July 31, 2025 • 52 mins
If you love AC/DC, then you've come to the right place! Today's episode departs from the normal DayStriding journey to focus all three segments on the best selling rock band of all time! Today's episode celebrates the day Back in Black was released on this day 1980. You also can experience TWO Truman Pastworthy originals:
- My world premier of Thunderstruck on the PVC pipes, and
- My list of "10 AC/DC Songs You Should Add to Your Playlist".
If it's a special day for you or for someone you care about, why not learn a little more about today by listening to some fun, engaging tales that are all about AC/DC? You’ll find yourself in a much better mood AND have some great stories you can tell at your next summer cookout. If you need some great gift ideas, we have those too (along with links to where you can find them on Amazon).
Fun links from today’s stories (these links worked in early-2025 - not sure how long the links will be available):
- Link to the Two Cellos video performing Thunderstruck
- Link to the Baby Ryan video and the Thunderstruck remix
- Link to a video with Whole Lotta Rosie riding a runaway train
The rest is under construction!
Text me your favorite time travel movie!!!
~~~ DayStrider Fun ~~~
Do you want to be mentioned here in the podcast? Or do you want me to do a shout-out for a loved one? All you need to do is send me an e-mail: daystriderstories@gmail.com
Better yet, you can record your own shout-out by leaving me a voice message using this SpeakPipe link
Do you have a story that you wish to share? Join me as a guest and let’s tell the world together! Once again, just send me an e-mail or find me here on Facebook: Truman Pastworthy
If you had as much fun listening as I did creating this episode, please click "follow" in your favorite podcast platform . . . oh . . . and even better - why not share it with a friend (or three)! I’m betting you know just the perfect person who would enjoy today’s stories!
If you feel adventurous, how 'bout writing a great review? :-)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Truman (00:02):
Welcome, Seeker! What do you get when you mix some PVC
pipes, a love of ACDC songs, anda little bit of free time on
your hands?
Well, for one, you get themakings of a fantastic
Daystrider episode with a tripback to July 25th, 1980, when
(00:22):
ACDC, the world-famous rock bandfrom Sydney, Australia, did
something that no other rockband has ever done.
¶¶ ¶¶ I'm joining in on the funwith my own PVC pipe collection
(00:59):
that will make the Blue ManGroup jealous.
And did you know that ACDCreleased 193 songs over their 50
plus years of playing?
Oh yeah.
Well, guess what?
I've got for you the 10 bestACDC songs you need to add to
(01:20):
your playlist.
The Portal's Humming Historysecrets are waiting and our day
striding adventure begins now.
So grab your curiosity andlet's go shoot to thrill as we
get shook all night long intothe past while listening to
Hell's Bells.
And because rock and roll ain'tnoise pollution.
(01:44):
Truman.
Can we please get back in blackto the show here?
Welcome, Seekers, to theenchanting world of Daystrider,
the podcast where we embark on adaily journey through history.
(02:06):
I'm your travel guide, TrumanPastworthy, and together we'll
explore some fascinating storiesthat happened on this exact
day, but from some time in thepast.
From groundbreaking inventionsto remarkable birthdays and
extraordinary events to quirkynational holidays, we've got it
all.
So kick back, relax, and openyour mind for some lighthearted
(02:28):
stories that'll leave yousaying, huh, I never knew that
happened on this day.
Alrighty then, let's get to it.
You know that feeling you getwhen you're about to have
someone watch your favoritemovie?
or you're about to show them anincredible video on your phone
(02:50):
yeah you're sitting thereholding in your smile and your
excitement watching them becauseyou just know they're about to
get their mind blown and maybeyou get that feeling of
goosebumps it's coming as youhit the play button and you're
just watching them waiting fortheir reaction well That's me
(03:13):
every time I watch a reactionvideo on YouTube of people who
are hearing Thunderstruck forthe very first time.
And it doesn't matter theirbackground, if they're rappers,
or they only do opera, or evenif they're a voice coach.
