Epsiode 102: Rick Allen | Def Leppard

Sock Monkey Sound

We welcome Rick Allen, drummer of Def Leppard, on this episode of Sock Monkey Sound. The living legend known to his millions of fans worldwide as ‘the Thunder God’ was 21 years old when a 1984 car accident left him with one arm. His return to drumming three years later with Def Leppard’s 20-million selling album Hysteria is a testament to Allen’s talent, passion and perseverance. One of music’s foremost philanthropists, he and his wife, musician Lauren Monroe, founded the Raven Drum Foundation, its mission to serve, educate and empower veterans and people in crisis. Now, Allen’s journey beyond the conventional limits of music goes one step further into the fine art world with the release of Electric Hand: Rhythm + Change, a highly limited series of canvases created using cutting-edge technology that turns Allen’s every move behind the drumkit into a splash of color, resulting in a series of one-of-a-kind pieces that literally turn sound visual. The collection reveals something that up until recently I didn’t even know existed, presenting sound into light, says Allen of the Drums series, one of several innovative projects from Scenefour (scenefour.com), the art collective specializing in the conceptual and design of collaborative artwork with musical icons. Electric Hand is the newest addition to the Art Of Drums series, which also boasts collections from Guns N Roses drummer Matt Sorum and Jane’s Addiction stickman Stephen Perkins. Hand is available exclusively at RickAllenArt.com.