Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has explained why Bon Scott-era AC/DC is his favorite band of all time, speaking on a YouTube channel dedicated to Bon Scott. Ian praised Bon Scott’s unique voice and approach to rock and roll music.
When asked about his favorite band, Ian said AC/DC with Bon Scott stands out above all others. He recalled listening to the band’s records in the 1970s and being struck by something different about their approach.
“I always have to preface it with when I get asked that question, ‘What’s your favorite band?’ And I say, ‘AC/DC with Bon.’ That moment in time, for me, that’s my favorite music to ever listen to ever,” Scott Ian said.
“And I think about those times back in the ’70s, listening to those records, and seemingly not something that you should be so fascinated by because it wasn’t like KISS. It wasn’t like this big image, and they’re hiding themselves behind. But it was just something about the fact that they were making rock ‘n’ roll music that had been done, obviously at that point, for decades, but had done something different. And to me, the difference was Bon.”
“Bon was different than all the rock ‘n’ roll that came before, in my mind. I’m not a rock critic, but in my mind, I had never heard anything like it, and that’s what made it for me. They were my Led Zeppelin. They were my Beatles… You know what I mean? For my generation of kids, it was all about Bon.”
Ian highlighted Scott’s approach to lyrics as a major part of what made the band stand out. He noted that Scott’s words had a rawness and honesty that other singers could not achieve.
“I feel like Bon’s lyrics were way more punk in that they were just more realistic. You could read the lyrics to ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top’ or ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer’, there’s no whiff of cheese anywhere, that kind of stuff, which in the hands of other vocalists or singers probably would’ve been terrible. But he’s telling you a story in a way that’s just so relatable and so real life and just hardcore — real. There’s no fluff, there’s no bullshit.”
“But also it’s not like you’re reading a story in the newspaper. The way he can turn a phrase also then keeps you interested as well, because it just doesn’t feel like I’m reading a generic story about some guy that wanted to be in a band. It’s just part of his genius, that he could take sometimes something that would be completely mundane and actually make it interesting.”
Ian made these comments in a conversation about Bon Scott’s impact on rock music and his own musical taste.
Bon Scott served as AC/DC’s lead vocalist and lyricist from 1974 until his death on February 19, 1980, at the age of 33. The band’s 1979 album Highway to Hell reached the top 20 in the United States and marked their commercial breakthrough. Scott’s vocal style and performance approach set a standard for hard rock and has influenced countless musicians across generations.
Ian discovered AC/DC’s music in 1978 when he first heard the album Powerage. He became deeply influenced by Scott’s distinctive voice and taught himself guitar by learning to play every song on AC/DC albums like Powerage and Highway to Hell. Ian went on to help create thrash metal in the mid-1980s with Anthrax alongside other pioneering bands such as Megadeth, Slayer, and Metallica.
Following Scott’s death, AC/DC briefly considered disbanding but recruited vocalist Brian Johnson from the British glam rock band Geordie. The band released Back in Black only five months later, which served as a tribute to Scott. In 2004, Classic Rock magazine rated Scott number one in a list of the 100 Greatest Frontmen of all time, cementing his place as one of rock music’s most important and influential voices.
