Anthrax’s Scott Ian recently sat down with THAT Rocks! for a chat and reflected on why he thinks Malcolm Young is superior to Paul Stanley as a rhythm guitarist.
After revealing that the late AC/DC member was his hero, the musician said:
“Look, Paul Stanley is a great rhythm guitar player, too, but KISS and AC/DC are very different bands. So it’s just a completely different… Yeah, they’re both rock bands, of course, but it’s a completely different feel. You guys don’t need me to explain that, but Malcolm is just… It’s all-encompassing.”
Ian further explained what he admires in Malcolm’s playing style and his contributions to AC/DC:
“It’s just the all-encompassing drive of what AC/DC is. That’s the only way I can explain it. Of course, Phil Rudd, too. It’s the whole package, but there’s just something about Malcolm’s style about the way Malcolm plays that, for me, I think he’s the greatest; he’s the most in the pocket greatest rhythm guitar player of all time.”
The guitarist’s respect for Young is well-known, considering his previous statements in several interviews. Speaking to SiriusXM Volume’s Debatable in July 2019, Scott talked about what he finds appealing in Malcolm’s guitar playing in a more detailed way, noting:
“Literally, his riffs and his approach to playing, his dynamics… His right hand was so percussive as a rhythm player, so the dynamics are just unbelievable. And it just cuts through in a way that nobody else, before, during, or after playing hard rock will ever, ever come close to because no one else is gonna write those riffs again; they’ve already been written. You can’t write those riffs again; it’s impossible. Because then you’ll just sound like a bad AC/DC ripoff.”
During a separate conversation with Gretsch Guitars in 2018, the rocker also opened up about how he learned to play the guitar by listening to AC/DC’s albums, saying:
“Malcolm’s always been my hero since day one because he basically taught me how to play guitar. As a kid with AC/DC vinyl albums in my little bedroom on a turntable, I just used to sit and figure out how to play their songs. And it was all Malcolm. So, I was learning how to play specifically by listening to what he was doing. He was my guitar teacher.”
He further pointed out that while AC/DC’s music may seem simple with its basic chords, the real challenge lies in playing it correctly and capturing the band’s unique essence. So he thinks there’s only one AC/DC and one Malcolm Young because of their ability to create this distinctive sound.
You can watch his recent interview below.
