In a new interview, legendary AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has opened up about his painful estrangement from the band, revealing that his former bandmates “haven’t even picked up the phone” since his ousting. He stated that the only reason he would ever play with the rock icons again would be for the fans and for the late, legendary frontman Bon Scott.
Speaking with New Zealand’s Stuff, Rudd, who played drums on the band’s 2020 comeback album Power Up but is not part of the current world tour, shared his feelings of abandonment.
“There was a time when I thought it was the end of my world,” he said of his ousting. “I only knew life with AC/DC. Those people I thought loved me like a brother, they haven’t even picked up the phone.”
Despite the hurt, he confirmed that he would be open to a return, but only under specific, heartfelt conditions.
“People always ask me if I will play with AC/DC again,” he continued. “The only people I would do it for would be the fans. And for Bon. I would do it for Bon.”
He then elaborated on his deep connection to the band’s original frontman, who passed away in 1980. “To me AC/DC was always Bon. My favorite album is Highway To Hell. My favorite song — his song ‘Touch Too Much‘,” Rudd shared. “When Bon died, even in AC/DC I felt alone.” He credited the fans for helping him through that difficult time, saying, “The people who like the music, it always humbles me, but makes me happy too.”
Rudd‘s turbulent recent history with the band began in 2015 when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention in New Zealand after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to k**l and dr*g possession. The legal trouble led to him being replaced by Chris Slade for the band’s “Rock Or Bust” tour.
While he made a triumphant return to the studio for the Power Up album, he was subsequently replaced by American drummer Matt Laug for the band’s 2023 Power Trip festival appearance and the ongoing world tour.
Despite his absence from the AC/DC stage, Rudd has remained musically active, recently performing AC/DC classics with the “Full Metal Orchestra” in Auckland, New Zealand.
