AC/DC the members go out: The rhythm guitarist suffers from dementia, the drummer has been arrested by the New Zealand police - the Australian megastars have certainly imagined their fortieth anniversary of service differently. But despite the adverse circumstances: Mastermind Angus Young does not think of an end to the hard rock institution. AC/DC will go on a world tour in 2015 with their new album "Rock Or Bust".
Crime scene Düsseldorf: Angus Young resides in a suite of the luxurious Breidenbacher Hof, which seems almost oversized for its physical dimensions. The 59-year-old Australian with Scottish roots, a second home in the Dutch town of Aalten and a terrible down-under accent is known to be a small, slender man who is now almost bald and has an extremely unhealthy greyish pale complexion.
The chain smoker, who is a great musician but not a great orator, was awakened this morning with a bad news: fellow band member Phil Rudd was arrested by the New Zealand police. The drummer is said to have hired an assassin to kill two men; he is also accused of possession of drugs. Other artists would probably have cancelled all press appointments at that moment. Not so Angus Young, who seems a bit more shy and reserved on this day than usual.
eclipsed: Angus, you are now in your late fifties, early sixties and sound like you always have - is this proof that age no longer plays a role in rock music or that this form of expression is no longer just for young people?
Angus Young: At least as long as you make it reasonable. You always sound the way you feel. And I don't feel a bit like fifty-nine, for God's sake! I am still a child - trapped in the body of a mature man. And I live that out in music. This is what AC/DC is: a fountain of youth for the soul. What the body looks like doesn't matter, especially since we've never been really pretty before. But when I play guitar, I'm still eighteen... (laughs)
eclipsed: Then "Rock Or Bust" is not only album title, but also attitude to life?
Young: Why not? Just do what you like and don't let anyone tell you what to do. That's what we're trying to express. Please layout it separately at this point: "I found out about Phil from the news just like everybody else."
eclipsed: Whereby the title gains a completely different meaning through Phil Rudd's situation - it could also be translated as "Rocken oder Verhafttwerden" or "Rocken oder Auffliegen"..
Young: This was definitely not planned. But, sorry, I can't talk about that because I don't know what really happened. I haven't talked to Phil yet, but I've learned that from the news just like everyone else, which is really not good timing before such an interview. So let's please change the subject.
