VARIOUS: ANGUS YOUNG AND BRIAN JOHNSON OF AC/DC HOLD SATELLITE TELECONFERENCE WITH FANS IN SEVEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Record ID: 386491

  • Title: VARIOUS: ANGUS YOUNG AND BRIAN JOHNSON OF AC/DC HOLD SATELLITE TELECONFERENCE WITH FANS IN SEVEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
  • Date: 21st September 1995
  • Summary: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (RTV - ACCESS ALL) (SEPTEMBER 21 1995) JOHNSON AND YOUNG SAYING YOU CAN'T REST ON YOUR LAURELS, YOU HAVE TO SHOW THEM YOU ARE BETTER THAN YOU WERE FOUR YEARS AGO. AC/DC MAKES THE KIDS FEEL LIKE EVERY GIG IS THE FIRST ONE, WE ARE JUST AS KEEN AND EAGER AS THEM.
  • Embargoed: 6th October 1995 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/ PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC/ PARIS, FRANCE AND VIDEO LOCATIONS
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom France
  • Topics: Entertainment,Economic News
  • Reuters ID: LVA1S2FXS26XTGWDDI8ICWW4U7YZ
  • Story Text: Veteran rock 'n' rollers Angus Young (guitar) and Brian Johnson (singer) of AC/DC held a satellite teleconference on Thursday (September 21) to chat with their fans in seven European countries.

    Speaking from a London studio, Young and Johnson spent two hours fielding questions from fans watching them on video screens in nightclubs in Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, Madrid, Lisbon, Milan and Paris.

    The fans' curiosity about their idols' lives touched on technical matters such as their choice of equipment (Marshall amplifiers, Gibson guitars), their favourite drinks (beer), their touring plans, and guitarist Angus Young's penchant for wearing a school uniform on stage.

    AC/DC'S fans are often featured in their music videos. Johnson attributes the band's success since their formation more than 20 years ago to their relationship with fans and to AC/DC's own belief in the values of basic rock 'n' roll, which he says never goes out of fashion.

    Young agreed, adding "We have a few more wrinkles, the teeth might drop out, but the music hasn't changed...and we're proud of those wrinkles, we've earned them".

    Fans throughout Europe spent Thursday evening watching AC/DC video classics from the past as well as "Hard as a Rock", from the band's new album "Ballbreaker", which was released at the end of last week. The video features a daring stunt from Young, who sits on top of a giant demolition ball-and-chain which swings through the air, an experience he defined as "scary".

    "Good stuff, Ballbreaker, good stuff", was the verdict of one young fan in Prague.

    "AC/DC? Killer riffs!", commented another in Paris, alluding to Young"s guitar solos.

    Several fans in different countries asked Young and Johnson how they felt about the death of the band's original singer, Bon Scott, in 1980 from acute alcoholic poisoning.

    "Bon is still a part of AC/DC," said Young, "you think of him as being there in spirit".

    During the satellite linkup, Young and Johnson also took the opportunity to quash rumours that AC/DC would disband after their next tour, a question that surfaced repeatedly from fans in different countries.

    Fans in Paris even managed to tempt Johnson to deliver an unaccompanied rendition of the "The Boogie Man", from the new album, over the satellite. The volume of the performance may not have reached the levels used by United States troops in Panama to drive General Noriega out of his hideout, but the fans didn't seem to mind.

    Young and Johnson assured their fans that an extensive tour was on the cards for early 1996, but the exact schedule will be announced in October. Sales of the new album, "Ballbreaker", have already reached 900,00 worldwide, excluding the United States.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register