The creators of “AC/DC Beyond The Thunder” podcast serve up a special bonus episode prior to the launch of Season 3 by answering listener questions from around the globe while cueing up never-before-heard interviews from guitar virtuosos Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (GUNS N’ ROSES, ASIA), Gannin Arnold (JOE WALSH, TAYLOR HAWKINS & THE COATTAIL RIDERS) and even advice to AC/DC from the late, great bluesman Johnny Winter himself.
Show hosts Kurt Squiers, Gregg Ferguson and Eric Kielb take fans behind the scenes for a second time during the show’s history. The podcast, known predominantly for featuring famous AC/DC fans who’ve been influenced by the band’s music, turns the spotlight on listener questions from Australia, England, Germany, Spain and the United States, with one listener asking, “Have you ever approached individuals who have actually influenced AC/DC?”
The episode surprisingly jumps into a never-before-heard interview with Winter, describing his love for the blues, the highlight of producing his own hero Muddy Waters, and even serving up a little parting advice for AC/DC — but not before making known his dissatisfaction with Rolling Stone magazine’s “Top Guitarists Of All Time” list, being ranked rather low alongside Angus Young.
“I definitely think I should be in the top five,” he laughed, but then turns pensive, “It’s got to have emotion. It’s got to have feeling to it. No matter how good you play, if you don’t feel it, it doesn’t translate well.”
The show also catches up with Thal, who discusses being influenced at the age of 10 by Angus Young, then finding his on-stage presence with GN’R by watching vintage AC/DC concert videos, and also sharing a strong affinity for the band with Axl Rose.
“With Axl, there was one point we were even jamming an old AC/DC tune that we’re thinking about covering. We did ‘Beating Around The Bush’. We did ‘Problem Child’,” recalls Thal, also remembering another poignant moment, “When we were in Perth, we drove up to Fremantle and visited Bon Scott‘s grave to pay our respects.”
The episode closes with an interview from Arnold, who’s played with both Joe Walsh and TAYLOR HAWKINS & THE COATTAIL RIDERS. “If you go in the studio and just record something that sounds AC/DC-ish, it’s not going to be cool because it’s already been done,” he says. Arnold also breaks down the AC/DC sound on guitar and performs the full-length theme song which he custom-wrote for “AC/DC Beyond The Thunder”.
“AC/DC Beyond The Thunder” features well known actors, authors, athletes, comedians, musicians, media hosts, and even members of the band, all paying homage to one of the greatest bands of all time. Guests have included Slash, Hall Of Fame MLB pitcher Trevor Hoffman, “SNL” comedian Jim Breuer, U.S. military war hero Mike Durant from the film “Black Hawk Down”, classically trained Croatian duo 2CELLOS, Dweezil Zappa and AC/DC drummer Chris Slade.
Created by duo Gregg Ferguson and Kurt Squiers, “AC/DC Beyond The Thunder” originally set out to be a feature-length documentary film. After shooting on the Highway To Hell for years, Ferguson and Squiers approached AC/DC‘s management to seek partnership with the band for a worldwide commercial release. After countless attempts for a face-to-face, the duo sent a proof of concept edit for review, and while the band said they, “weren’t quite ready to make a historic film while still making history,” AC/DC liked what they saw. But with no partnership, and no music rights from the band, “AC/DC Beyond The Thunder” was, for all intents and purposes, shot down in flames.
Wondering if the film would ever catch lightning, Ferguson and Squiers decided to unearth these wonderful stories of extraordinary fans discussing their affinity for AC/DC and harness that energy into a vehicle that just might work…a podcast. After capturing over 50 interviews and with a newfound momentum to create all-new episodes with sound engineer Eric Kielb, “AC/DC Beyond The Thunder” is back, serving up inspirational stories about the fans, for the fans, by the fans.
“AC/DC Beyond The Thunder” can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any of your favorite podcast apps.
