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"Rick Allen : Def Leppard's Thunder God on Triumph, Tragedy and the Healing Power of Music"
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A
Music saved me.
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B
You know, I get moments during the show or whenever I play where I get to observe people and I get to see people's face. You know, I can sense when somebody's just having a really Deep moment. And that to me is, I think one of the reasons I do it is to be able to connect with somebody in that way.
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A
I'm Lynne Hoffman, and this is the Music Saved Me podcast. The podcast that explores the healing power of music. Today our guests are Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and his wife, Lauren Monroe. They are actively supporting those in need with their amazing charity, the Raven Drummer Foundation. And they certainly know firsthand about how music heals. Music Saved Me is a proud supporter of Musicians on Call who introduced us to Rick and Lauren. So glad they did. Rick and Lauren, welcome to Music Saved Me.
- [03:36]
C
Hi, nice to meet you.
- [03:38]
A
Nice to meet you as well. I'm feeling like we must have crossed paths at some point in time, but time has just go so fast in Boston.
- [03:48]
C
You think? Or maybe you and Rick have met in an interview?
- [03:51]
A
I'm thinking, like, maybe once. I worked at VH1 for a few years, could have been there. I did some work at A E and then. But I'm feeling like it had something to do with, with Fantasy Camp.
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B
Oh, okay. Could that have been in Vegas for Vegas?
- [04:10]
A
I don't, I don't know.
- [04:12]
B
I think, I think the only fantasy camp, I, I, I, I did a fantasy camp. I think it was me, Phil. I think Sab.
- [04:22]
Yeah, I think that was Vegas. And that was an interesting experience. I'd never done that before. And we ended up really enjoying it.
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A
And the campers did too.
- [04:36]
B
Yeah, for sure, for sure.
- [04:38]
A
Reminds me of kind of why we're here together too, because although that was a fantasy camp per se, it really did, like, change people's lives, I think getting up close and personal like that and having that one on one connection with somebody. But in any case, I digress. I don't want to take up too much more of your time, but I wanted to thank you so much for, for being on the podcast Music Saved Me. And thank you to our friends at Musicians on Call for connecting us. And I wanted to start off our time together by talking about this fantastic organization, Musicians on Call. Lauren, I'll start with you. What does Musicians on Call and their work mean to you?
- [05:17]
C
Well, I think it's a really positive way to bring people to a place of awareness and healing while they're in the hospital, to give them hope, to give them encouragement, to give them a sense of belonging. I think it's a really important piece to bring music into that healing environment.
- [05:41]
A
That's so true. Rick, how about you?
- [05:44]
B
I can only imagine what it feels like for somebody to, you know, to be. It's like. It would be like having your own private concert, you know, and having some of your favorite artists there, you know, playing world famous songs and you being the focus of attention. How incredible is that?
- [06:08]
I just think the work that they do is pretty amazing.
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A
Very special. And Lauren, you've talked about music sort of being a doorway to the soul as you consider the superpowers of music. Would you elaborate a little more on that for us?
- [06:25]
C
Well, I think when you use music as a way to transform, you use it by the lyrics, the sounds, the silence.
- [06:38]
We're energetic beings. Vibration and frequency is what we're constantly relating to on an everyday basis subconsciously. So music is a. Definitely a doorway to be able to change from being outward to being inward, to being isolated, to being connected. And we all know that when we go to a concert or when we listen to music from the past, we get connected to a time or an experience where we felt loved or we were connected with friends. So music is definitely a doorway to healing in all aspects. I think.
- [07:13]
A
Do you think, Rick, that music has supernatural healing powers? And if yes. Do you have a specific example you could give us?
- [07:22]
B
It it really not a specific example, but Lauren alluded to it. You know, music is a time machine. It can, it can take you to a, to a moment in time. You know, maybe you're coming of age moment or whatever. It doesn't even have to be that.
