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AC/DC Guitarist Angus Young On Hecklers And The Changing Face Of Rock ‘N’ Roll

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 02:57 PST, Aug 8, 2016

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young sure knows how to handle hecklers during concerts, according to the Guitar World. A clip dating back from 16 years ago recently emerged, where the AC/DC guitarist is seen abusing a troublemaker at a gig in Phoenix, Arizona.

The clip, which shows a heckler throwing a drink at Young, was recorded about 16 years ago during one of AC/DC shows in the United States. The action takes place during the band’s performance of “Bad Boy Boogie.” Despite the fact that the event happened 16 years ago, the clip is stirring up emotion all over again.

Apparently feeling “bad boy-ish,” an AC/DC fan throws a drink at the guitarist, but the latter responds only verbally.

“You can take the schoolboy out of Glasgow, but you can’t take the streets of Glasgow out of the schoolboy.”

But then after the heckler throws another drink at the AC/DC guitarist, Young gets furious. The guitarist hands his guitar over to another person and gets closers to the heckler. Then Young grabs the poor guy’s nose and says some humiliating things before the guy is taken away by security.

When the heckler leaves the perimeter of the venue, the AC/DC guitarist takes his guitar and continues performing without saying anything to the crowd.

Nearly 40 years ago, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young explained how his band changed rock ‘n’ roll, according to the Highbrow Magazine. In his 1979 interview with Circus magazine, Young said his legendary band had the “basic thing” people want.

“They want to rock and that’s it.”

That has been the motto of AC/DC for the past 40-plus years, letting their fans “rock.” In fact, there is no rock listener in the world who wouldn’t have heard about this band. AC/DC is one of the world’s most successful rock bands, and they have one of the best-selling albums of all time.

AC/DC’s album Back in Black, released in 1980, is the world’s best-selling album after Michael Jackson’s Thriller. And even though the rock band has won only one Grammy, they still continue to sell out arena tours.

The interesting thing about AC/DC is that in 2016, the group still continues to draw in millions of fans even though they are playing with a different lead singer. And another notable achievement of the rock band is that they were put into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame by Billy Joel himself.

Some would argue that the secret behind the success of AC/DC over the past 40-plus years is their consistency and adherence to their original style. That’s the reason why the rock band has millions of loyal listeners. The only downside is that their consistency leaves music critics and reviewers bored.

But AC/DC’s music style and vocals are not the only reason why so many rock ‘n’ roll fans scream in excitement at the mere mention of the band’s name. AC/DC has everything a superb rock band needs: beautiful women surrounding it, plenty of alcohol, and a lot of rock songs. But AC/DC is admittedly not the only band that carries everything a great rock ‘n’ roll band needs, with Led Zeppelin also often named one of those rock bands that really “rock” their fans. But AC/DC is unique in their approach to interpreting the idea of rock ‘n’ roll.

AC/DC portrays the world as a silly place rather than making it scary, as almost all other rock bands do. And there is a striking contrast between a typical AC/DC concert and a concert of some other rock band.

With the help of exploding onstage canons and other props, AC/DC focuses on being self-mocking rather than portraying themselves as gods. And that’s what sets apart AC/DC, the Australian rock band formed in 1973, from a typical rock band.

AC/DC is currently touring with Guns N’ Roses vocalist Axl Rose, who replaces singer Brian Johnson due to hearing issues.

[Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images]

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