House lights dim to the roar of thousands of kids packed shoulder to shoulder. Crushing power chords drown the din, then the spotlights focus on the figure atop a wall of amplifiers. Dressed in the short pants, blazer, regimental tie, and short-brimmed hat of an Australian school-boy, Angus Young stands frozen, his arm outstretched above a ringing Gibson SG. Suddenly the lights cut out, enveloping the stadium in darkness. Seconds later they refocus to extreme stage right, where Young blasts bluesy phrases while his scraggly-haired head and skinny legs jerk spasmodically in time. The lights dim again, then switch to stage left, where he unleashes another flurry of notes. Rumbling bass and drums announce the rest of AC/DC in the darkness below, bringing the crowd to a state of near-pandemonium. Angus leaps from the amplifiers, and lights abruptly flood the stage.

For the next two hours, Young is action incarnate. His head incessantly whips up and down as he bounces around the stage like a runaway pinball. He sweats profusely, snorts, froths at the mouth. His solos ripple with a master's touch-taut, aggressive, and easily characterized by a wide-sweeping finger vibrato. At one point he ventures into the audience on the shoulders of a bruiser; at another he performs a seasoned striptease that concludes with the revelation of his bare behind. Brian Johnson may be AC/DC's leather-tonsiled vocalist, but Angus is the reigning center of attention.

Backing them is the Australia's pre-eminent heavy metal rhythm section: second guitarist Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams, and drummer Simon Wright. To the audience's delight, an AC/DC concert consists mainly of hits, megawatt anthems such as "Hell's Bells," "Whole Lotta Rosie," "You Shook Me All Night Long," "What Do You Do For Money Honey," and "Highway To Hell." With the last notes fading in the rafters, kids stumble to the parking lot with ringing ears and plastered smiles.

"It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll," predicted AC/DC on their first album. Ten years later, they have surpassed their goal. By 1982, the Australian band had sold more then $75 million dollars worth of records in the U.S. alone. Their last four albums have sold more the 2 million copies each. More then 8 million fans bought Back In Black, reportedly the biggest selling heavy metal album in history. An AC/DC concert film, Let There Be Rock has been screened in theaters throughout the world.

The band's success is due largely to teen appeal. As Newsweek reported alongside a photo of Angus in an April 1982 issue: "Middle-aged critics hate them, moms and dads blanch, the kids cheer on. AC/DC is the latest musical weapon in the war between the generations. Some say they're faceless-but try to convince your 13-year-old cousin." Indeed each band member looks scruffy enough to be the proverbial bad kid down the block. Their lyrics frequently aim at sexual concerns as titles such as "Let Me Put My Love Into You," "Big Balls," and "Let's Get It Up" might suggest. Musically, their songs follow a power-in-simplicity formula: Echoed by drum and bass, Malcolm's repetitious rhythms set the vocalist's pace, while the band's cutting edge come via the wizardry of Angus Young.

AC/DC was the brainchild of Malcolm , now 30, and Angus, his younger brother by five years. The last of seven brothers, both were born in Scotland. Margaret, the oldest of the Young siblings, introduced rock and roll to the household in the mid '50s, spinning 78s by Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and Chuck Berry. A guitar usually accompanied the family on weekend camping trips, ands all the brothers learned to at least strum some chords. Alex was the first to play professionally, assuming the name George Alexander when he played sax for Emile Ford & The Checkmates and Tony Sheridan's Big Six. (He later formed Grapefruit and in the late '70s produced British new wave records.)

The Young clan emigrated to Australia in 1964, moving into a hostel on the outskirts of Sydney. Here brother George met Harry Vanda, a Dutch-born lead guitarist with whom he formed the Easybeats. Signed in 1965, the quintet became Australia's top rock attraction. Reported Glen Baker in Billboard, "From the first single, 'For My Woman' in March of 1965, the Easybeats became astronomical superstars. While England reeled under the onslaught of Beatlemania, Australia was shaken by 'Easyfever'. Airports, television stations, theatres, and hire cars were reduced to rubble, fans were hospitalized, and general mayhem reigned wherever they set foot. Like the Beatles, the group was public property, with their private lives spread across the front pages of the daily newspapers."

