Hello.
This year marks 50 years, if you can believe it, Hello.
This year marks 50 years, if you can believe it,
since two incredible forces collided.
Bon Scott joined AC/DC.
Two years ago, Australian Story had a world exclusive
with Bon Scott's brother speaking publicly for the first time,
along with others in Bon's close circle who'd kept quiet for decades.
It's one of the most popular stories in this program's history.
It's one of the most popular stories And to mark the 50th anniversary,
we're bringing you an encore screening.
('DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP' PLAYS)
MAN: Mark it. MAN: 32, one.
Hello. This is Bon from AC/DC.
And although we're overseas at the moment,
dining with the Queen, of course, you know,
we haven't forgotten about you.
# Well
# If you're having trouble with your high school head
He was the best rock'n'roll singer I've ever seen.
# You want to graduate but not in his bed
To this day, I don't think there's a rock'n'roll singer in the world
To this day, I don't think there's that can hold their own against him.
# Pick up the phone, I'm all alone
Bon was part poet, part pirate, # Pick up the phone, I'm all alone
Bon was part poet, part pirate, part street fighter.
Bon was part poet, part pirate, WOMAN: He used to always say to me,
"I'm not here for a long time, I'm here for a good time."
# Dirty deeds # Done dirt cheap... #
MAN: I said, "Ron, you are gonna bloody...
"You are gonna ------- kill yourself.
"You're ------- going mad, you know? Do something about it."
"You're ------- going mad, you know? (MUMBLES INAUDIBLY)
(GROANS, LAUGHS)
He wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his family.
Unfortunately, he...
..went for the bottle instead.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
# Done dirt cheap. #
(CHEERING AND SCREAMING)
MAN: When the band was making it in London,
MAN: When the band was I lost my first name.
I became "Bon Scott's brother".
I mean, it's nice everyone's interested
and I reckon that's fantastic.
But...leave me out of it.
That's his life, that's not my life.
A lot of the stories that have been written in the books are bullshit.
A lot of what was written early upset my mother. Greatly.
This is the first interview I've ever done
and it will be the last one I ever do.
And I'm only doing it because I'm the last person standing. (LAUGHS)
The Scott family had a bakery in Kirriemuir in Scotland.
My father wanted a new start and settled in Fremantle.
Ron was about five.
My mother used to call him Ronnie.
So it was "Ronnie Scott from Bonny Scotland".
It wasn't until he started in the band that they broke it down to Bon.
But in the family, we always called him Ron.
But in the family, (BAGPIPES SKIRL)
WOMAN: He was very quiet when you were with him by yourself.
But when Bonny was around a lot of people, he...he was a performer.
He enjoyed the cheekiness of it all.
He wanted to be He enjoyed the cheekiness of it all.
He wanted to be the centre of attention a lot.
He loved being the centre of attention.
I put it down to his size,
because he was only five foot tall at the time.
You could not dare Ron to do anything, because he would do it.
You could not dare Ron to do He would take the challenge up.
And I think that was because he was trying to prove himself. Yeah.
When Ron was 16, he got mixed up with the law.
He did 12 months in the Riverbank institution.
I don't know what went down.
And my parents never talked about that.
Bonny had sex with a girl that was 15.
It was consensual, but in those days, it was carnal knowledge.
Bonny never spoke about it. Bonny was very embarrassed.
And the fact that his grandmother died while he was in detention.
He knew he let his parents down.
But Ron's time in there, He knew he let his parents down.
But Ron's time in there, the 12 months,
was probably the best 12 months he's ever spent.
It not only taught him a little bit of responsibility and everything else
and settled him down,
but while he was in there, the other people in there were playing guitars,
so they formed a band.
And when he came out, he had a direction.
And when he came out, (CHEERING AND SCREAMING)
# Whenever I feel blue # Yeah-eah
MAN: The minute he got out, he knew what he wanted to do
and he formed the Spektors.
# That's why you're on my mind
They would do covers of all their favourites, like Chuck Berry...
# You treat me cruel # Yeah, yeah-eah
# You treat me cruel # And when I'm left behind
He was playing drums.
