>Bon Scott – Saviour of The Soul

>Originally posted December 06, 2006.

Haha, just look at this man! Look at his jeans way up high, so tight that his balls seem to be gasping for air…
This dude is on to something. Or was on to something, since this is the great Bon Scott who died rock’n’roll style in february 1980.

So what’s that got to do with anything? I almost never listen to AC/DC anyway.

Well, me and my good friend Micke (his online keyboard warrior name is WorkKills) had a very serious talk the other day. We discussed deep shit like how to gain control and freedom in your life, how to cultivate one’s independence, totally controlling your own time, living the life you really want to live, freeing your soul… The biggest problem here mainly being that we both work 8 hours a day. Fucking bummer.

What are you prepared to sacrifice? You have to sacrifice something valuable in order to gain something else, roughly speaking. Are you willing to live your life in constant poverty because you quit your job? Are you willing to leave your loved ones, your wife, your best friends, to live like a hermit… all for the sake of freedom? What about ending your life?
ACTA NON VERBA!

Stuff like that.

It was a good discussion and it was serious as hell. We didn’t reach any mindbending conclusions, but it’s really great to have these kind of talks once in a while. It makes you think even harder.

The best thing though was when Micke put on this AC/DC record and everything just fell into place. So perfect, so simple and so true. And so cheesy in a way.
But the fact is that the very essence of what we’d been talking about was put into words with such ease by the man with the tight trousers… Bon Scott put it this way:

My Daddy was workin’ nine to five
When my Momma was havin’ me
By the time I was half alive
They knew what I was gonna be
But I left school and grew my hair
They didn’t understand
They wanted me to be respected as
A doctor or a lawyer man
(But I had other plans)

Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll star
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer
I’m gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll,
A rock ‘n’ roll star

Well I worked real hard and bought myself
A rock ‘n’ roll guitar
I gotta be on top some day
I wanna be a star
I can see my name in lights
And I can see the queue
I got the devil in my blood
Tellin’ me what to do
(And I’m all ears)

Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll star
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer
I’m gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll,
A rock ‘n’ roll star
(I hear it pays well)

Well you can stick your nine to five livin’
And your collar and your tie
You can stick your moral standards
‘Cause it’s all a dirty lie
You can stick your golden handshake
And you can stick your silly rules
And all the other shit
That you teach to kids in school
(‘Cause I ain’t no fool)

The last verse pretty much says it all.

I’m not saying we’re dreaming of becoming rock stars, that’s not the point at all. What’s he really saying? Just listen to the words, the way he sings these last lines and then worship forever.

The essence of it all? Well, maybe something like do what thou wilt, do your own thing, do it yourself, don’t believe the hype… The standard clichés. You know all that crap. But why the fuck do you still sit around doing nothing then? Think about that instead.

Sometimes all you need is a dude like Bon Scott, telling it like it is, and then things seem just a tiny bit better.

R.I.P.

(The song is called Rock ‘N Roll Singer and is from their second album T.N.T. (1975))

13 thoughts on “>Bon Scott – Saviour of The Soul”

  1. >Well put. Myself, since my dad died in July (my whole life centered around his health and his care, although he has seven children. Guess I’ve just always been the one to step up & take charge..) I’ve slowly learned to get back into LIVING MY OWN LIFE. Harder to do than you’d think–but I’d cared for my ill father since 2003. It was second nature.
    So, now I’ve decided I’m going to do it on MY TERMS for a change. I’ve been a single mom since I was 17, raised 3 absolutely awesome kids (well, two are raised & in the Army; my sons are 25 & 20. My babyluv THINKS she’s raised, but not quite..she’s my youngest, and she’s 16. 16 going on 30….) and worked my butt OFF, often working 3 jobs just to keep my kids fed and a roof over our heads. There were whole years that passed me by because I was too busy working & caring for my kids to do little else. No regrets-but I think I’m due for a change.
    I think that now is the time I’ve been waiting for my whole life…I want to get back into playing electric guitar (my son just got me a new one for my birthday), maybe going back to college (I’ve decided I want to teach)…a lot of different lifestyle changes are coming to mind that’d bore the hell out of all reading, so I’ll just say this:
    Thanks, Bon–as usual, you’ve got your finger on the pulse and help me realize what’s really going on around me. I’ve been into your music since I was 16, and don’t think I’ll ever outgrow it. I don’t WANT to. I’m just gonna ride on…..