It is difficult to overestimate the effect George's success had on grade schoolers Malcolm and Angus. "It was definitely an inspiration," says Angus. "There was a hell of a lot that came from that band; they were a forerunner of a lot of things. They were at the time of the early stages, when people didn't know how to react. Mal and me were kept away from them. In school, you got frowned upon because obviously your brother or your family was an influence to rebel. At that time, it was better for us not to be sort of pushed at it. My parents thought we'd be better off doing something else."

After a string of Australian hits, the Easybeats moved to England and achieved world-wide recognition for "Friday On My Mind." Back home, Malcolm was becoming enamored with black R&B and the music of the Beatles, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, and Who. "Then I got my ear into Eric Clapton with John Mayall's Blues Breakers," he says, "as well as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and things like that. George was in London and I used to ask him, 'Pick me out anything that you think is good at the moment,' and he'd send me over a parcel of albums. He was a good help to us." Malcolm took up guitar a few years before Angus, both lads played in local teen bands. By their own accounts, they exchanged very little musical information.

Routine day jobs fueled their dreams of making it as rockers. "I was a printer," confides Angus, "and I just got out as quickly as I could. I used to play at night, and turn up all the time. So they were quite happy to see the back of me, and I was quite happy to see the back of them." Their parents were upset when their youngest boys announced in early 1974 that they were quitting work to form a band. (Things change with success, Malcolm happily reports: "Now they're just proud old parents. They've even been to one or two of our shows, and they like to watch us on television.") Margaret suggested that her brothers name their band after and inscription on the family vacuum cleaner. As a joke on his age, Angus, then 16, began appearing onstage in the dress of a wayward schoolboy.

AC/DC's proving grounds were the tough, boozey bars of Sidney. Their deafening antics-which included singer Bon Scott blowing a tattered set of bagpipes or venturing into the audience with Angus atop his shoulders-quickly gained them a following. Meanwhile, former Easybeats George Young and Harry Vanda had moved back to Australia and set up the engineering-producing team of Vanda and Young. AC/DC turned to them for production of their first Australian LPs, High Voltage and T.N.T., which featured Bon Scott, drummer Phil Rudd, and bassist Mark Evans. Both albums reached #1 on Australian charts. On these and all subsequent LPs, Malcolm and Angus determined the band's direction by co-writing all the material with their singer.

After touring steadily throughout Australia for two years, AC/DC signed a worldwide recording contract with Atlantic Records and journeyed to England. Tracks from both disks were combined for the band's first international release High Voltage, which introduced "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock And Roll)" and their perennial concert favorite, "The Jack." Their Follow-up LP, 1976's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, was released everywhere but North America, where it wasn't issued until 1981.

The band's flamboyant stage act gained them a residency at London's Marquee Club, where they broke attendance records week after week. But before their triumphant concert tour of Australia at the year's end, AC/DC has played to a standing-room-only crowd at the Hammersmith Odeon and gained more then a small amount of notoriety as throughout Europe for their "bad-boy" image.

AC/DC recorded Let There Be Rock in early 1977, with Vanda & Young at the helm. Powered by "Problem Child," "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be," and "Whole Lotta Rosie," the album topped European and U.K. charts. Bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in time for the band's summer and fall U.S. tours. On December 7, 1977, AC/DC recorded a live studio set in New York that was aired on national radio and released a promotional album called Live At Atlantic Studios.

Vanda & Young produced Powerage in February and March 1978, which yielded "Sin City" and "Rock 'N' Roll Damnation." The band's subsequent world tour began in the United Kingdom and included three months headlining in the U.S. Vanda & Young prepared raw concert masters from European and English shows for If You Want Blood You've Got It, an album which faithfully captures the hellfire and brimstone of an AC/DC concert.

AC/DC changed their strategy for Highway To Hell, hiring producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and recording in London at Roadhouse Studios. These were Bon Scott's last sessions. Renowned among fans for his drinking excesses, he died on a winter's night in London following a binge. AC/DC considered disbanding, then determined to carry on. They auditioned singers and selected Brian Johnson, an Englishman formerly with the band Geordie. Besides having a suitably gruff voice, Johnson proved himself a capable lyricist by penning most of the words for 1980's Back In Black, which included "Hell's Bells," "What Do You Do For Money Honey," and "You Shook Me All Night Long."

