Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade talks about his departure from the Shock Band

Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade has spoken about his time with the legendary rock band in a new interview.

In an insightful interview with Jimmy Kay on The Metal VoiceSlade, who was part of the main line-up from 1989 to 1994, spoke about his time in AC/DC and his decision to leave the band when they re-introduced Phil Rudd.

Slade, who has also played for bands such as Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and The Firm, was devastated at the time, explaining that he resigned immediately after learning of the Rudd trial. He described feeling blindsided by the decision, which came while he was working on demos for the Ball breaker Album.

“I thought, ‘Well, that’s it for me then.’ I said to him (Malcolm Young), ‘That’s it for me then, because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ That’s exactly what I said to him. So I quit on the spot. I was devastated, that’s why I quit,” Slade said, adding that the decision came like “a bolt from the blue.”

Slade revealed who he thinks is in charge of AC/DC.

“It was Malcolm’s band,” he claimed. “I suppose he ran the show musically and in every other way. Angus (Young) obviously had an influence on the songwriting. Malcolm was a brilliant guitarist, the best rhythm guitarist I’ve ever worked with. He was always on time and just played fantastically and made my job so easy.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Slade recalled his AC/DC audition, what it was like working with Axl Rose and more. Watch the full interview below.

Slade continues to release music with his new project The Chris Slade Timeline. His new album, Timescapeis scheduled to be released on July 19th and will include both original songs and some of the musician’s most popular cover versions.

Get unlimited access to the reporting that shapes our culture.

Subscribe to To Rolling Stone Magazine

Subscribe to To Rolling Stone Magazine