“They’re just shit”: The band Angus Young refused to call punk
Hard rock and punk rock share numerous stylistic similarities, from their adoration of abrasive guitar tones to their aggressive on-stage antics. Do not be fooled, though; there is a colossal divide between the two styles. Punk rock was built upon an unwavering DIY ethos, political activism, and a desire to subvert mainstream culture, while hard rock is much more attuned to the landscape of mainstream rock stars. As a result, numerous mainstream rock artists saw the emergence of punk as a disgrace to rock, including the hard rock titans, AC/DC.
First formed in 1972, AC/DC came together when punk was still in its infancy, and they took the bulk of their musical inspiration from old-school rock and roll stars like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, along with pioneering blues-rock outfits like The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. Although their output and existence were notably more chaotic than those of previous stars, AC/DC always maintained their dedication to the musical craft. Their material, while abrasive and anarchic in some ways, is usually crafted meticulously, featuring complex elements.
On the other hand, punk rock was forged on a manifesto of ‘here are three chords, now form a band’, resulting in an explosion of grassroots and outsider artists with limited-to-no musical skill establishing their own unique sound. Punk placed the means of musical production into the hands of ordinary people, but AC/DC were never particularly convinced by the movement’s quality.
During an interview in the mid-1970s, when the early punk scene was at its peak, AC/DC were spending a considerable amount of time in London – a haven for this revolutionary new musical style. Rather than being impressed by the defiant spirit, passion, and anger of groups like The Sex Pistols, The Clash, or any of the other punk bands populating the global scene at that time, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young simply declared, “They’re not punk; they’re just shite.”
Young seemed to have contempt for the punk movement in general, but one specific group were the target of his ire more than most. Highlighting the harbingers of New York’s incredible CBGB scene, Young spoke openly about his disgust over The Ramones. Having started out at around the same time as AC/DC, The Ramones were a unique group within punk, bedecked in blue jeans and leather jackets and with a sound that regularly drew upon their love of 1960s pop music.
This diverse sound didn’t endear the group towards Young – quite the opposite, in fact. “You’ve got the Ramones and all that. They’re all trying to do a Small Faces thing. I don’t know if you remember when Steve Marriott used to come on and wipe his nose and spit in his hand and throw it at some punter, generally be an arse, pour beer over the crowd and the whole thing like that. They can do all that; it’s pretty easy for a guy to go up there and do all that, but they can’t play.”
Not being able to play seemed to be the deal-break for the AC/DC guitarist. “Everyone knows, at that time, Steve Marriott could sing, and the band, The Small Faces, could play. Well, the bands there now can’t play, and they can’t sing – they’ve got nothing going for them except the visual thing.”
He concluded, “The Ramones, I only heard them once. I heard a song, and it did nothing. It seemed to me like the first band I was ever in, and I’m sure even that was better – and was when I was 12.”
The Ramones might not have meant anything to Angus Young and AC/DC, but they were an essential group in establishing the sound, image, and attitude of the punk rock revolution. While, to Young’s credit, the band were not the most musically skilled or profound, their trailblazing punk sound certainly left a mark on the history of rock and roll – much to the chagrin of Angus Young.
