“I’M VERY, VERY SORRY……”
Transcript records singer’s apology to El Paso

The following is a transcript of the Def Leppard apology to El Paso:
ARIN MICHAELS, KLAQ PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND DISC JOCKEY:  According to the Arizona Daily Star, a Tucson newspaper, you allegedly made a remark on stage while performing, during Rock of Ages, referring to El Paso as “That place with all the greasy Mexicans”. Is that what you said?
JOE ELLIOTT, DEF LEPPARD LEAD SINGER: In all honesty I don’t remember, but it’s very unlikely. It is possible. What happens, you see, during the set we always do this crowd participation bit. One thing that always gets the crowd going, usually, in a positive way is by mentioning the town that you played in the night before. By saying that they make twice as much noise. It gets, you know, the audience going in quite a big way. If I said that and offended anybody, then I apologize more than you could imagine I could do. The fact is the only reason it was said, if indeed it was said, and I do remember this actually is that when we played in Tucson, Arizona, the people I have eye contact with which is maybe the first 10-12 yards of the crowd. There was a lot of Mexican-Americans in Tucson, right, and the reason I said that was just basically they’re the people I see. So you expect the rest of the audience you can’t see to be the same kind of, you know, mixture of people. So the only reason I mentioned Mexican-Americans in Tucson is because I could see them there and we played in front of a lot of them in El Paso the night before.
And I thought it would wind them up more if I actually mentioned their own kind of, you know, their own race of people. It was not meant as a racial or harmful statement in any way. It was basically just a bit of a wind up to try to get the crowd more excited than they already were.
MS. MICHAELS:  So a remark about….why a remark about greasy Mexicans?
ELLIOTT:  I have no idea. I can’t answer that. Possibly because I watch too much Cheech and Chong. It wasn’t intended as a harmful thing. It was the same way as we get called Limey Tea Bags, you know. Why Limey? It’s the same thing, it was totally unintentional. Being English, right, being an English person I really didn’t understand that was such an insult because I’m not Mexican-American.
I do not live in El Paso, so I don’t actually understand what is and what is not a good or bad thing to say. And, obviously, that night I made a big mistake. It was unintentional, and supposedly just, you know, a bit of playful chit-chat with the audience. That’s all it was supposed to be. And, if I’ve offended anybody, then I’m very, very sorry about it….it actually upsets me to think that somebody out there thinks that I’ve intentionally ripped into El Paso. I mean, the day we were there, it was Def Leppard Day for a start…the lord-high mayor there made us all honorary citizens….it was something with a lot of pride involved.
There’s no way that we are gonna abuse that on purpose. We’re not that kind of band.
I always do remember….like four years ago, I was driving a van delivering nuts and bolts….that was my job. And now I’m the singer in a very successful rock and roll band and there’s no way I’m abusing that situation.
It was totally unintentional. I really am sorry if I offended anybody.
MS. MICHAELS:  Well, you did, that’s how El Paso took it and we do accept your apology, and we thank you very much for calling all the way from Tokyo.
ELLIOTT:  No problem. Before I go, I would like to, actually I’m just taking this into my own hands, it’s not sorted out, but we will sort this out, right?
MS. MICHAELS:  Yes.
ELLIOTT:  I suppose it’s the least we can do, really. We’re gonna organize some t-shirts and some albums, right? And, we will, at my own expense, fly out two listeners to see our show in Europe, Paris or somewhere like that from El Paso.
MS. MICHAELS: Wonderful, I think that’s only fair…We do appreciate that and again I thank you very much for calling and for the apology.

"Disc jockey Arin Michaels tapes Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott's apology to El Pasoans from Tokyo while KLAQ

general manager Charlie Cohn takes over broadcasting". 

                             "Arin Michaels holds an album cover ripped apart in protest to remarks by Def Leppard".

2} DEF LEPPARD CHANGES ITS TUNE
'Greasy Mexicans' regretted
October 1, 1983
By Edna Gunderson
El Paso Times staff writer

Terming the remark “playful chit-chat,” Joe Elliott, lead singer for rock group Def Leppard, apologized Friday for calling El Paso “that place with all the greasy Mexicans.”
Elliott earned the dubious distinction as the Earl Butz of rock ‘n’ roll after making the remark during a Tucson, Arizona concert September 7, the day after the British band played before a sell-out crowd in the El Paso County Coliseum.
Jill Schensul, pop music critic for The Arizona Daily Star, the Tucson newspaper that quoted Elliott, said the singer blurted the insult while encouraging audience participation in the song Rock of Ages.
Elliott apologized by phone from Tokyo to El Paso radio station KLAQ-FM, which broadcast the message at 7 p.m. Friday.
“If I’ve offended anyone, then I’m very, very sorry for it. Being an English person, I didn’t really understand that the expression was such an insult,” Elliott said, noting that few Americans realize the label “limey” is considered derogatory by Britons. “I’m not a Mexican-American. I do not live in El Paso, so I don’t really understand what is and what is not a good or bad thing to say.” Elliott explained that he made the comment while encouraging audience cheers.
“What gets the crowd going is mentioning the town the night before and saying they made twice as much noise,” Elliott said.
Both the Tucson and El Paso audiences were heavily Hispanic, he said, adding, “I thought I would wind them up more if I actually mentioned their own race of people. It was not meant as a racial slur of harmful statement in any way.”
Asked why he used the word “greasy,” Elliott said, “ I don’t know. I can’t answer that. Possibly because I watch too much Cheech and Chong {a comedy team}. Obviously, that night I made a big mistake. It was unintentional.”
Def Leppard members were proud to be named honorary citizens of El Paso the day of their performance, Elliott said. In recognition of the band’s popularity, Mayor Johnathan Rogers had proclaimed September 6th Def Leppard Day.  “There’s no way we’re going to abuse that on purpose,” Elliott said. “It actually upsets me to think someone out there thinks I’ve intentionally ripped into El Paso.”
He promised to send Def Leppard t-shirts and records to KLAQ for distribution to El Paso fans and said, “At my own expense, we’ll fly out two listeners to our in Europe, in Paris or somewhere like that, from El Paso.”
Elliott’s apology came on the heels of a public outcry Friday, with angry reactions fired from the mayor, rock radio stations and the League of United Latin American Citizens.
The mayor issued this statement Friday afternoon: “Such comments are disgusting. The Hispanic culture is valued highly in all of the world and especially in El Paso. An apology is certainly due to the citizens of El Paso. As far as I’m concerned, the band will not be welcome in El Paso again.”  
Irate representative of KLAQ-FM radio and LULAC blasted the band Friday. Joe Loya, LULAC district director, called for a boycott of Def Leppard records, concerts and t-shirts.
“We need to hit him where it hurts….in the pocketbook, Loya said, adding that Elliott’s apology would not affect LULAC’s plans. “An apology won’t cut it. Anybody who makes that kind of statement is a bigot and a racist. It should never have been said. What good reason can you give me to forgive someone like that? There’s no reason.”
Hoping to mobilize nationwide action, Loya said he contacted other LULAC district directors and the organization’s national president, who Loya said plans to file a protest with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
“We are asking all Americans against racism to destroy their Def Leppard records,” Loya said. “We are not going to stand for this. They come here, take our money, then insult us.”
Loya first got wind of the gaffe from his 14 year-old daughter, Sabina, who heard the announcement on KLAQ.
“My daughter thought the world of them, and they called her a greasy Mexican,” Loya said, adding that he had paid $13.95 for his daughter’s Union Jack t-shirt. “Now I’m going to burn it.”
At the suggestion Elliott’s words may have been spoken jokingly, Loya spat angrily,
”Whether it was said in jest or seriously is immaterial. I’m not laughing. It’s not funny. I hope they don’t come back.”
KLAQ declared a weekend boycott of Def Leppard records, but may extend the boycott if the station’s listeners demand it during a phone poll planned for Monday.