Chris Slade, the former drummer for AC/DC, was in the band when Brian Johnson was forced to take a leave of absence due to hearing issues. In his place, the band picked Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses to replace him for the remainder of their Rock Or Bust Tour. In the Summer of 2016, they toured the US, and Slade spoke to WalesOnline about the singer.
Obviously, Axl Rose has a reputation that precedes him from his younger days. He was the so-called wild man of rock n’ roll. Slade admits he had his doubts about Axl in AC/DC and that he “knew all the horror stories.”
“To be honest, I was incredulous. We were auditioning singers — we tried four or five. And I didn’t know anything about it. All of a sudden, they said: ‘It’s Axl Rose tomorrow.’
I knew all the horror stories, of course. I met him, shook his hand, and thought: ‘This guy’s all right.’ And he was. He’s nothing like the character you’ve heard about — he tells great jokes. He’s as funny as Brian is.”
Slade went on in the interview to talk about his time in AC/DC, particularly the beginning after playing stadiums following The Razor’s Edge release.
“I played Madison Square Garden at 19. I’ve never felt daunted or nervous. I know it sounds arrogant. I am a little apprehensive if I don’t know the music but if I know it I’m quite happy to do anything.
It was a job. It was a good job but, you know, I’ve always been very professional. You just do the best you can for the band. They were great. Malcolm was absolutely fantastic. He was a genius. The best rhythm guitarist I’ve ever played with.”
So, what do you think of Axl Rose’s time in AC/DC? Did you see them on the Rock Or Bust tour? AC/DC recently headlined the Power Trip 2023 festival in California alongside Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Tool, and Judas Priest.
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Source: WalesOnline
