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Interview with Spain's Popular 1 Magazine

"The first time we came to Spain, we got stopped by the police because they thought we were Basque terrorists", says Brian Johnson with wide opened eyes. "All the problems started because I was wearing my cap. Malcolm told the police, "He is from England..." and the policeman said: "Nah. He doesn't sound English to me". And Malcolm said: "I'm from England too", and the guy told him: "and you don't look like anyone I've ever seen from England". I thought, "shit, he's making things worse."
Being the world's most regular guys is sometimes risky. That was in 1980, but nowadays, offstage, all the AC/DC members would have trouble demonstrating to an unprepared hotel doorkeeper that they are members of one of the best rock and roll bands in the whole world. The "Rock Star" expression doesn't exists in the mental universe of these Australians.
20 years after that tragicomic anecdote, many things have happened in the bands story. At that time, it was Brian Johnson's debut tour and Bon Scott had died some months ago. AC/DC had decided to conquer the world. And they did it.
Since that moment, there have been albums better than others, but AC/DC were always amongst the greatest rock and roll bands ever. Like the good old wine from Bordeaux, time has been on their side.
Nowadays, they're true living legends, in the same league as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles or The Who. With the difference that after a 25-year career AC/DC are still active.
AC/DC have a new studio album, five years after . The new three-chord-marvels collection is called . Probably, this the album more blues rooted, since the great and often forgotten 1978's . displays an almost crafty work. Electric blues rock, noble and pure like the air of the desert. Songs like "Damned", "House Of Jazz" or "Satellite Blues" say it all. As every AC/DC album, has the instant and almost miraculous capacity of making move his foot to anyone who listens to it. Doctors should investigate this phenomenon. Anyway, AC/DC keep on rocking as they've always done.
 

Although his hair and his skin show that time has passed, the sharp look and the smile of the heart of AC/DC, is, as always, the one of the incorrigible student, the eternal hyperactive teenager. Angus Young lights a cigarette one after one, and makes an effort to answer each question with dedication.
 
The vital Brian Johnson has a look of a very funny truck driver. Needles to say, he's wearing his infamous cap. He doesn't stop making jokes, and has an irresistible and contagious laugh. If he weren't a singer, he perfectly could have been a great comedian. The friendly Geordie is proud of the achievements of Bobby Robson in his beloved Newcastle, but he grieves of the dirty deeds of Paul Gascoigne. It seems that not all the people born in Newcastle are such good guys like Brian.
Outside of the hotel we were in Paris, over the Elysian Fields, the weather changes from a snowstorm to bright shiny sunshine in a few minutes. The current musical atmosphere doesn't happen to be the best for this music. However, as with many other things, AC/DC don't' give a fuck about it.
During three decades, AC/DC have seen so many musical changes like weather changes, and they're still there. "We always had this kind of thing", reflects Angus with calm and perspective. "When I grew up, there were groups like The Osmonds and stuff like that. Soft and nice things. The difference was that I just knew we were different. When you go out and play, you can see it. When we went to America the first time, even our record company has said, "In this country? Rock music?". And that was what we played".
 
 
Paris seems to be the right place for this interview. In fact, it was here where you filmed 'Let There Be Rock' movie back in 1979.
Angus Young: "Yes. I remember that we played in an old building; I don't know if it's still there anymore. We hadn't played in Paris in a long time. I was very excited when I heard that they planned to do two shows in one day, I couldn't believe it. It was a good thing. That time was very exciting".

Do you really like the parts in which you appear performing and talking? The only one who seemed to enjoy them was Bon Scott.
Angus: "... and the ones we were walking around... (laughs) Nah. I think that with AC/DC, the best thing is what we are. And the best is onstage. I don't think that the other things capture what we are".

The new record 'Stiff Upper Lip', is somehow a return to those times. Is all brand new stuff, or did you begin writing in 1996 right after the 'Ballbreker' tour?
Angus: "Pretty much, right away. Then, we released the "Bonfire" box set, which was a commitment with the record company. We wanted to do something a bit different from the normal, and it was a good idea for lot of people who, all over the years, have asked us where they could get this stuff with Bon. Probably it was the best time, because with the years you have distance from it. When you see the people doing things close to the time, I think it's no good. We gave it the distance.