On August 22, 1981, AC/DC made their first live appearance in six months to headline Britain's Monsters Of Rock Festival at Donnington Park. Three months later they began a North American tour to support For Those About To Rock We Salute You, produced by Lange and recorded in Paris. The album reached #1 in Billboard in December, becoming the band's third Top-5 LP in a year. (Highway To Hell and Back In Black remained on the charts for more then a year-and-a-half, while Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap as listed for 55 weeks.)

In 1982 Warner Brothers released Let There Be Rock, a 94-minute color film of a 1978 AC/DC concert in Paris. The group launched another American tour, toting along a 4,000-pound bell to announce the beginning of their set. The band itself produced their latest release, Flick Of The Switch, which continues their tradition of heavy metal that is at once simple and electrifying. Following the sessions at Compass Point Studios in Naussau, veteran English drummer Simon Wright took over Phil Rudd's position.

Despite his extroverted stage mannerisms, Angus Young alone is quiet and unassuming. He savors his privacy, rarely giving interviews and preferring oil painting to partying. He was straightforward and serious during the following conversation, which took place in San Francisco during AC/DC's Flick Of The Switch Tour.

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Which cuts contain the essential Angus Young?

That's hard because I never look at them as a solo thing. It's our band; we all play together. The guys all around me-it's just like a little team. I could tell you the best songs. I like "Let There Be Rock" very much. "Rosie" I love, the song "Back In Black," "What Do You Do For Money Honey" -the list us endless.

Do you play all the solos on AC/DC records?

Yeah, my brother's too lazy. It interferes with his drinking.

What's the difference between your brother's and your roles in the band?

I'm just like a color over the top. He's the solid thing; he pumps it along. His right hand is always going. In that field I don't think anyone can do what he does. He's very clean; he's very hard. It's an attack. Anyone that sees him or knows about guitars can tell.

Does the fact that you're the most recognizable member of the band ever bother Malcolm?

No. He was the one that shoved me in the first place. He got me into it: "I want you to do all of this." In the early days we used to fool around on some of our first albums. He would do little bits of guitar. We would double up, swap, do a solo here, a solo there. Malcolm's more experienced at it then me.

Playing solos or rhythm?

Anything. He knows what he's doing with it. He's got his own style and his own sound.

Could you switch roles?

I could copy it. I don't think I could fill it, not like he does.

Could he play your solos?

Ah yeah, easy [laughs]. I look at it this way: That's the easiest parts, the solos. There's no great thing in being a soloist. I think the hardest thing is to play together with a lot of people, and do it right. I mean, when four guys hit the one note all at once-very few people can do that.

Does being brothers influence the way you and Malcolm play? Others, such as the Van Halens and Schenkers, have said that they can sense what their brothers are going to do.

I don't know about that. I just think as brothers you can sort of shout each other down. You can go, "Hey, cut that out!" So you've just got a good rapport. Malcolm does inspire me. He has very high standards in his way of playing and everything. He's very musical minded, but he can go to the extremes, overindulgence. Like if we are in a studio and I have to do these things like solos, he'll say, "I want this to rock like thunder," and you've got to make it rock. He just says something like that and you know exactly what he means.

Will he ask you to redo solos?

Yeah, if he thinks they're not happening-if he thinks they're not rock enough or don't suit the song. It's mainly the songs that we worry about. I won't sit there and spend 12 hours on a guitar solo. I couldn't. That's pointless. I like to go in and just go, bang away at it.

How do you approach co-writing songs?

The three of us-me, Brian, and Malcolm-usually get together and just thrash out whatever we've got. If I've any ideas in the tape or something, I'll play them; Malcolm the same. We'll combine them all. Every now and again he might have something really good and I'll say, "What if you try this." Or he'll say to me, "I want you to sing something here if you can," and I'll try to think of something. The song can start from anywhere-it can be a riff or a title. Brian could say, "I've got a good line here," and suddenly it might inspire something.

Do you ever compose in the studio?

