- 30 January 2012
Brian Johnson has never made his love of auto racing a secret. So while AC/DC may soon be heading back into the studio soon, that isn’t keeping him from his other true love. Brian will be hosting a TV show about racing cars in the HSR (Historic Sportscar Racing) series which is held in Sebring, Florida. The show will be “a look behind and in front of the scenes of Historic Sportscar Racing and the people who passionately love to drive their cars.”
Last year, Brian wrote a book that covered not only his time with AC/DC, but also his passion of all things auto. No stranger to the race, he has previously driven the legendary course at Daytona. “The thing is, about Daytona,” he says, “it just looks easy, until you get in the car. You’re on the big banking, flying around and then all of a sudden all your road racing skills have to come into it. It always keeps you working, you can never relax for a second.”
Brian is competed last weekend in the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona, and this event also marked the kick off for Brian’s ‘Highway To Help’ campaign, a program that he and the Austin Hatcher Foundation have set up to help raise money for children with cancer.
They hoped to raise one million dollars over the course of the weekend. “This is real, this is going to happen, and we’re all happy to have the opportunity to do this,” Brian said. “AC/DC fans all over the world are now rooting for the Austin Hatcher Foundation.”
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- 30 January 2012
Unlike last year, when he beat his friend Andy Murray in straight sets and then kicked off an all-night party with a rock band in the locker room, Novak Djokovic admits he dispensed with the band and the raucous dressing room celebrations.
But, after the longest final ever in a Grand Slam, it was only fitting that Djokovic put on a solo act. He chose the AC/DC rock anthem 'Highway To Hell', belting out a few lyrics and strumming the air guitar.
After a couple of hours sleep, Djokovic arrived at a customary post-victory photo shoot in a downtown Melbourne park, where he recalled the brief pre-dawn celebrations at Rod Laver Arena and made a half-hearted attempt to sing the refrain. His legs were too tired, and his throat a bit hoarse: 'Oh man, I'm tired.'
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- 30 January 2012
Stern Pinball, Inc., the only maker of real pinball machine games announced the availability of the AC/DC pinball machine. The AC/DC pinball machine allows players to experience the power of rock and roll with their own two hands.
Players will be able to rock out to 12 classic AC/DC hits including "Back In Black", "Highway To Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long". Other exciting game features include two separate ramps, a lower play field, ball shooting cannon, eight drop targets, a mechanised Hell's Bell and animations of the AC/DC band. Players can also join the party with a TNT detonator and the Devil's Jukebox.
This tribute to one of rock and roll's most memorable bands pushes the auditory limits with its sound, style and infectious riffs. The AC/DC machine is designed to rock.
Pricing and Availability:
The AC/DC pinball machine is available today from $5699 - $8499.
Pro Version: $5699 MSRP
Premium Version: $7699 MSRP
Limited Edition Version: $8499 MSRP
To learn more about The AC/DC pinball machine and Stern Pinball, visit www.sternpinball.com.- Comments: 0
- 30 November 2011
Taken from Looudwire.com - read the full article HERE.
AC/DC singer Brian Johnson was the guest on this week’s ‘That Metal Show’, wearing his signature newsboy cap and all. He was candid about his relationship to the late Bon Scott, whom he replaced in one of hard rock’s most beloved acts.
First, the vocalist recalled singing ‘Shot Down in Flames’ twice during a live gig in Holland during his early days. He joked that seasoned fans noticed him singing the wrong words, looking at him with the “He’s f—ing useless” stare.
Johnson also spoke about the recording process for ‘Back in Black’, which is the No. 2 top-selling album of all time. He recollected, “I never sang like that before. Being out there was a strange thing. We only had six weeks, since there was a shortage of cash in the band and the record company was saying, ‘We want it out now.’” He also described writing the lyrics to ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ in a small room with a toilet and watching his hand move across the yellow legal pad and spilling the lyrics onto the page. Afterwords, he said, “Wow” and went for a glass of whiskey.
Johnson also said playing in the shadow of the late Bon Scott, whose boots he filled, was always a friendly thing for him, the band and Scott’s family, but the press tried to turn it into something negative. He said that Scott’s family, namely his mother and brothers, accepted him from the first gig on. While on an early tour, he also was happy to have images of Scott flash behind him during ‘High Voltage.’ He even requested that it be an image of Scott smiling.
