An interview with Mark Evans - AC/DC part 1 of 3

mark congratulations on your book the American an Australian version yep that that's year that both sides of this Pacific there and there's this German German coming and UK and yeah it's my life yeah that's all in there it says dirty deeds my life inside and outside of a see this here so it's all in there a very interesting letter from Bonnie near you've fed your bread knew we might go into that but yeah it's just you know it's it's you know I've been showing so much kindness and support over the years from from the fans and the punters at gigs it's just my way of repaying because it puts them on the inside of the bank because now I'm from inside the van it has ever written anything and the van tends to be played cards pretty close to the chest you know so it's just you know put people on the site and side of the band and that's pretty much it you know the story of my life from 0de to now you know but it seems to me anyone that's interested in ac/dc at any level this would just be a wealth of theirs there's a lot of stuff in it and it's you know it we had a better blast on our where we're a lot of good times man we met you know of I've got great memories of the period and it was interesting writing a book there's so many things that there were way back man it came out you know and and there's a lot more so I just and say there may well be a dirty deeds to but you're going to get the first one they make the sink one make sense yeah yeah you have a website that you could yeah you can go there Alan and I'm with website there publishable but my website just Mark Evans Blues calm and that's got all stuff about the book and CDs and a lot of archival stuff about ac/dc - yeah yes okay and you'll sign a copy phone yeah of course since it is you know about your ac/dc timed in a way yeah that Idol suggests that let's talk about that how did you wind up in that band in the ac/dc group well it was March 1975 and I was doing what I normally did back in those days I was in a pub playing pool and a good pal of mine used to play football with Steve McGraw was was in the pub and he happened to be rolling for the guys at the time and said listen yeah this is Pan ac/dc and I'd heard of them vaguely I'd seen a a poster on the wall at the Hard Rock Cafe a club I used to go to that said ac/dc it coming I think with Angus on that and I sort of knew there was a guy dressed in a school uniform he said they're looking for a bass player and he just gave me the address I went around Saturday afternoon and knocked on the door and the pre-work went from there though they weren't home at the time though the gig so I went in and sat down with Angus his girlfriend had a cup of tea and then they come back from a gig and there I was sitting on the couch and they walk in and basically gave me the who you sitting on our couch they can be a little bit you know direct to guys so what you know but we just went from there they gave me a copy of the record went back the next day and you know played the songs with them and we went from there and I've got to tell you you know with all the gear set up in the hallway of the house and he sing killed her we first song we tried was a song off the first time called soul stripper and Malcolm put me at ease by saying hey listen to the guy before you couldn't get this one together that's why you're here and I'm great I better get this right so yeah so what we started playing and it's like a huge light bulb went on from the first four or five bars playing with the band I just I knew I was supposed to be there and it's you know it's just just one of those moments all I remember forever you know it's it was loud it was just it sounded like the band so I just knew I was supposed to be there so basically how I found myself and I said is he and that was Sunday afternoon and the following Saturday by that stage I had done three or four gigs for him and then I found myself on national TV doing countdown with in all in with the first week and there was the one where BOM was dressed up as a schoolgirl so it was a very it was a very busy week that was my first week with a band so and things sped up after that because you were very very we all went very very quickly yeah but what you have seen what happened to them coming or did you think that it would just be a group that to do some pub gigs or because I mean that they were not attracting a lot of attention early on were they no no or were I first started within the first week guys playing with them yeah well played to 1015 people in in you know small pubs and bars you know took off very quickly after that but from the outset you know art the first time I played with them on that Sunday afternoon Ralph and the road road manager drove me home Halley's having a bit of a chat attorney basically said obviously it's going to work out well for you you know what you're going to be in a band and our great fantastic he said but you must remember two things he said number one it's Malcolm's man and number two we're going to be living in London in 12 months and at that point you know I thought you could have said to me oh we're going to be playing a gig on the moon in 12 months it would had the same relative new to me I was just our yeah sure but within a very short time I discovered it that's what the plan was and that's Malcolm's view for the band that's what was going to happen and they were dead serious man now they're always going to be they're always going to be big you know and just that's the vision that the Malcolm had and Georgie's