Yeah, there's many a time we'll get in there-and we might even be in the middle of a song-and we'll just stop and put a tape on if somebody's got a blow [improvisation] or something. All of out early material was basically written in the studio. We got in there and did "Let There Be Rock," "Rosie," most of them. We used to go in with a few ideas, and then really do the big percent of it in the studio-arrange it and everything. In the early days we didn't even rehearse. Nowadays we try to save time. We don't like spending too much time in the studio. We get the band together in rehearsals, try and get as many songs as possible, and then take them into the studio.

What's important to keep in mind when you're writing AC/DC songs?

Most other people can sort of just go bang, bang, bang-there's a song and that's the end of it. They forget that sort of style they can stick to. Most bands in the world can chop and change their style into anything. They can do reggae, they can do slow-we can't. We have that style of playing that's what we do best. You can write songs, but it mightn't be AC/DC, so you have to think of that all the time.

Do you play any guitar styles that aren't on the album?

I could bullshit my way through, yeah. I think anyone who plays-if he's got a bit of rhythm-can sit there and if you go "Give me something like a Spaniard," he can do it. "Give me something that sounds classical," and he can do that. I mean, most people can bang away. It mightn't be Andres Segovia, but certainly you can get that style. It's just being creative.

So you're not a closet folk picker or anything like that?

Nah. I do play with me fingers onstage, but you can't see it. Malcolm plays a lot with his fingers. He does a lot of picking. It's part of the rhythm. The two of us always slap the guitar. This [holds up his right hand] is always banging something. Maybe that's good or bad, I don't know.

Does your playing constantly progress? Do you ever get into slumps?

I've never gotten in a slump as far as playing, because I never got that serious about it. I never sit there and go, "Wow, gees! What's happening here?" I know what I can do, and it's just a matter of sitting there and fiddling with a guitar.

Have your recording methods changed since your Vanda & Young days?

Yeah, I think so. Well, this new one [Flick The Switch] we've done ourselves. We wanted it raw. We always were raw sounding; we just wanted it more free of the reverbs and the effects. You like a natural drum sound-you don't want this gigantic echo going on. A lot of people go, "What is that?" because sometimes it sounds like oil drums or something. We tend to go for keeping the raw idea of it all, because that's really what rock music is meant to sound like.

Does the band record the basic tracks simultaneously?

Yeah, we always do all the back tracks together-the two guitars, the bass, and drums. That's the only way you can get that feel happening.

Are your studio and stage setups the same?

Nah, There's times we've experimented. We had a lot of equipment there for For Those About To Rock. We brought in a mobile and recorded in a big rehearsal room to see what we could get away with. Basically, any other time we've gone in and just used normal amps-a 100-watt Marshall, a couple of cabinets.

Do you play loudly in the studio?

Not really, no. Most people hear distortion and they think it's loud. We keep it as clean as possible. The cleaner you do it, the louder it will sound when they do the cutting of it.

Do you have a fairly good idea of what you're going to do with the solos?

No, I never work that out before, unless there's an important part, like if it's part of the song.

Are your parts ever doubletracked?

No, it's never been an important element. I'd rather go for something that's natural than to doubletrack. You can make it sound thick by doubletracking. You can make it sound quiet; you can add acoustic guitars to bring it down. There are a lot of tricks like that. We've done things in the past, but it's mainly been the natural sound that we've always ended up with.

Will you splice different takes into one solo?

It depends. If it's an effect, they may. In other words, if you've got to bang the hell out of your guitar-hit it with a coat hanger or something-then you may have that [splicing] because it's going to be all out of tune when you come in. So you go for it. My brother George used to say, "I want you in here [the studio control booth], and just rub your guitar up and down against the glass. We want it wild." So you make it wild. Then he'd go "Right, now I'm going to punch in here, and I want you to go, blam!" So, you'd fire away. Finally you'd go "Jeez!," thinking you were finished. And then he'd go, "Right, and now we have to do all this in one [laughs]." There's a lot of things like that. So, you got it into your head whenever you went in there that you always tried to get it all in one take. It has to flow. Solos have got to have continuity.

Do you move around as much in the studio as you do onstage?

Yeah! Me brother George taught me that trick.

Can you repeat everything you've recorded?

Yeah. You just have to remember in what frame of mind you were in when you done it, and try to capture the same thing. I think I can reproduce everything I've recorded. We probably do it live when we've been playing it a long time. You tend to find all the little holes. You may add things in or subtract them. When you take it from the studio to the stage, it's a different thing. You may do it faster; you may do it even slower. It's just how you do it on the night with the people.

