1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,519 Speaker 1: I'm Buzznight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: music history on foot. If you want to keep up 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: with Taking a Walk episodes, or if you want to 4 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: suggest a guest or be a guest, go to takin 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: Awalk dot com, subscribe to our newsletter, or leave us 6 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: a comment. We also appreciate if you like this podcast, 7 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: please follow us on Apple podcast or Spotify or wherever 8 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: you get your podcast, leave us a review, or share 9 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: this with a friend. 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 2: Today we have a treat. 11 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: We're Virtual because this is how we're going to get 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: this member of Rock Royalty, and we're so excited we 13 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: couldn't miss this opportunity to speak with Brian Johnson, the 14 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: lead singer of ac DC. Brian is the legendary frontman 15 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,639 Speaker 1: and he's the author of the new book The Lives 16 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: of Brian, and I'm honored to have him on Taking 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: a Walk. 18 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 3: Hello everybody, Hello. 19 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 4: Bryan, Yes, sir, I'm so happy to have Rock Royalty here. 20 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 3: Oh fu any boy, Oh. 21 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 4: Brian, thanks for being on the Taking a Walk Podcast. 22 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 4: It's a tremendous honor. 23 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 3: Oh honestly, it's my pleasure anything. 24 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 4: So congratulations on the Lives of Brian. I want to 25 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,559 Speaker 4: talk about that, but I wanted to ask you take 26 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 4: me inside that moment when you're you're on stage, the 27 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 4: lights go down in the stadium, the music begins, the 28 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 4: band starts breaking into rock or bust or thunderstruck or 29 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 4: whatever the opener is, What does that moment feel like 30 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 4: from your perspective when it's happening? 31 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:54,559 Speaker 3: Okay, Well, first of all, it's never boring. It's never 32 00:01:54,840 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 3: you never get used to it. Buzz, it's every nerve 33 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 3: is ready to go. You look along your side there 34 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 3: and there's Angus just walking away in his guitar and 35 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 3: moving and me, you know, I'm blimbering up getting ready. 36 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 3: I mean, we go on just like you know, just 37 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 3: when you see football players before they go on the pitch, 38 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 3: you know they're jumping around and moving because you know 39 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 3: the minute you're going to get on there, you're not 40 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 3: going to get a brick for two and a half hours. 41 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 3: Isn't any ballads, so you know, and then you hear 42 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,559 Speaker 3: the crowd and then when you do get on. I've 43 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 3: got to say this, they say, audience is really lift you. 44 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 3: I mean I actually lift you and just give your 45 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 3: strength that you just didn't think was there. You know, 46 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 3: and after you go and that's it. That's the end 47 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 3: of that. There's no turning back. And I think what 48 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,519 Speaker 3: you've got to do is set it to a for 49 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 3: few of us singers. When I asked what I do, 50 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,239 Speaker 3: I said, I said, before you go on stage to sing, 51 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 3: you fix it. It's as simple as that. You fix 52 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,959 Speaker 3: them being at voice and just charge. Otherwise you know, 53 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 3: there's nothing, it's just regular or average. So yeah, it's 54 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 3: it's a fascinating time. Buzz oh, I love it. 55 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 4: One of the listeners to our podcast a guy named 56 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 4: Dennis from Tennessee outside of Nashville. 57 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 2: He asked me to ask you this question. 58 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 4: He said, how do you feel when you see young 59 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 4: and old generations jam in their ass off to a 60 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 4: c DC. 61 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 3: It's fantastic. I mean, there's not many bonds I can 62 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,839 Speaker 3: have it. And every day I'll get somebody's in here. 63 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 3: There's a photograph of my grandson and he too, and 64 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 3: he's got an air seleep song and he's dancing a 65 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 3: weird to some tune or other, and it's just it 66 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 3: makes you feel so good because you know, so many 67 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 3: tunes are forty odd years old and to not sound 68 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 3: dead actually sound like that, just you know, news the 69 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 3: world those years ago. It's a pretty good feeling and sage, 70 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 3: you know. 71 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 2: Oh it's the soundtrack of our lives. 72 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 5: Man, my god. 73 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 4: So in the book you talk about the influence of 74 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 4: Little Richard, talk about it. 75 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:31,799 Speaker 2: The first time you heard a Little Richard too. 76 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 3: Well, it was on you know, I was off school. 77 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 3: I had to go the dender stuff something. And anyway, 78 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 3: the television in England then was just awful. 79 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 2: You know. 80 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 3: There was there was one channel and it was on. 81 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,239 Speaker 3: It came on at noon and it went off again 82 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 3: at twelve thirty, and then it came on again at 83 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 3: about three and it was called Watch with Mother. Awful 84 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 3: and then there's said and now we're going to have 85 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 3: any interlude because they were very posh, the people on 86 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 3: the road. And in this interlude there's a young chap 87 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 3: from America with a new pop song and he's called 88 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 3: Little Richard and the tange thing. And here was this 89 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 3: handsome young black man had pushed by this immaculate jacket on, 90 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 3: a little mustache, you know, the tie. He just looked 91 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 3: like nothing had seen before. And he just burst in 92 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 3: the wamp of blue bam lamp and my jaw, everything dropped, 93 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 3: you know. Me jaw went south and everything else went north. 94 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 3: I couldn't believe how brilliant this was. I mean, it 95 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 3: really was a revolution. And I said, I want to 96 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 3: sing like that. It was right up there. It was exciting. 