He said there might be a new album next year and expects it to be a a fun one like ‘Black Ice’ was.
Also, in ‘The Throwown’ segment, Johnson was asked which of the Bon Scott-era AC/DC albums is the best, with Johnson choosing ‘Powerage’, since “it was raw AC/DC.”
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- 30 November 2011
Taken from The Daytona Beach News Journal. Read the full article HERE.
Brian Johnson has no problem standing on stage with a microphone in one hand before 100,000 people as the lead singer of rock band AC/DC.
After all, that is his job.
Put him a Grand-Am Rolex Series Prototype for a high-speed run over Daytona International Speedway's 3.56-mile road course and his 64-year-old heart starts thumping like the base drum in the hit song "Back In Black."
"I'm ready for a fantastic good time," Johnson said last Wednesday at the track. "At my age, if you don't grab it now mate, that's it.
"You got to grab life by the horns and just ride it right out there. I mean, I'm not stopping for anybody."
Grand-Am Road Racing wrapped up two days of Rolex and Continental Series testing Thursday, and Johnson enjoyed every minute of it.
Johnson, who joined AC/DC in 1980, was testing a BMW Riley Daytona Prototype. He will share the No. 50 car with four other drivers over the age 50, including Chattanooga businessman Byron DeFoot, 56, who pieced the deal together.
Johnson and the others will be racing for a cause. Their Fifty Plus Racing entry for the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29 will raise money for the Austin Hatcher Foundation, which assists children with pediatric cancer.
The team has set the bar extremely high. Johnson and DeFoot hope to raise $1 million via an Internet radio broadcast before the endurance race is finished.
"We're all happy to have the opportunity to do this," Johnson said.
Johnson, born and raised in England, has called Sarasota home for the last 22 years. Since 1997, the rocker has dabbled in racing. He is a regular on the Historic Sportscar Racing circuit, which had an event here last weekend.
He describes his vintage 1965 Lola T70 as "a beast." The Daytona Prototype has a wealth of racing technology compared to long-retired sportscars.
"When you get in one of these DP cars, you've got to trust the engineering," Johnson said. "It's pretty hard to do that.
"Once that settles in, you have a ball. It's the most fun I've had going around a racetrack. You scare the bejesus out of yourself, but at the same time it's thrilling."
Johnson grew up in modest circumstances as the son of a coal miner in Dunston. At a young age he became fascinated with motor racing and the men of derring-do at the wheel, drivers such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss.
He studied car magazines that showcased racing and its greatest events.
"Heroic men driving ridiculous speeds," Johnson said. "It just inspired me. It was just a wonderful dream for me when I went to bed as a child; to drive through the night, in the rain, pounding on, all that romantic silly stuff."
Becoming a HSR regular helped satisfy some of those childhood wants. Many of those historic competitors are not afraid to trade sheet metal for position.
"It isn't just a parade of sportscars," Johnson said of his HSR experience. "People are banging doors and taking numbers. This is the real thing."
The HSR vintage F1 class is one of Johnson's favorite to watch. He has a unique description of the start of those races.
"To hear that roar and listen to that sound when the flag drops, well, I always say if Zeus ever broke wind, that's what it would sound like," he said.
The HSR brought Johnson and DeFoot together. DeFoot also owns a vintage Lola sportscar. They have toured far and wide together for the last decade.
"The same people, who took care of his car, took care of my car," DeFoot said. "We started traveling all over the country doing historic races at all the famous tracks and having a great time."
Former Rolex winners Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Jim Pace (overall) and Carlos DeQuesada (GT class) will do the heavy lifting in the Rolex 24. DeFoot and Johnson will each get about 4 hours of seat time.
Their mission? Keep the car alive.
"When the flag drops ... you've got to get out and do it. You can talk a great race.
"You can put a race suit on and say, 'Look at me. I'm going to do it.' I love doing this. I love Daytona. I love this track. It's the heart and soul of racing as far as I'm concerned."
