Simon Wright - Exclusive Interview

We interviewed Simon Wright just before the concert at the Black Horse of Cermenate (CO), December 29, 2011. The amenable (although for no more than 10 questions) and sympathetic drummer was in Italy for a mini 4 gigs together in the tribute Milan Riff Raff. We thank the singer Edo Arlenghi for your help in making the meeting with him.

AC / DC Italy: Starting from significant groups or disks for you, how did you find the AC / DC?

Simon Wright: The first were Led Zeppelin, at the time I asked my mother to buy me all their albums. She was greatly surprised and bought me "Led Zeppelin III" I stood there pretty bad because this album had several acoustic parts and low battery even though there were still good songs! After them came the Thin Lizzy and then I saw the AC / DC adapter to the TV. At the time there was a program called Sight & Sound: the evening had to play the Nazareth but then announced that the episode would not be aired, and their performance was replaced with that of a new band called AC / DC. I remember it well: I was watching TV with my father, and I was shocked: "Who the fuck are these guys?!" (The concert is to London at the Golders Green Hippodrome of October 1977)

AC / DC Italian: You walked in his early twenties in one of the greatest hard rock bands around. How do you rate your overall experience (for better or for worse) with AC / DC and most importantly, how did you feel so young at the time, to be part of a band already so famous?

Simon Wright: Yes, I joined the band about 20 years. For me it was a dream come true! How to win the lottery! An amazing thing! The first few weeks I felt rather dazed, like being in a washing machine. I was not accustomed to travel, aircraft, limousines, security and things like that ....

AC / DC Italy: Would you tell us your audition and your mood as soon as you come to know to be taken? Do you remember the songs did you play?

Simon Wright: There was an ad in a music magazine saying more or less "We need a drummer, and if you do not have them (the attributes ...) not to respond." I said, and I went to the hearing. I still have the impression that the announcement could relate a band quite important. There was the coach of the battery (Diky Jones who is also working with the band today) who told me just to play along with the songs I heard from the speaker. I played songs of ZZ Top, AC / DC and Led Zeppelin. At the end I thought I had done a good job, the coach battery is complimented me adding "We are." In fact, 4 hours later she called me back and asked me to come back. I though I had no money but he reassured me by saying "Do not worry, you come back here then we pay the taxi." So I did. This time the technician took me to a different part of the recording studio down the stairs I saw several flight case of AC / DC and I thought, "Fuck you can not." The news that Phil Rudd left the band had not yet been disclosed. They wanted to make things simple, if they put on the ad that AC / DC were looking for a drummer, would show up in 20,000! However in the end I met them and it was fantastic, they are humble and simple people.

AC / DC Italy: Aside from the food and wine, you have memories related to the dates in Italy by AC / DC (the first in Nettuno, Rome, September 5, 1984 )?

Simon Wright: It seems to me that opened the concert, the Motley Crue. We we played great as it often happened, with AC / DC. I remember that in those days also met relatives of Brian Johnson and had lunch together. That year (1984) there was the Monsters Of Rock tour and there was the first time I met Ronnie (James Dio). He behaved very well with me despite being just a kid at the time he was treating me with respect and made sure that everything was in place, you took care of me. Really a great person.

AC / DC Italy: Are there any songs in particular that you loved playing live and in the studio?

Simon Wright: On all loved to play Let There Be Rock, although live was really long! Even Back in Black. However, there are several of grandiose.

AC / DC Italy: A question for the hardcore fans of AC / DC. Remember that you have recorded tracks during the sessions of Fly on the wall or Blow up your video , then excluded from the album?

Simon Wright: I remember that there were some during the recording of Blow Up Your Video, which later became B-sides, singles, songs like Snake Eyes, Borrowed Time. Instead I do not think there have been for Fly On The Wall.

AC / DC Italy: On the web there is a picture that surprised us. You portrays in the company of Chris Slade and P hil Rudd , backstage at a show last tour of AC / DC. In this regard, it was the first time I've re-met your ex-colleagues? You will want to tell some anecdotes and feelings of the meeting?

Simon Wright: My girlfriend snapped that picture. We were at the Forum in Los Angeles in 2008, during the first part of the Black Ice Tour I had a friend who took care of the lights, Cosmo Wilson. He worked for a couple of years even with RJDio. He invited me to the concert. I was pretty skeptical when they saw them all but then he insisted, saying that even Diky Jones (the drum tech) he wanted to be together. So I agreed. I met the whole band including family in tow and everything happened peacefully.

AC / DC Italy: Italian bastards as you know is the debut album of The Rocker / Riff Raff (you going to perform with the band tonight), one of the most valuable Italian companies in the field of hard rock. How did this collaboration come about?

Simon Wright: We have a mutual friend who contacted me earlier this year. But I was working on a project that became the "Dio Disciples." During the end of the year, however, I was free so I thought "why not". I really like these guys, we have fun and are also good musicians.

AC / DC Italian: How do you think the world of music has evolved over the past decades and what advice would you give to current bands who are trying to get a record deal?

Simon Wright: The key thing is to play a lot live. If you had any good song once the record you proposing money to make records, now it does not happen nearly as. The difference is that now almost exclusively uses the internet to promote a record, something that did not exist before. Now you can use the social networks and youtube for promotion. It 'a good thing, but there are too many bands that do and too many new bands seem to copies of other nowadays. Then of course once you went to buy the CD: the beautiful was to discover that not only the song you listened to on the radio was interesting but the entire album was solid from start to finish. Now people online download the individual and do not buy more disks.

AC / DC Italy: There 'something you regret about your experience with the AC / DC?

Simon Wright: E 'was great, I have no regrets. I do not say that everything was perfect, there were hard times but I'm happy and I have no resentments.

AC / DC Italy: How to work with the Young brothers than Ronnie James Dio?

Simon Wright: Working with Malcolm and Angus was similar to the work I have done with Ronnie. They are all very productive. Ideas that come in bursts. Both the Young brothers that Ronnie started writing the song and develop small riffs, then working on it become the great pieces we know. It was a pleasure to see the development of the songs you listen to them because you're the riff before and after every other person who works become full songs, some real gems. It 'something special, almost magical. Malcolm and Ronnie are among the greatest musical minds of all time and it would have been interesting to see them work together, even if it probably would not work since all of the characters and two very tough and determined. Ronnie was definitely attentive to every little detail.

AC / DC Italy: What is the best memory you have of RJ Dio?

Simon Wright: There are many. It 'been my best friend for years. She was a person briefed on everything. Very humble, he remembered all, an incredible memory ... I do not have this value.