Guitarist John 5 recently appeared as a guest in an episode of The Kenny Aronoff Sessions podcast, hosted by Kenny Aronoff, and reflected on the significance of AC/DC’s three-chord approach.
Explaining how AC/DC altered the music world, the musician said:
“You hear at the beginning of ‘Highway to Hell’, and you’re, like, ‘Oh my God.’ It changed the world. I mean, three chords… You’re, like, ‘Oh my God.’ It just changed the whole world. How is that possible? How? It’s something you cannot describe.”
John 5 continued, referring to the lasting impact of AC/DC:
“And back in the mid-’70s when they were doing it, still today when they just played [on October 7], and we’re in 2023, and they played in front of 10 billion people — people loving it. And that says something. It doesn’t have to always be technical. It’s like doing research of just things that were, like, rip your heart out.”
Speaking to Revolver in 2019, the guitarist described AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ as one of his ‘go-to albums.’ He mentioned being fascinated by the album cover and Malcolm Young’s appearance, along with the album’s production. He then reflected on what that album meant to him, noting:
“I think it pretty much taught me, you know, educated me on guitar playing. I remember playing that album, the whole record, and it really taught me how you play with a drummer and a bass player. I would just have it on repeat and just play and play and play. You know, you talk to people, and they say, ‘It really changed my life,’ but it really educated me on how to be a better guitar player.”
John 5 also performed a small cover of AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ during the debut show of his 2022 tour, along with other covers from bands like Europe, Metallica, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth.
You can watch a small part of the chat below.
