Band One Shots! (Mostly Linkin Park so far...)

4 - Saving Steve (Def Leppard)

February 10th in 1978 was the day I first saw him. The stranger with the blonde hair and blue eyes, the angel on stage with his guitar screaming every amount of pain and happiness I have ever felt through music. That day I didn't get the courage to speak to him, but I think he smiled at me as I was watching him in from across the room.

The music sounded glam, his solos making it something else entirely. I was a glam rocker to the core, I was completely fine with them sounding as glam as they did. I had heard that their name was Atomic Mass by some punk guys in the club who claimed they were "probably underaged" and "just garbage". I didn't care much what these guys had to say. Their music felt like a start of something new and exciting in my life.

Ever since that day I have been coming back to this club, meeting the bands and chilling with people who haven't heard of the name Atomic Mass before. It took me nearly a month to find out that they were mostly eighteen, the same age as me. I was given the name of their school by a friend at the club but didn't get the courage to go and find them. What would I say?

Since the day I first saw him I had bought myself a cheap electric guitar and spent my evenings practicing while I wasn't at the club. I'd been inspired by Led Zeppelin riffs specifically and it was exciting to me when I figured out a new one.

Three months had passed before they came back to the club. I wasn't exactly sure why it took them so long to return at the time, but I rushed to the stage at the sight of him. Steve Clark. The guitarist who changed my life.

After the show he said hello to me and we struck up a conversation about music. I introduced myself as Scarlett and admitted to being inspired by his playing to try and learn guitar. I found out that he had been playing since he was eleven years old and was very inspired by Jimmy Page. He told me his favorite song was How Many More Times and I told him mine was Dancing Days. We were both Zeppelin fans!

From then on out I spent my evenings at Steve's place and was there when they lost and gained new members, changed their name to Def Leppard, and got their records recorded. I was Steve's biggest fan and best friend, cheering at every concert, drinking with him and telling him to keep trying when he felt like he shouldn't.

I was also there watching him rely more and more on alcohol.

Eventually one day he almost overdosed by mixing his prescribed pills with alcohol behind my back and I was left scared to death rushing him to the hospital.

Once he was able to get over his alcohol addiction I decided to go to school to chase my dream of becoming a journalist. My name is currently on many inside stories about Def Leppard and other bands that I have gotten to hang out with over the years.

Now it is 2017 and we are both fifty-seven years old. Def Leppard is a world-famous band and Steve has since become best friends with his bandmate Phil Collen, I am happy he has someone else to rely on as well. Steve and I have been married for thirty-seven years and I wouldn't change a thing.