AC/DC Drummer Mystery Continues...........

Here we are, a little over a week away from the Grammys, and AC/DC still have not announced who will be sitting at the drum set. The reason for their silence baffles me. I have thought long and hard on why they are keeping silent on the issue. I have also thought about why the contenders have kept quiet as well. It is certainly a mystery.

First, why would the band not say anything about it? I can only think of about 4 real reasons.

Reason 1 – They don’t know who the drummer will be. This is the weakest reason, but plausible. They may have been holding auditions and discussions. Whoever the drummer is going to be, they may have to work under the condition that Phil gets his job back once he is cleaned up and got his life straightened back out. Like I said, this is the weakest reason and probably not the real reason.

Reason 2 – Publicity. AC/DC aren’t the greatest with publicity. It’s just the way they are. You would think that if this was a publicity stunt, they would be hamming it up. Instead, they are dead silent on the issue, as is everyone involved. Chris Slade isn’t saying anything. Simon Wright isn’t saying anything. Phil Rudd has only said that he wants his job back and has said that he will get it back. Now, he’s silent too. The band hasn’t said so much as a peep since Phil said he wanted his job back. There haven’t been any promotional interviews. There haven’t been any interviews of any kind for that matter. It’s "radio blackout". For a band promoting a new album, this isn't normal.

Reason 3 – Respect for Phil. Do you announce a funeral with fanfare? I don’t think this is a happy time for the band, so they are staying quiet. Odds are, they’re going to make this transition as quietly as possible, which is hard for such a popular band. By announcing a new drummer, they may perceive it as something they are proud of, which I just mentioned, I’m sure they are not.  When Phil left the first time, back during “Flick of the Switch”, the band made the change very quietly, but only being 39 years old now and being too young to be into AC/DC at that time (I would have been 7 or 8 years old), I don’t know if it was as quiet as this.

Reason 4 – This is the one that may be most plausible. Phil isn’t fired. It may be hard to believe, but he may not technically be fired. He may be suspended from the band, but if they haven’t said that he’s fired and he hasn’t been removed from the website, odds are, he’s still the official drummer.

How can this be? Well, let’s look at it this way; When Malcolm had an alcohol problem back in ’88, Stevie Young took his place on tour, giving him time to clean his act up. The band may be doing this for Phil. This would explain why Phil has shut his mouth as of recent. It would explain why the band hasn’t said who the replacement is, partly because he hasn’t been fired, and partly out of respect for Phil. Since Phil's "I want my job back!" outburst, everyone associated with the band has been dead silent. It's as if they all came to a mutual agreement to keep their mouths shut.

If Phil really isn't fired, but is taking time off to get his life together, that would mean that they would need a replacement for awhile, and odds are it's going to be Chris Slade. This would explain why Chris has been silent on the issue. He’s not technically AC/DC’s new drummer, but rather, the guy who is going to fill in.

Chris has publicly stated that he regretted leaving the band and has said that he should have stuck it out and the band would have come back to him. Maybe he's hoping Phil won’t clean up and that he will officially get the job? Think of it as the Tommy Thayer approach. Maybe that's his angle? Chris is reported to be a very nice guy so odds are that he probably wants to see Phil clean and healthy, but wants his job nonetheless. Maybe Chris figures that any time behind the set will be worth it, even if only for a little while? I know I would if I were him.

Chris is in the L.A. area and has canceled a meet and greet event at an eye doctor tomorrow. The guy hosting the event said that there will be a change in Chris’s career coming up and that’s why the event got canceled. While Chris has been fairly silent on the issue, a lady who is traveling with him said on January 11^th, that they will be in the United States for a few months. Well, that’s how long AC/DC will be in the states before heading off to Europe to tour. Her Facebook page is the one to watch as I doubt she has been gagged by the band like Chris obviously has.  

