Entertainment

AC/DC Front Man Brian Johnson Releases Book“Hells Bells”

Published

2 years ago

2022-10-25

AC/DC Front Man Brian Johnson Releases Memoir “Hells Bells”

Brian Johnson was a roof fitter in northeast England before tearing the roofs off arenas as the lead singer of the hard rock phenomenon AC/DC. The “Hells Bells” singer recalls his journey to becoming one of the world’s most acclaimed rock stars in his new memoir.

It’s the classic Cinderella story. Only Johnson, now 75, has been a Cinderella at least three times, never abandoning his goal of singing in a rock ‘n’ roll band.

“I don’t know what it is, but I just never, ever sort of gave in,” he said recently over the phone from his Florida home. “I was always willing to take a chance on something when more pessimistic folks wouldn’t.” “I’ve always seen the glass as half-full.”

“The Lives of Brian Johnson,” published by Dey Street Books, chronicles his ups and downs growing up near Newcastle, culminating with his joining AC/DC and releasing the famous “Back in Black” album.

“The book wasn’t so much to validate my life,” he remarked. “It was to validate the lives of all the beautiful people I met who helped form my life – school friends, factory friends, music friends.”

Music was his North Star, and he recalls being 11 years old and freaking out when he first heard Little Richard sing “Awop bop/a-loo bop/awop bam boom.” “Many have described that song, ‘Tutti Frutti,’ as the sound of rock ‘n’ roll being born — which is appropriate because my goal of being a vocalist was also formed at that moment,” he writes.

Johnson was a young father and husband as well as an apprentice engineer. He joined a British Army airborne infantry regiment to acquire enough money for a PA system.

He saw Jimi Hendriks perform when he was 15, and Sting perform when he was 15 and became friends with musicians of Slade and Thin Lizzy. He’d meet Chuck Berry, but things didn’t go well. He writes, “Never meet your heroes.”

Johnson, who would later create the immortal words “Forget the hearse/’cause I’ll never die,” made his stage debut in the delectably named The Toasty Folk Trio, survived a tragic car accident, and eventually found fame with the band Geordie.

The band made it to “Top of the Pops,” which was a huge accomplishment for any new band. He gave up a nice career at his engineering firm, but Geordie only had one Top 10 hit and quickly faded away.

“I’d lost everything at the age of 28.” “Marriage, profession, and home,” he writes. He moved home with his parents and remembered seeing AC/DC on BBC. “I enjoyed every minute of it.” But it was also a reminder that I’d had my chance and wasted it.”

Johnson rebuilt his life, first as a windscreen fitter and then as a vehicle roof repairer, and formed Georgie II. He was overjoyed. He had a small business and a small band. “I believed it was my second Cinderella story,” he adds, “but there was more to come.”

The book explains where his signature headgear came from: He once rushed to a show without changing, sweating glue and glass shards into his eyes. His brother, Maurice, loaned him his cloth driving cap for protection, which the spectators appreciated.

Even still, a part of Johnson remained unfulfilled. A chance meeting with vocalist Roger Daltrey proved decisive. The Who’s leader welcomed Johnson, living with his band in a flat with only four beds on the floor, to his manor house for lunch.

On that day, Johnson recalls Daltrey approaching him bare-chested and barefoot, gripping onto the mane of his galloping white horse (“If this isn’t a rock star, I don’t know what is,” he writes.)

“‘I’m going to give you one bit of advice, Brian,’ he said. Never, ever quit. Do you get what I’m saying? Never, ever, ever lose up.’ “And I took that to heart,” Johnson said. “He probably forgot he said that, but I don’t.”

Bon Scott, AC/original DC’s lead singer, died in 1980, and Johnson was given an audition to replace him based on recommendations, including one from Scott himself, who had heard him perform one night. Johnson didn’t realize they’d met until years later.

Malcolm Young, co-founder and rhythm guitarist, offered Johnson a Newcastle Brown Ale during the audition, a charming tribute to Johnson’s ancestry. Johnson’s first song with the band at the audition was Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits.” (“It was the most electrifying experience of my life,” he writes.) They then performed some AC/DC songs. Of course, he got the job.

Rowland White, the author of “Into the Black,” Johnson’s editor, said the shape of Johnson’s story is “exceptional because it doesn’t normally happen like that.”

“He was content that he’d given it a shot and made peace with it.” And it makes the shot at AC/DC feel more pleasant since it’s no longer something he’s strained for.”

The book concludes just as Johnson fulfills his lifelong dream. If fans want to know more about AC/beginnings, DC, he says, that’s not his narrative to tell – that’s for surviving members guitarist Angus Young, bassist Cliff Williams, and drummer Phil Rudd.

“That book belongs to the people who were there from the beginning,” he continued, “because that’s what I want to hear.”

Johnson is a natural storyteller, and his manager was the one who recommended a memoir. Johnson fought back. “Every week, some aging actor or musician publishes a book.” ‘No, not another one,’ I’ve always said.

Johnson, though, was urged to write a few chapters and sat down with a yellow legal pad. He wrote a book a few years later, which he dedicated to his great-great-great grandkids.

Why? On the way to his grandfather’s funeral, he asked his father about him. His father described him as “just a dude.” Then he inquired about his father’s grandfather, whose response was, “How the hell would I know?”

“I thought to myself, ‘What a shame, what a pity,'” Johnson added. “A few generations later, no one knows anyone.” As a result, I composed it for my grandchildren. I hope this book’s writings will help you get to know me a little better. And I hope you have a little piece of me in you and that you have a long and happy life.”

Source: AP, VOR News

Related Topics:ac/dc ac/dc - back in black brian johnson

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Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

4 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

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Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

1 week ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.