- [07:40]
You know, music is one of those things that we can go back to even to times that we can't remember. You know, when we were, when we were tiny little babies, you know, like growing up around music and being familiar with something that you can't necessarily remember anybody actually specifically putting musical. Like I just mentioned Glenn Miller. Glenn Miller was music that was obviously around before I was. But when I started listening to Glenn Miller as a, you know, as a, as a young kid, there was something really comforting about, about listening to it. And yeah, I just, I just think, you know, whenever I sit down behind the drums or.
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I call it the Zone, you know, I play for a few moments and it's almost like an open eyed meditation. I'm able to go to a place where I'm completely in the moment. I'm not thinking about what I could have done better or what's for dinner. I'm literally right there in the moment. And.
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That moment seems to last forever while you're in it. So I think that to me is. That is, is part of the healing power.
- [09:08]
A
What, what is specific? Do you, do you Think that there's any one specific thing about music that makes it so healing? Is it perhaps. Is it the. The audible part or the. The vibration part?
- [09:21]
B
I think all of it. I think. I think the vibration and I think the intention behind the people that made the music, or if you see a live performance, you know, are the performance. Are they happy, are they sad? Or, you know, there are all these different factors that go into it. I mean, Lauren, help me out here. I mean, that is a loaded question.
- [09:44]
C
I think music across the board is.
- [09:48]
Very key to healing, but I think live music specifically is extremely powerful because everybody's there in this quantum field of energy. And when you're playing with intention, whether it's a sad song or a happy song or a song that wants to elevate people, you're expressing that. I'm an energetic language person. Like, everything to me is energy, the way I feel things and see things, and music is that. And people can recognize that in music. People can recognize, you know, when you're. When you're performing and you're on stage and you. It starts with one note. You hear that one note and it may ring out and have space, and people respond to that. If you play one note, people can tell you whether that makes them feel happy or sad. It's not incredible. One sound. One sound. And it could be different for everyone, really. So it's so interpretive. I work right now with these frequencies called so Freddy frequencies, and they're very ancient tones, and I'm adding them to music. And, you know, there's a lot of things going on now called binaural beats, you know, for the brain. And people are listening to these frequencies to help them sleep. And I'm combining that, and we're going to bring that to live music, too, to help people, like, really engage in various ways with their body, the music. So, yeah, I hope you can come to the show in Boston if you're there.
- [11:21]
A
Oh, I'd love to go. You know, and speaking of going to shows, I'm curious what musicians have influenced your views about music? Special powers, seeing how that. That's how we're sort of speaking of it as. As powers that come from the. Not just the people at the show, but from the stage to the audience. It's. It's pretty incredible.
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C
Yeah, I think I mentioned this.
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B
I.
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C
Mentioned this before, but Tom Petty was my first concert when I was young, and I really got the bug, you know, from. From him. But prior to that, too, I. I listening to Linda Ronstadt, her vocal performances Always really resonated with me as well as Janis Joplin, who was this really raw, guttural, like she, she didn't save anything for herself kind of performer, which can, you know, reach.
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So yeah, Tom Petty and Linda Ronstadt, the Doors, Jim Morrison, who was a mystic, you know, they, they all influenced me.
- [12:26]
A
It's like they knew something that we didn't and then we figured it out. Rick, what about you? What musicians have influenced your views about music and its power?
- [12:34]
B
Many. I mean, yeah, yeah. No, I mean, no, that's, that, that's the thing. Like, who hasn't? You know, there's so many from, you know, Hendrix, you know, John Lennon, the Beatles, the who, the Stones. I mean.
- [12:53]
I, I mentioned, you know, Glenn Miller, that there's something, something magical about that. Frank Sinatra. Whenever I, I, I, I listen to Frank Sinatra, it just takes me to a happy place, you know, it, it, it, the list really is, is, is endless.
- [13:11]
And the soundtrack to my life is still, you know, ongoing.
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I still hear new things and I'm still touched. You know, what is it about piano played in a certain way or somebody playing a violin or, you know, a cello? What is it about that.
- [13:35]
Makes me sort of well up, you know, or start feeling emotional, like I can't explain, I can't explain what that is. Like I said, the question you asked initially is a loaded question because I'm not sure anybody can really answer it.
