Angus Young quotes

Angus Young is an Australian guitarist and co-founder of the legendary rock band AC/DC. Famous for his electrifying performances and schoolboy stage outfits, he has become an icon in rock music. He continues to inspire generations of musicians with his energetic style and memorable riffs. Here are 27 of his quotes:

I love the music from Nat King Cole, BB King, Albert King... When I think of it, I wouldn't mind being renamed Angus King.

Angus Young

The best AC/DC cover I've heard? There was an all-girl cover band in America, the Hell's Belles.

Angus Young

You should hear me on my own. It's horrendous. I saw Deep Purple live once and I paid money for it and I thought, Geez, this is ridiculous.'

Angus Young

It's just rock and roll. A lot of times we get criticized for it. A lot of music papers come out with: 'When are they going to stop playing these three chords?' If you believe you shouldn't play just three chords it's pretty silly on their part. To us, the simpler a song is, the better, 'cause it's more in line with what the person on the street is.

Angus Young

I don't like to play above or below people's heads. Basically, I just like to get up in front of a crowd and rip it up.

Angus Young

We're a rock group. we're noisy, rowdy, sensational and weird.

Angus Young

We want to appeal to everyone and get rich quick. We want to be millionaires. I've got this plan to buy Tasmania you see...

Angus Young

Angus Young's frantic over-the-top soloing has sparked many of AC/DC's biggest tunes. But beneath the reckless theatrics and naughty schoolboy images lurks a skilled guitarist.

Angus Young

I just go where the guitar takes me.

Angus Young

Every guitarist I would cross paths with would tell me that I should have a flashy guitar, whatever the latest fashion model was, and I used to say, 'Why? Mine works, doesn't it? It's a piece of wood and six strings, and it works.'

Angus Young

A lot of times you'll hear bands and it's a different sound coming out than what's on stage. Because you can clean it up through a PA and make it sound completely different than what they really sound like.

Angus Young

If it was happening, I'd call it Heavenly Beast. If it wasn't happening, I usually call it Arsehole.

Angus Young

Yes, we're still five little people with a noisy attitude.

Angus Young

Actually, because I'm so small, when I strike an open A chord I get physically thrown to the left, and when I play an open G chord I go right. That's how hard I play, and that's how a lot of my stage act has come about. I just go where the guitar takes me.

Angus Young

When I'm on stage the savage in me is released. It's like going back to being a cave man. It takes me six hours to come down after a show.

Angus Young

My part in AC/DC is just adding the color on top.

Angus Young

I remember one of the first gigs I played with that amp was at a local church. They wanted someone to fill in with the guitar and my friend say, 'Ah, he can play.' And so I dragged the amplifier down and started playing and everybody started yelling 'turn it down!'

Angus Young

I wouldn't know any newer bands. We're past the pimple stage.

Angus Young

I honestly believe that you have to be able to play the guitar hard if you want to be able to get the whole spectrum of tones out of it. Since I normally play so hard, when I start picking a bit softer my tone changes completely, and that's really useful sometimes for creating a more laid-back feel.

Angus Young

That's usually what happens with AC/DC: you make an album, and then you're on the road flat out. And the only time you ever get near a studio is generally after you've done a year of touring.

Angus Young

With AC/DC, we've always started with rock, and we've just kept it going. The critic's view is always, 'They just made an album and it's the same as the last one.' I'll have fifteen of them, anytime.

Angus Young

I never bothered with cars. I was probably one of the few kids in school who didn't run around with hot-rod magazines. As I would be at home fiddling with my guitar, they would be fiddling with a car engine.

Angus Young