AC/DC Members Slam Reality Shows

May 11, 2011

According to The Pulse Of Radio, AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young slammed the creation of instant pop stars through reality shows like "American Idol" in an interview with the Associated Press, with Johnson saying, "There's only one way to do it. You get on the stage, you learn your trade and you get out and play in front of people. You serve your apprenticeship just like anybody else." He added, "The shortcut way leads to tears at the end of the day. It's all hype. And it's not fair on the kids to make them famous one week and then nobodies the next. It's just not right."

Johnson recalled that he began his career singing in British clubs for perhaps 30 people, and that he took buses to get to his gigs.

Young jokingly asked if AEROSMITH vocalist Steven Tyler was "hanging people or something" in his current gig as an "American Idol" judge.

Young and Johnson were interviewed at the London premiere of their new concert DVD, "Live At River Plate", which arrived on Tuesday (May 10).

The disc was filmed at three shows in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2009, where the group performed for more than 200,000 fans.

Young and Johnson also hinted that fans won't have to wait very long for a follow-up to their 2008 album "Black Ice", which took eight years to arrive. Young told the Daily Star, "Me and Malcolm [Young, guitarist] have begun trying a few things. Then we'll be back on stage again."

With 2013 marking the band's 40th anniversary, they were asked if any sort of celebration was in the works. Johnson said, "I'll be celebrating by just being here. We could be dead, so to still be standing on a stage after 40 years is good enough for me."

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