As you likely heard, AC/DC’s drummer, Phil Rudd, was arrested on serious charges this week, including attempting to hire a hit man. This morning that charge was dropped, but he’s still accused of threatening death and some drug offences. Chances are, unless the charges are thrown out he won’t be going on any world tour that the band has planned for their new album.Â
AC/DC already replaced guitarist Malcolm Young who is in later stages of dementia at the age of 61. His nephew will sub for him. So what do they do about Rudd? And when is the band no longer the actual band? If AC/DC hit the road without Angus Young or Brian Johnson, it wouldn’t be AC/DC…would it? But if you recall, Johnson replaced Bon Scott, however it was a pretty seamless transition.
Very few bands are truly original. We got into this about REO Speedwagon recently. Derek was interviewing “the only original member”, the bassist, and I challenged him that singer Kevin Cronin was original. Â Apparently I was wrong. Cronin joined in 1972. And if you want to get super picky, Rush isn’t the original lineup. There was a guy before Geddy Lee and one ahead of Neil Peart, so if you want to be super technical about it, Alex Lifeson is the only, truly original member.
Does it matter? The singer who replaced Steve Perry in Journey, Arnel Peneda, is an enthusiastic soundalike and it hasn’t seemed to hurt their popularity on the road. Creedence Clearwater Revisited brought on a John Fogerty imitator and having seen them live, they sound just like the real thing. For me, I love my long-timers. And when it comes to Phil Rudd, having studied his work as a drum student, I don’t think I’d want to see AC/DC without him, keeping in mind that they’re the last big rock icons I’d probably weather a night among the great unwashed to see live.