Every one of them is going tostart bobbing their head up and
(03:34):
down.
Some, their entire body ismoving along with that song.
And this opening right here.
Yeah.
And what's funny is they can'thelp themselves.
If you listen to that riff, youtoo will start bobbing.
It's catchy.
And then you get to the...
(03:55):
The tension and the buildup.
I think that's when the fullbody movement comes in.
Yeah, you can't help it.
And then...
Starts coming into the mix.
They're squinching up theireyes and they're like, what is
this?
What are we hearing here?
(04:16):
And then Brian Johnson's voicecome in and his crazy voice gets
that.
That's probably my favoritepart of all the reaction videos
because people's faces are allscrunched up and they're like,
what?
What the heck am I listeningto?
It happens every time.
In fact, I went and watchedabout a dozen understruck
(04:38):
reaction videos on YouTube justto refresh my memory about it.
Kezzy Boy, Diane the VoiceCoach.
All kinds of folks.
They even had a collection offifth graders.
And pretty much everyone hadthe same reaction.
And of course, every time I didit, I got goosebumps over and
(04:59):
over again.
And every time I'm bobbingalong with the person in the
video because I just love thatsong.
Well, check this out.
That opening riff, the...
That part actually started as awarm-up and finger exercise for
Angus Young, the lead guitarist,where he was just using his
(05:20):
left hand, going up and down theneck of the guitar, playing
along the frets.
And then his brother Malcolm,the rhythm guitarist, felt like,
hey, we could do something withthat.
So he added in his ownbackground guitar, and bam, they
had the makings of a song.
that would eventually have oneand a half billion views on
(05:41):
YouTube and still counting.
Literally, it's still gettingwatches as recently as last week
because people are doing thesereaction videos.
So what makes this song socatchy and likable?
And of course, I have no ideahow to explain it because I'm
biased in favor of the song andI'm not really much of a music
(06:02):
person.
But I looked it up.
And without getting nerdy intothat music stuff, the chords
Angus plays have minor notes andmajor notes creating musical
conflict.
Now I know something aboutconflict, right?
Because in storytelling, forany great story, conflict is
what makes it all go.
(06:23):
And apparently hiding in thesong is a minor B note that is
present through the entire riff,acting like a heartbeat.
And then the major chords danceall around it.
And that's what gets your headbobbing.
Yeah, you don't have a choice.
So then we have the conflictand then the song builds tension
with its layers, adding in thedrums and then the backup vocals
(06:47):
and then Brian Johnson's crazyvoice.
That's the part where thereaction video folks make that
same scrunched up face.
And you can see them thinking,what is up with this guy's
voice?
But guess what?
While cringing, they're stillbobbing their head along.
And what's great about thissong is there's not only
(07:08):
reaction videos, there's alsoremake and remix videos with the
song too.
There's one where these celloplayers, they start off playing
a pompous concert to a stuffycrowd.
¦ And then the song morphs intoThunderstruck.
(07:29):
Busting it out on their celloswhile their hair's flying
everywhere and the bow stringsare popping.
It's a good video.
And it's not just the cellos.
You can find artists out thereplaying it on the pianos or
(07:49):
xylophones or you can even findit on banjos.
And then there's the remixvideos.
And the most popular one, Ithink, is that Baby Ryan video
where the dad recorded his sonmaking sounds for over a year.
And then he turned those littlesounds into Thunderstruck.
(08:11):
Yeah, that's a good one.
Here's the beginning of thatsong.
Yeah, so of course, I decided,why not try to make my own
version of Thunderstruck?
Yeah, let's add another remixout there in the world.
(08:33):
And I was going to try it withmy power tools.
But I really struggle becauseI'm not musically inclined.
I can't tell what note a drillmakes versus a sander versus a
circular saw.
So I was thinking about it as Iwas walking through Home Depot
the other day.
And I was walking past theplumbing aisle and I saw PVC
(08:54):
pipes.