# You gonna be on my mind... #
But he also loved the spotlight of being a singer, # You gonna be on my mind... #
But he also loved the spotlight of being a singer,
so he was a little bit torn between drumming and singing.
(BAND PLAYS 'MY OLD MAN'S A GROOVY OLD MAN')
(BAND PLAYS 'MY OLD MAN'S MAN: I was in a band.
We were opposition bands MAN: I was in a band.
We were opposition bands in a very small club scene.
We were opposition bands (SINGS INDISTINCTLY)
I suggested to Bon that we join ranks (SINGS INDISTINCTLY)
I suggested to Bon that we join ranks
and have...form one band and have two lead singers. I suggested to Bon that we join ranks
and have...form one band and have two lead singers.
# He's a hip-hip, hippity-hip, hip-hip, yeah... #
And we formed a band called the Valentines.
# Oh, my old man's a groovy old man... #
MAN: Bonny was down the back singing some harmonies
and hardly noticeable, really, in the Valentines.
But he was definitely, on the live gigs, he was the star of the show. and hardly noticeable, really, in the Valentines.
But he was definitely, on the live gigs, he was the star of the show.
And Vince knew it too.
The Valentines reached a pretty big height
The Valentines reached and then there was nowhere to go.
Like, our music wasn't up there anymore.
As it turns out, there was a vacancy in a band called Fraternity
and the bass player, Bruce Howe, invited Bon to join the band.
(PLAY 'SEASONS OF CHANGE')
MAN: He seemed to me to be much happier
in his new role where he was the man.
in his new role # I try... #
There was no question that Bon wanted to be a rock star # I try... #
There was no question that Bon wanted to be a rock star
and go as far as he could possibly go.
He lived for it. He lived for it.
# And it makes me cry... #
MC: First prize, $2,000 in cash...
(GIRLS SCREAM)
..a return trip to Los Angeles by P&O...
..from Adelaide, Fraternity!
(ALL SCREAM WILDLY)
All the very best.
We did it for Adelaide too. We really did it for you.
(SCREAMING) Thank you.
VICTOR MARSHALL: The band was really interested in going to America,
but Bon's past had caught up with him,
and now his misdemeanours prevented him from getting a green card.
So it was decided that the band would go to England.
BRUCE HOWE: Towards the end of '71,
Bon met Irene and she... she sort of moved in.
The management decided that
only wives would get a free trip to England,
only wives would get a free trip girlfriends had to pay.
Four months later, they were married.
DEREK SCOTT: London was a disaster, I think, for the band.
DEREK SCOTT: London was a disaster, They found it very hard to get work.
We went to England and we got a house.
Like, 20 people in one house, a three-bedroom house.
And we played gigs that cost us twice as much money to play
as it did to get paid for them, you know?
It wasn't a waste of time, because I learned so much there, you know?
But it was a... (SLAP!)
..bashing your head against a brick wall type thing.
Bon's performance style at that time was...
..well, basically was there was no style.
He would just stand there and sometimes with his head down.
He stuck to the microphone stand like a security blanket,
and he didn't... didn't use the stage.
and he didn't... And I'd say, you know,
you've got to reach the audience at the back of the room
rather than sort of just the people that are down the front.
And we would talk about how to use television, you know,
look down, straight down the barrel, follow the camera.
look down, straight down the barrel, # You don't know where you are... #
Bon was like a sponge, and he was learning and taking and grabbing, # You don't know where you are... #
Bon was like a sponge, and he was learning and taking and grabbing,
you know, bits to make his...his craft better.
And Fraternity was where Bon learnt to sing,
was where Bon learnt to be a frontman.
I think...I think it was a really great place for him
I think...I think it was to launch out of.
VICTOR MARSHALL: But after a couple of years of struggle,
Fraternity had to admit defeat in England
and they came back to Australia and they basically fell apart.
And that put a strain on all their relationships.
Bon and Irene basically had separated.
He's not in a band for the first time in ten years.
He had to get a day job at the Wallaroo fertiliser plant He's not in a band for the first time in ten years.
He had to get a day job at the Wallaroo fertiliser plant
on the Port Adelaide docks,
and he thought his dreams were over.
If we didn't work for a week or so...
..that's it, he would go nuts.
