AC DC.... A Sense of Life

"I had drive. I wanted to do it, and I knew I'd do it. I just wanted people to sit up and take notice of me. The CHALLENGE. I never mellowed. I never changed. I just stuck at it."
Angus Young

I'm taking a break from the planned sequence of my blog entries which follow the outline of my personal mission statement, to say a few words about some of my HEROES, the rock band. AC DC.

I have often pondered whether it is a contradiction for me to love Objectivism and AC DC. Somehow, I could easily see Ayn Rand, not appreciating this music, and yet, I do see commonalities.

Certainly, AC DC may not be consistent, and I doubt they have intellectually analysed their sense of life, (neither did Howard Roark) but I believe they, and their music, personifies a sense of life that emphasizes love of life, happiness, as well as reason, purpose and self-esteem.

The sheer length of time that they have been as successful as they have been, is a testament to an alignment with some proper principles that are the essence of their appeal. (the Rolling Stones may have been around longer, but AC DC's latest record opened at #1 in 11 countries, and their upcoming tour dates sell out in one day.)

When you hear their music, whatever else you may think of it, I think you would be hard pressed not to see that these individuals are "giving it all they've got". One of my favourite quotes about them, is "if no one showed up, they would play just as hard as if it was a packed house".

If the sight of an achievement is the greatest gift that one human being can give another, then I think their appeal is largely based on this. One cannot help getting caught up in the passion and the energy that they put into everything they do. (including moving forward with an amazing album after their founding member, Malcolm Young was forced into retirement, which I understand was his wish for them to do).

A few years ago, I saw them two days after having seen a so called supergroup, called Chickenfoot composed of musicians arguably far more talented but still unknown at the time and largely to this day. They played for just over an hour and then got off the stage. AC DC who were among the top grossing acts in the world at the time, played their hearts out for well over 2 hours, as though they were a new band with something to prove.

Critics have pointed to the simplicity of their music, and the limitations of their musicianship. This is absolutely accurate, and I've heard Angus Young describe many of his influences as being "much more talented" than he, but while others may have more raw talent, it is about what they accomplish with the resources that they have to work with, and the fact that they don't even consider allowing any limitations to stand in their way, and to me, that makes them even more heroic.

Having said that, simple is not necessarily inferior. As I've listened to them for most of my adult life, I can pretty much recognize any of their songs within a note or two, and I believe that genius is not too strong a word for what they write, as I believe they capture the essence of a sense of life that states, "the question isn't who is going to let me, but who is going to stop me?"

It's not about some kind of second handed glory seeking, as over the years they have persevered beyond horrible critical reviews, and resisted changing who they are to fit in with any fashion of the day.



Some quotes that to me speak of their integrity and consistency with principles:

“We've always been a true band. You won't find one any truer. AC/DC will always be AC/DC.”

“The word ‘natural’ comes up a lot with us - if something doesn't feel natural to us, we don't do it.”

“Sometimes I pull the earpieces out and say, 'Awww, let's just go for it, and act young!'"

“By sticking to what we do, that's being brave. The pressures we were under in the '80s and '90s to use wind machines and wear leather coats, those were hard times. People thought we were dinosaurs, that we lost the plot because we weren't sparkly and cutie-wootie enough."



All I can say to summarize is that when I pick up a copy (or turn on the audio version) of Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead, I am always blown away by the genius and the way those books can carry me away. I believe, Ayn Rand (my apologies for inaccurate paraphrasing), said that she wrote those so she could spend time with the type of heroes and in the type of world she knew "could and ought to be".

I get a very similar feeling when listening to or watching AC DC.

Thanks for reading!