And my mind thought of the BlueMan Group.
Which, of course, we're goingto feature in a future episode.
And I thought...
I'm not good at making music,but I can cut me some PVC pipe.
So I pulled out my phone,opened up my buddy ChatGPT, and
I asked it about the lengths ofpipes I'd need to make the notes
(09:17):
for the song Thunderstruck.
Uh-huh.
See that?
I'm on to something.
I can do this.
So I'm asking the app, allright, do I need one and a half
inch pipes or two inch pipes?
What should I be using?
And meanwhile, as I'm standinghere in the plumbing aisle
reading on my phone, the ladycomes over the loudspeaker and
says, Attention Home Depotshoppers, please bring your
(09:40):
purchases to the checkout.
I'm like, hold on a second.
I'm brainstorming here.
I need to figure out what I'mgoing to hit these pipes with
that make a perfect sound.
Of course, ChatGPT had somesuggestions, but I'm like, oh my
God, I don't know where thoseare in this store.
So I looked down, I slipped offmy Under Armour flip-flop, and
(10:01):
I tried hitting that against thepipe.
Yeah, there it is.
I'm ready.
I got me some two-inch pipe,and I headed home to start
cutting.
And now, I have a wholecollection of different lengths
of PVC pipes.
All right, I was excited,excited, checked out from Home
(10:22):
Depot, drive home, and startcutting.
Yeah, but wait a second.
How long do I cut each of thesenotes?
Well, chat GPT to the rescue.
It helped me figure out howlong to cut each pipe so that
I'd get the right musical note.
Yeah.
And I ended up with a G note at15 and a half inches.
(10:45):
And I got a G sharp note at 14and five eighths inches.
And I got a D sharp note Yeah,all these notes, that's 20 and a
quarter inches.
And then there's threedifferent B notes.
(11:05):
This highest pitched one.
And then a middle pitched one.
And then the lower pitched one.
Okay, so we're all set with ournotes, but...
I still need to learn how toactually play this song.
(11:29):
In that opening, there are allthese different patterns of
notes, like this first one.
And then there's also melodypatterns, like this one.
Man, that's hard to play thatone.
(11:54):
Goodness gracious.
And I'm struggling here to playit, and you're thinking,
Truman, that doesn't sound likethe song at all.
You've got some work to do.
And I know, I know, you'reright.
I've got to speed them up.
All right, we're gettingcloser.
(12:19):
I need to keep practicing.
So I'll be right back.
back all right are we ready togive this a go i think we are
beforehand i recorded somebackup vocals and i got my drum
beats ready so then all i had todo was start playing and here's
(12:41):
what we got enjoy
Thunderstruck (12:54):
Thank you.
Truman (13:26):
That was fun, wasn't it?
Was your head bobbed along?
Was it?
I know it was.
I know it was.
You're probably thinking, waita second.
How did he do that?
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
A lot of practice, people.
A lot of practice.
Using my audio editor.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
So all I had to do was hit afew notes in the right spots,
(13:47):
record them, and then I couldput them together and mix them
all in and bam! We've got somethunderstruck.
Yeah, ha, ha, ha.
That was fun.
That was so much fun.
Thank you.
Thank you for listening alongand enjoying my version of
Thunderstruck.
(14:08):
Roses are red and ACDC lovesblack.
Writing a review really helps.
Big Jack.
Feeling thunderstruck aboutwhat you should say?
Type, this pod's high voltagewill brighten your day.
Thunderstruck (14:26):
Thunder.
Thunder.
Thunder.
Brrring, brrring.
Truman (14:43):
Hello?
Malcolm, I've got some bad newsabout Bon.
I'm sorry, mate, but he's gone.
We found him this morning.
What?
What do you mean, gone?
No, no, no, Bon.
It can't be.
How is he gone?
That phone call shatteredeverything.
(15:04):
When Malcolm hung up and turnedto his brother Angus...