There was no future. There was only now.
And he would take risks on his motorbike.
He didn't give a bugger whether he lived or died the next day.
DEREK SCOTT: There was a pattern with Ron, yeah.
He did get bored very quickly.
He never worried about tomorrow. Tomorrow's another day.
(ENGINE REVS)
WOMAN: Bon's life was about fun.
I think he used to push the envelope.
It was just in his nature.
My mother always told him off.
"You're drinking so much."
And that was from 16, 17.
But you could say it once, maybe twice. After that...
But you could say it once, ..he argued.
Things took a turn for the worse when Bon had an argument.
Things took a turn for the worse Bon was upset. He had a bit to drink.
And against all advice, he roared off Bon was upset. He had a bit to drink.
And against all advice, he roared off on his motorbike into the night.
MAN: On 3 May 1974, we were heading back from Port Adelaide
MAN: On 3 May 1974, we were after going to the Findon Hotel.
A motorcycle came out from nowhere.
The motorcycle hit the car.
(ENGINE RUMBLES)
(CRASH!)
The rider came (CRASH!)
The rider came half through the windscreen
and his helmet hit the head... hit the roof of the vehicle.
It was a shocking set of injuries.
He had blood coming down from his helmet.
It was about 36 hours later on Sunday morning
It was about 36 hours later we opened up the Sunday Mail
and we learnt then that Bon Scott from Fraternity...
..was the victim of the accident.
He had a fractured skull.
He had crushed ribs. All his...his teeth were missing.
His jaw was wired up, and he was a mess.
He found it very difficult to walk. He had a walking stick.
And he was worried that he would not be able to get up and sing again.
Although the crash was tragic, it was also serendipitous -
but for the crash, Bon mightn't have been in town
when a new, young hot-shot band called AC/DC came to Adelaide
when a new, young hot-shot band a couple of months later.
# I met this girl for the first time on Saturday night... #
AC/DC weren't happy with their lead singer, Dave Evans.
# Standing in the queue at the Odeon, alright... #
At the time, the guy we had doing, churning out the vocals, # Standing in the queue at the Odeon, alright... #
At the time, the guy we had doing, churning out the vocals,
you know, we felt, well, we wanted more a rock'n'roll...
# Can I sit next to you, girl?
# Can I sit next to you, girl? #
Bon's old friend Vince Lovegrove
suggested that AC/DC take a look at Bon.
They said, "Oh, he's a bit old, isn't he?"
And I said, "Mate, he'll rock the arse off you guys.
"Make no mistake about that."
Bon came to see AC/DC right here at the Bridgeway Hotel in Adelaide.
He got up and sang a few songs that night with them.
BON: I was really shitting myself.
Here's me, a man of 27 years old,
there was him about 18 at the time, you know, 16 or whatever he was.
And I thought, "Can I keep up with this guy?" You know?
And I thought, "Can I keep up "My God, he's gonna kill me."
I think from the moment he got "My God, he's gonna kill me."
I think from the moment he got on stage, he was just, you know...
..you know, just one of those people that had that presence.
So we more or less asked him if he was looking for a gig, you know?
That was it. Bon didn't hesitate. He packed his bags
That was it. Bon didn't hesitate. and he was off with AC/DC.
(THUMPING GUITAR RIFF)
JIMMY BARNES: Word got around - it went around like wildfire -
JIMMY BARNES: Word got around - that Bon was asked to join the band.
It did not surprise me one bit.
I just thought it was a match made in heaven.
FIFA RICCOBONO: He had a tooth missing.
FIFA RICCOBONO: He had tattoos all over him.
He was loud, he was cussing,
but he just fitted in so well with the band, it was ridiculous.
PHILIP MORRIS: Bon was totally more extroverted.
I couldn't believe the change from Fraternity to AC/DC.
It was just like a different person.
I remember sitting in the studio watching them record.
I remember sitting in the studio And it was just... They were just on.
They were fuckin' on.
And it was...you know, it was... They were fuckin' on.
And it was...you know, it was... it was frightening to watch.
MAN: All the while, Bon had his notebook of phrases and lyrics,
and it was light-heartedly called "toilet poetry".
