ANTHRAX's SCOTT IAN: Why BON SCOTT-Era AC/DC Is 'My Favorite Band Of All Time'

The official Bon Scott YouTube channel has shared a video in which ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian remembers the first time he heard Bon Scott's voice on AC/DC's "Powerage" album in a junior high school lunchroom in Queens, New York. From the moment he heard "Rock 'N' Roll Damnation", he was hooked. In the interview, Scott reflects on Bon's unmistakable voice, his storytelling and lyrics, the influence he had on ANTHRAX, and one of his biggest regrets: missing the chance to see Bon perform live on the "Highway To Hell" tour.

Confirming that Bon Scott-era AC/DC is his "favorite band of all time", Scott clarified (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I always have to preface it with when I get asked that question, 'What's your favorite band?' And I say, 'AC/DC with Bon.' That moment in time, for me, that's my favorite music to ever listen to ever. And I think about those times back in the '70s, listening to those records, and seemingly not something that you should be so fascinated by because it wasn't like KISS. It wasn't like this big image, and they're hiding themselves behind. But it was just something about the fact that they were making rock 'n' roll music that had been done, obviously at that point, for decades, but had done something different. And to me, the difference was Bon. Bon was different than all the rock 'n' roll that came before, in my mind. I'm not a rock critic, but in my mind, I had never heard anything like it, and that's what made it for me. They were my LED ZEPPELIN. They were my BEATLES... You know what I mean? For my generation of kids, it was all about Bon."

Speaking about Bon's lyrics, which were bold, cheeky, and packed with swagger, Scott said:  "I feel like Bon's lyrics were way more punk in that they were just more realistic. You could read the lyrics to 'It's A Long Way To The Top' or 'Rock 'N' Roll Singer', there's no whiff of cheese anywhere, that kind of stuff, which in the hands of other vocalists or singers probably would've been terrible. But he's telling you a story in a way that's just so relatable and so real life and just hardcore — real. There's no fluff, there's no bullshit. But also it's not like you're reading a story in the newspaper. The way he can turn a phrase also then keeps you interested as well, because it just doesn't feel like I'm reading a generic story about some guy that wanted to be in a band. It's just part of his genius, that he could take sometimes something that would be completely mundane and actually make it interesting."

Scott continued: "Bon, he doesn't wink. You feel like he's winking at you with some of these lyrics, but no. Whether or not some of it is true, I always believed this to be, this guy, he's telling us stories from his life. If I was reading this in a book of poetry or an autobiography, I would absolutely believe that these pirate tales of his were all true. And the fact that he was so all in and committed, that's what truly made me feel like he's not winking at us, that he doesn't need to. Like we're in on the joke because it's all so real, and it's almost like a 'can you believe this?' Like, 'Can you believe this shit I'm talking about in these lyrics?' And it was fascinating to a then 15-, 16-year-old to have a window into... I keep using the word 'pirate', because it truly was the first thing I thought of when I heard Bon Scott, and I had a window into this pirate's life. I didn't know anything about anyone else in the band 'cause seemingly none of them spoke."

As a young teen, Ian actually learned how to play rhythm guitar by listening and playing along to AC/DC's Malcolm Young, whom he considers the greatest rhythm guitarist of all time.

"There is just an instant rush anytime I hear AC/DC," Ian told Gretsch back in 2018. "It's like mainlined into my brain. As soon as I hear him playing chords, I just get excited, still, after all these years. If I put on 'Let There Be Rock', I feel the same now as I did 40 years ago. It moves me in exactly the same way.

"Look, I don't get to play big open chords in my band," he continued. "My band is all about down picking and palm muting, fast alternating — a completely different style of rhythm playing. So, when I get to hit really big chords and dig in, it is so much fun for me because it is the opposite of what I do. But it is what I grew up learning how to do. And it's what I still love, going back to that. Anytime I can just pick up a guitar that sounds so good and feels so good, and then play chords that sound perfect, I could do it all day. It makes me happy. I could literally sit for an hour and play that A chord over and over again and not get bored."

The number of artists who consider Malcolm Young an inspiration runs pretty deep, but not too many have gone so far to actually have his face inked into their own skin. Ian, though, has immortalized the late-great rhythm guitarist on his left bicep, along with his brother Angus Young on his right.

"Specifically, these guys, as a guitar player, mean everything to me," explained Ian. "That's why I really wanted them on me because it makes me happy to be able to look at them every day.

"Malcolm has always been my hero since day one because he basically taught me how to play guitar," Ian said. "As a kid with AC/DC albums, vinyl albums, in my little bed room on a turn table, I just used to sit and figure out how to play their songs. And it was all Malcolm. You know? It was all him. So, I was learning to play specifically by listening to what he was doing. He was my guitar teacher. He was the reason I learned how to play rhythm guitar the way I do."