See also: Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of All Time

Def Leppard bailed on a fashion show yesterday. We know because we were trying to cover it. Fuck our life.

See, Rock of Ages, the movie, comes out next week, and its title comes from a Def Leppard song. The film features Tom Cruise singing “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (vomit) and apparently Def Leppard were on set when Cruise performed it and they liked it (double vomit).

In any case, the British cock rockers are in promotion mode for the film, which was supposed to bring them to a fashion show in a West Hollywood garden yesterday…

Credit: Ash Newell

Credit: Ash Newell

…where they'd represent a fashion line called Lyric Culture. Made by a winsome lady named Hannah Rochelle, it features t-shirts, belts, and other items that include lyrics from “Love Bites,” “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” and other songs from Def Leppard and other bands.

We got a press release about it, and dutifully headed to the scene. We arrived to find punky hipster models styled like mid-'80s groupies, whirling around a backyard fountain to Def Leppard music, affecting their best pouts and scowls.

But no one from the band showed up.

“This is the first time this has ever happened,” lamented Rochelle to us, seeming reticent to speak her mind after having been stood up by some leathery glamour punks. “I guess this is just rock and roll…I still love the band. They're still a great band…” She trailed off.

Credit: Paul T Bradley

Credit: Paul T Bradley

In any case, the three seats for Joe Elliot, Rick Savage and Phil Collen remained empty, prompting a mid-show announcement that band practice had gone on too long.

The group's public relations people later offered this explanation: “Def Leppard sincerely regret not being able to be at the Lyric Culture Event today. This is due to extended daily production rehearsals for their summer tour.”

They added that the group was swamped, what with an upcoming L.A. show, the Rock of Ages premiere, and a summer tour.

Maybe so, but then why'd they commit to this event? In fact, what made them want to rep a fashion show garden party in the first place? (Of course, there were free burgers and models wearing skimpy shorts and t-shirts…)

In the end, though, it was not just a dick move, it was pretty dumb. Rochelle is doing her best to help these dinosaurs stay relevant, after all, and we're told that bands actually make more money per t-shirt than they do per album sold.

Now if this were Axl Rose or the old Guns 'n Roses we might have tolerated this. But Def Leppard? They pretty much need to get over themselves.

See also: Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of All Time

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