- [13:53]
In an adequate way. I think it's different for everybody.
- [13:58]
A
There's definitely no one answer that I've found because like you said, it does. For me, it would be harmonies, certain harmonies that just get you, or chord progressions and then, yeah, others with the vibrations. But, but speaking of that, Lauren, I know, does some special healing work. And I'm curious, is music the primary source of your healing work that you do to help others, or do you work in other aspects of, you know, energy and healing? And did we touch a little bit on that just a moment ago? No.
- [14:33]
C
Well, music is a component, but I do a lot of long distance healing work with people over the phone. I also work with people as an energy medicine practitioner. And so I use a lot of my gifts. I have clairvoyant gifts and I'm an intuitive, so I'm able to tap into some things that might not be obvious to people and it's separate from music. But then I do like to use music in my sessions too. And I use a lot of music that has harmonies in it because they do take that, it takes you out of the mind into the body, into more of a higher vibration. So I love harmony.
- [15:12]
A
That just got me. I mean, especially, like, you know, string sections and orchestral harmonies and vocals. They just really do seem to resonate.
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C
Yeah. Yeah, for me, too. I get. I get, like, truth. Truth bumps, you know, when I. Yeah, I do, too.
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A
Well, watching you perform, Rick, with Lauren, it's obvious. You can see your joy just radiates out to your audience. Can you talk about how meaningful it is in your life to be able to collaborate with Lauren?
- [15:44]
B
I mean, it's a huge gift. And, you know, I sit back there, I think the thing that gets me is. And I've heard Lauren tell stories about these songs, you know, many, many times.
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C
But.
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B
I still ask the bass player if he's got a box of tissues that I can borrow.
- [16:08]
I know what's coming, but I don't know what it is about Lauren telling these stories, playing this music in front of people.
- [16:19]
Whether there's this energy exchange that goes on between all of us, you know, whether you're on stage as a musician or whether you're an audience member. But something inexplicable happens, and I'm just really thankful that I've been given this gift and I'm able to experience that, particularly with the woman that I love.
- [16:46]
A
You know, it's very special, Very special. Lauren, can you talk about what it means to you when your music connects deeply with people, especially in time of deep need?
- [16:59]
C
A loaded question. There's so many things, but I think I. For me, it's a. I fulfill purpose. I know I've always been here to do that. And so when I fulfill that and I feel people connect in that way, and.
- [17:16]
It just makes me feel grateful and very blessed and. And I'm happy for them to. To be able to experience something maybe that they haven't before. And one of the things that I think is the biggest blessing to when I get to perform is that people get connected in the room and they're all strangers. You know, no one knows each other, but. But by the concert, there's a real connection with everyone. And I just feel like the world needs that. I need that. I need that. I mean, we're very private people. You know, we. At our shows, it's like, we get happy because we feel like, wow, we're creating family. We're creating people who understand the idea of healing together, which is very foreign to American people. You know, we don't do that outside of, like, churches or whatever, you know, where we gather for spirituality. We Find it, I think it. You know, football games, rock shows, but it's not. It's not with this much intentionality. So for us to create that is really special and have people. But I didn't know I need this. We hear this a lot. I didn't know I needed this as much as I. I'm feeling. I really needed this. And that is. Makes me feel really happy to do that.
- [18:32]
A
How vital is it to you, Rick, when your music connects with your audience?
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B
To me, that is the key. You know, I get moments during the show or whenever I play where I get to observe people and I get to see people's faces, and I can sense when somebody's just having a really deep moment. And that, to me.
- [19:01]
Is. I think one of the reasons I do it.
- [19:06]
Is to be able to connect with somebody in that way. And that happens quite regularly whether I'm playing with Lauren or whether I'm playing with Def Leppard. It just seems that.
- [19:24]
The music unlocks something in people that is sometimes inexplicable.
- [19:32]
A
I wonder how many people enter into the world of music today and don't even realize this factor of it. They just think it's, you know, I'm gonna go perform, do a show, make people happy and leave. And then they're struck by this power that surrounds them, and hopefully they use it for good, like you two.