Your stage solos often stick to the script.

It's just how you hear it in your mind. You try to stick to it because a lot of people get condemned for not doing it. If you can do it, it's always good to throw something in, but still keep that feeling in there. You don't want the kids to come in and say, "Aw, that guy's trying to play Beethoven on top of that sound."

Are any of your solos particularly difficult?

It depends [laughs]. If somebody says, "Roll around on the floor, and I want you to spin around at 100 miles an hour and whistle 'Dixie' or something," it can be. The style of a solo might be difficult, but I don't think the actual thing itself is if you know what you're doing.

What should an Angus Young solo do?

I just want to add to the song. I don't want to take away from it. You don't want to suddenly give a raging solo in song where really it should be sitting in there. Sometimes it can go over the top. Guys will try to get in every lick they can get, cover every bit of space. We just like to go with what the track requires.

Most of your leads and fills are blues based.

I'm a sucker for that, yeah.

How do you construct solos? Do you work out of the chords?

It's mainly spontaneous. I mean, there are some things I've played where I've gone, "How in the hell did I do that?" You can sit there and try to figure it out for years, and there's nothing to match that. In the early days, if you were playing an A chord, you might play a solo that's in A. But then again, you might put progressions or notes in there that don't sound right. It sounds like you're playing in the wrong key or something, and sometimes that works.

Do you know what you're doing in musical terms?

I haven't a clue.

You don't work on scales.

Nah. That's basically for home use or whatever. If you were teaching music to children and they wished to know it, yeah. I can see it from a teaching point of mind. Some people are very technical minded, and they like to know how everything works to the exact split second. If you're that way, I suppose it's good. But me, I can sit there and play it and I know how to get the sound of what I want.

Can you play everything you imagine?

Yeah, hopefully. This is what I try to do. If I hear, "Boom-oom-oom, boom-oom-oom," then I'll sit there and maybe do that, if for some unknown reason I can get away with it. If somebody else was doing it, it would sound horrible. But somehow when I do, it seems to me that it's right

Will you ever attempt to play something onstage that you've never done before?

We always try. In little bits of songs or intros, we may fool around, We try to keep a little spontaneity in the songs. We do a lot of blowing when we are building something up or bringing it down. Songs like "The Jack"-you've got a little bit of room to do blues things. There's always that spontaneity there. It's those sparks that are going to make it rock.

Will Malcolm rearrange parts onstage?

Ah, yeah-rhythms. He'll do something. We've got all these things in our heads that make us do different things now and again. It's just to make it swing.

You put out a tremendous amount of energy in concert. Do you do anything special to stay healthy?

Don't eat pizza [laughs]. Not really. I just try to take it easy, relax a lot. If you don't get to relax, you could be going all the time, which could damage you health. If you're feeling ill or tired, you have to think, "Well, it could be worse. I could be in some club doing three shows," or you could be working [laughs]. The only time I've noticed myself getting weak is if it's been incredibly hot in a building. If you're playing somewhere like New York in the summer, it's all humidity. There's no air conditioning, and the lights are pouring up there. At the end of it, you can barely walk.

Do you ever get headaches from constantly whipping your head around?

No, When you first start, you're going to get sore bones. But I've never had any real headache from it. I've had headaches from traveling. Sitting around for 12 hours will give you a headache, because you're not doing anything.

Do you keep a guitar in your hotel room?

I haven't got one with me. If I'm on tour, I look at them and go, "Maybe I'll take one back tonight." Then I'll go, "Nah," and just let it sit there.

When do you play your best?

I don't know. I usually think it's when your mind is clear. If your mind is totally blank on what you're doing, then you just go and do it.

Do you think about anything onstage?

It's funny, no. It's like two different people, sort of split. To me, the whole show is over and done with in five minutes. It's like watching a movie.

Does going out in the audience ever create a dangerous situation?

Ah, yeah. That's always in the back of my mind if I do that. There's been times when I've just taken a run and jumped right into the audience without anything. I never think of those moves. The biggest thing is you don't want anyone in that audience hurt. A lot of those kids are all together-they can be crushed and that's a big thing. If there's too much going on, too many people together, then I just won't do it. I've got a couple of security guards who go out with me when I do it. They are mainly there for the protection of the kids. Every night kids go up and struggle with the security people.

