Man, Phil Rudd is in quite a rut right now. He got picked up on drug possession charges and charges of trying to have somebody killed. The latter charge has been dropped, but he still might face time for meth and weed possession.
It doesn't help his band that all of this is happening right as they ramp up their promo cycle for their new album, Rock Or Bust. Obviously, there is publicity that needs to be had and the band are trying to be as sensitive as possible with the subject but they are not holding back. USA Today spoke with guitarist Angus Young and bassist Cliff Williams, who both said they haven't spoke to Rudd since his arrest.
Rudd was elusive even while recording the new album putting the band in a difficult situation.
"It put us in a difficult situation," says Young. And he says this continued through subsequent video and photo shoots. "It put us in a spot where we couldn't move forward. Does the guy show up? Is he reliable to do his job in good shape? We've always been a solid, reliable unit."
AC/DC has indeed resolved to move forward; it's planning to tour next year. Whether Rudd will join his bandmates remains in question.
"Phil created his own situation," says Young. "It's a hard thing to say about the guy. He's a great drummer, and he's done a lot of stuff for us. But he seems to have let himself go. He's not the Phil we've known from the past."
Angus continued "I don't know the exact situation. … I can only say, from our perspective, that the guy needs to sort himself out."