    Thanks again for the post….sometimes we need to open our eyes a little more than usual :)
    Peace <3

  2. >Thanks for your comment! I really appreciate it.
    And it’s great to hear you’re back in control. It’s fairly easy to write stuff like this, but executing it in reality is a whole different game. Just thinking about those things is a good way to start, I guess.

    Play that guitar, lady!

    //The Swedish Dr. Phil ;)

  3. >Thanks for the encouragement! I’m sticking to the plan…guess I should start listening to Highway to Hell to really get me rolling ;)
    Thanks again!

    **I learned how to play “5 to 1” @ 4:30 this morning…not bad for being supertired. Not that difficult, either, don’t know why I didn’t already know it! Then I just got bored and started playing Dylan and Zeppelin’s “Goin’ to California”….whatever it takes to keep my mojo risin’ :D

  4. >Damn, I wish I could play the guitar! I’ve got so many tunes in my head… but I’m not made for that, though. I play the drums and that’s it. I can’t even play Guitar Hero. ;)

    By the way, how the hell did you find my blog and this post? I’m curious. I just started this one on blogspot and I’m not used to people commenting my posts… ;)

  5. >LOL I started getting emails after I joined the Bon Scott Goggle group–and one was a copy of a comment on your “Savior of the Soul”. So I came, checked it out, and posted :D
    BTW-glad I found it!

  6. >Ah, Google works in mysterious ways.
    Glad you found it too! Actually, I’m gonna go listen to some AC/DC stuff right away. I need some Bon Scott philosophy after a hard days work.

    One more thing, I’m guessing you’re from the US? Am I right? I’m from Stockholm, Sweden. Cheers!

  7. >Not that it’s such a big deal, but “T.N.T.” is actually AC/DC’s second album, not their fourth.

  8. >Yes, I am from the US..although the results of next years presidential election will likely leave me in search of a NEW home–the government leaves much to be desired here, and so far, choosing a prez candidate is not too different from choosing the lesser of several evils… ;) Plus, if Hilary Clinton is elected, I’m bailing out once the last vote is counted. She makes me ashamed to be a woman :P
    You’re from Sweden, eh? Small world, isn’t it?
    I saw a really cool AC/DC video today I hadn’t seen in a long time-Girl’s Got Rhythm. Once Bon Scott died and he was ‘replaced’ by Brian Johnson, who I felt never did any of the earlier AC/DC stuff justice, I just completely lost interest. Bon was my kind of guy :) Guess he was EVERY girl’s kind of guy! (Reminds me of all the ‘seances’ my friends and I had as teens, trying to get Bon to contact us)! Aside from John Lennon, who was my idol, Bon’s death had a major impact on me. I remember going years without listening to anything but “If you want blood..”, “Highway to Hell”, “Dirty Deeds”…
    Amazing–I had such excellent taste in music, even as a pre-pubescent :P

  9. >Hey straycat, sorry, I forgot to click the “keep me notified if someone posts a comment”-thing so I didn’t see your reply until now…

    “choosing a prez candidate is not too different from choosing the lesser of several evils… ;)”
    I guess it’s like that everywhere. Power and the taste of power seem to make people nuts.
    Where in the States do you live?

    “Reminds me of all the ‘seances’ my friends and I had as teens, trying to get Bon to contact us”
    Haha! That’s just excellent! I’ll try that tonight. ;)

    “Amazing–I had such excellent taste in music, even as a pre-pubescent :P”
    Hehe… Tonight I’ll see my first Roky Erickson gig here in Stockholm. That’s so big for me I’m scared of even leaving the house, in case I get run over by a bus or something on my way there. He’s one of my fave artists ever.

  10. >Indy Love!

    Eventuellt kan jag styra lite rabatt på AC/DC-box. Om du vill köpa den inom den närmaste framtiden, that is.

    Alex/NCF

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