AC/DC’s Malcolm Young: The Complete 1983 "Guitar Player" Interview

Malcolm Young is among the most admired and influential rhythm guitarists in hard-rock history. As AC/DC's the chief chordsmith and co-songwriter, he helped set the band’s musical direction and his opinions in the studio meant a great deal to his brother Angus.
When AC/DC came to San Francisco to play the Cow Palace during their 1983 "Flick of the Switch" tour, I had an opportunity to do separate interviews with both of the Scottish-born brothers. I spoke with Angus first, and was surprised to learn that he considered Malcolm the superior guitarist. As Angus explained, “I’m just like a color over the top. He’s the solid thing. His right hand is always going. In that field, I don’t anyone can do what he does. He’s very clean. He’s very hard. It’s an attack. He’s got his own style and his own sound.” You can hear the complete Angus Young interview here: • AC/DC’s Angus Young: T...
Edited versions of my interviews with Angus and Malcolm Young were published as Guitar Player magazine’s Feb. 1984 cover story. Malcolm continued to play with AC/DC until 2014. He withdrew from the band due to ill health - a bout with lung cancer, heart problems, and early onset dementia. He passed away in 2017. In all, Malcolm had spent 41 years playing in AC/DC. Here's the complete audio of our conversation.
Malcolm Young photo courtesy the Gretsch company.
I hope you enjoy this unique, never-before-released recording. To help us continue producing podcasts, hit that donate button and send some support our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar. Thank you.
Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 40-year-old master tape. Be sure to check out the other historic interviews on the Talking Guitar KZbin channel. For dozens more guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcripts, and articles, visit Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #AC/DC #malcolmyoung #angusyoung #rhythmguitar #heavymetal #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
This podcast is copyright 2023 by Jas Obrecht. All rights reserved.

[@milanpolak]

Undoubtedly one of the best rhythm guitarists in rock history, but above all one of the best riff composers of all time.

[@thekinarbo]

I think Eddie Van Halen was a better rhythm guitarist.

[@Kurtis11266]

@@thekinarbo he said one of the best, you adding your opinion adds 0 value

[@thekinarbo]

@@Kurtis11266 You opinion is less than zero. But thanks anyway.

[@Kurtis11266]

@@thekinarbo no need to be upset because your opinion doesnt matter on the internet buddy, chin up

[@thekinarbo]

@@Kurtis11266 Thanks for helping me, not sure what I'd do without your words of wisdom.

[@Journey-of-1000-Miles]

Malcolm Young is not the reason I began playing the electric guitar, he is the reason I continue to play the electric guitar! Rest in peace!

[@slender_04f14]

Listen to the respect between the brothers in terms of their abilities. Incredible.

[@brianwood7237]

The best right hand in the biz...trying to cop Malcolm's feel is a great lesson in rock n roll rhythm guitar

[@CAB1701]

Best 2 string guitar player ever

[@TheFryingPanStudio]

It not hard to play, it's the way you play it. True person and musician, rare breed RIP

[@masteryoda498]

In spite of all his well deserved success as a guitarist, The Late Malcolm Young (R.I.P), was a such a modest, humble man. Malcom and his immensely talented brother Angus, were the best guitar duo ever.

[@Gokizzmass]

This guy was the whole reason i started playing, as soon as i heard "long way to the top" back in '75, i was hooked. RIP

[@jackelbrash3444]

THE greatest right hand in rock. And what a true gem of a man he was - so terribly missed . I still can't get used to the thought that we'll never have another Mal riff again. A true fan's heartache.

[@user-ln4zr4pz4f]

Met him once in the 90's. He is the cool older kid from down the street you want to hangout with...and will.

[@twister563]

both he and angus sound so down to earth in my opnion

[@johnvandenheuvel6792]

Malcolm Young is the most solid Guitar player I ever saw live and he can do it all. Believe me !!

[@RavnerRavner]

Meat and potatoes..... He was GIVEN his gretsch that he used for his entire career. Only uses marshall. No effects. No pedals. Fuckin legend.

[@richardfrantz8453]

God i was lucky to see the original acca dacca twice in two years. First time just after hivoltage (about 1975) was released in Oz & there was only about 40 50 people there in Traralgon country vic in the townhall. I was the only one up front of the stage and the older dudes stood way up the back acting cool or whatever, they were so loud and tight and i was just blown away. I didnt know anyone else that was as big of a fan as myself at the time. Then after tnt was released in oz about 12 months later i saw them again and they played to a full town hall of a few hundred people. Big difference in crowd size in 12 months. and they never stoped working even in the early days. Not bad for my first two rock concerts. Ive played guitar ever since so it really changed my life for the better. It blows my mind how big theyve become but im not surprised abit. Just all class

[@jackelbrash3444]

THE hardest working rock band ever , it just blows my mind . The places they've played . ( The Radiators would have to come 2nd ) I asked Mark once if there was one town hall or civic centre that they ever missed , & he said probably not ! I remember when they were banned from Tamworth , cos Angus did his little strip. The mayor himself actually banned them from his town ! And then the motel where they were staying , threw them out for rearranging the patio furniture ! Lol

[@ray.shoesmith]

I saw them at the GV Hotel in Shepparton in 1977. Ears were still ringing 2 days later

[@rustybeltway2373]

That crunch!

