We’re going back to that strange, almost apocalyptic moment in rock history when Brian Johnson, the screeching Geordie soul of AC/DC, had to step down from the mic. Why? Because his ears were about to implode. Seriously. The guy was warned that if he kept performing, he’d go permanently deaf.
When Brian Johnson stepped down from his position in AC/DC due to hearing loss, the band had to find a new vocalist. The choice would be hard, as Johnson’s energy and style are not easily replicated. While we know that Axl Rose eventually got the part, the band auditioned a few more singers.
Jet vocalist Nic Cester was one of them. Speaking to UCR Podcast, Cester revealed he never had much hope that he’d get the part, but wanted to try out with the legendary band anyway. He said:
“I didn’t honestly think I’d get the gig, so I thought, I’m just going to go along for the ride. Because what an experience? And I was right. I didn’t get the gig, obviously, but it was a hell of an experience. I got to spend two days singing in a tiny rehearsal studio with AC/DC.
While Cester has spoken about the audition in the past, in the interview he gave a few more details about the songs they tried out and Angus Young’s expectations. He explained
“I knew ‘Back in Black,’ because I’d done it with Muse. I practiced ‘Highway to Hell’ and smashed it out of the park. I did ‘Back in Black’ and it was going really well. I thought, ‘I’ve got this in the bag. This is looking good. Then, I did ‘Whole Lotta Rosie,’ which I knew pretty well as well.”
“Then, Angus started throwing songs at me one after another and another. I think in hindsight, it was absolutely intentional, just to see how I’d react to that kind of pressure. In fact, every single aspect of that audition was orchestrated in a very intentional, purposeful way, just to create pressure and see how I would react.”
Axl Rose eventually got the gig. Why? Because Axl had the range, the grit, the swagger. And most surprisingly of all, when it mattered, he showed up. Broken foot and all.
But what Nic Cester gave us is a peek behind the curtain at how serious and intense these auditions were. This wasn’t a casual “let’s jam” situation. It was an endurance trial. AC/DC was testing for more than vocals, they were testing for guts.
Axl ended up getting the gig, but Brian Johnson later returned.