They both knew they weren'tjust losing a friend.
They were staring at the end ofACDC.
This was in February of 1980.
They had just released theirHighway to Hell album that had
climbed the charts in Americawhile topping them in the UK and
(15:27):
in their home country ofAustralia.
And everything was pointing tostardom and everlasting fame.
But now their frontman, BonScott, was gone.
Not in rehab, not injured, notquitting the band.
Gone.
The two guitar gods just staredat each other.
(15:47):
Sure, we can play like no oneelse, but we still need someone
to sing.
And it can't be just anyone.
Bon Scott's voice was unique.
Well, his mama, Isabel, gavethem a little hope with her
nudge, telling the boys thatthey needed to rock on.
Go find someone and keep onplaying because that's what he
(16:11):
would have wanted.
Well, it turns out that Bondhad given them the answer a few
years back.
And of course, at that time,they blew him off.
But while they were on tour,Bond said, hey, if anything ever
happens to me, you guys got togo check out this guy named
Brian Johnson.
(16:32):
I love him and he's crazy andhe likes to party.
He'd be a great fit.
Of course, they were all youngand invincible at that time and
so they blew him off.
But in March of 1980, BrianJohnson's name came up again.
And as Brian tells the story,he got a phone call from a
(16:52):
German lady.
And she asked him to come downto London and try out for the
band.
And he wanted to know who hewas trying out for.
And she said, I can't tell you.
It's a secret.
And he said, no way.
I'm not driving all the way toLondon without knowing who I'm
trying out for.
And she said, well, I can tellyou their initials are AC and
(17:15):
DC.
And he said, you're telling meACDC wants to hear me sing?
And she responded, well, I'vesaid too much.
Now, that German voice, heactually, there's a video of him
interviewing with Howard Stern,and he tells that story with
the same German accent that Ijust tried to do.
But anyway, when he got there,he was a little nervous because
(17:37):
it's ACDC.
And he asked them if they knewNutbush City Limits by Tina
Turner.
What?
Imagine that scene.
ACDC has almost 50 of its ownoriginal songs out there, and
this guy trying out wants tosing a Tina Turner song for his
audition.
Crazy, right?
(17:58):
Well, you've heard me say itbefore.
Sometimes crazy is genius.
And once they got going, theynever looked back.
It was pure magic.
He was perfect, and everyoneknew it.
So the band headed off intoseclusion at an obscure
recording studio in the Bahamas.
And there the magic continued.
(18:21):
As it took them less than twomonths to create and record ten
songs that turned out to be morethan just magical, it was epic.
Literally.
Those album sales set a recordthat still stands today and will
never be surpassed.
More on that in a minute.
But first, I want to take youback to my childhood.
(18:43):
I had just turned 17, and myhigh school sweetheart, she got
me a new record player and thesehuge speakers for my bedroom.
And she got me some records toplay on my new toys.
Def Leppard's Hysteria, VanHalen's 5150, and ACDC's Back in
Black.
(19:03):
Now, for those of you oldenough to remember what those
large LP records looked like,right?
They were huge, and they had abig sleeve, kind of like a CD,
but much bigger.
And the cover of that sleevewas everything at the time,
right?
You can't judge an album by itscover.
Hysteria, bright colors,crazy-looking skull, 5150, Tony
(19:26):
Atlas holding that shining globewith an electric cloud, and
then the Back in Black album.
It was all black, nothing on itexcept the band name and a
lightning bolt.
No flash, no color.
But that cover told a storyabout mourning and resurrection
(19:48):
all wrapped in one.
And I'm sure everyone had areaction to that cover because
it wasn't normal.
Well, guess what?
Thunderstruck (20:00):
No.
Truman (20:02):
The music, that wasn't normal either.
It was awesome.
The very first song on thealbum kicks off with these
ominous bells tolling.
Anyone want to guess, by theway, how many rings they played
(20:24):
in the song?
Go ahead.
Have you been counting as I'vebeen talking?