Chris’s website is being upgraded. It could be coincidental? He doesn't have any dates coming up for his Chris Slade Timeline as far as I can tell. He’s been absolutely silent. In fact, Chris normally promotes his appearances where he has the opportunity to meet fans and has done so enthusiastically on his Facebook page before. Since the first of the year, he hasn’t said a peep about a gig that he did last night with a cover band, or the canceled meet and greet. That’s very odd for him.

Everything is leaning in the direction that it’ll be Slade behind the drums, and I for one would welcome the change. I think he made AC/DC sound better. A lot of people talk about Phil’s groove. That’s called laziness and lack of proper technique. Phil has even admitted to the latter. Chris gave the band a tight sound that I liked, and obviously countless others did as well as sales of The Razor’s Edge prove. I wrote a whole piece on why I prefer Slade about a month ago so I won’t go into it here.

There are also a couple of wild cards in the mix that must be discussed.

Simon Wright – He is also in the L.A. area (but he lives there) and has a history of joining bands for awhile and switching. He doesn’t seem to like to stay in one place all that long. It would be perfect should AC/DC want someone to temporarily fill in for Phil as outlined in “Reason 4” above. Simon’s style is closer to Phil’s than Slade’s. While he didn’t leave on a bad note with the band, he didn’t get stellar reviews from the other members the same way Slade did. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Simon get the nod. It would be a good indicator that they intend for Phil to return. It should also be noted that Simon has been tight lipped about the whole ordeal. He has nothing lined up for awhile that I can find online. If he’s not the guy, then why is he silent? Why doesn’t he just say he’s not the guy?

Phil Rudd – I guess it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Phil could show up for the Grammys and fly back in time for court. Meth can help you overcome jet lag! I’m just kidding on that one …….well, kind of. I haven’t heard where Phil has had travel restrictions placed on him, but I wonder if he’d have trouble entering the United States being under charge and awaiting trial for what he is facing? But, if it is Phil, then what can Slade be doing in L.A.? Here’s the real wild card –

Tom Jones - Yes, Slade’s original band-mate. Tom Jones is scheduled to appear on the very same Grammys that AC/DC is. What are the odds that Chris is there to play with Tom Jones? It may be slim, but then again……who knows? I guess at this point we’re all assuming that we’ll see Chris Slade at the Grammys. He might be in Los Angeles for vacation? We just don’t know at this point. Maybe he doesn’t want to admit that he got passed over for AC/DC? He didn’t touch the sticks for three years after he left the last time. Chris has played with everyone from Tom Jones, David Gilmour, Uriah Heep, you name it, but he seems absolutely smitten by AC/DC. It’s the band that he seems to have loved the best. He seems to love the band as much as the Young brothers.

Dark Horse - Yes, there may be someone at the drums that we haven't discussed. Some people think Bob Richards will get the nod because he sat in for the video. I have also read online that Angus Young has said that it won't be Bob, but I haven't seen that with my own eyes. Even though the odds are very slim, we may all be surprised with someone we didn't expect!

Whatever the case may be, the issue of who will sit behind AC/DC’s drum set on February 8^th is frustrating to more than just a few fans of the band. The band claims to care about their fans, but also have a track record of having a “fuck you” attitude towards them as well. We only have a week and a few days at most before we get some much desired answers.


 

The problem with free college

 

            Obama has now called for “free” community college if you meet certain standards. While this may sound great on the surface, it really isn’t. The first glaring problem with it is that college isn’t for everyone. “Oh, the president didn’t promise it for everyone,” you say. If it’s offered for free today, it’ll be mandatory down the road, unless you’re Amish* I suppose. Here’s why –

            I’m a genealogist, so you can take my word on this. Look it up if you like, but I’m not pulling your leg. School never was mandatory in the country at one time. In fact, many kids only went to school during the winter months when they weren’t helping their parents do other work.

            Then came along the standard of 8^th grade education. My great grandfather, Opal Keller, attended school in Walker, Iowa and only completed the 8^th grade. He went on to be a successful adult. He was a Freemason, business owner, and never lived in poverty or on the street. His brother and sister went on to complete high school, but that was because Opal, being the eldest child, stayed home and did the work on the farm so the younger kids could do this. Opal was no dunce.