[@furorz]

This is absolute gold. Thank you sir. The fact that Angus was 25 on the Flick of the Switch tour was particularly enlightening.

[@kelway74]

That was a lie in fact! He was 28. They aimed to have him be younger than he was and the lie fizzled over the years until the accepted truth that he was born in 55.

[@ballbreathtaker9773]

Yes, a big fat lie that the band perpetuated for years for image purposes - Angus the school boy had to be made younger than he actually was. They are pretty straight forward down to earth guys but obviously they don’t mind to lie in the name of the business. I think the same it is the case with some of their lyrics after Bob’s passing.

[@furorz]

@@ballbreathtaker9773 That's dumb

[@pattii55]

@@ballbreathtaker9773 Typo? Bon, not Bob?

[@erock9374]

The man is so pure. Knows himself and is a total original… and played the coolest guitar ever.

[@Alex-yp5oo]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! RIP Malcolm You legend

[@leftypick4854]

RIP you fecking lil genius with that steady hand. We miss you.

[@hungfao]

Luv and miss you, Mal

[@bernardoafonsovicente]

Amazing... Malcolm Young, the master of rhythm guitar.

[@awareaustralia2623]

Best Malcolm interview I've ever heard

[@mindeloman]

0:30 - If you already didn't know, the mention made to "Guitar George" in the Dire Straits song "Sultans of Swing" is reference to George Young.

[@mikewalsh7318]

I didn't know that and I'm respectfully skeptical.

[@MYEVILTWIIN]

They also mention Harry Vanda in the song too “Harry doesn’t mind if he makes the scene”

[@CS-mo7xp]

I thought those were references to George Formby and Harry Styles

[@daynmarshall7262]

This is rare to see Malcolm in a interview awesome

[@pierrejohnaimebarelli]

A.lovely soul

[@stoner36s]

Malcolm is and always was my musical idol. Bless this upload, the longest non-stopp Malcolm interview I ever heaard. I also remember when this album released so, even better.

[@davidknoll5544]

Thx Mal for all you’ve done. RIP bro🙏 AC⚡️DC forever

[@94xjrgodown2]

This is wonderful! I've never heard Malcolm speak so freely Thanks Jas for putting this up. Very much appreciated!

[@richardjansen3317]

Thank you so much for putting this great interview online. Malcolm’s was the heart of the best rock ‘n roll band ever.

[@HerFatherDidntLikeMe]

I really enjoyed this interview. There's a great conversation flow to it. Like many kids born in the 1970s, AC/DC were a soundtrack to growing up. It's refreshing to hear how unaffected and level headed Malcolm sounds. By the time of that interview, in 1983, AC/DC were globally famous.

[@SoloDallas]

Got to miss Mal.

[@jackelbrash3444]

Terribly missed .

[@johnpick8336]

Thank you for posting these vintage interviews .

[@timmmax]

Malcolm and EVH were always my favorite back in hight school ('78-'82) Their music was huge and they were so humble. Miss them both in a heartfelt way. Thanks for the memories, Mal.

[@ArleneVonAllemann-ck4fn]

Mal you were phenomenal. Love you to bits ❤️💕

[@dingelberryhandpump7834]

My idol right there I picked up a guitar at age of 12 And BUYV album just came out The first song I ever learnt to play was Heatseeker

[@buska100]

Really Awesome to hear this interview. Thanks for uploading. Cheers Mate

[@chrisbaughman9860]

Malcolm was one of the very few guitarists who modded there instruments themselves made the instrument there own by getting there hands dirty and doing the work themselves very rare now musicians send off there axes to have them modified but there's a sense of accomplishment when u do the work yourself. His playing his rhythm was never flat but with the impact of a buzzsaw. Was glad to hear that 1. He had gotten to use the gretsch prototype and not only liked it but asked for duplicates so he could use them on the tour. 2. I was glad to hear he had been buried with the original beast he had modded back in the day

[@deanweedon]

The greatest rhythm guitarist ever lived!! ❤

[@Notamember8556]

What a character, thx Jas for actual recotding from 83. In 79-80 we were overjoyed as a coverband with back in black. Anything was easier than than to cover VH.

[@user-zi9sz7st9j]

Amooooooo!Sem mesmo ter conhecido❤Que pena que morreu tão cedo 💯🎸🥰😘🤘👍💋👏⚡😀

[@bonzey1171]

Thanks Jas, these have been really fun to listen to. You're a real sweetheart sharing all this

[@radiomindchatter7994]

Walk All Over You is one of the greatest riff tunes ever..

[@perpetualmotion357]

The way it builds up in the intro with the drums and then smashes through with that incredible rhythm is one of the greatest moments they've ever put on tape.

[@fredc5812]

Thanks for teaching me Mal. Always think of you.