I'm a rolling thunder, pouringrain.
Great opening lyrics.
And this song and that bellhave been iconic ever since.
At every concert, they dropthis huge bell from the ceiling
with the big ACDC logo on it.
And sometimes Brian Johnsongets out a huge mallet and gongs
(20:49):
the bell in the concert.
It's amazing.
And one time he actuallydisappeared from stage and then
you could see him riding thebell down from the ceiling as it
was drifting in.
Thunderstruck (21:02):
Ha ha.
Truman (21:02):
It was amazing.
Anyway, song number two on thealbum is probably the most
overlooked song, but it rocksyou hard.
It definitely has the bestinstrumental of the ten songs on
that album.
I'll play it for you.
(21:25):
Guess that song?
Can you guess what it is?
I'll tell you later.
Anyway, they didn't even get tothe album's namesake song, Back
in Black, until the first songon the flip side of the record.
Yeah, that's right.
That's one thing that nobodymisses, right?
Getting up after the recordends, going over and flipping it
(21:47):
over to the second side.
Today's kids just click, andthe playlist rocks on.
But let's keep going.
Song number two on that secondside is the song that propelled
ACDC back to the heavens.
The song that got all the radioplay.
The song that everybody knows.
And everybody's belted out thechorus at one time or another.
(22:10):
What's funny is, Brian hasalways maintained that the song
is about a car.
But somehow, I just don'tbelieve him.
He actually did write thelyrics, though.
One night, When they're in theBahamas while recording, Malcolm
(22:32):
approached him with a tabletand a pen and asked, Hey, can
you write songs as well as yousing them?
And he said, Sure.
And then the words just startedflowing.
She was a fast machine.
She kept her motor clean.
She was the best damn womanthat I've ever seen.
And the record album was aninstant success.
(22:53):
With a brand new lead singer,they recorded in less than six
weeks, which was unheard of.
They did a partial tribute tothe former singer and filled the
album with instant classics.
Yeah, definitely true.
Check this out.
I recently went to a show fromthe ACDC Power Up Tour and five
of the 21 songs came from theBack in Black album.
(23:16):
That's right.
They released that album onthis day 45 years ago.
That seems insane, right?
They've released 13 albumssince then during those many
years, but the songs from theBack in Black album are
mainstays at the concert.
So cheers to that.
In fact, you could crack open acold one and have a drink on
(23:40):
me.
Now, depending on your source,you'll see that this record
album was the second highestselling in history and the
highest for any rock band, ofcourse, outselling the likes of
Elvis and Whitney Houston.
And the one album ahead of ACDCon that list?
Any guesses?
Come on, anybody?
(24:00):
That's right, Michael Jackson'sThriller.
And speaking of answers, I needyou to get the answers to the
other two questions I asked.
There were 13 bells gonged inthe beginning of the Hell's
Bells song, and thatinstrumental I played for you
was from the song Shoot toThrill.
All right, we got to wrap uphere.
I'll take you back to thatchilling phone call.
(24:22):
that could have endedeverything.
But instead, it became thecatalyst for the second
highest-selling album in musichistory.
Sometimes, the worst thing thatcan possibly happen sets you up
for the very best thing thatever will.
Bon Scott's final gift to ACDCwasn't just a recommendation for
(24:44):
a new lead singer.
It was rock and rollimmortality.
And the last song on thatalbum...
says it best, rock and rollwill never die.
A time traveler's delight on ahighway to hell.
Going into Sin City, all willbe well.
(25:06):
If these tales have given you abit of a shock, please share
with your friends for thoseabout to rock.
Guess what?
Your backyard barbecue playlistis missing some songs.
I'm telling you now, you'remissing some musical
(25:28):
masterpieces.
Yeah, sure, you've got Highwayto Hell, Back in Black, and
Thunderstruck, all of which havenearly 2 billion streams on
Spotify.
