A pre-fame Brian Johnson acquired some invaluable recommendation from Roger Daltrey when the 2 crossed paths in 1973. He additionally marveled on the Who frontman’s equestrian prowess.
Their likelihood assembly was backstage on the British music tv program High of the Pops. Johnson was there together with his pre-AC/DC band Geordie to advertise their new tune “All Due to You,” whereas Daltrey sang his debut solo single “Giving It All Away.”
“After the taping, [Geordie] went to the inexperienced room once more for a few beers, totally anticipating to get thrown out after an hour for not being well-known sufficient,” Johnson writes in The Lives of Brian, which hits cabinets on Oct. 25 in the US. “Nevertheless it did not occur — most likely as a result of Roger unexpectedly launched himself to us on the bar. ‘Whats up lads, how are you doin’?”
“I used to be intimidated at first,” Johnson provides. “I imply, the man was an absolute icon, and he was sporting the best flared dungarees with simply his suntan beneath and a golden crucifix round his neck — however he turned out to be a daily lad, and he could not have been friendlier. In truth, he went out of his solution to inform me that I had ‘nice pipes’ — which, coming from the man who’d sung ‘Will not Get Fooled Once more,’ was the best praise I might ever been given.”
After their performances, Daltrey invited Johnson to his home that Sunday to have lunch and a chat. It was a no brainer for Johnson, who on the time was sharing a “filthy council flat with mattresses on the ground” together with his bandmates in London.
Johnson was suitably awed when he arrived on the palatial coastal dwelling belonging to Daltrey, who made his entrance in model. “Instantly I heard the thud of approaching hooves, and once I seemed up, I used to be handled to probably the most sensational sight — a fantastic white horse galloping in the direction of me, no saddle, ridden by a bare-chested and barefoot man in powder blue denims, with lengthy, golden curly hair,” Johnson remembers. “He appeared to be holding on to the horse simply by its mane.
“If this is not rock star, I believed to myself, I do not know what’s.”
Daltrey additionally gave Johnson a sneak peek at a bit of rock historical past. “‘[Pete] Townshend’s outdone himself this time,’ he mentioned. ‘I simply received this again. See what you assume.’ It was a studio tape of the Who’s new album: Quadrophenia.”
After lunch, Daltrey defined why he’d invited Johnson to his home. “You advised me that you simply have been dwelling in a grimy flat in Hackney,” he mentioned. “Properly, me and the missus went by means of all of that. So, I wished to deliver you right here and present you what you are able to do for those who stick at it, as a result of there’s actually no straightforward method — and if our paths by no means cross once more, I simply wish to say that I actually hope every little thing works out for you.”
Johnson mentioned that “what struck me most was that you may inform he actually meant it. From one singer to a different — regardless that he was this big rock star, and I used to be only a man in a struggling band from Newcastle — he genuinely wished me to succeed. ‘The key is,’ he added, ‘do not hand over. By no means hand over.'”
“All Due to You” reached No. 6 within the U.Ok. after Geordie’s High of the Pops look, changing into their first and final High 10 hit. “Afterward, when the lean years hit and my days of fame pale like a politician’s promise, there have been occasions when Roger’s phrases have been a distant reminiscence,” Johnson writes. “However I clung on to all of them the identical, by no means giving up hope, even after my 30s crept up on me and kidnapped my 20s – even after I had to surrender being a musician and get a ‘actual job’ once more.”
For sure, Johnson’s persistence paid off. By the daybreak of the ’80s, he could be one of the profitable rockers on the earth. As for his relationship with Daltrey, he writes, “In the meantime, I am glad to report that our paths did cross once more. In truth, we nonetheless discuss to today.”
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