Estranged AC/DC Drummer PHIL RUDD: 'I Just Want A Chance To Get Back In With The Boys'

"3D", a 30-minute current affairs show which airs on New Zealand's TV3 channel, will air an interview with estranged AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd this Sunday, August 9 at 6:30 p.m. local time.

In a world exclusive, Rudd opens his house and life to "3D"'s Michael Morrah, talking candidly about the events that saw him convicted in a New Zealand court, and the path to redemption he's setting out on.

Rudd — whose legal problems made his ability to tour with AC/DC a question mark, even though he did play on the band's new album, "Rock Or Bust" — admitted that he wants to make amends and get back with the group.

"I've got a lot to think about now," Rudd said. "I've grown up, but not grown old. I hope there's a difference. I still want to play the drums. I've got a lot of game left and I reckon I'm just starting to get cleared up. So I just want a chance to get back in with the boys and just carry on from there."

According to Rudd, his next step is to "get my job back, go back on the road and make a lot of money. That's what I'm going to do. Chris Slade is a good drummer, but I've got no idea what he's doing up there. I've got nothing against Chris. He hasn't got a permanent job — I hope.

"I'm going to be back. I've never been fitter; I've never felt better; I've never been psychologically or physically in better shape my whole life, and I love playing. I've realized who I am and what I can do and I just want a chance to go out there and show everyone who the man is... I'm the man."

Rudd previously said that he was "very disappointed" over the breakdown of his relationship with his bandmates. Rudd was replaced in AC/DC's lineup by Chris Slade after he was arrested on charges of drug possession and threatening to kill a former employee last November in Tauranga, New Zealand, where he lives.

Rudd — who reportedly was angry over the fact that his debut solo album, "Head Job", had flopped — told Australia's "A Current Affair" that he "was pretty stressed at the time," adding, "The people who I had working for me for this (album) launch — it was a total fucking disaster. So I was really pissed off."

Rudd said that he tried to reach out to his bandmates, revealing: "I'm very disappointed. I tried to get in touch with Angus [Young, guitarist], but I've had no contact with him. They haven't called me. You know who your friends are. That's life." He added: "I'm sure they're really enjoying playing. I'm sure it really sounds great."

But Rudd seemed confident that he would get his old job back eventually, saying: "There'll be another tour and another and I'll be on it. It'll go until we all die. We'll probably all have to be dead before it stops." He also said that he's "seen the errors of my ways… It's onward and upward from here."

Slade, who played with AC/DC from 1990 to 1993, was announced in February as the group's drummer for its current world tour.

Rudd last week pleaded not guilty to charges of breaching the conditions of his home detention. The 61-year-old Rudd also faces charges of possessing and consuming alcohol, which constitute the breach in his sentence of eight months home detention. Rudd appeared in a New Zealand court on Monday (August 3) to address the charges.

Rudd will return to court on November 24 for a hearing in front of a judge on the possible breach.

Rudd was arrested on the new charges on July 18, just 10 days after he was sentenced to his home detention.

The drummer appealed that sentence after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession stemming from an arrest last fall. He faced up to seven years behind bars.

Asked by reporters on Monday if he was nervous about the new charges, Rudd replied, "No, the only thing I’m nervous about is I don't actually don’t know what's going on." Rudd added that he will spend his time out on bail focusing on "self-improvement."

Meanwhile, AC/DC's 2015 North American tour will kick off on August 22 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with Chris Slade manning the drums.