[@icrawford40]

Brilliant! Thank you for posting.

[@user-sb6jp6dg4l]

Great interview. Thank you!

[@arsenaultgilles4557]

Wonderful interview thanks for sharing. Nice to hear the voice from the man himself Malcolm Young.

[@tebieku]

Excellent interview

[@Hopefull60]

“We’d like to be around another 10 years or so.” Said in 1983. Yeah, you made it!

[@kenedie4646]

Excellent, Jas! I think you interviewed Randy Rhoads. If so, could you put that interview up?

[@TalkingGuitarJasObrecht]

I didn't have a chance to interview Randy, although I did write the Guitar Player cover story about him right after he'd died. A transcription of my interview with his mom, Delores Rhoads, is available in my online "Talking Guitar" magazine: jasobrecht.substack.com/p/randy-rhoads-the-delores-rhoads-interview

[@Winterstick549]

Malcolm's licks sound so easy, but they arent.

[@walacenogueiraobeid859]

Malcom and Iommi, the riff kings!

[@henrikduende]

They have more recordings outside AcDc than they remember. Mal vi payed more solos than he seems to remember as well

[@VultCult]

Great interview. I had the February 1984 edition of GP many years ago, but lost it. Question - he refers to a modified Marshall 200 watt amp in regards to what he used on stage for the Flick Of The Switch tour. Did he mean that he used a modified Marshall 2000 series head (with was I think between 200 and 250 watts) with the master volume channel disabled? If so, I am thinking then he was using the 1959 Plexi circuit, but at 200 watts instead of the normal 100.

[@santoslhalper6116]

Mal was 30 here but did he just say Angus was 25?! In 1983?!

[@ballbreathtaker9773]

Yes, a big fat lie that the band perpetuated for years for image purposes - Angus the school boy had to be made younger than he actually was. They are pretty straight forward down to earth guys but obviously they don’t mind to lie in the name of the business. I think the same it is the case with some of their lyrics after Bon’s passing.

[@dupersuper6516]

​@@ballbreathtaker9773 Stop copy pasting weirdo

[@furorz]

To save the people that are counting from counting, Mal says 'ya know' 73 tiimes

[@matthewwigzell2119]

The amount of "not really's" have gotta be up there too 😉

[@jackelbrash3444]

Far easier to listen to than ' like ' as every 2nd word .

[@furorz]

Agreed, MUCH easier

[@m.b.boyack2228]

22:22 "...the kids are sort of listening, rather than getting into it we found..."

[@tutevermouth666]

Wait he says “I’m 30 and angus is 25”… they are 2 years apart! What’s happening here??

[@ballbreathtaker9773]

Yes, a big fat lie that the band perpetuated for years for image purposes - Angus the school boy had to be made younger than he actually was. They are pretty straight forward down to earth guys but obviously they don’t mind to lie in the name of the business. I think the same it is the case with some of their lyrics after Bon’s passing.

[@MYEVILTWIIN]

You can hear the Scottish accent creeping through at times

[@thomasryan9426]

Re Malcom playing solo, I could have sworn he played solo on solo Stevie Wright songs

[@ppeterson6407]

Yes he did, Evie part 1

[@davidshaffer4664]

It would be hard to find a better rhythm guitar player in music

[@thekinarbo]

Van Halen was better.

[@davidshaffer4664]

@@thekinarbo Van Halen was a lead and his son sucks

[@thekinarbo]

@@davidshaffer4664 The band Van Halen was a 1-guitar band. Hello?

[@davidshaffer4664]

@@thekinarbo Eddie Van Halen was The band

[@thekinarbo]

@@davidshaffer4664 I'm pretty sure they had a bass player, drummer and lead singer. Eddie played both rhythm and lead. FYI.

[@tutevermouth666]

His voice is lower due to the recording quality?…

[@robinstahlbaum9813]

nope, how he sounded

[@natebalcerak1659]

I've heard mal speak in several interviews, his voice never sounded so low in ANY of them except this one.

[@therewillbeguitar8078]

I didn't realize that AC/DC was deliberately lying about Angus' age to keep up the schoolboy image for a while. I was so confused as to why Angus couldn't properly keep up with his age in the late 70s/early 80s. He was born in 1955, and was in fact 28 during this time. They did the same thing in 1980 and he claimed that he was 22.

[@ballbreathtaker9773]

Exactly, a big fat lie that the band perpetuated for years for image purposes - Angus the school boy had to be made younger than he actually was. They are pretty straight forward down to earth guys but obviously they don’t mind to lie in the name of the business. I think the same it is the case with some of their lyrics after Bon’s passing.

[@richardjansen3317]

Agree and the were never straight forward about the death of Bon either. Don’t get me wrong. I love the music of AC/DC. But in all big acts there’s a Illuminati thing going on. Otherwise these bands wouldn’t have become that huge. That’s the sad truth. Once you see it, you can never unsee it anymore.

[@geraldpatrick5552]

😎 *promosm*

[@tommcmahon3200]

Doesnt practice 🤯