They were serving breakfast backstage."

What was your favorite childhood toy?
"My toy guitar."

Where is your favorite place to play?
"I really enjoyed South America last year but I think it's because of where my head was at. If your head's in the right place you can enjoy anywhere."

What was the wildest party you went to or gave?
"My 22nd birthday, live at the Philadelphia Spectrum with Dio. Tobruk was recording and invited us over for a very wild party."

What's your guilty pleasure?
"I don't have any guilt. Because I grew up Catholic and with so much guilt, I've worked hard at getting rid of it."

What was the biggest mistake you ever made?
"Playing guitar."

What's the best concert you ever attended?
"U2, four guys who listen to each other."

What's your all-time favorite TV show?
"Anything with soccer."

What's your specialty in the kitchen?
"The tin opener."

On What TV Show would you like to be a guest?
"The Nanny 'cause Fran's lovely."

Where's the most unusual place you had sex?
"In an elevator"

What's always in your refrigerator?
"Sapporo beer"

What was the worst thing that ever happened to you on stage?
"Falling off it!"

Can you tell us about your first car?
"Honda Civic, '78, gold. It was luxury."

What was the best pickup line you ever used?
"I've never been that good with pickup lines. I'd always let them come to me. The great thing about being in a band is if you wanted to meet a girl, most likely they'd find you. You don't have to work too hard. I was always pretty polite. I'd always ask girls' permission to kiss them."

What's your ultimate sexual fantasy?
"My wife is my ultimate sexual fantasy. But there was this cute sheep back in Arclove ..."

What's your definition of the word 'love'?
"That's very hard to define. I guess, commitment. I don't believe in love at first sight. I'm in love with my wife, but I don't always feel the same level of love. Your emotions go up and down. The strongest love is between family members, and ultimately, it boils down to commitment."

What album influenced you most, and why?
"Come Taste the Band. That was the only Deep Purple lineup I really liked. It was really funky and different for hard rock."

What was the most romantic thing you ever did for someone?
"Before we became engaged, my wife was having surgery to have her spleen removed. I drove to the hospital and got into her bed so she would get up next to me before the surgery."

The Name Game: Rockers' Best Aliases
"I. Rishman, for obvious reasons and Stark Rousseau, the name of the hero in a crappy spy novel I read."

What famous people would you invite to a dinner party?
"John Lennon, Marc Bolan, the guys from Leppard and Sweet Savage, and my folks."

What was the best trick you ever played on someone?
"Giving bogus answers to questionnaires."