During a recent conversation on the Talk Toomey podcast, Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French talked about the importance of the bands’ keeping their original members and stated that Angus Young and Brian Johnson are enough for AC/DC.
Formed in 1972, Twisted Sister didn’t get the attention they expected from the record companies in their early years, and thus, they released their first singles on their own, under the name Twisted Sister Records. In fact, they released their debut album ten years later. After the release of their fifth album in 1987, the band’s lead singer Dee Snider left the band, and then Twisted Sister disbanded.
After the disbandment, the band members focused on different projects. The band regularly organized reunions and shared the stage on various occasions, starting from 1998. In 2016, they decided to embark on their farewell tour, but even after that, the band members often implied they would be open to performing for some special occasions.
Although Twisted Sister came back with their original members, lineup changes in the bands are not unusual. For instance, while AC/DC was on their ‘Rock or Bust World Tour,’ their lead singer Brian Johnson struggled with some hearing problems, so they replaced him with Axl Rose for the remaining shows.
During the conversation, Jay Jay French also pointed out the importance of a band performing with its original band members. French referred to Angus Young and Brian Johnson and discussed their decision to bring Axl Rose. French stated that even that worked because AC/DC is ‘another animal,’ and Angus and Brian are all AC/DC needs to go on.
Here are Jay Jay French’s thoughts on AC/DC:
“AC/DC, I mean, as long as you have Angus and Brian, that’s all you need. Obviously, the drummers have come and gone, I believe Cliff Williams is still there – the bass player’s still there, he came back.
So I think Cliff being back, and Angus and Brian, well fuck, they went out without Brian, they went out with Axl, and people still bought it. But AC/DC is another animal. I mean, they’re like one of the best things that ever happened on the planet Earth. I love AC/DC.”
It is clear that Jay Jay French deeply admires and considers AC/DC as one of the greatest bands. Sometimes the bands face unexpected situations during their shows or recordings, and they need to find other solutions to keep going. This has been the situation for many bands, and it will probably continue to be.