You need perspective.
Angus: "Yeah. It took time to search, to find some things, to choose what was good. From that point, really from 1996, we started writing and had to stop for "Bonfire", and after that, we continued again getting the ideas together for the record, and concentrating on that".

Brian, at the beginning of last year, you attended the Diamond Awards to receive the Prize for 'Back In Black' ten million sales, and there you said that the new record was going to be bluesier. Was the musical direction completely defined at that time?
Brian Johnson: "When I'd just been, I'd just come back from seeing Angus and Malcolm, and that's how I knew that it was gonna be that way. I just went over to the ceremony because Malcolm and Angus were too busy. ¡I drew the shortest straw!". (laughs)

Obviously, producer George Young is your brother and he has worked on many of the early AC/DC records, but having the chance of choosing any producer you'd wanted in the world, why did you choose to work with George again this time?
Angus Young: "I think it was for the ideas themselves. Me and Malcolm were working all over the ideas Brian said, and one of the questions we asked ourselves was who we were gonna get into to the studio. We felt that the album we wanted to do was a good rock and roll AC/DC album. We wanted to stick to that. And it was like instant (snaps his fingers). George, especially from the beginning, always knew exactly what we wanted to do. We told him, "we want to do a rock and roll record". And he said, "Yes. Let's do it". It's good, because he had the availability himself. He had the time, which is very important, because he gets involved with a lot of things he's done all over the years".

Why isn't Harry Vanda around this time?
Angus: "Harry's been doing his own thing, just like George normally does. He has several different things he does besides music. George was free and Harry was tied with other commitments. George has always been very tight, very close, probably because we're brothers. And we felt it was good".
 
Are you who sings the chorus in 'Come And Get It'?
Angus: "No, it's not me. It's Malcolm".

Really?
(Brian and Angus sing) "Come and get it!" (laughs)

It reminds me a lot to what you did in "T.N.T."
Angus: "Yes, and in "Dirty Deeds..."
Brian: "In fact, Angus is somewhere".

Where?
Angus: "In the song "Hold Me Back", at the end. There I'm joining Brian".

Was it an idea of George like that of "T.N.T."?
Angus: "No. Malcolm's actually. He told George "this is for Angus. I see him singing along the studio every day". But I like to sing like "T.N.T.", like Malcolm does in "Come And Get It".

One of the songs of I like the most is "Safe In New York City".
Brian: "Good song".
Angus: "Yeah, it has the right groove from the beginning. You hear it, and I think that it catches the mood of a big city, specially a city like New York".

What do you remember of the first time you played in New York?
Angus: "We played in a building called The Palladium. We opened the show for two American bands. Once we played there, we went to the CBGB".

Twice the same night.
Angus: "Yeah, it was quite good. Bon said, "when we're going down to the CBGB, we can tell the audience to come to see us!" (laughs)

Being there, you had a fight with someone from the audience, hadn't you?
Angus: "That was in Long Island. It wasn't really a fight. What happened to me is that the guy threw me those big metal orange things and hit me on my head. I stopped playing and good Malcolm said, "Ah, ignore this guy". But I just said to the guy, "Do it again", and he hit me again with that thing".

And you jumped over him.
Angus: "Yes, I jumped... He regretted it" (laughs)

Legend says in 1977, when you were recording the last part of 'Whole Lotta Rosie's' solo, your amp started to burn, but George told you to keep on playing. Was there any similar anecdote during 'Stiff Upper Lip Sessions'?
Brian: "There was one that made my eyes cry".
Angus: "Yes, there were a lot. When he was singing the song "Can't Stand Still", all of us were hanging around watching. He ran for a few times, but one of them was like magic. Suddenly, we saw George gesticulating as a madman, making signs to Brian through the glass to keep on doing it that way, and we supported him with gestures. And when he finished, George started clapping".
Brian: "When I got out of the room, he was almost in shock and I told them, "Thank you boys. Thank you so much!" (laughs)

I suppose this is the one that appears on 'Stiff Upper Lip'.
Angus: "Yes, of course, it was the good one".

