Phil Collen said one of the reasons Def Leppard were chosen to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year is because the organization is running short on bands to honor.

The guitarist added he didn’t care much about the induction and that his main focus is continuing to play live. The British veterans will be inducted at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn on March 29 with Stevie Nicks, Roxy Music, the Zombies, Radiohead, the Cure and Janet Jackson.

Asked if Def Leppard’s selection meant that ‘80s hard rock was finally achieving recognition, Collen told Q104 (via Blabbermouth) that it's “not that. They're just running out of people to put in there, to be quite honest. Let's be real. And there's not that many bands left – that's the other thing. … If you stick out there long enough … they're gonna go, ‘Oh, who do we put in this year?’ And they kind of scrape the barrel. So, yeah, we'd get in at some point, I guess.”

When asked for more thoughts on the Hall of Fame, he replied, “Honestly, I really don't care. It's not something I really follow, to be quite honest. The fans get really passionate about it. They're always going, ‘Why aren't you playing that?’ and, ‘Why aren't you playing the Super Bowl?’ … And it's not something that really concerns me.”

Collen noted that the "real buzz is actually getting up there and playing live. The fact that I'm 61 and I can still run around like a 20-year-old is pretty amazing. And playing these songs that we've written … Some of these songs we've got are 35 years old and older, and we're actually out there playing them and people really dig them. That, to me, is a big deal. All the other stuff – award ceremonies and all that stuff – not really my thing, I've gotta say.”

Alongside the current lineup, former Def Leppard guitarists Steve Clark and Pete Willis be included in the band's induction. It’s not been announced yet who will induct them.

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