older brother and Angus - probably a little lesser extend at that stage they they were they were primed to go all the way and I the reason for that I think is Malcolm and Angus grew up in a household where they had an older brother George who was in the Easybeats that was in a you know an internationally big bang either a littles the ones yeah we all without that without written and then they had you know number top five hitting in England in Europe and in the States there were a big bang so you know if you put a band together Saji you'd be greatly doing two or three gigs a week in 12 months that wasn't the case earning that the bowers or Malthus said a lot higher because they always it was acceptable for them that oh yeah we can do it because a brother's done it so they their their expectations were a lot higher so you know that's that's what it was out there they knew that I kind of think they knew they were going to do it I don't think they would have realized it was going to be this large with me we're talking to assess leave them probably flying over in their jumbo now yeah and say so yeah they're talking to a you know some of the fellows from masters apprentices a you know they've just mistakes mistakes and they miss the boat yeah and I suppose race van der Masters soon but but with ac/dc having had the easy beats go before the mistakes would have been will not repeat it that a spray lien bands were making in the 60s as far as that would have had a clear vision of how to go about doing it yeah I think so I the Easybeats went within it within an ace of picking up all the marbles they they could have they could have been massive so I think you know the the miscues that that probably happened with Easybeats probably mostly along the lines of management I believe from hearsay you know would you know George took a lot of potholes out of the road for us isn't there's no doubt about that the the added plus was it's just the guy's just a genius in the studio genius of putting songs together and he happened to be the older brother Angus remember so we saw set up and you know and our house producers and Albert's so the connection was there for the record deal the same time that went down the band got new management Michael Brandon took over and moved to bansa Melbourne which was a hot spot for live music event so there's a lot of things came together at the one time that the lineup but that didn't record high voltage you know came together with Phil joined in Melbourne in January or February and I joined the month later so everything sort of come together countdown urges started color TV just come in so there's all these sort of things that lined up and you know you I think if you have a successful ban you've you've got to be prepared but you're certainly the opportunities got to come along which that's where the luck comes into it you know and and I think it was everything just come together at once and that's what helped the band grow so quickly because that took off like a rocket like we went from like playing ten to fifteen people a night so like you know playing to their the big bare bones in Melbourne like Matthew playing a thousand people a night and doing three days a night you know or within a couple of months and they'd like to do with countdown and Meldrum getting behind them in Mali caught behind the band and pushed the band to an amazing degree you know he he they financed and shot those the long way to the top video the jailbreak video they did that author own bat the ABC just did that you know and so they were incredibly supportive so all those things came together and bought off it went oh a lot of hard work too you know I would estimate yeah you don't get that sort of success without building in there yeah yeah sure well I've often wondered where at what point did Angus arrived at the level that he played at did you watch him improve or was he already there as a great player ah from the moment the first member hart back to the first time i played with me in the hallway of the house both amazing players and what nailed me from the start was how well the guitars worked together they'll under like telepathic those guys so that was that was there you know that was here from from when I come aboard they were just you know out of this world you know their work ethic to phenomenal just just just driven guides you know I yeah I you know I I kind of think that maybe they'll put on this earth to do what they do they just you know I don't it is it there's a bit guitar duo and any band in it anywhere they're phenomenal placement that they were all fully formed and like that when when I came on board you know it was just it did just dynamic man unit and unbelievably loud you rattle your teeth but that's that's what they say Hank and wonder nothing it amazes me if I go to gigs and people are doing you know doing an ac/dc song and they're covering a song they have these big dirty heavy metal guitar sounds I feel like saying excuse me guys can you get back and listen to the record that guitar sounds are really really clean there are these clean sounds and that's why the guitars work so well because that you can tell the difference between the guitars and that they actually really clean sounds for that sort of music you know that's how it works those those guitars knit so well that they're great what they do man yeah it is surprising like you know you said about Bonnie comes across everything about their image is not like what they really are huh you know and as you said the people think of them as a heavy metal