Lines he thought were appealing, potential lyrics. and it was light-heartedly called "toilet poetry".
Lines he thought were appealing, potential lyrics.
VINCE LOVEGROVE: He wrote poetry from the street.
It wasn't pretty, but it was real, it was working class.
This is how the people who bought AC/DC records talked.
This is how the people who bought They related to Bon's words.
You gotta keep your eyes and ears open for...
..lines and words, you know? And ideas and just pictures, you know?
And sort of... And kangaroos.
Kangaroos. And you write around, you know?
They were definitely ribald. Kangaroos. And you write around, you know?
They were definitely ribald.
I mean, just about every song had something to do with sex.
But very clever.
INTERVIEWER: Many people see your use of indecent language in your...
INTERVIEWER: Many people see your ..act as, well, outrageous.
Do you see it as an essential part of your act?
(LAUGHS) I've never said 'fuck' onstage yet.
MAN: Just said it then! (LAUGHS)
MAN: Five, four, three, two, one.
Fade up. # Countdown... #
MAN: When Countdown began on ABC TV...
Go!
..that was sort of almost tailor-made for AC/DC.
Colour television, this explosive band.
And over the next few years, AC/DC would appear on Countdown
And over the next few years, nearly 40 times.
# Baby, please don't go
# Baby, don't go down to New Orleans
# You know I love you so, baby, please don't go... #
They would absolutely thrive on the atmosphere # You know I love you so, baby, please don't go... #
They would absolutely thrive on the atmosphere
of having the audience there, touchable.
# Babe
# Babe... #
It really gave him the opportunity of working the stage.
It really gave him the opportunity # Baby, please don't go... #
He just ate up television. # Baby, please don't go... #
He just ate up television. He was made for it.
He just ate up television. # Ow!
# Oh, no
# Babe... #
(PLAYS 'LONG WAY TO THE TOP' RHYTHM)
And then Bon had that little scribble on the back of his book,
you know, "It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll,"
which, you know, I think said it all, you know,
which, you know, I think especially for a band like us.
You know, we felt, "We're gonna just be playing rock'n'roll music.
"You know, it will be, you know, a long way to the top."
"You know, it will be, you know, # Ridin' down the highway
# Goin' to a show... #
PAUL DRANE: When Molly said to me, "OK, Long Way To The Top,
"I think this is gonna be a number one hit, it's gonna be massive.
"So Bon wants to be able to include the bagpipes
"in any sort of clip that we might do."
# Gettin' beat up, broken bones... #
So my thought was, how about we put AC/DC on the back of a truck
and have them sing the song as they're going down Swanston Street?
# It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll... #
(BAGPIPES SKIRL)
Bon was rapt, he loved the idea.
Angus, everybody thought it was great.
Angus, everybody I was recently amazed to hear
that there has been over 35 million viewings of that clip.
# It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll... #
And the whole clip was made for about 300 bucks.
# It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll... #
So, this could only happen on Countdown.
Whoa. Hey!
MOLLY MELDRUM: Here we are at Mascot Airport to say farewell to AC/DC.
Their vision was they were going to go out and conquer the world. MOLLY MELDRUM: Here we are at Mascot Airport to say farewell to AC/DC.
Their vision was they were going to go out and conquer the world.
Nothing was going to stop them.
ANGUS YOUNG: Probably from the beginning, you know,
we had that arrogance that we could do it, you know, we had no fear.
I always thought as a band, you know, we could go out
and stand up with any band in the world, you know.
Mwah. Oh!
MURRAY ENGLEHEART: By 1976, AC/DC had gone
MURRAY ENGLEHEART: as far as they could in Australia.
(ALL CHATTER)
They were hugely popular.
So in April '76, They were hugely popular.
So in April '76, they went to London,
and Bon was probably thinking, "Well, this is my second chance.
"It didn't work for Fraternity. This has to work this time."
MOLLY MELDRUM: Well, here we are. Welcome to Countdown in London.
And we've been searching around,
and what better group to start off with in London
than our own Australian group, and it's AC/DC.
Fancy meeting you here, mate. Yeah, isn't it marvellous?
