Phil Rudd Says He’s ‘Stopped All the Crazy Stuff,’ Mulls Solo European Tour
In a new interview, longtime AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd says he's a changed man who's traded in "all the crazy stuff" that recently resulted in him serving an eight-month home detention sentence in favor a more low-key lifestyle.
"I have behaved myself pretty well," he tells the New Zealand Herald. "I even tried to give up the cigarettes but I haven't. I didn't drink. I am not a big drinker so it doesn't bother me. But I have stopped all the crazy stuff."
Rudd, who during two extended stints with AC/DC performed on albums such as Back in Black, Let There Be Rock and 2014's Rock or Bust before pleading guilty to drug possession and threatening to kill a former employee during an argument, also reports that he's been seeing a therapist every week. "It has become part of who I am now. With help. I have had to get help on my issues. I've never felt better in my life. Physically, mentally, I am in the best shape I have ever been."
He's also ready to get back to work. Although his recent conviction precludes him from traveling to America, he says he can travel to Europe. He's open to rejoining AC/DC, but says he hasn't heard from his former bandmates since his legal troubles began, and seems resigned to the fact that the decision is out of his hands: "It is up to [guitarist] Angus [Young], what he wants to do. I am limited to where I can go."
In the meantime, Rudd has applied for permission to go to Europe to play some shows in support of his 2014 solo album Head Job. "I am going to France and Belgium to play some gigs. Small venues. Hey, it might even be a pub, you know. It is going to be low key."
Already rocked by the health-related departure of guitarist Malcolm Young prior to Rudd's legal troubles, AC/DC's lineup has undergone more changes since the drummer was forced off the road. Singer Brian Johnson was ordered to stop performing live by doctors in order to avoid total hearing loss, and bassist Cliff Williams has announced that he will retire from touring and recording after the band's current tour winds up. Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose has stepped in for Johnson, and the band has made no announcement about their future plans following the completion of the Rock or Bust trek.
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