You can't stop the rock

Brian Johnson's first official statement since parting ways with AC/DC suggests that maybe the manner of his departure wasn't quite as acrimonious as was first reported. He talks about his hearing issues leaving him with "no choice" and being unable "in good conscience" to risk embarrassing the other members of the band. That said, his refusal to name Axl Rose as his replacement (he can only bring himself to refer to "a guest singer") does perhaps hint at disgruntlement about the indecent haste with which a stand-in was sourced and announced.

While Johnson's condition may have brought the curtain down on his time on his 40 years in AC/DC, he's determined not to hang up his mic just yet and has been given the all-clear by doctors to continue to work in the recording studio. Hearing problems or no hearing problems, meek-mannered acoustic ballads are unlikely to be on the agenda...