But I've got some suggestionsfor you, along with some fun
mini-stories about each one thatwill change your impressions
about ACDC forever.
I promise.
(25:50):
Check out this list of 10 moreACDC songs you should add to
your playlist.
Now, I've followed the bandintensely for the last 20, 30
years and been to a dozen or soconcerts.
And I have the t-shirts andhats to prove it.
My latest purchase was an ACDCflag from the Power Up Tour just
(26:12):
a few weeks back.
And if you look at your phone,you can see a picture of that
flag.
And I've hunted down and peckedthrough all 193 ACDC songs,
even the ones they neverreleased in America.
Why?
Because buried in thatcollection are some masterpieces
that will change your listeningexperience forever.
(26:32):
And because I love ACDC somuch.
Now, to be clear, we're nottalking about popular songs like
TNT or Dirty Deeds.
Now, we're going to give yousome money here and some
bagpipes and a rock song.
Are you ready to become themost interesting person at your
(26:55):
next backyard gig?
Let's stride through ACDC'shistory to find you 10 goodies,
along with a tiny backstory youcan share when the song pops up.
We're going to kick things offwith an oldie, but a goodie.
And when I say oldie, I'mtalking about Chuck Berry old.
What?
(27:15):
Yeah, Chuck Berry made thissong.
Up in the morning and out toschool.
The teacher is teaching thegolden rule.
Way back in the 50s.
And as you learned on theOctober 18th Day Strider
episode, ACDC found lots ofinspiration from Berry.
including Angus' Duck Walk thatyou can find in pretty much any
(27:38):
video you watch of the band.
Anyway, ACDC actually did acover version of that song in
their early days, and here'swhat theirs sound like.
Up in the morning after school Ateacher is teaching the girls
(28:15):
So there's the first one.
Up next is a song from theDirty DJ album that a lot of
people really love.
It's not my personal favorite,but it brings in the fringe fans
because it's a little lower anda little slower.
And it shows some of the rangefor ACDC for people who think
(28:36):
all their songs sound the same.
Check this one out.
I'm just another empty head.
(29:07):
Did you know that Stephen Kingis a huge ACDC fan?
Yeah, the author of Cujo.
That's right.
Well, up next on the list is amade-for-the-movie song.
Literally.
Now, if you watched the movieMaximum Overdrive, that thing
was a dud.
But the songs were not.
And Who Made Who is actually13th on Spotify's Most Played
(29:34):
list, and it needs to be onyours as well.
Now, while we're talking aboutcommercialization, let's hop
over to Major League Baseball,who got the rights to start
using this song to promote theirplayoffs in 2014.
Yeah, before the song was evenreleased.
(29:58):
How about that?
I remember hearing thecommercials and the promos, and
I'm like, what?
Sounds like ACDC.
That's got to be Brian Johnson.
We went back.
We re-round and tried to listento it.
I'm telling you.
So then I had to go online.
And thank goodness theinterwebs were there to uncover
the truth that Play Ball was asong from their next album.
(30:19):
And they were playing it beforethe album was released.
So that's pretty cool.
All right.
For our next song, we're goingto stride all the way back to
1975.
And this is a great one thatyou'll never get to hear live in
concert.
Truman, why is this song sospecial?
(30:44):
Well, I got one word for you.
Bagpipes.
song has bagpipes.
(31:06):
Any rock and roll songs have abagpipe.
This one.
Bon Scott actually learned toplay the bagpipes just for this
one song.
It's pretty fun, right?
And he'd belt out the lyrics,and then he'd do an
instrumental, and then he'dbanter back and forth with Angus
and his guitar.
Listen to this.
Thunderstruck (31:26):
...
Truman (31:34):
If they played this song live in concert today, I'd
probably die enjoying Bon Scottand Evan myself.
All right, five great songs sofar, right?
And a little bit of noveltyattached to them.
Kicking off the top half of mylist is Money Talks, a great
rock and roll song with somelyrics that ring true in all
walks of life.
