(Credits: Far Out / Joan Sorolla)
Fri 13 March 2026 14:24, UK
AC/DC guitarist Angus Young is more than deserving of his place amongst the greats of rock music.
Taking his cues from genre pioneers such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard and fusing their unrelenting energy with the power of Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. In doing so, the Glaswegian formed a distinctive style. Accordingly, his band appeals to both the most ardent fans of guitar music and the masses.
Thanks to Young’s prowess on the six-string, songs such as ‘Thunderstruck‘, ‘T.N.T.’ and ‘Back in Black’ had the edge needed to see AC/DC become one of the most influential rock outfits of their day and pierce popular culture in a way that only the greats do. Their fusion of blues, rock and metal is a potent force and has seen them fill stadia worldwide for decades.
As well as being a true rock ‘n’ roller in the vein of the great Chuck Berry, via both his approach to his instrument and the iconic duck walk he pinched from his hero, Young is an interesting figure. Unsurprisingly, given the unique essence of his music, he has repeatedly shown himself to be an individualistic character in interviews. He is never afraid to offer his opinions on some of his most prominent peers.
Perhaps most notoriously, when speaking to Classic Rock in 2019, Young tore into one of the most popular bands on earth, The Rolling Stones. He took serious issue with the soul route they’ve apparently taken in later years, claiming that they should stick to what they know best, rock ‘n’ roll.
He asserted: “The Rolling Stones get up and play soul music these days, and this is supposed to be rock’n’roll. Leave that to the people who do it best, the black people. If the Stones played what they do best, they’d be a helluva lot better, and they’d probably find themselves at ease.”
The Rolling Stones aren’t the only group that has felt the wrath of Angus Young. In 1984, AC/DC were on top of the world thanks to two hit albums, 1979’s Highway to Hell and the following year’s Back in Black, despite the death of original frontman Bon Scott. That year, Angus Young spoke to Guitar World and revealed his great dislike for Deep Purple. He explained that he “hated” them and adjacent bands so much that he described Deep Purple as nothing more than “a poor man’s Led Zeppelin”.
“I saw Deep Purple live once, and I paid money for it, and I thought, ‘Geez, this is ridiculous.’ You just see through all that sort of stuff. I never liked those Deep Purples or those sort of things. I always hated it. So I always thought it was a poor man’s Led Zeppelin,” Young told the publication.
It’s a brutal putdown and not the kind of energy that Young has saved only for the Stones and Deep Purple. Young famously took on Eric Clapton, claiming he had nabbed most of his style form others, “Clapton just sticks licks together that he has taken from other people – like BB King and the other old blues players -and puts them together in some mish-mashed fashion.”
Punk legends Ramones also fell foul of Young’s high watermark for music-making. “The Ramones, I only heard them once; I heard a song, and it did nothing,” he said, “It seemed to me like the first band I was ever in, and I’m sure even that was better – And [that] was when I was 12.” So, it’s fair to say that Angus Young is a tough critic, ad there’s a good chance that his critique of Deep Purple was just one of many.
Listen to Deep Purple ‘Black Knight’ below.
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