In a new interview, AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson revealed that he has been told not to talk about the band’s future plans. Johnson hasn’t performed live with AC/DC since 2016, a time when he was forced to leave their lengthy ‘Rock or Bust’ tour due to hearing problems. Notably, Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose took his place for the tour.
Being replaced was something that Johnson looked back on in October, writing in his memoir The Lives of Brian that the decision to step away was a tough one that sent him into “free fall”.
“I called Tim, the tour manager, on my mobile right there in the room to tell him that I just couldn’t continue,” Johnson recalled in the book. “It was one of the most difficult conversations of my life – the pain of it made worse over the weeks that followed when the tour simply went on without me. It was a sheer cliff. I didn’t tumble down, I was in free fall.”
He then maintained that although he felt Rose did a “great job”, he still couldn’t watch his performances. “It’s like finding a stranger in your house, sitting in your favourite chair,” he continued. “But I bear no grudges.”
Recently, when appearing on Eddie Trunk’s SiriusXM show, Trunk Nation, the Geordie vocalist disclosed that he is prohibited from discussing what the future of the band might be. Probed whether he would ever perform with the ‘Back in Black’ group again, he responded: “I’m not answering that. Why should I? First of all, there’s five members in this band, and to ask one member isn’t fair.”
The host then asked Johnson if he’d personally want to be back in the live arena with AC/DC, to which he responded definitively: “Eddie, I cannot answer that. I’ve been told not to by everybody. It’s the official line.”
Elsewhere, Trunk then questioned Johnson on whether he’d like to make another record with the band. “It’s getting tabloidy here,” he replied. “You’re getting tabloidy.”
Johnson said: “If I say one thing, it’ll be blown out of all proportion. You just can’t afford to talk now. There’s too much blabber on the Internet. And I’m not on any kind of Face-thing or social media at all — never have been. It’s just gossip.”