band but yeah you know yeah well I'm still amazing you know you read articles they call it like heavy metal bands just like it's a rock and roll band you know it's always you know I'm probably the worst person to ask about that because I'm a bit set in my ways but it's always been a rock and roll band it's like a blue space rock and roll band it in much in the genre of say what the stones you know it ac/dc or a bar being that that's what it is it's a bar band you know and it's blues-based and it's you know it's that's what it is and then if someone to call it maybe you can call it heavy rock I guess but you know if I think you ask the guys what they will do what they play this other what would a rock and roll band you know because it's all steeped in that blue singing and Chuck Berry and listen to a lot of anguses guitar motifs they're all that so Chuck Berry stuff you know much the same as what Keith Richards does you know but yeah heavy metal not in a million years man not in a million and the solos are so architected and composed I build them really well does yeah like like you know I don't know if he goes home and figures them out or if it's just natural to him and I think I think I think both of them are natural players I don't think he can you can be that play that well without being natural you happy yes sir it's instinctive to them I know how they play together you know from from what I know of never very incredibly instinctive but sir you know when I was with the band Angus would be practicing constantly you know we would share a house together and you go past his room and be sitting on the end of his bed just plays guitar tapping away yeah it'd be a 2 or 3 hour guitar solo going on that's when you had just been practicing it is his riffs and stuff you know so he pees application then practice was yeah the rest of us wouldn't see our instruments unless we're at the gig you know though I think that's my bass guitar is it yeah but yeah that's that's was because we never rehearsed the van you know I we had that bit of a jam when some like audition learnt the songs and then other than that I think we had a couple rehearsals when we first went to England because we had some time off and then when we come back from England we checked our gear to make sure it worked so the van never rehearsed never rehearsed at all how'd you learn the songs in the studio when we wrote them okay well that's all the songs are written in the studio we'd learn them have a few other songs so it ended up on it on albums things like come say like ride on or ain't know if I'm waiting around to be a millionaire we only ever played them once that was on the record there got played of it right so you didn't do them all right a big deal under needy some I because of the time constraint because were only sort of like doing 30-minute sets because we're doing supports to say like Blackmore's rainbow or Black Sabbath you know you have 30 minutes which start off with livewire and finish with baby please don't go that would probably leave room because baby please they go went forever you know they'd probably leave room for my two or three other songs yeah time control I think God it was with with dirty deeds I think we we only ever would have played life we would play dirty deeds problem child and jailbreak that's a songs alien songs you ever played live off the album Wow by waiting with some great songs in there too you know right right on it's amazing in fact I heard something the other day there was amazing there's there is it Norah Jones yeah yeah she does ride on as an encore live and it's it's amazing here hearing a treatment of that song Eric burdens done a version of it too it's which is what it was singer yeah but yeah hearing Norah Jones doing so almost sounds like a bit like plea would match you know but it we never got to do a song and stage I they ban may have done later on with Brian I think but yeah there's a lot of songs that just didn't make it make it like hmm well you were on three studio album yeah yeah I'm in the live album so I believe some of the live album but some TNT dirty deeds and let there be rock writer and and I assume yeah it is I think some of the recordings for the live album were but I think taken from my music baghi I think I you know I couldn't be sure don't you know okay bit hard to sound carrot but don't quote me on that yeah live gigs could be could be anywhere okay don't be through those albums what was it like to what was the experience what happened when you got into the studio we plugged in and made records pretty much the first time I ever was in his studio is when we did the the TNT sessions and we all the album's I was involved in the studio albums were all recorded over a fortnight we'd go in and the first week would be to get the the backing tracks down or the backing tracks would be recorded in that first week and they also would be written in that first week so we would go and fill in the salt might know a little bit of a tune that we'd be messing around the soundcheck or something but you're all the songs to be written and recorded in that first week so we would just go in and work on the to just get the grooves going T and tell you a lot of times Georgia to be playing bass because George mentored me a lot with my bass playing and he is the amazing bass player man just unlock out so yeah George would sit down with the guys and work out your rifle on the piano the whole the three of them George Angus and Malcolm would be sitting down at the piano all on the same piano store that gives you an idea