Memories of the Greatest Rhythm Guitar Player of All Time, Malcolm Young of AC/DC.
On Saturday the greatest rhythm guitar player who ever lived, Malcolm Young of AC/DC, passed away. He was 64.
True, best of anything is a subjective opinion, and I am a huge fan of AC/DC. I think the band is rock music in its purest form.
But I can tell you that I never heard as much praise for any rhythm player than I did Malcolm Young. And why not? When it comes to riffs, no band has better ones than AC/DC.
And he wrote them.
There was the way Malcolm took over “Thunderstruck” after Angus Young’s lead playing introduced the song. The incredible riff of “Jailbreak” that just grabbed the listener and pulled them in immediately. The tune up on “Overdose” that made warming up sound great. The way Cliff Williams and Malcolm just went up to the microphone in unison during the choruses, always on time, always automatic, to lend his Australian accent to make sure there was a rowdy element to every backing vocal.
But more than that, there was the fact Malcolm Young was the brains of the band. In interviews it was Malcolm who was almost always the most introspective and telling of the early days in Australia or England, and really had a very articulate sense of knowing what AC/DC meant.
Case in point, on the Family Jewels DVD, which catalogs AC/DC’s video history, he’s asked about their dubious video set to their “Fly On the Wall” album.
If you’ve never seen the “Fly On the Wall” videos, consider yourself lucky, and this comes from the man who says “all AC/DC is good AC/DC.” In an era when MTV took over the way we were presented music, instead of single videos for the album’s songs there was an attempt to put five songs together in a film short that was just plain bad, save for the songs.
“You couldn’t get any further away from the band and you’ve managed to do it” was how Malcolm described the film.
Short, simple, and perfect. Just like his playing.
Or consider how Malcolm viewed AC/DC as a “rock and roll band,” a term that seems archaic. “Rock and Roll” is a term that associates itself with Bill Haley. The man who coined the phrase, Alan Freed, hasn’t been in the mainstream since 1959.
It’s rock music in today’s world, isn’t it?
But according to Malcolm, AC/DC was a rock and roll band because a rock band didn’t have “swing.”
The man kept his roots in early rock and roll.
I had the opportunity to meet Malcolm a few times as a fan, and upon seeing me once in Knoxville to get another autograph, he simply saw my face and exclaimed “You again!” On another outside the Roseland Ballroom in New York City prior to their 2003 show in conjunction with being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame there was this heartfelt “what do they know?” reply concerning the band’s critics when I spoke to him of how, once and for all, said detractors had to shut up with the band’s official validation.
But there was also an hour long conversation I had with Malcolm after the first show of 1996’s “Ballbreaker” tour in Greensboro with my friend Sean Scanlon.
There are a few early AC/DC songs in which Malcolm actually plays lead and does a good job. I wished to compliment him for it, but his response was “Aw, thanks. But I’m not a lead player!”
It’s like the first time I met him, trying to get an autograph. “You’re the star of the band!” I told Malcolm, to which he started shaking his head and began to disagree with me.
“But you started the greatest band in the world!” I then exclaimed, which brought a physical reaction that said “Okay, kid, now I know where you’re coming from!”
How many people would have let their younger brother become the lead guitar player? How many leaders would have stayed in the background and let the other members’ talents grow while mastering his to perfection instead of seeking the personal glory that has killed so many other bands?
We knew this day was coming three years ago when it was revealed Malcolm had dementia. After that it seemed in many ways AC/DC fell apart. Not that his nephew Stevie, who previously filled in for Malcolm during 1988’s “Blow Up Your Video” tour, or drummer Chris Slade, who re-joined the band after Phil Rudd’s legal troubles, aren’t a full fledged members of AC/DC. Not that the grit in Axl Rose’s voice didn’t mesh well with the band, as Brian Johnson and Bon Scott’s had before.
But if AC/DC ever performs again, it will likely be with a very unfamiliar lineup.
Brian eased some of my hurt when he told a crowd in New York City at AC/DC’s album release party that “Malcolm was in a better place.” Comforting, if nothing else.
Today we’re comforted by the fact Malcolm’s legacy and music will, like Brian once sang of Rock and Roll, never die. The majority of the band changed in a year and they still getting rave reviews at the end, for crying out loud!
Those “what do they know?” critics once compared AC/DC to watching a man pick his nose.
Thanks, Malcolm, for having a goodly supply of mucus!
Marky Billson would like to thank AC/DC sound technician and cannon player Pab Boothroyd for giving him two picks from Malcolm Young from their March 30, 1996 concert in Cleveland.