- [19:54]
Let's talk about doing good. Let's talk about the Raven Drum foundation, which is an amazing, amazing call to action that provides incredible healing services. Could you both talk a little bit about the inception of RDF and how it came to be, and also about the impactful work that's being done right now and for the past 23 years?
- [20:12]
C
I can't believe that seeing that it's gone by like that. Well, we started the foundation naturally, out of the work that we started doing together. Myself, with my energy medicine background, with my healing arts background, and also I was a percussionist and a songwriter. And then Rick, with the knowledge of his journey through his trauma and his work with the drums, I feel like we came together and started sharing it with people. And we saw the impact. We saw that it didn't matter, you know, how old you were, where you were from, what population of people, culture you were, that music was the language, Language, a universal language. And then when we put the intention of awareness, of meditation, of inward thinking, about teaching people how to breathe, how to ground, how to connect together, how to put a problem in front of them and then drum and use the rhythm and breathing and, and, and various mental health techniques. They were able to take away with them something that helped them in their lives, and they connected around the circle with people that they didn't even know. So I think that feeling of belonging is important. That's why we kept doing it all these years. And we work with so many people, and we, we're never disappointed. It's always, it's always connecting. It's always the path for us. And a big pivot, I think, was when Rick went to Walter Reed and he started meeting a lot of the military that were in there. And that's when we decided to work with military and first responders. And Rick had a big impact going there the first time.
- [21:52]
A
Rick, tell me about that. When did you realize that you had to do this work?
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B
Well, we were always doing this work, but not necessarily focused on other veterans or first responders. And going to Walter Reed was really an eye opener for me. The level of suffering was off the chart, and I conveyed that to Lauren when I got back to my hotel, and I got really emotional. I was really upset, and.
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I think Lauren already knew it, but I was like, you know, we have to focus more on our veterans.
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They really need it. This is a really critical time. And she agreed, and that's when we started to focus more on our veterans, and we started to work with Wounded Warrior Project, and we just got deeper and deeper into, you know, into working with our military, and it's been extremely rewarding for both of us.
- [23:02]
A
Amazing. Can you also tell us about the work that Lori Baker does for the foundation?
- [23:08]
C
Lori Baker is our director, so she runs the show, and she definitely wears many hats, and she's just essential to the events that we put on and the work that we do. So we're really happy to have her as part of the team.
- [23:25]
A
All right, last question, and this goes out to both of you. First, Lauren, since we're already here, where do you feel we would be? I know this is a really wide question, but where do you think we would be as a society, or I can even say as a planet without the healing power of the music?
- [23:44]
C
I, you know what? I can't even imagine that.
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A
Right.
- [23:47]
C
But I, we would be very disconnected and we would lose an. A, a huge piece of how we express ourselves. I, I, I could never imagine. And I love the title of this podcast, because music has, does saved my life. It has saved my life. And I know many, many people feel that way. I can't imagine a world without music.
- [24:11]
B
Yeah, I feel, I feel the same way. I experienced music in a certain way as a kid, you know, when I first got into playing music, playing drums. But I had a renewed sense of the power of music after I had my accident. I realized that music was a very, just a very powerful vehicle for just carrying, healing and intention and just the way that I would organize my thoughts and my feelings after I went through that trauma. Music definitely brought that into focus and I'm just really grateful for that. I can't imagine where I'd be if I didn't have that to lean on.
- [25:04]
A
That is probably the most powerful thing I can even imagine. Especially after what you went through and persevered. And for anyone listening to this podcast right now that doesn't know the story he's referring to, look it up. It definitely explains a lot about how you were able to come back. I can't even imagine how that works. And I'm so happy that we're here talking about it all these years later. And that music did, did help save you and, and all of us. And thank you so much for being on the show and it's just such a pleasure to meet both of you and hear about all the good things you're doing and thank you for sharing your story and more importantly, thank you for all the work you continue to do to make the world a better place. We're just thrilled to have the opportunity to spotlight you both.
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B
Thank you.
- [25:52]
C
Thank you so much.
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