AC/DC's Angus Young On The Impact Of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze: "Boy, That Was It. I Was So Excited…"

While AC/DC have influenced countless bands and artists throughout the monumental almost-50-year career, co-founding guitarist Angus Young has reflected on who made an impact on him growing up, citing Jimi Hendrix as one of his most life-changing influences.

Discussing what was inspiring the Aussie rock titans' early releases, as well as his experiences of consuming music as a youngster, Angus tells Tiny TV (via Blabbermouth): "The thing is a lot of what goes in those albums, when we were younger, that's where a lot of it all goes back to, at that point – like when I was an early teenager, 13 or 14. Music excited me, still at that age. And I think back, in my time, what I liked music-wise, I had to wait up all night. I would be there all night, and then at about two o'clock in the morning, there was a man on the radio, and he would play rock music of this time."

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The musician explains that he discovered the likes of Cream and Led Zeppelin on this station, but most impactful of all was the moment he first heard Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze.

"Boy, that was it," says Angus. "I was so excited. And then I thought, 'How am I gonna find out about Jimi Hendrix?' I was out walking anywhere. I went up to a magazine store, and I'm trying to look if they've got a magazine from England, ’cause I knew he was in London. And I found a little picture of this guy with a guitar, and I was going, 'Wow! I wanna look that cool.'"

Angus adds that he thinks back to his younger self and hopes to impact new rock fans with AC/DC's brilliant new album, POWER UP.

"I'm just trying to give you the excitement of that time," he continues. "I refer to that my whole life; I still think that. When I get on a stage, it's the same thing. I get on a stage and I play, I'm playing to the new kid who's 13 [or] 14 who's never seen me before. And I go, 'Okay, a lot of these older ones out there, they've seen me before. They know what you're about. But that new kid, he's not seen me before.' And I'm going, 'I'm gonna impress him. I'm gonna play for him.' And it pumps you up. That's all I need to do. I see some younger faces, and I go, 'Here I come.'"

Watch the full interview below:

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