Has your striptease ever presented problems with authorities?

Oh yeah. In certain countries they told me I couldn't do it when I first went there-Japan, Spain. But somehow I did and got away with it. It just depends. But then again, the people from the authority come and laugh. I remember when we first toured through Britain, there was a big campaign to stop us playing everywhere. They used to send along the vice squad, and they were embarrassed about it all, too. They couldn't see there was any wrong in anything I did.

Have you had trouble over lyrics?

Yeah. You get places where they want a lot of money put up if you swear or whatever. It just shows they have childish minds. They shouldn't be interfering; they are only taking away part of your freedom. Really, it's just a piece of music.

No deep meaning, no inciting to riot.

Yeah. We have been rioted upon by police; we've had all that. But we are not telling people to do this; this is their own natural reaction. The biggest percentage of people who come to our show like to chat along to the songs they know really well. They like to throw their arms in the air and just release a bit of energy. There's nothing of "This is aggressive." I suppose if somebody were nodding his head or shaking his arms in the streets, people would say the guy's crazy. I could see that. But I can't see it when they are all together in a show and having fun; there's nothing at all aggressive in that.

Has your audience changed over the years?

It seems that there are a lot of young people coming now. I think it's me legs.

You've been known throughout your career for using Gibson SGs. What's the appeal of this guitar?

When I bought the first one-and I've still got it now-it was like a gift. It was something I always wanted. I went into this shop and picked it up, and it was so easy for me to play. I always thought that it was just a run-of-the-mill Gibson, that they were all basically like that, and that you might get better ones. Over the years, I've never found one that was the same as it.

Have you found a wide difference in tones from one SG to the next?

I have, in fact I've never come across two that are the same.

How many SGs do you own?

I have maybe 16 or 17 now. I would say my favorite one is from about '67 or '68. It used to have one of those engraved metal things on the back [base plate] with the little arm-the tremolo-but I replaced that with another tailpiece. But I've got a couple of them that have the vibrato arm still.

Do you ever use a vibrato arm?

No, not really. There are songs where I can do it for the sake of convenience, for tuning or something. I've used it on some songs in the studio for [imitates a descending growl], but mainly I would do that with a [tuning] key because you can go up a way or down a way. But I've got one that's all set up and put there on the stage, and if I want to , I might use it just for a song.

Do you record with guitars other then the SGs?

No, I've just used the SGs.

What kind of neck do you prefer?

Just as long as it's thin. The first one I had was a very small, thin neck. I showed it to a guy from Gibson, and he wanted to do some photos of it and look at the pick-ups. I said, "Could you get me one the same as this?" And he went, "I've never seen one like it." It wasn't shaved either. It had come direct from their factory. It had all the original pieces. I've got another guitar that's a reject [a second], and it's and incredible guitar. I said, "If you can make a few more rejects, I'll like them, too [laughs]."

Are your guitars modified?

Not unless there's an earth [grounding] problem or something. But basically, no.

Do you leave in the original Gibson pickups?

Yeah, I try. Those pickups that they make are good. I've even got a couple of their newer ones that are really good. I've also got a few different pickups that a guy in England made for me once-I can't remember his name. He knows how I like guitars because he used to repair them all the time. They are basically the same as Gibsons. So, if I'm in England, I'll use him. If I'm in the U.S., I'll try and get a Gibson one.

Does leaping off risers cause you tuning problems?

When you jump off things, yeah, you can have problems. But it's basically down at the guitar. Some guitars sit well-the tunings stay in no matter what you do. I've got a few of them that won't for the love of anything stay in tune. You can just use them for a second and they go out.

Are your strings changed often?

Yeah. Every show they have to be changed. Nobody plays them in. They just give them a tug-pull them in. And then I'll get a hold of them and pull them in just to make sure. There's nothing worse then going onstage and being out of tune.

Do you work your tone and volume controls much?

Mainly the volume. I usually stick to the one sort of tone, and that's more or less flat-out.

Do you use any effects?

