Phil Rudd Opens Up in New Interview: ‘I’m Getting Help’

Phil Rudd, AC/DC's troubled drummer, sounded by turns defiant, hopeful and brutally honest in an interview conducted amidst his eight-month stint of home arrest. Rudd, who was found guilty of drug possession and making death threats, is appealing the sentence.

Meanwhile, he's vowing to get his career going again – and to do that with his old band. "I'm going to be back," Rudd tells New Zealand's 3News. "I've never been fitter; I've never felt better; I've never been psychologically or physically in better shape my whole life, and I love playing. I've realized who I am and what I can do and I just want a chance to go out there and show everyone who the man is. I'm the man."

Of course, there are a few things standing in the way of that. First, there's the fact that AC/DC haven't asked him back. "You don't want to act like something is happening and then look like a complete d–head when it doesn't," Rudd admits.

Then there's the fact that Phil Rudd has been replaced by Chris Slade, who returned after an earlier stint with AC/DC between 1989-94. "Chris Slade's a good drummer but I've got no idea what he's doing up there," Rudd says. "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I got nothing against Chris. It's just he hasn't got a permanent job. I hope! That's all."

Finally, there are the lingering rumors that AC/DC leader Angus Young is considering retirement after the on-going dates in support of Rock or Bust end. "This last tour bull–, you know, sure," Rudd scoffs. "Last tour? AC/DC will never retire; Angus will never retire."

Rudd also addressed rumors about his personal life. "Anything as far as drug use that I admit to is only as real to what I admit to it being," he says. "No one has ever drug tested me. I've never had a drug test." Authorities, in fact, charged Rudd with dabbling in meth. "Yeah, but you can't prove it," he adds. "I mean, if I was in a bad mood, I might have just been in a bad mood."

Rudd says he's been seeing a prominent psychiatrist, meant to help him control those mood swings. "Absolutely, yeah," he says. "I'm getting help." Rudd adds that he's battling "an imbalance, you know. I suffer anxiety and a lot of insecurities, depression and stuff." Those sessions have helped him see things more clearly, and – he hopes – will pave the way for a reunion with AC/DC, with whom Phil Rudd has played from 1975-83 and from 1994-2015.

"I've grown up, but not grown old; I hope there's a difference," Rudd concludes. "I still want to play the drums. I've got a lot of game left and I reckon I'm just starting to f–ing get cleared up. So, I just want a chance to get back in with the boys and just carry on from there."

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