Angus Young
Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Youngis an Australian guitarist of Scottish background, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter and sole constant member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he moved to Australia with his family at the age of eight. Known for his energetic performances, schoolboy-uniform stage outfits and his own version of Chuck Berry's duckwalk, Young was ranked 24th in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 greatest guitarist of all time list...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth31 March 1955
CityCranhill, Scotland
I remember one of the first gigs I played with that amp was at a local church. They wanted someone to fill in with the guitar and my friend say, 'Ah, he can play.' And so I dragged the amplifier down and started playing and everybody started yelling 'turn it down!'
Actually, because I'm so small, when I strike an open A chord I get physically thrown to the left, and when I play an open G chord I go right. That's how hard I play, and that's how a lot of my stage act has come about. I just go where the guitar takes me.
I honestly believe that you have to be able to play the guitar hard if you want to be able to get the whole spectrum of tones out of it. Since I normally play so hard, when I start picking a bit softer my tone changes completely, and that's really useful sometimes for creating a more laid-back feel.
I don't like to play above or below people's heads. Basically, I just like to get up in front of a crowd and rip it up.
I saw all the women and I figured that looked good. I was horney. I got a guitar off my brother and started playing anything.
That's usually what happens with AC/DC: you make an album, and then you're on the road flat out. And the only time you ever get near a studio is generally after you've done a year of touring.
I'm sick and tired of people saying that we put out 11 albums that sound exactly the same. In fact, we've put out 12 albums that sound exactly the same.
From The Beginning, Ac/Dc Nerver Pretended To Be Anything Other Than A No-Frills,No Bullshit Blues-Rock Band.
With AC/DC, we've always started with rock, and we've just kept it going. The critic's view is always, 'They just made an album and it's the same as the last one.' I'll have fifteen of them, anytime.
We're a rock group. we're noisy, rowdy, sensational and weird.
I wouldn't know any newer bands. We're past the pimple stage.
My part in AC/DC is just adding the color on top.
That's usually what happens with AC/DC: you make an album, and then you're on the road flat out. And the only time you ever get near a studio is generally after you've done a year of touring.
A lot of times you'll hear bands and it's a different sound coming out than what's on stage. Because you can clean it up through a PA and make it sound completely different than what they really sound like.