of the size of the offices like that on a stool that's what that that wide would like to learn it's you that you like the Marx Brothers and say that they get that they get that the destruction tested and George being you know would you know do a lot of work with them so we sit down and get the grooves going and then hit the button then in the second week would be very getting vocals down backing vocals and all the guitar solos so but everything would be recorded live well I think why we could record so quickly is it the drums two guitars the bass all set up the one room all that stage gear all the answer we pointed towards the wall and host Mike and so if we've got to take that was it you know George admits it and do whatever we have to do later on but that's probably the reason we could record it efficiently because they're all the arms were basically what you hear is that's the ban live in the studio and that's why you go see a gig no I census like the record sounds just like the band because that was a band playing live in the studio it wasn't you know you know half dozen guitars and this Amer I'm got a glockenspiel on this one all the recordings were very very very authentic and very rootsy in afternoon you know it that's what the band sounded like didn't didn't sound like anyone else because it was us I was that's playing life you know so that's what probably made the easier play life because there was nothing extra on it on the l word you know yeah so the songwriting was it was like a democracy you come up with a part and say oh no I don't think you could ever ever use use the word democracy and ac/dc in the same sentence you know I you know the the songwriting was very much Angus and Malcolm and bond and that's that's what it was you know I I have no doubt that it would fill with Rhys drum style and and and probably most probably later on with me playing bass but we might have influenced things a little bit or come up with you know but that that's part of a band situation you know but the song ride was was always um very much Angus Malcolm and bond Angus and Malcolm always they were they were very involved in writing the lyrics to alright they come up with ideas that come up with song titles like the TNT thing the TNT on dynamite that was anguses thing he'd be he be walking around reciting it like almost doing like a Muhammad Ali you think you know so you know I know later on people have pointed to the fact that you know you know it's questionable where where some lyrics had come from you know but some Angus and Malcolm were all always always involved with ideas and lyrics but one was the main lyric road of course but you know they were always right along Lewis low things like can I sit next to you girl that's just Angus and Melville wrote the song so they'll they'll write lyrics right from the very start so it's it's only natural that they would continue one and and write lyrics anyway and then and when he had the three of them working on an idea great and buns lyrics to his surfaces that's great it's got a great sense of humor to it it's it's I think it's a probably little bit of extra humor tongue-in-cheek thing is probably changed a bit over the years but I think this is an amazing childhood with lyrics hmm what was it like playing on stage with him he must have had so much charisma yeah we yeah it was just he was aggressive great front guys on there was it was a lot of fun a lot of fun it was a great guy to be around anyway and it's one of those guys that some you know if punters had come to the gig they just wanted to hang out with him you know that does it that's the combine you know and it was just it just had he had that magnetism I think it attract attracted everyone I think it says a lot about his talents as the frontman is it you know when he was in the band bond was very much the frontman of the band right and Angus was basically riding shotgun or was his little mad make there you know we and then later on I I think you know pretty much Angus is probably the the face of the bed you know um but yeah bond was very much the frontman and I think that says a lot about his pro prowess and like to have two such strong characters running a band it was you know it's just it's a gift you know to have two guys like that you know you at the time you're probably I don't think anyone quite realized what we had and then have those two guys out front you know when you it was great even with your was a good band but like back and say when I joined a band in 75 if we hadn't been saying okay it's 2012 when I'm doing an interview with with you about the band you listen you see a doctor yeah yo yo you just stuck with me you wouldn't you independent ish would have the idea that was like a big I'm in the world well well you know it's it's now that the band some you know the biggest back catalogue selling band in the world they've beaten the Beatles in the second place now if you're in a band it's beating the Beatles in the second place in anything thank you thank you doing okay you know yeah and I got to tell you and it's it's it's a reward for those guys and they they deserve me their work ethic and the amount they're putting in over the years man that is they deserve all they deserve all that man I got respect for you

Channel: Scott Young

Views: 33,988

Rating: 4.9338841 out of 5

Keywords: AC/DC, BON, SCOTT, ANGUS, YOUNG, MALCOLM, Mark Evans, Australia, Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson

Id: lbpjLGR0z6E

Length: 25min 2sec (1502 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 04 2016