Wednesday, January 16, 2008

AC/DC in teen idol shock!

I love Murray Engleheart and Arnaud Durieux's excellent "AC/DC Maximum Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band."
I have learned much about the band and their history, which is consistently entertaining.
Today I reached January 1977, when the band returned to their native Australia from seven months of gigging in the United Kingdom.
The return to Down Under marked a defining shift for the band, who had yet to make an appearance in America.
In the words of Michael Browning, the Melbourne Hard Rock Cafe owner who had become the band's manager:
"Prior to going to England, they played to screaming girls. England was the exact opposite and then that part was imported back to Australia."
What's that?
It's true. AC/DC had been teen idols for screaming teenage girls for the first couple years of their existence. Then their crowds became more populated by young males, and the rest is history.
I look forward to continuing the AC/DC story with Engleheart and Durieux's great book. I know the tale takes some tragic turns, but I look forward to learning more.
POSTSCRIPT -- Never in my wildest dreams did I suspect NEWCASTLE UNITED would name KEVIN KEEGAN their manager ONE DAY after I wrote about the situation at the football club. How prescient!

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