Photo: Wes Orshoski

What good is Phil Rudd’s opinion these days? Well, as the longtime drummer of AC/DC, it certainly mattered for the 29 years he was in the band. However, since November of 2014, when he threatened to kill someone while on meth, that kinda went out the window. His exit from the band came quickly after that, and he got off kind of easy, with eight months of house arrest. Meanwhile, Chris Slade, who’d played in the band in the late ’80s and early ’90s, slid back into the band to finish what might have been their final tour. 

When Brian Johnson was forced to stop singing or roik total hearing loss midway through the tour, the band found an unlikely replacement in Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose. Among those that were skeptical? Phil Rudd, now in his own band called Head Job. Has he changed his tune about Axl? Yes, yes he has. Speaking to Music Radar, he said the following:

 “I watched some clips the other day of Axl singing with the boys. I was surprised; it wasn’t too bad. I was quite surprised, I thought he did quite well and that’s not an easy gig, mate, it’s not an easy gig at all. AC/DC is a tough gig for everyone in the band. I saw Angus jamming with Guns N’ Roses as well. Apart from watching those clips though I don’t know what’s going to happen or what’s going on with the band.”

When asked about the future of AC/DC, he said that he’s spoken to a few of the guys, but obviously he has no idea. He does mention, however, that the fact that Guns N’ Roses are touring again this summer might not sit too well with Angus because it would prevent them from touring. So far, AC/DC hasn’t said anything about their future, but with Angus the only original member, he’ll likely break his silence before too long.