“The Way I Look At It…”
Former AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson was forced out of the band two years ago, his 36 year run as the leader of the world’s loudest rock band brought to an end after doctors told him to quit or risk going deaf. While fans were understandably crushed and dismayed at the news, the days following Johnson’s exit gave way to controversy as fans slammed AC/DC’s decision to continue without him, calling it a betrayal in the face of the years he’d dedicated to his craft. Everyone had an opinion; fans, friends, his replacement Axl Rose, but still we wondered where Brian was in all of this, the only quiet point in the eye of the storm.
Just weeks away from the second anniversary of his exit from AC/DC Brian Johnson has broken his silence – finally speaking for himself and setting the record straight once and for all in an interview with The Sunday Times,
“On stage it was getting harder and harder to hear the guitars, even hear the keys, and I was basically going on muscle memory,” Johnson admits.
A bitter pill to swallow for a man that’s devoted the better part of his life to maintaining his reputation as one of rock’s fiercest entertainers. Confessing he’s “not a guy that likes to cheat,” Johnson made the difficult decision to bow out gracefully – but nearly two years on, he’s made his peace with it.
“I’m not the kind of guy who likes to cheat. The way I look at it, I had a great run,” he says simply.
Though you’ll likely never see him with AC/DC again, Brian Johnson isn’t benched – far from it, in fact. The last two years have been well spent in the studio with friends and have even included a few brief live performances here and there as if to remind us that he’s still here and doesn’t plan on going anywhere, any time soon.
What does the future hold for Brian Johnson? Only time will tell. In the meantime, though, we’re happy to relive his magic in performances like the one just below this video. Enjoy!