Bon absolutely knew that he was in a band Fancy meeting you here, mate. Yeah, isn't it marvellous?
Bon absolutely knew that he was in a band
that was going to take over the world, he really did.
You look more at home here than I've ever seen anywhere in my life.
Yeah, Piccadilly Square is the place where people come
to sit and look at other people sitting and looking at other people.
He wasn't big-noting himself or the band,
he just saw the whole...the future.
So when did this build-up sort of first start occurring?
We sort of played around here pretty regular,
we got a really good following in London, you know.
Like, even the first gig we ever played,
at a little pub called The Red Cow,
the next night, half that pub was in The Nashville Room,
the next night, half that pub another place we played, you know.
And they'd just sort of tell their friends and they all come along.
And they'd just sort of tell their So, it's good.
FIFA RICCOBONO: They were probably the hardest-working band
FIFA RICCOBONO: They were probably on the planet at that stage.
I mean, they toured relentlessly.
That started in the UK, then it spread out to Europe.
Hello. This is Bon from AC/DC telling you to stick around,
Hello. This is Bon from AC/DC because really soon,
we've got our brand-new single, Jailbreak, coming up.
# I said, I ain't spending my life here
# I ain't living alone... #
MAN: As AC/DC became more successful,
that gave Bon more of a platform to live life to the fullest.
that gave Bon more of a platform # Gonna make a jailbreak... #
He was becoming famous...
# And I'm looking towards the sky... #
..and his standing allowed him to party, almost an excuse to party.
PHILIP MORRIS: I think he was living his dream as a rock'n'roller.
The girls, the drink, the drugs.
He was on stage, he was performing. You know, he was in his element.
# Spotlights
# Sirens
But when they came back in the late '70s,
he was drinking more excessively then.
It was a bit of a worry to see him going that way.
He could drink like a fish, of course, but... It was a bit of a worry to see him going that way.
He could drink like a fish, of course, but...
And when, you know, when you look at where I came from,
that's saying something, you know.
BRUCE HOWE: The last time I saw him
was getting close towards the end of '79.
He bought a 40-ounce bottle of Scotch...
..and he started asking me questions about bloody love and having a kid,
and why did I put that in front of going for it,
you know, like he did, you know.
His Holy Grail had always been
to get to the top His Holy Grail had always been
to get to the top in the rock'n'roll business.
And maybe he'd come to the stage where he'd achieved his dream,
And maybe he'd come to the stage you know, he'd found his Holy Grail.
But the Holy Grail was... you know, he'd found his Holy Grail.
But the Holy Grail was... I don't know,
just might have just looked like an empty goblet,
just might have just looked and what was it all about?
VINCE LOVEGROVE: He said, "I really am getting sick of this.
"You know, I'm sick of being on the road.
"All I want to do is go out into the country somewhere.
"I'd like to settle down and live an ordinary life
"like anyone else and just play guitar."
Somewhere there, I believe there was a deep core of unhappiness.
He was lonely. He was lonely for companionship.
And I think he was now looking
for someone to spend the rest of his life with.
He was talking about wanting to return to Perth,
because that's where he felt the most comfortable,
because that's where and buying a property here.
He was looking in Spearwood, which was near his mum and dad.
DEREK SCOTT: I think he was lonely.
A lot of the guys in AC/DC, or most of them, were married then,
A lot of the guys in AC/DC, and he wasn't.
You know, I think he...
..he was starting to feel it at the end, I think, yes.
# Whoo! I'm on the highway to hell... #
MURRAY ENGLEHART: By the time the Highway To Hell album came out,
everything was just falling into place.
All their hard work, building up an audience tour by tour in America.
All their hard work, building up an # Don't stop me! #
Within the next 12 months,
they were expected to be one of the biggest acts on the planet.
they were expected to be one of The next album was gonna be
the one that was really gonna The next album was gonna be
the one that was really gonna kick them over the posts.
the one that was really gonna # Highway to hell... #
And it is the first time in his life that he had...
..you know, he'd actually felt he was accomplishing something.
..you know, he'd actually felt He got to be who he wanted to be.
And the more we work, the more we tour, He got to be who he wanted to be.
And the more we work, the more we tour,
we're getting more ideas and we're getting more...you know?
