On the day Elvis Presley died in 1977, 21-year Wisconsin native, Susan Masino, was assigned to organize a meet and greet for an unknown Australian band by the name of AC/DC. The aspiring rock journalist decided to take the unpaid gig. With a three-man road crew, a “sketchy” press release and a paltry headcount of 75 people in the crowd that night, Masino’s expectations from AC/DC were fairly low—until the band took the stage with their powerful show opener, “Live Wire”.
“I had seen Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple… Cream, and I thought I knew what rock and roll sounded like,” recalls Masino. “Within seconds I knew that I was seeing a phenomenon that was only going to get bigger and bigger.” In fact, after the show, Susan told the band that they were going to one day be, “as big as the Rolling Stones”.
AC/DC Beyond the Thunder, the podcast that peels back how famous fans have been influenced by this Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, sits down with author, Susan Masino, who not only remained lifelong acquaintances with the band, but was also inspired to write two books about AC/DC, becoming the first female to do so.
“I had an instant connection with all of them. They treated me like a little sister,” replies Masino, who’s friendship with the band may very well have sparked the character of “Suzy” in AC/DC’s fan favorite track, “Down Payment Blues."
Encouraged by Angus Young to take a stab at publishing herself, Masino did just that, and was eventually asked to write The Story of AC/DC: Let There Be Rock, filled with backstage stories and unadulterated access to the band, which eventually went on to be published in a dozen languages. “The way I write is that I kind of have to be there in my mind. When I was writing Let There Be Rock, I swear to God I was in 1977 for weeks!,” says Masino.
During the episode, Masino also discusses everything from listening to Highway To Hell in drummer Phil Rudd’s hotel room even before its release, recent tour rumors, thoughts on Axl Rose, and even a stab at stand up comedy with material that would make even Bon Scott blush.
Susan was also asked to appear in the band’s DVD release of their legendary 1979 concert film shot in Paris, and soon followed up with an exhaustive book, AC/DC FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's True Rock 'n' Roll Band. “That book almost killed me,” she says laughing, “It’s over 100,000 words. I still haven’t recovered.”
Masino also discusses her experiences with the apparition of Bon Scott. Upon hearing about his death, Susan felt like she had “hit a brick wall”. And after AC/DC returned to the states with a new singer in tow by the name of Brian Johnson, she apprehensively attended the show. And once the opening chimes of ‘Hells Bells’ filled the arena that night, emotions ran high. “I really feel like Bon was standing next to me. She then asked Bon if he thought the band was going to be OK? Bon’s response: “They’re gonna be just fine.”
“(AC/DC) gave me a career,” admits Masino, “If I’m writing about something that I love, it’s a gift, but it’s not easy.”
After AC/DC became the only band in history to ever co-headline with the Rolling Stones, Masino, no stranger to psychic and paranormal activities, finally asked Malcolm Young before his passing, “Now can I say you're as big as The Rolling Stones?” Brother Angus Young’s response? “Nope. Mick and Keith said they’d always be taller than us!"
Fans of the podcast can listen to this new episode and more at BeyondtheThunder.com. Also available on Apple, Pandora, Spotify, and Google.
AC/DC Beyond the Thunder podcast features professional actors, authors, athletes, chefs, CEOs, comedians, musicians, media hosts, wrestlers, even war heroes, all paying homage to one of the greatest bands of all time, AC/DC. Guests have included Slash, Hall of Fame MLB pitcher Trevor Hoffman, SNL comedian Jim Breuer, US Military War Hero Mike Durant from the film ‘Black Hawk Down’, pro wrestler Chris Jericho, classically trained Croatian duo 2CELLOS, as well as Eddie Trunk, Dee Snider, Dweezil Zappa, Scott Ian, Lemmy, Chris Slade, Mike Fraser, Hell’s Belles, Darryl DMC McDaniels and many, many more.
AC/DC Beyond the Thunder was created by duo Gregg Ferguson & Kurt Squiers, who originally quit their day jobs and set out to capture a feature length documentary as the ultimate homage, but failed to secure the band’s approval. Ferguson and Squiers decided to unearth these stories of well-known fans discussing their affinity for AC/DC and harness that energy into a podcast with the help of sound engineer, Eric Kielb. From archival interviews to all new guest episodes, AC/DC Beyond the Thunder is now in its third season with nearly 200,000 streams.
