Ex-AC/DC Drummer PHIL RUDD Doesn't Think ANGUS YOUNG Should Hang It Up

Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was interviewed on the latest edition of "Rich Davenport's Rock Show". You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked if he thinks AC/DC guitarist Angus Young should hang it up now that Rudd, singer Brian Johnson, guitarist Malcolm Young and bassist Cliff Williams are no longer part of the band, Phil said: "No, I don't think that's a good idea. Angus has never played better [than he did] on the 'Rock Or Bust' album. He's playing fucking great. What's he gonna give it up for? That's like fucking Napoleon not finding somewhere else to fucking conquer."

Rudd told EonMusic in a recent interview that he's spoken with Johnson, whose status in AC/DC is unclear after he was forced to leave a tour earlier in the year due to hearing loss. Rudd revealed, "I've had contact with the guys and the crew. I've heard from Brian. I spoke to Brian a couple of days ago. We were talking about cars and how fuckin' useless he is; how much quicker I am than him! He's doing all right."

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession. Johnson, meanwhile, exited the lineup after doctors told him to come off the road or face "imminent hearing loss." AC/DC postponed ten North American tour dates as a result, with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose filling in for the rescheduled shows.

Rose was listed as a "guest vocalist" on the tour, leaving his future role with the group — and Johnson's — unclear, although it doesn't seem likely that Johnson will be asked to return.

Rudd's replacement in the band was Chris Slade, who also did a three-year stint with the group from 1990 to 1993.

Angus Young has not publicly said whether the band will continue after the recent completion of its "Rock Or Bust" touring cycle. Malcolm Young and Williams are also no longer part of the group, leaving Angus as the sole remaining member from the "classic" "Back In Black" lineup.

Johnson has not indicated what his future plans are, although he was involved in testing new technology that could reverse his hearing damage on tour.

As for Rudd, he's getting ready for his first solo tour in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.