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Crazy Story: Def Leppard’s Phil Collen and Big Jim’s Motown Museum Adventure!

Author Jim O'Brien
Big Jim and Def Leppard's Phil Collen at Motown Museum

I’ll admit it – we always invite rockers out for lunch or a drink when they’re in town and we chat – but normally it doesn’t happen….until Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen took me up on an offer to go to the Motown Museum. Here’s how it happened:

Def Leppard Interview Leads to Motown Road Trip

It’s was Thursday, July 16th in 2015 and Def Leppard was in town with Styx and Tesla to play Pine Knob the next night. We were fortunate to chat with guitarist Phil Collen about the tour and the new album, plus Phil’s love of Motown music in England. I was surprised to learn Phil had never been to the Motown Museum…so I invited him (fully expecting nothing…I mean they are on tour and well, he’s a rock star). So I sent an email to his publicist Jody Best to say thanks and made a quick reference to my offer. Here’s the chain of events:

The Email chain that lead to the Motown Museum

So here’s how it began after the interview:

Jody,

Please pass along to Phil my appreciation — what a WONDERFUL interview. He’s awesome. The offer stands if he wants to go to the Motown Museum, my cell is 248-***-****.

All The Best,

Jim O’Brien

Hi Jim!  Thanks so much for the AMAZING interview!!  I am going to get this posted on Leppard’s website and socials and see if we can get it posted on some other classic rock websites! It was fabulous!

Phil and Helen would like to go to the museum later today! And it’s their anniversary today too!

Should Phil just give you a call? Let me know and thanks again so much! 

Sent from my iPhone

Awesome. What time did they want to go? It’s open until 6pm – do they want me to take them or just set up passes?

Jim,

Phil says he’d love it if you could take them. Checking to see what time works best for him. Back to you soon. 

So This Is Really Happening

I remember calling my wife Kathi and saying “I’m going to be a bit late, I’m taking the guitarist from Def Leppard to the Motown Museum”. I can admit now how nervous I was going to pick them up at the hotel. But Phil and his wife were so gracious and thankful for the tour opportunity.

Motown Museum
WCSX scott randall
Detroit, Michigan, May 7, 2023: The historic Motown Records Building, now Motown Museum.

Fortunately I had a friend at the Motown Museum who arranged a VIP tour, and the lady was wonderful. I do remember she didn’t really know who Def Leppard was – but there was a moment where she googled it on her phone and suddenly realized how big this band is worldwide.

Phil is the most humble person in the world and kept saying thank you to the folks at the Motown Museum as we took the tour. I remember thinking we were going to get out of there without anyone asking for photos or video…but then a tour bus of young adults in town pulled up and took pictures with Phil (again, such a gracious guy…I think people thought I was his bodyguard…ha, have you seen Phil?)

Def Leppard's Phil Collen
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

So there you go. This is how I would up taking Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen to the Motown Museum. One of the best days in my career at WCSX.

Jim O'Brien is the Host of "Big Jim's House" Morning Show at 94.7 WCSX in Detroit. Jim spent eight years in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service, has appeared on Shark Tank (Man Medals Season 5 Ep. 2), raised over two million dollars for local charities and is responsible for Glenn Frey Drive and Bob Seger Blvd in the Motor City. Jim's relationship with Classic Rock includes considering Bob Seger, Phil Collen from Def Leppard, Wally Palmer of the Romantics and many others good friends. Jim writes about ‘80s movies, cars, weird food trends and “as seen on TikTok” content.

Phil Collen and His 30-Day Fitness Challenge

Phil Collen turns 66 today (December 8), but if you’ve ever seen Def Leppard live, you certainly wouldn’t know it. Why? He’s in better shape than most men half his age.

The guitarist rarely performs with a shirt on, and frankly, who among us wouldn’t do the same if we were equally as ripped? Of course, such a killer physique doesn’t just happen. Collen puts in a lot of work to stay in shape, especially before heading out on tour. However, when touring was put on hold this year, even Collen enjoyed a little too much R&R. So, what’s a rockstar to do? Start a 30-day fitness challenge on YouTube.

Back in July 2021, Collen launched his 30-day fitness challenge on Def Leppard’s YouTube Channel. During the weekly videos, Collen shared his various workout routines, diet changes and his favorite workout playlists.

In honor of his birthday (or maybe to kick any New Year’s Resolution off a little early), embedded below are all of the videos from the Phil Collen 30-Day Fitness Challenge. Enjoy!

  • Week One

    In week one, fans saw Collen get his diet back on track after indulging a little too much during the pandemic. If you zoom in on his workout notes in this video, you can see where he writes to drink a gallon of water every day. Let’s face it, most of us should consider doing the same, because most of us are dehydrated.

  • Week Two

    In week two, fans see Collen focus more and more on weight training and cardio in the form of squats, chin-ups and pull-ups.We also see him put together one of his quick, go-to salads, which features avocado and two chopped veggie burgers.

  • Week Three

    In week three, Collen adds heavier weights to his workouts, where he’s keen to build up his chest, shoulders and arms. He also shares that he loves to start his day with some oatmeal with berries and peanut butter to help fuel the start of his day.

  • Week Four

    In week four, we see Collen do some unique circuit training that utilizes kickboxing and traditional calisthenics. He also revealed that before his 30-day fitness challenge, he gained 13 pounds in a month, due to basically eating whatever he wanted and not really exercising very much. During his challenge, Collen lost eight of those 13 pounds and reminded viewers that it’s much easier to put on weight than it is to lose it.

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