On Internet there have been published lists of 17 songs for 'Stiff Upper Lip'. Finally, 12 songs were included in the album. What happened with the rest?
Angus: There are probably even more that have been written. Or just ideas or things. But what we've done, if you're working through, you have to know where you want to go. They have to sound like AC/DC. We work under that format. Basically, we concentrated heavily on the twelve songs. And we stopped there, when they begun to shine. Even Brian would tell you. There's always jams sessions, many things. There is always a lot of material. We do them. That's how we've always worked".

I've heard several songs from the sessions of 1988, which weren't included in the album, like "Borrowed Time", "Snake Eye" and "Down On The Borderline". For this album you also wrote more. Does it have something to do with the fact you were working with George again? Is that his usual way of work?
Brian: "They are different situations. For that album, Harry Vanda worked too. George is completely different. Harry's always got somebody else to talk with. And George is a different animal I think. He doesn't feel he has to ask to anybody his own mind".

Do you ever think about publishing this unreleased stuff in the future?
Angus: "I don't know either. We have always worked on what we've being doing at the moment. What we're doing is what we do at that point. This is what represents us now. We don't know, maybe in ten years we might go back and do "This song" or "That song". Brian would tell you this. Sometimes I have an idea and I like it, but it doesn't fit, we ended doing a different version of it. We work this way. Sometimes you have things that have been with you for 20 years. Even "Back In Black", a big chunk of it are ideas that me and Malcolm and had been playing for years and years. And we would jam on it, just the two of us. And it may happen that Brian come in, and then me and Malcolm start working on it, thinking what we can do something different for that chorus. It's a puzzle. Then a piece of the puzzle comes and falls into place. And it was something we had been trying. It can be something we have since 1975 that could still fit somewhere".

You were talking about . I've read that during the recording of the album, in Bahamas, you went fishing, left the fish in the refrigerator, but there was a blackout. Then, the following day, the studio had a terrible smell.
Brian: "Oh yeah, I remember that. The boys caught a huge tuna fish, chopped in steaks and stored it in the fridge. There was a blackout, and the next day everything smelled like shit and it was full of fucking insects".
Angus: "Then, the woman who used to cook came, and we asked her, "what's the eating today?". She had this fish she called Conch, and she said: "Conch". And we came,Noooo!".
Brian: She was the biggest black maid I have ever seen in my whole life. She almost scared us. She shouted at us all the time. She was the one who cleaned, but in fact, she ran the place".

How do you remember the late Bruce Fairbairn? He did a great job on "The Razor's Edge".
Brian: "God bless'im".
Angus: "Bruce was a very likable man, very sort of down to earth. What we call "no bullshit". He wasn't a sort of the star producer. He was good man, happy go lucky. He liked to smile, liked to joke. He wasn't somebody who did pressure. We were always in touch, and if he was near, he called us and tell us, "hey, I'm in New York. Why don't we hang out?" He was a very good guy. It was a shock actually when I heard it. We were going to the studio in Canada, and Malcolm called me to tell me that we should get Bruce here, because George would be there, and Mal and George love soccer. Bruce was into soccer, he was the coach of a junior team. We thought that if there was a game in the city, we could go to watch together. Just the day before I left, I got a call telling me that Bruce just has passed away. It was horrible. He was very young. I knew him. He wasn't a smoker, was a healthy man, at the end of the day he may have a beer. That's it. I wouldn't call him a lush. Jesus, nobody expected it.
 
For you started working with Eddie Kramer, but it didn't work. What really happened?
Angus: "In fact, we didn't really work. What happened was that the head of the record company at that time, came down with him in order to get him interested in doing something. We'd just come from Australia, and in fact, and we had some ideas from there, we started writing in Miami, and started to rehearse. He came in and he wanted to get involved, you know. It just was one of those things. He was on his thing, he didn't suit what we wanted. To be honest with you, I don't think he was into it. He was a guy who seemed set in what he's been doing".

Was there any producer who has asked you to do something ridiculous like adding keyboards or horns to the AC/DC music?
Angus: "He did (laughs).Yeah, he was a little bit like that. What I remember is that when we had some songs almost finished, he came to us and said "forget that. I don't want to know about that". One day me and Malcolm were working over an idea, and Malcolm said "OK... let's have the day off". As soon he was out of the way, me and Malcolm started to work, and that day or so we'd done at least six songs. That makes you understand how it worked. Everything had to be his ideas. I think he was involved because there was one of the guys who worked in the company, that was a friend of him. Me and Malcolm decided not to work with him".
 
