“Who knows? It was worth pursuing. They did okay without me”: Adrian Smith on the time he auditioned for Def Leppard

The history of rock ’n’ roll is full of interesting “What if?” moments, and looking back on his unsuccessful Def Leppard audition, Adrian Smith has thrown up another one.

In the early 1990s, the British glam rock giants were looking to replace Steve Clarke, whose alcoholism struggles had already seen him take a leave of absence to focus on his recovery, as the group worked on their fifth LP, Adrenalize.

Though Vivian Campbell – the man who still holds the position to this day – would eventually get the job, the Iron Maiden guitarist has confirmed he was in the running for the prestigious gig.

“I went over to L.A. for a couple of days,” Smith nods (via Blabbermouth). “Phil [Collen, the band’s other guitarist] phoned me up and said, ‘Would you be interested in coming over?’”

Smith had recently left Iron Maiden, citing clashes with chief songwriter Steve Harris as the trigger. Sensing the opportunity, Collen and co. included him on a shortlist of players – alongside former Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake great John Sykes.

“I went to L.A. I played with him for a couple of days,” Smith develops. “I sat down with Phil. We went through some songs. It sounded good, and they're a great bunch of guys. But it didn't work out.

“Plus, my album with Psycho Motel [the band he formed after his Iron Maiden departure] was just about to come out. But who knows? It was worth pursuing. They did okay without me.”

In a 2023 interview, Collen said Dio’s former foil, Campbell, “fit in straight away,” while also confirming Sykes, who passed in 2024, also auditioned.

“With Adrian,” Collen added, “he played in context with what we were doing when we were rehearsing. We weren't doing Iron Maiden songs, we weren't doing Dio songs. So, whoever comes into our house has to play by the same rules.”

In more Adrian Smith news, the guitar player has recalled the time he got to spend an afternoon with the infamous “Greeny” Les Paul.