Just, it's gonna get better and better.
I can't see an end to it, you know? better and better.
I can't see an end to it, you know?
It's like infinity rock'n'roll.
BRIAN JOHNSON: Certainly inspired me.
I think that's what he was to me more than anything - an inspiration.
Even when I hear him talking in old interviews, I still laugh.
Even if I've seen it 20 times, I still laugh.
Even if I've seen it 20 times, And chuckle along with him.
And, er, it's, uh...
He was a special guy.
He really was.
I wish I had've got to know him more.
But I didn't.
That's life.
Over the years, there's been all sorts of theories and beliefs
of what really happened to Bon.
The band were in London.
Malcolm and Angus were in the studio
putting some rough ideas down for the next album.
But Bon wasn't required at that point,
so he sort of had some time to himself.
FIFA RICCOBONO: My understanding is
that he went out FIFA RICCOBONO: My understanding is
that he went out and met up with friends
and drank way too much and he came back with a friend.
Alistair drove Bon back to Bon's place,
Alistair drove Bon back but Bon had passed out on the way.
He couldn't lift him, so he thought,
"Well, I'll take him back to my place," which he did.
"Well, I'll take him back Bon was sound asleep.
And Alistair went upstairs
and made Bon as comfortable as he could in the car.
They came down, apparently, and threw a blanket over him
so he wouldn't be cold. They came down, apparently, and threw a blanket over him
so he wouldn't be cold.
And then the rest is history - that he died the next morning.
The coroner found that Bon had died of acute alcohol poisoning
The coroner found that Bon had died and death by misadventure.
Bon passing as he did, on his own, in a car in the freezing cold,
after all his hard work, and all his heartbreak getting there,
after all his hard work, and was just an incredibly...
..sad, lonely and unglamorous way to go out.
BRUCE HOWE: I hate to say this,
but, unfortunately, when Ron died and I heard the circumstances,
but, unfortunately, when Ron died I wasn't surprised.
MAN: 33, one.
That pattern of getting bored and...and restless.
He was only away from the studio for a few days in London,
He was only away from the studio but his boredom that he faced here,
for him, that was excruciating.
He drank far, far too much.
I did wonder if he would push it too far one day.
I did wonder if he would push And, sadly, he obviously did.
It was a terrible time for the band.
They were devastated and didn't know whether to continue or not.
But it was Bon's parents that were very much behind...
You know, they said Bon would never have wanted them to stop.
So we decided we'd go ahead, you know?
So we decided we'd go ahead, INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
And Bon always...I always remembered Bon telling...telling us
And Bon always...I always remembered how good a vocalist was, Brian was.
BRIAN JOHNSON: As soon as they started playing
and I was singing with them and everything,
and I was singing with them my hairs were standing on end.
And, you know, it was just... it was...it was fantastic. my hairs were standing on end.
And, you know, it was just... it was...it was fantastic.
It was...it was wonderful.
I'd never thought... I'd never sang with a band this good.
MURRAY ENGLEHART: With Brian Johnson and the Back In Black Album,
MURRAY ENGLEHART: With Brian Johnson AC/DC just really, really took off.
And to this day, decades on,
they're still the biggest rock act in the world,
which was bittersweet, because it was where Bon was going to be.
REPORTER: Thousands upon thousands of Acca/Dacca fans
REPORTER: Thousands upon thousands have come down here to Fremantle
to pay tribute to the band and the former frontman Bon Scott.
The thing about Bon Scott is that, as time has gone by,
his legend has become bigger.
He is now considered by millions of people around the world
THE rock'n'roll singer, THE rock'n'roll frontman.
FIFA RICCOBONO: There's an astounding global legacy
that he's left all these years later.
that he's left Those songs just live on.
DEREK SCOTT: You know, I wish he was here to know that,
that he'd made it. He really did make it.
If Ron could see what was happening in the world today over himself,
I think he'd have a good laugh. He really would.
He'd be surprised, but he'd have a good laugh.
He'd be surprised, And a drink.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
# Rifles
# Firing
# But he made it out
# With a bullet in his back!
# With a bullet # Jailbreak
# Jailbreak... #
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation