In his youth, Joe was caught by the music of the late 60s/early 70s 'glam' bands such as T.Rex, Mott The Hoople and (David Bowie's) Ziggy Stardust. Joe's dream to be a member of the imaginary band Deaf Leopard came true when he joined Atomic Mass, originally formed by Rick Savage and Pete Willis. Partly because of Joe's dream, the band was renamed to Def Leppard.