For the first time in your career, you are going to give a personal guitar clinic, it's something really unusual. A benefit auction, and the one who donates more money, wins the class with you.
Angus: "Yeah. But I've done already done it for guitar magazines that asked me different times to sit there and play. Because every now and again, they might come to ask you to sit and do a few of your songs to show them what I do. This is different.
Brian: It's quite a challenge actually.
Angus: Yeah. And it could be fun.

I have understood that when you were learning how to play, your brothers- who already played the guitar- didn't pay much attention to you.
Angus: "Yeah, I was very little. Music is memory. You have to remember. When you're young, you get an idea and you start. And in the very early days, I didn't even think about it. I just picked up the guitar, started playing and started to form chords. In fact, some of those chords I picked then, me and Malcolm we're still playing them. They taught me. George came and said: "It's like this, I'll show you". Malcolm would also too. So you pick things. They never sat down and went "We're gonna teach you to play". It was like "You have to figure out a lot yourself".

You still say that Malcolm stills amazing you.
Angus: "Yes".
I think that the person who best defined the role of Malcolm in AC/DC was Bon Scott, when he was asked he said: "Malcolm? He is the brain".
Angus: "Malcolm is really unique in the way he approaches something. I look to what I do, which can be a good solo, but when I look what he does, is unique to itself. It's just rhythm. I can copy him, but it's not the same. When watch him, it's so crisp, so even, and it looks so simple. But when I try it, it's very hard. I've seen other people looking at him and not being able to do what he does".
Brian: "He's a very singular man. He's an introvert who tells you to fuck off. If somebody says a mixed statement, he would jiggle three different ways to know what this guy's trying to get at. He remembers somebody, and he crossed him forever! He will not forgive that man, if he thinks that man has done what he thinks it's an unforgivable thing. If you think that you will come back ten years later, with a different suit on, he won't recognise you, forget it. He will tell you to get the fuck out of here".

As a brother, how is your relationship with him?
Angus: "It's always been very close. We are brothers. He's also very protective with me too. I can go wrong a hundred million times, and he always will sit by my side and he always will be the first tell me something and help me. He's always behind me, telling me something. Brian would tell you, I'm the youngest in the band. Brian's got a lot of more wisdom than probably Malcolm. They see things that I don't. George see things that I don't see. Sometimes I'm full of me, I'm full of steam and you're away. For me it's good for me, that my brother comes to me and tell me: "hey, hey, not so quick". When we're playing it's so telepathic. He's very strong too. When we are playing onstage, if I make a mistake or something well, he tells me "Don't worry, I'll cover you here". He's also gifted like that. Even in the studio or something, when I'm working, and George is there, who is older, and I want to say something, as I'm the youngest brother, he tells, "hush, puppy" (laughs). Then I get Malcolm, and Malcolm explains Angus' point of view to George".

How do you remember the experience of having taken part in Howard Stern's movie 'Private Parts'?
Brian: "We knew him pretty well. Howard had already done several interviews with us. He likes the band. He's a genuine good fan. Then, he had told us: "When you come to New York, I'll give you a gift". And he meant it. And we finished singing that song ("You Shook Me All Night Long") at the end. It was good fun."
Angus: "He had fun. You know, Hollywood is very strict. And is a sterile thing in a way for us. They like everything perfect. We started playing and they say "Stop", we keep on playing and they said it again. We kept on playing".
 
The thing nobody expected was that Arnold Schwartzenegger was an AC/DC fan.
Angus: "It was strange. He called the record company, he wanted to get a hold with us to do a song for his film. When Arnold Schwarzenegger asks, it's pretty hard to say no. He's a big guy! It think it was fun too. I like it when the people let you be what you are. It's like when book writer Stephen King came to us. He's a great fan of us. We were on tour, he called the record company and asked if he could just say hello to us. He came and said: "I'm a fan. You probably even know, but every time you play in Boston, or you're in around the Maine area, there's a person that comes and asks you if you could do just a little hello to a radio station". I told him: "Yes, I remember". And he said: "I own that radio station. I got sick of not hearing AC/DC, so I round them up and said, "I'm buying it". He bought the radio station. He told us, "You're still Number One on the playlist" (laughs). He told us he was going to do a film, he gave Malcolm the script, but it was the typical Hollywood thing. Malcolm told him, "For you, yes, but not for us".They are a corporation, the only thing they are worried about is the box office. The return. We told him, "we'll do a song for you, but it has to be a rock song. We're not interested in doing what they want, that it's a pop song". And Stephen supported us".

