McGone Sketches Randomly: AC/DC
This is just a random sketch that I did recently because I'm fascinated by the most recent issue of Rolling Stone. Why? I don't know for sure. I've never been a die-hard AC/DC fan. I like them just fine, mind you... my bass playing days way back in the day usually revolved around a "Whole Lotta Rosie" here and a "You Shook Me All Night Long"* there. And I'll admit that "Back In Black" is still a damn-near-perfect rock album. This band of hooligans from Australia have gotten a hell of a lot of milage from three cords and barely-disguised innuendoes.**
I think the part that amazes me most is that this issue of Rolling Stone - issue #1065 - is the first cover to feature the band that has been around for nearly four decades, selling 70 million albums in the US alone. And that's without the aid of iTunes.***
A small sampling of artists who have been featured on The Cover of the Rolling Stone before AC/DC include:
- Clay Aiken
- Beavis and Butt-head
- Lauren Conrad and the cast of The Hills
- Zac Efron
- Tom Green
- John Mayer (previously discussed here)
- and just two months prior, The Jonas Brothers
Of course, most of these people are prettier than AC/DC, even Messrs. Beavis and Butthead. Lead singer Brian Johnson has that appearance that screams "New Dockworker Who Will Be Fired by Thursday" and Angus Young looks like a preproduction design for Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Still, Rolling Stone... WTF?
But bitching about their dubious cover choices is a futile exercise and time-honored tradition. So I'll probably just shut up and finish this sketch someday, mostly because it makes me laugh. Young's other great calling in life was to be a caricature. I don't want to let him down like Rolling Stone has all these years.
*"Rosie" I still like. "Shook Me" makes me want to stab something. Repeatedly. I heard it at way too many high school functions. Didn't the Sock Hop chaperones realize they were undoing all the hard work of our health teachers who warned us about exactly those sort of sins of the flesh?
**And denim.
***Of course their logic is suspect, but whatever.
Labels: Classic Rock, Getting to Know McGone, John Mayer Sucks, McGone sketches, Rolling Stone
posted by McGone at Thursday, November 20, 2008
21 Comments:
You couldn't be an athlete in the 80s or 90s without warming up to "Thunderstruck" roughly 5,000 times. They were never really a good band, but they were always better than most.
Although that "Last Action Hero" song "Big Gun" (actual chorus: "Big Gun! Number One!") was submoronic. We can all admit that now.
Yes, but I will also admit to walking down the aisle to the Hell's Bell's intro. I'm a rebel like that.
Sweet pic.
excellent drawing!!!!
That list of undeserving cover-people is truly depressing. For shame, Rolling Stone!
That list is why I never bother to read Rolling Stone anymore.
And I used to know a guy who, on a daily basis, would crank up "Back in Black" and declare it the "fucking best make out song EVER".
Every day he did this.
Every. day.
Argh.
Nice pic, man.
I never look at Rolling Stone any more, but in passing I noticed AC/DC was on the cover and thought, "OLD."
Wow. Two LOtR references in one post. You're bordering on herodom for me, sir.
I like AC/DC just fine, as well, but their logic regarding iTunes is as flawed as putting a 53-year-old wizened troll in a schoolboy outfit. They don't believe in digital downloads because they're preserving the integrity of the recorded album? Please. Why did they release singles back in the '70s and '80s then? Oh, that's right, it was the label doing that, not them.
My favorite AC/DC song is Big Balls because, really, their songs all sound so similar and it has the best lyrics. You get to say balls when you sing along.
I am appalled, however, that those other freaks made the cover before them. Shame, shame Rolling Stone.
As a Padres fan, I'll always have a special place in my heart for "Hell's Bells." I'm gonna go cry in a corner now...
Funny post as usual, man.
I like AC/DC. And I appreciate the fact that they've put out essentially the same album over and over for the past 20 years. Even after they replaced the great Bon Scott with a dirty, perverted dwarf, they didn't miss a beat.
Ah, THERE'S the Padres fan!
I love the dockworker analogy. And that's a great drawing.
Rolling Stone is a rag not worthy of ass-wiping. They try so hard to be cool by dogging popstars like Britney and Vanessa Huggandkiss or whatever her name is, yet they pimp them on their covers and do giant features on them because they know they sell magazines. Also, I can go to the record reviews section and know exactly how many stars they're going to give every record before even looking at them.
Excellent drawing! never got into AC/DC much...
Or as we call them in Australia, Acka-Dacka.
I'm not big on that type of music but there's something in an Aussie's blood that when "Dirty Deeds" comes on the radio, one is required to turn it up and shout one's way through it, sort of call-and-response fashion.
Back in Black is still like one of the top selling albums every year. Amazing that people still buy it. I persoanlly love it as well.
And last year they certified it 22x Platinum?!?! That's fucking crazy!
I wanna be an artist like you when I grow up. I'm always so amazed by your skillzzz, G.
Those fellows look better in your (incredible) drawing than they do in real life. They should hire you to be their Official Image Manager.
McGone: My word verification was "clizzled." That's even better than "spingles."
Are you kidding me? All those cheap posers before AC/DC? WOW! It's a mad, mad, world.
Awesome sketch, BTW
I went to an AC/DC concert in high school and a dude sitting behind me threw up ON MY FRIEND'S HEAD!
Oh man, AC/DC brings back such warm memories of high school days. I never knew that about Rolling Stone--I'm stunned, even though the boys are quite the ugly mo'fo's.
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