97 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 3: It was just and he was excited too, you know. 98 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 3: And of course I hadn't heard music like that before 99 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 3: in my life. I did not existed, just the boring 100 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 3: stuff you would hear on the BBC, you know. And 101 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 3: you know, it was just a defining moment for me 102 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 3: in my life. 103 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 2: You know. 104 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 3: And I couldn't go out and buy the record here. 105 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 3: I couldn't afford it be we didn't have a record, 106 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,280 Speaker 3: you know. So it was not until I heard it 107 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,360 Speaker 3: playing from a woman's house and I banged on the 108 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 3: window and I said, could you play it again? Please? 109 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 3: She said, your chicky little bugger, okay, then come on. 110 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 3: So she opened the window and put it on again, 111 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 3: and she came outside and started doing the hand give 112 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 3: and taught me how to do the hands. And I'll 113 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 3: never forget what a lovely lady. I got it again. 114 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 2: That's awesome, What a great story, my god? Yeah right, 115 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 2: how special was it to you know? 116 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 4: Have to leave the band due to the hearing loss 117 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 4: and then to return triumphantly in twenty twenty. 118 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 2: How special was that for you, my friend? 119 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 3: Oh? It was more than special, you know. It was 120 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 3: you know, I was sixty nine or something when I 121 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 3: had to give up, you know, and I thought, hey, listen, 122 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 3: he s sudden. Complain who else goes this long? And 123 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 3: but I think it was the suddenness. I mean, it 124 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 3: wasn't gradual. I mean it just hit me after a 125 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,559 Speaker 3: gig and the whole operation. It's all in the book, 126 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 3: the whole the horrible thing that I had to go 127 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 3: through with operations and everything. 128 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 2: But to. 129 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 3: Get it right again through you know, mister Ambrose who 130 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 3: designed these new ear pieces and I worked with him 131 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 3: for three years, Steve. And to get back with the 132 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 3: boys in the studio and do an album, I kind 133 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 3: of tell you. And it was such a good album too, 134 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 3: you know, Power Up. I was so proud of it. 135 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 3: And then to rehearse again with the boys in Holland 136 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 3: and we were all ready to rock, you know, to 137 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 3: go out. Were rehearsed for about three weeks and then 138 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 3: the pandemic hit and talk about bomb. Look it was 139 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 3: it was horrible and there we were ready to rock. 140 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,319 Speaker 3: You know, that's just the way things go. 141 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 2: Well, and when you really come down to it, you 142 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 2: really are a choir boy at heart. 143 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 3: Right, I was here. You know, my mother was Catholic, 144 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:53,959 Speaker 3: but my father was CV Protestant or whatever, and so 145 00:08:54,120 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 3: we were confused to see if the choir boy in 146 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 3: the Catholic choir because you know, they paid your money, 147 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 3: you got one shillings and thicks to sing on Sunday morning. 148 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:13,959 Speaker 3: And because I first went to the Catholic Mass and 149 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,079 Speaker 3: I thought, poor boy, these guys. You know, there was 150 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 3: all kinds of shiny clothes on and then this guy 151 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,319 Speaker 3: walked around and he was throwing water on people. And 152 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:26,959 Speaker 3: then I had a smoke machine, you know, with the 153 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,959 Speaker 3: chain and the fuck it was. I thought it was 154 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 3: very endertainment, you know, I didn't know what was going 155 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 3: to happen. And then at the end of the Mass, 156 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 3: the priest came up and he got some crackers and 157 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 3: wine out and shared it with everybody. This was good stuff. 158 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 5: In closing by, I thought I was I was only 159 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 5: an eleven year old and I'm thinking and at the 160 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,320 Speaker 5: end of the only thing that disappointed me was the fact, 161 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 5: nobody give him a round of applause. 162 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 3: I thought he'd done that. You well, nothing, nothing, that 163 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 3: just walked out. 164 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 4: Brian And closing, how important is having a sense of 165 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,439 Speaker 4: humor being in the business that you're in. 166 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 3: Oh, I think it's uh. I think you have to happen. 167 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 3: If you don't, I've seen people who don't have a 168 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 3: sense of humor at all, and the very sad and blondly. 169 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 3: And I don't mean nothing about that. You just you know, 170 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 3: you've got to laugh at yourself. You've got to laugh 171 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:41,840 Speaker 3: at this business. You have to because it's it's pretending 172 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 3: the whole thing. You know, you're singing and having you know, 173 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 3: having enough talent to be a good you know, guitarist 174 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 3: of singing and drummer and everything. You've got to laugh. 175 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:55,840 Speaker 3: Attention is always good. You know, we've lost Taylor Hawkins. 176 00:10:55,920 --> 00:11:01,079 Speaker 3: What a lovely, lovely man he was. Everybody looked at me. 177 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 3: You had a wonderful sense of humor and friendly and 178 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 3: always willing to laugh. And you know, so, yes, I 179 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 3: would say a sense of humor is very important, you know, 180 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:19,559 Speaker 3: especially on long tours, you know, and things like that, 181 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 3: because there's a lot of boring traveling goes on, you know, yeah, 182 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,439 Speaker 3: you have to just have a sense of humor. 183 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 2: About it or whoa. Well, thank you for the sense 184 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 2: of humor, thank you for the joy of the music, Brian. 185 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 4: Congratulations on the lives of Brian, and I'm so grateful 186 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 4: that you are on my podcast. 187 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 3: Well, thank you very much. There was you. Take care 188 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,679 Speaker 3: and that's the season. Greetings to everybody. 189 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 1: Taking a walk with Buzznight is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 190 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.