Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
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Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
Apologize if this has been posted before, but this is a great interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqa3XqkjaW8
It's interesting to hear what his relationship with music is like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqa3XqkjaW8
It's interesting to hear what his relationship with music is like.
Whether it's his outer glaze or cream-filled insides, King Ding Dong gets his subjects filthy!
Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
Caught DL a few nights ago, and he seemed like he was having the best night of his life. Perhaps cause he just got back from a health thing, or whatever...dude looked like he was just enjoying the hell of the show.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
Did Dio promise him a cut or not?
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
It's probably a great payheck though. I'm curious how much his pay increased.kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:58 am He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
I watched this about 10 days ago.Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:08 amIt's probably a great payheck though. I'm curious how much his pay increased.kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:58 am He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.
He claimed they, (him, Bain and Appice), all made $100/week until after Sacred Heart album.
They had been promised raises every tour, but never got them
This is why he was fired. He raised a stink about it.
Dio claimed he quit.
Pretty good interview
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
No doubt he's making way more money and feeling a lot more appreciated in Def Leppard than he was in Dio, but I never fully bought his story about not getting any royalties and surviving on $400 per week, but still having enough money to buy a Ferrari 308 GTB. (Know anybody these days making $80 000 driving a $250 000 to 300 000 car because they saved really hard? Me neither.) I believe he said it was like saving up for his first Les Paul, but a great guitar and a luxury sports car aren't exactly in the same category. Anyway, he's apparently happy and healthy these days, so good for him.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
They never denied promising a cut. Wendy has always talked around the issue.
She actually more or less confirmed what Viv has said at one point, saying something along the lines of "Viv was demanding to be paid equally to Ronnie - that's ridiculous, Ronnie was the star."
But if that's what Viv was promised - take low money on the front end to be brought in as an equal partner once they hit it big - of course that's what he was going to demand.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
I'm sure he would have been fine with a cut that was not equal to Ronnie's. Did he sign away his publishing? If so, that's his own fault.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
No publishing from the Dio albums.. he was promised equal share of royalties for the 3rd album.. but that didn't happen.. so nothingRocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 9:31 am I'm sure he would have been fine with a cut that was not equal to Ronnie's. Did he sign away his publishing? If so, that's his own fault.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
1. The guitar in Dio was more in Viv's comfort zone, he's good at headbanging NWOBHM but not much more - check the Riverdogs album which is a different style but his playing is still NWOBHM style. 2. Two words, many riffs: Trev Fleming.kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:58 am He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.
Chip Z'Hoy wrote: ↑
LI is a gentleman and scholar but that “Parasite” take is wild!
LI is a gentleman and scholar but that “Parasite” take is wild!
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
Ronnie promised it on his own, and she didn't feel she was obligated to abide by that promise.FreddyFender wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 9:11 am She actually more or less confirmed what Viv has said at one point, saying something along the lines of "Viv was demanding to be paid equally to Ronnie - that's ridiculous, Ronnie was the star."
Just further evidence she's a garbage human being.
Wiseacre wrote: Listen, I am 100% self-taught and don’t want to sound arrogant, but Ezrin himself would probably shake my fucking hand for how I managed to put that all together. Anyone who knows anything about music would know that.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
Sounds like the Jay Leno/Helen Kuschnik relationship...she was an absolutely ruthless snake of a manager, and Leno let her handle everything and play the good guy that didn't know what was going on....or at least pretended to.NeonKnite wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 10:26 amRonnie promised it on his own, and she didn't feel she was obligated to abide by that promise.FreddyFender wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 9:11 am She actually more or less confirmed what Viv has said at one point, saying something along the lines of "Viv was demanding to be paid equally to Ronnie - that's ridiculous, Ronnie was the star."
Just further evidence she's a garbage human being.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
Pretty loose using of the word legend.

GrayAntiMatter wrote:EVH
Zappa is pure cult status shit. He is to music what Bruce fucking Campbell is to acting....
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
Def Leppard legend? No one goes to see DL to hear any of the songs Viv recorded with them. He was great on the Dio stuff, but did nothing of note after that. Played a few tracks on a forgotten Lou Graham solo album, Riverdogs was a bomb and so was Shadow King.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
I guess it would boil down to how much money was actually coming in . I know lugging around that giant stage production couldn’t have been cheap. When i saw the tour with Malmsteen , it was in a 3000 seat arena. How much of the records money went to the label ? What did he owe for the tour production ? I’m sure Dio want starving to death , but it’s quite possible there wasn’t that much to pay out until after record 3.
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Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
I can't stand this idiot.
Re: Vivian Campbell: From Dio Fallout to Def Leppard Legend
When the Sacred Heart tour came to Melbourne they left the production at home.kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 4:29 pm I guess it would boil down to how much money was actually coming in . I know lugging around that giant stage production couldn’t have been cheap. When i saw the tour with Malmsteen , it was in a 3000 seat arena. How much of the records money went to the label ? What did he owe for the tour production ? I’m sure Dio want starving to death , but it’s quite possible there wasn’t that much to pay out until after record 3.
Ronnie mentioned it at the end of the first song.
I was disappointed Viv didn’t make the tour, but thought Goldie did ok, except his solo was way way too long.
I was surprised to read years later that he had cut it in half for the Oz tour from what he was doing wherever they were before us.