Brain Shake

Very light reading, Why AC/DC Matters skims across

the band's career, with some odd and funny anecdotes

Australian-based rockers AC/DC have been in the news a lot lately, thanks in part to the head-scratching behaviour of their drummer Phil Rudd. Rudd, who was with the band in their early days, was dismissed in 1983 (his personal issues led to band conflict), but then returned in '94. He's been with AC/DC ever since, though his current status is on shaky ground. The percussionist has recently been charged with death threats and possession of narcotics. Jeez, a rock star behaving badly?

Rudd hasn't been fulfilling his duties as a band member either, missing first a photo shoot then a video shoot, and on top of that hasn't been very reliable about showing up for rehearsals. What's up with that? You'd think if you were in one of the world's most famous bands, you'd want to hang onto that job, eh?

And then there is the sad news that AC/DC's rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young suffered a stroke and was then diagnosed with  dementia. Malcolm, along with brother and lead guitarist Angus, were founders of the band way back in 1973. It must be hard for Angus to not only see a beloved and longtime bandmate leave, but also to see his own brother going through hellish health issues. Dementia is a terrible condition that causes drastic psychological changes, like paranoia, altered personality, and hallucinations, among other symptoms. I don't see how anyone could stand on stage and perform a concert with all of that going on in their head. 

AC/DC was one of my favourite bands when I was a teenager in the late 70's and early 80's. I never had the ear-shattering pleasure of seeing them perform live, but I kept on top of their album releases for many years. I think the last AC/DC album I ever got fresh off the store shelf was 1983's Flick of the Switch (a gift from my brother, actually). It was after that release that I felt the guys were repeating themselves far too much. There are only so many ways you can rearrange three chords and play a blues scale within the confines of the AC/DC formula. Hey, it worked great for ten years, but nothing they did after that ever came close to the quality of their 70's albums, nor the chart-busting Back in Black and even For Those About to Rock of the early 80's. But I commend the boys for their work ethic and ability to hammer out such a long career and sustain a loyal following that spans generations. 

Malcolm in the early days... one of rock's great

masters of the catchy riff and solid rhythm