In addition, he plays guitar in a band.
Angus: "Yes, he told us that they try playing our songs, but badly" (laughs)

Have you ever been offered to do advertisements? Not long ago, Van Halen, or Kiss, appeared on the magazines doing ads for a milk brand.
Angus: "You get a lot of people asking if you can do that kind of thing and stuff. You can say yes to some things, but no to others, but it depends on what they want to do. Malcolm always says. If somebody sends us something and tells us it's a movie, and explain it's a small production, and have a good story, although they have a small budget, if it's a good idea, we can say "you can use it". But if it's like the other things that come with lot of money behind, and big dollars, we say no".
Brian: "The best ad I ever saw, It has nothing to do with this, was when I was driving through South Carolina, and there was a huge billboard for a radio station. It has a picture of Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton, and underneath that it said: "Rock 79. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (laughs). It was a pity I didn't have a camera, because I would have sent a picture to each one".
 
 I don't know if it was as hard as Clinton's but during the 'Ballbreaker' tour, you Brian had an accident with the infamous demolition ball. They say, that in fact, it actually crushed your parts.
Brian: "It happened every now and again. Every time I went up, it was very funny, but we had to do it on time. Norman (the roadie) started swinging the ball, sometimes getting very violent. Every time I did it, I began "uffffff" (laughs). Again, everything was so wet... we were in a really hot venue, I was on the ball, the microphone was like a banana and landed on the floor. How could I start singing this fucking song? Imagine, the ball moving up, I was up there, the band playing, and I watched backwards desperately looking for the guy on the crew. I felt really stupid. But they kept on playing until the ball came down. God bless them".

Is it true that when you tried Brian after Bon Scott's death, you did it with Ike & Tina Turner's 'Nutbush City Limits'?
Angus: "We told him to do anything he felt comfortable doing..."
Brian: (laughs) "When I got there, Malcolm asked me, "What do fancy doing?". And I told him, "Nutbush City Limits". Mal turned back, looked to the others and said: "Listen that, at least, it's not the fucking "Smoke On The Water" again!".

They said the first time your father went to an AC/DC concert in Newcastle; he said that even in World-War 2 he hadn't heard so much noise.
Brian: "Yes (laughs). One guy came and told him: "You should be very proud", and he answered (imitating the voice of his father): "I'll tell you what. I was in The Alamein, in the big battle. But I have never heard anything louder as that" (laughs).

Is it true Angus, that you love History, in particular World-War 2?
Angus: "Anything. I like reading history because you can understand what has happened earlier. Because I think in history you learn a lot of what's coming. Something you see in past, you can see now. It's a good insight. Sometimes it's good, because you realize that when they think they find a new technology, or new information, it's something that comes from three or four hundreds ago. I like going way back. I love the pyramids, the Roman Empire. I'm a big fan of Hannibal, the man who went over the Alps, and of Alexander The Great also. Things like that. I love history in general. I haven't got much of an education, so this is a way to learn by my own. It's something I've always been interested in".

Also I've been told that when you are not on tour, you paint.
Angus: "Yes, If I get time, I do it. It's just a hobby. Sometimes I sit and do something".

Which technique do you use?
Angus: "I can do a good house paint! (laughs). I like it, It's just something I've done it since I was young. Sketching. It also could be water colour, oil or pastel. Every now and again, something different".

And you Brian, do you keep on collecting cars and motorcycles?
Brian: "Race cars. It's like playing in a rock and roll band. You gotta be fast, you gotta be slow at the right time. You gotta keep your head on your shoulders. And have a good time. That's really exciting.
Angus: From the beginning. Since I first meet him, he was really into cars.
Brian: I love cars. I love the excitement of racing. It's always good. It's like Angus, it's a way to get completely away. I like history too, like Angus. We have to look back at history. It is assumed that people should realize and might learn by it. But it seems they haven't learnt too much! (laughs).