Angus Young has made his most blatant statement so far suggesting he wants Phil Rudd out of AC/DC.
Young tells USA Today that working with Rudd on the recent Rock Or Bust sessions was “difficult”. “It put us in a difficult situation. It put us in a spot where we couldn’t move forward. Does the guy show up? Is he reliable to do his job in good shape? We’ve always been a solid, reliable unit,” Angus said.
The timing of Young’s comment comes just as AC/DC are about to release their ‘Rock Or Bust’ on November 29, just two days after Rudd’s next court appearance on drug charges. An earlier charge of attempted murder has been dropped.
“When you get into that land, it’s very hard” Angus tells USA Today. “I don’t know the exact situation. … I can only say, from our perspective, that the guy needs to sort himself out.”
Young paid respect to the Phil of the past but it looks like his future with the band is questionable, despite his appearance on ‘Rock Or Bust’. “Phil created his own situation,” says Young. “It’s a hard thing to say about the guy. He’s a great drummer, and he’s done a lot of stuff for us. But he seems to have let himself go. He’s not the Phil we’ve known from the past.”
Phil worked on the ‘Rock Or Bust’ album in Canada earlier this year but was absent for the filming of the first two videos ‘Play Ball’ and ‘Rock Or Bust’. He was also notably missing from the new promo shots for the band.
If Phil Rudd is confirmed out of the band Angus Young will remain the only original member of AC/DC. Bass player Cliff Williams joined the band in 1977 replacing Mark Evans. Brian Johnson replaced the late Bon Scott in 1980 and Stevie Young replaced his uncle Malcolm Young on guitar in July this year.
Watch the Noise11 interview with Phil Rudd