            Fast forward a few years and it became mandatory in Iowa that you completed the 8^th grade. That’s how it was when I was in school in the late 80’s and early 1990’s. I had some friends who never completed the 9^th grade. All of them went on to be successful. None of them live on the streets or are indigent. Well, at least no more indigent than any other working stiff. Most of the people that I know who dropped out of school went on to get GEDs when they had the time. It wasn’t that they needed the GED to prove anything to themselves. Rather, it was to appease future employers.

            Let’s stop for a moment. Have you ever wondered why employers love people who have high school diplomas? It isn’t because they are smarter than anyone else. It shows that this person is domicile enough to endure jumping through endless hoops in order to achieve a paper certificate. You can get a high school diploma with all D minuses. It doesn’t mean that you were smart.

            In order to get a GED, you have to show a certain level of intelligence. You have to get a much higher score than you would in high school in order to earn this certificate. However, the stigma that comes along with a GED or lack thereof is that you are somehow not willing to endure the hoop jumping. That’s right. It says to your prospective employer that if you get sick of things, you’re willing to leave. You’re not the submissive type.

            I cannot think of a single high school dropout who was lazy and just sat to home doing nothing. In fact, every single high school dropout that I knew, and I knew quite a few being one myself, went to work. We got on with our lives. We got sick of having to ask for a piece of wood to carry down a hall just so we could take a piss. We got sick of feeling like a hog in a farrowing house. Your high school dropouts are for the most part, free thinkers. They won’t jump off the bridge just because everyone else is.

            Since the days that I was in school, things have changed. High school was optional for me. It’s not anymore. Now, in Iowa, and in many parts of the country, high school is mandatory until you turn 16. If you’re a sophomore in school and turn 16 in February, you have to complete that year. If you don’t, your parents can get in trouble and they can pull your driver’s license. What was once optional has become mandatory, because educators have assured lawmakers and the public in general that the cause for all our troubles is a lack of education.

            People are homeless? They lack a proper education. China whipping our asses economically? It’s because we’re not educated enough. Your sister got pregnant at 16? Not enough sex education. Come on! You can’t expect everyone to believe that if you just keep getting educated, sitting through never ending classes, that all the world’s problems will be solved, can you? Well, the educators are sure trying, and succeeding. The reason we as a society are buying this hook, line, and sinker, is because we’re getting fewer and fewer free thinkers. We’re creating a society of mush heads who just go with the flow and believe what they are told. Even if they are unhappy, they’ve been conditioned to endure and not rock the boat. That’s why we as a society are faltering. What made America greater than any other was that we were a nation of free thinkers. We were a country made up of people who “dropped out” of their home countries when things got bad and came here. The ones who were mush heads stayed back in their home countries. Take a look at Europe. All their free thinkers came to America and it shows! Now, instead of fostering this free thinking spirit, we’re pounding square pegs into round holes and punishing those who don’t wish to sit through boring classes and be submissive.

            This free college thing will of course be optional today. But I have no doubt that the same education lobby that has been the driving force behind making high school mandatory will someday make these two years of college mandatory as well. I doubt that I'll live to see the day, but my grand-kids probably will, and for that reason, I strongly oppose it.

After thought: Socialist and Communist countries are the greatest proponents of cradle to grave everything. While I am a supporter of certain things being socialized, higher education is not one of them. Communist countries have a vested interest in keeping their populations submissive. This is done through education. In North Korea, education never stops, yet they are one of the most backwards countries in the world. They also have one of the most submissive populations found anywhere. Please read the entry on Wikipedia regarding education in North Korea and scroll down to the last entry regarding adult education. North Korea has some of the best educated garbage collectors in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_North_Korea

*Amish have religious exemption from having to go to school past the 8^th grade in Iowa.