3. AC DCBack In Black
Will this surprise a few people? Quite possibly. Maybe I should blame the seaside town. But I definitely was attracted to rock music and it was the volume, rather than the rebellion aspect. The noise. The sound of heavy metal up loud. And it doesn’t get much heavier than Back In Black. I knew AC/DC was my band early on. I got two LPs at the same time, Back In Black and If You Want Blood…. I’d heard a rumour from one of the bigger boys that the singer had died, and I got mixed up listening to Back In Black and thought that its singer had died. I was unhappy, because I actually preferred Brian Johnson’s voice to Bon Scott’s at the time.
This guy had a voice like a guided missile. I didn’t think about the lyrics to ‘Let Me Put My Love Into You’ or ‘Give The Dog A Bone’. I didn’t have any idea who the dog was and why we should give her a bone. I was just totally entranced by the sound.
I’m giving away all trade secrets here – but when I was 12 or 13, I had a room up in the attic. I remember looking out of my window at the town, thinking about people and how they change, and just saying to myself: “I’m never going to change. I’m always going to love AC/DC, I’m never going to be a dick. I’m always going to love AC/DC, I’m never going to be a dick!”
And there is definitely still that side of me. I wouldn’t listen to Saxon or Whitesnake any more, I’ve got no interest, but I will always come back to AC/DC. The title track, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’, maybe even ‘Shoot To Thrill’ – they are pretty mega.
There is always a moment for AC/DC, and I grew a predictable fondness for Bon Scott as well, being this older brother rebel figure, you know? I had a little thatch of strawberry blonde hair, but it never got down below my neck. The most I ever got with the look was double denim. I remember my girlfriend at the time, when I was 12, buying me an AC/DC glitter badge that I sewed onto my denim jacket. That was as far as I went…