No, I just have a Schaffer-Vega wireless system. For me, it's probably the best. I've tried a few other ones, and they sort of cut out. The further you get away, the weaker the signal. The Schaffer seems to stay; it seems to keep going even if there are obstructions. I've been outside of buildings and played with that, and it still fires up really well.

Have you ever picked up radio signals with it?

No, except in some cases where we go to a town where they've got a big radio on top of the building.

What's your amp setup?

I've got this big, giant custom amp that Marshall built us at their factory. I think it rates about 350 watts. Then I've got about eight 100-watt Marshalls up there, but I think they only use four at once. We mike the amps; there's nothing direct except the bass. They take a D.I. [direct input] for the bass.

How important is equipment?

Well, I like it to work. It's a big, important thing. On the stage, we know how to use those amps and everything. They are always repaired after the tours. They are a good, reliable amp, Marshall. I very seldom have ever had problems with them.

What kind of picks do you use?

It varies. I recently got a bundle of Dean Markleys or something. I use Fender ones-heavy gauge. The thicker the better.

How do you hold a pick?

With me fingers [laughs]! I just hold it anywhere it fits-between my thumb, index, or middle fingers. Sometimes it slips, and then you're playing it with your thumb and pinky.

Do you use all the fingers of your right hand?

Yeah, it's all going at once.

Does your vibrato come more from your fingers or wrist?

Fingers more then anything. Sometimes I'll shake the neck a bit, because those necks get wobbly sometimes.

How do you bend a string?

I've only got a small hand so I use all my fingers to bend. I really push it with all my fingers backing it up.

How far is your reach?

Very small. When I sweat a lot, my fingers seem to go apart for miles. They'll stretch on their own once they get really loosened.

Is most of your speed from your right or left hand?

From my left hand. There's a lot I can do without picking.

In concert you perform several solos with just the left hand.

When I was smaller and wanted to learn to play, I thought maybe I'd toughen my left hand up. But then I found it was always easier just to use the two as much as possible. Don't think of technique or anything-just play. Some guys play chords with their thumb, some guys with their pinky. That's how I sort of learned for myself. I used to play with my thumb and make up me own sort of little chords, what I could do here and there. I just use them. I don't know any sort of positions or things like that.

Do you ever experiment with slide or open tunings?

Nah. I know how to do it. For fun maybe I might fool around, use a microphone stand to drive it, that sort of thing. There are people who specialize in that and are good at it, like the old Duane Allmans. The only thing I never liked are the people that go [imitates pedal steel player]-they're a bit like bagpipes, a cat meowing.

Do you have any unusual playing techniques that you haven't heard others use?

I don't know. There's so much going on in the world these days. Whatever you play, somewhere along the line guys will rip it off. People like Hendrix were always abused; everyone got into that sort of thing. I never did. I just sit on what I can do and feel.

Are there any current guitarists you admire?

I'm more interested in bands. I like the Yardbirds, some of the early Who, Stones. When it comes to solos and things, the guitar can be exciting. You like to see rock music be very hard and tough, but a lot of that seems to be gone. People just seem to be worried about how many tricks they can do. Someone like Eddie Van Halen fiddles around a lot, and it tends to be like guitar exercises. People like Hendrix knew how to rip the hell out of it, but they still knew there had to be rhythm in there, too. That's what's missing a lot nowadays. It's a bit like Deep Purple-it's all technical, but there's none of the rhythm to back it up.

Have you ever jammed with any of the major players?

Nah. It's not a thing that's ever appealed to me. I've never had the idea to go-even if anyone said to me, "Come and play with me." It doesn't give me a thing. Playing with the guys as AC/DC is what makes it for me. That's what makes the sounds. Outside of that, it's different. If I was standing there playing on my own, you'd go [groans]. So, I need my brother, the two of us together. It's the combination.

Are you happy with the direction your music is going?

Yeah, because it's always been our favorite form of music. It's what we started with, and it's what we always had to fight with. And we are still fighting with it now. We are still pushing, and that's the good part about it. There's nothing to make us sit back and go, "Oh, I'm going to play God now."

What would you like to accomplish in the future?

That's a hard one. When you're in the road, you are basically concentrating on that. When you are doing an album, you're concentrating for that. I would just like to be around a few years, still banging away but not being boring. I just want to go further - make more noise.

Source www.guitarplayer.com