- Comments: 0
- 21 November 2011
We're excited to announce AC/DC Pinball Rocks for iPhone and iPad!
Take the stage and bask in the coloured lights, roaring guitars and thundering drums of AC/DC. Includes classic AC/DC hits, original voice recordings from vocalist Brian Johnson, guitar-shredding mini-games and a hyper-realistic pinball environment featuring AC/DC's most iconic set pieces.
Ring Hell's bells, fire a cannonball salute, flick the switch to power up the power station, and take a ride with Rosie - all in
dazzling HD. Available today in the App Store for iPhone and iPad.- Comments: 0
- 21 November 2011
AC/DC singer Brian Johnson plans to raise $1,000,000 for paediatric cancer. Brian's new 'Highway To Help' TEXT To Give Campaign will be raising money through texting and the internet.
During the 24 hours of the 50th running of the Rolex 24 Hours Of Daytona (January 28th, 3:30 PM to January 29th, 3:30 PM), Brian will be raising funds to provide services to families affected by paediatric cancer.
Brian has already taken part in the Savannah and Daytona HSR races and will partake in Sebring Bobby Rahal vintage race series (December 2nd - 4th) and Daytona 24 hours (January 26th - 30th).
For more information, check out BrianJohnsonRacing.com
- Comments: 0
- 24 October 2011
Taken from ContactMusic.com - read the full article HERE
AC/DC don't rehearse.
The legendary rockers never did any preparations for early shows, and former bassist Mark Evans - who was with the group from 1975 to 1977 - admits they never changed their attitude as their success grew.
He said: "There were no rehearsals! My very first gig with them was totally spontaneous. This was after the audition. I went to see them at a local pub, saw them play one set, and then I went on stage with them and played the second set.
"For our first tour of England, they band rented a rehearsal space, but I think we mainly played some Elvis Presley songs.
"Real rehearsals - you know, running through the tunes and making sure everything was right - that stuff didn't happen."
Mark also revealed studio sessions were equally spontaneous, with songs recorded as they were written.
He explained to website MusicRadar: "Songs would be written in the studio. No demos. Angus [Young] and Malcolm [Young] would play things for George Young, and the tunes would be assembled right there. Once we had the skeleton of a song, we'd record it.
"Angus was full-on in the studio. When it was time for him to record his solos, he'd jump around and bounce off the walls, just like he would on stage. It was impossible for him to play and sit still. For rhythm tracks, he was somewhat subdued, but for solos, he went wild."
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- 20 October 2011
AC/DC - Backtracks (Deluxe Collector’s Edition)
Not Available In Stores! Limited Quantities! The must-have premium box set that delivers the ultimate AC/DC experience.•The Ultimate AC/DC Rarities Box Set:
•3CD + 2CD + LP Deluxe Collector's Edition
•18 Studio Rarities
•29 Live Rarities
•12 Studio Rarities on audiophile LP
•Family Jewels Disc Three on DVD
•Live At The Circus Krone (2003) on DVD
•The AC/DC - Backtracks (Deluxe Collector’s Edition) is also available here.
12"x12" super deluxe packaging includes a 164 page coffee table book and original memorabilia reproductions - all in a WORKING GUITAR AMP!This is a 24 hour offer ONLY! So head to the Pop Market site HERE as soon as possible!
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- 20 October 2011
On October 12th, 2011 "AC/DC: Live at River Plate" was awarded Best Music DVD at the annual ARIA music awards in Australia. "Live At River Plate" was filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2009 during AC/DC's massive "Black Ice" world tour and debuted at #1 in 17 countries around the world.
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- 20 October 2011
Welcome to the all new ACDC.com, the official AC/DC website! Acca Dacca fans be sure to check out all of the new features on the site! You can now post your concert reviews, photos, and more in the tour section which includes AC/DC's complete concert history, post your blog, album review or talk about your favourite AC/DC album in the community section, add your own fan photos showing off your favourite AC/DC tattoos, collectibles, and your very own high voltage concert photos from the concerts you attended, and much more!
- Comments: 0
- 10 October 2011
Many happy returns to the Gateshead-born rocker, who turned 64 in the last couple of days.
We salute you!
- Comments: 1
