Angus demonstrates how he gets "effects" without using pedals, including "rude noises," and siren and rifle sounds.
(Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
In early 2000, right around the time AC/DC unleashed their Stiff Upper Lip album, Angus Young grabbed a Gibson SG (or two) and sat down for an initmate on-camera interview.
During the resulting video, which you can check out below, Young discusses how he and his brother Malcolm got started on guitar, why he favors GS's over Les Pauls ("If you're a little guy like me, [a Les Paul] can give you hip displacement"] and how he developed "little chords" to compensate for the "big stretch" chords he was unable to play because of his small hands.
Best of all, Young breaks out his best Chuck Berry riffs, followed by riffs inspired by Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker. He also discusses—and demonstrates—his own approach to bending strings:
"I suppose people of an average, medium height, when they bend, they just bend the string. With me, you have to sort of lean into it. A lot of people will say they see a lot of movement when I'm on stage. But it's actually me trying to get around the fretboard [laughs]."
At the 7:02 mark, Young shows how he gets "effects" without using pedals, including "rude noises," and siren and rifle sounds. He then launches into "Stiff Upper Lip" around the 9:14 mark.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
