The wild, mythologized lore of classic 1990s rock festival backstages has just received a major dose of reality from an eyewitness who was standing right in the crossfire. For over thirty years, an aggressive, borderline hilarious rumor has circulated through the hard rock community detailing a physical brawl where members of stadium juggernauts Def Leppard allegedly assaulted punk-metal icon Glenn Danzig over a ruined lunch. Breaking his silence on the matter, Def Leppard guitar architect Phil Collen has finally pulled back the curtain, separating internet hyperbole from the absolute historical truth.
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The Genesis of the Grudge: A Van Door and a Bowl of Soup
The incident in question dates back to approximately 1993, a chaotic era when alternative metal, punk, and commercial arena rock frequently collided on massive European festival grid layouts. Speaking with Montreal media personality Jeremy White on The Jeremy White Show, Collen was asked to pinpoint exactly what transpired when the two camps crossed paths.
According to Collen, the entire vocal explosion did not even originate with him, but rather with an accidental clumsy moment involving the family of fellow Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yeah, we were doing a festival in Europe [around 1993],” Collen recalled during the broadcast. “And, actually, it wasn’t really me. Vivian Campbell’s ex-wife was just getting out the back of a van and she bumped into Glenn Danzig and he had some soup. And it spilled the soup and he got all pissy.
“And him and Viv were having all this thing. And I remember I said to him, ‘Dude, I’ll get you another soup. It’s fine. It’s totally fine.’ And I didn’t in the end, because it got a little heated vocally. But that was it. And it never ended up in a punch-up or anything… And then it was kind of defused.”
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The MuchMusic Backlash and Kicking Claims
While Collen remembers the interaction as a standard verbal shouting match that was quickly defused, the story took on a completely different life in the media. Shortly after the festival, rumors exploded when Vivian Campbell and frontman Joe Elliott reportedly appeared on Canada’s MuchMusic network, allegedly claiming that they had physically kicked the Misfits founding father in the rear end, knocking him down and intentionally sending his soup flying across the compound.
The public broadcast triggered an immediate, furious pushback from Danzig’s camp. His record label, Def American, quickly issued an aggressive, official press release where Glenn labeled Def Leppard’s version of events a complete, bold-faced fabrication: “Anyone who knows me or my past knows that I never walk away from a fight,” Danzig stated via the historic press dispatch. “It’s true that an altercation occurred, but we never came to blows, as reported. As a student of martial arts, I am quite capable of taking care of myself. Next time, they won’t be given that respect.”
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“I’ll Buy Him a Soup Juice”: No Hard Feelings
Despite the aggressive posturing of the 1990s, Collen made it abundantly clear that any lingering tension is completely non-existent today. Both musicians have famously prioritized physical discipline throughout their respective careers—with Danzig being an avid, certified practitioner of Jeet Kune Do since 1992, and Collen maintaining a legendary, decades-long vegan lifestyle backed by high-intensity kickboxing and Muay Thai training.
Dismissing the decades of rock magazine hype, Collen laughed off the idea of any ongoing bad blood: “Like all these things, they get blown out of proportion, I’m sure,” Collen added with absolute class. “I’m sure if I saw Glenn Danzig it’d be great. It’s like, yeah, dude, who cares? Yeah, I’ll buy you a soup juice or something. It’s, like, I don’t care. It’s no big deal.”
FAQ: The Def Leppard vs. Glenn Danzig Rumor
Did Def Leppard actually fight Glenn Danzig?
No. Guitarist Phil Collen has verified that while a heated vocal argument took place backstage due to spilled food, the two legendary rock camps never actually came to physical blows or a real backstage fistfight.
Why did the argument between Glenn Danzig and Vivian Campbell start?
The entire confrontation sparked when Vivian Campbell’s then-wife accidentally bumped into Danzig while exiting a production van at a European festival, causing the singer to spill his bowl of soup.
What martial arts does Glenn Danzig practice?
Glenn Danzig is a dedicated practitioner of Jeet Kune Do, the martial art philosophy founded by Bruce Lee. Danzig began his formal training in 1992 and eventually earned an official teaching certificate in the discipline.
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The Parallel Legacies of Collen and Danzig
While navigating completely different stylistic spectrums of 20th-century aggressive music, both Phil Collen and Glenn Danzig stand as monumental architectures of alternative culture. Joining Def Leppard in 1982 during the recording structural layouts for Pyromania, Collen’s technical dual-guitar tracking precision helped drive the band to multiple diamond-certified records and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Conversely, Danzig pioneered the horror-punk genre as the foundational voice of the Misfits and Samhain before establishing his multi-platinum solo outfit, Danzig, under Rick Rubin’s guidance.
By utilizing modern media platforms to openly, lightheartedly dismantle old press myths with mutual respect, veteran rock technicians like Phil Collen set a premier E-E-A-T standard for fans, proving that true longevity is built on creative focus, personal health, and letting go of old rock industry fabrications.
Now that Phil Collen has officially cleared the table on the great spilled soup mystery of 1993, the floor belongs to the Loaded Radio family. Do you think more legendary 90s rock feuds were completely blown out of proportion by TV networks like MuchMusic, or do you still prefer the mythologized version of backstage chaos? Let us know your thoughts and favorite legacy festival stories in the comments section below!
TL;DR
- Dismantling the Myth: Def Leppard guitar veteran Phil Collen has officially cleared the air regarding the legendary, decades-old backstage confrontation between his band and Misfits icon Glenn Danzig.
- The Infamous Soup Catalyst: Collen confirmed the entire heated argument sparked around 1993 at a European festival when guitarist Vivian Campbell’s ex-wife stepped out of a van and accidentally spilled Danzig’s bowl of soup.
- No Blows Exchanged: While historic industry rumors claimed Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott kicked Danzig in the rear end, Collen verified the incident never escalated into a physical punch-up.
- The Peace Offering: Proving there is zero residual blood, the strictly disciplined, vegan guitarist extended a comical olive branch, stating he would happily buy the martial arts enthusiast a fresh bowl of “soup juice” today.
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