Thunderstruck (31:58):
Money Talks
Truman (32:10):
When this concert came around, they actually dropped
ACDC dollar bills from theceilings of the venues for
people to take as souvenirs.
And bonus fun fact, I was atthe concert in Philly when they
recorded the official video forthe song.
And that flood of money at thatshow was at least 10 times more
than at regular shows.
(32:31):
Of course, don't ask me how Iknow that difference, but
anyway.
Up next is a song.
It's number seven on Spotify'smost played list.
But I'm betting it's not onyour playlist.
And it needs to be.
When the album was released,this song had to share the
spotlight behind Hell's Bells,Shook Me All Night Long, and the
(32:54):
title track, Back in Black.
But Shoot the Thrill is stillplayed at concerts, and it's an
awesome song.
You don't need to take my wordfor it.
Check out the Iron Man 2.
When they introduced and gotpeople fired up about Tony
Stark, they played Shoot theThrill.
It's a great scene.
Thunderstruck (33:13):
Pull the trigger! Shoot the thrill!
Truman (33:18):
Coming in at number three on my list of suggested
additions to your playlist isLet There Be Rock.
Now, I try to introduce thissong to any young person that
asks me about the band because,well, Angus uses this song to
show off a little.
Listen to this one real quick.
Thunderstruck (33:40):
Let There Be Rock
Truman (33:48):
He's a little solo, right?
That's the first one in thesong.
And later in the song, heswitches it to this verse.
Wait a second.
That's a little different,right?
(34:09):
But wait, there's more.
Thunderstruck (34:13):
Wait a second.
Truman (34:23):
three different solos hiding in this one song.
And this song and its solos arethe main feature at every
concert.
And they stretch it out foralmost 20 minutes.
This one song, 20 minutes.
You might be thinking, oh myGod, that's crazy.
It'll get old.
No, no, no.
Angus taunts the crowd theentire time.
(34:44):
And the louder the reactionsare, the longer the solo.
And he'd keep it going andgoing.
And guess what else?
They have this little platformon a cherry picker.
And Angus gets on that thingand the platform rises is up
above the crowd and he's like 20feet above the crowd and he's
up there playing and then heflops down on his side and
(35:04):
squirms around while playing thesolo to Let There Be Rock.
Yeah, check it out.
Yeah, this is it.
Yeah, that's the exactsituation where he's squirming
on the ground 20 feet above thecrowd playing for all to see.
It's awesome.
All right, now we're coming upto my favorite concert song.
(35:30):
You can tell that this is alive version, and the crowd is
cheering Angus.
That's what they're
Brian Johnson singing (35:45):
yelling.
Truman (35:53):
It's about a woman.
quite a large
Brian Johnson singing (35:55):
one,
Truman (36:00):
whose measurements are
Brian Johnson singing (36:01):
56
Truman (36:07):
inch hips on a lady of the night.
Yep, Rosie is a concert icon.
Why?
Well, you think about the mostelaborate prop you've ever seen
at a concert.
Tell me if it's bigger than ahouse.
because Rosie is.
During the Black Ice tour, theyhad a huge blow-up of her above
(36:28):
the speakers on the stage.
It was as large as one of thoseMacy's Day Parade balloons.
It was crazy.
Now, those two concertmainstays I just covered sit at
18th and 14th on Spotify's MostPlayed ACDC Songs.
But my number one songrecommendation for your playlist
sits way, way down Spotify'slist At 102.
(36:51):
That's way down there.
All right.
So this one is a hidden gemhere, people.
This song is ACDC's way oftelling the world that they're
going to do what they want.
And if you've got a problemwith it, then that's too bad.
I'm hot.
(37:14):
Now, they used to play this atevery live show, but I guess
after so many years and so manyalbums of new songs, something
had to go.
And deep into the song, you getthis little treat.
The song, Problem Child,actually appears on two separate
studio albums.
(37:34):
So you'll want to make sure youget the Dirty Deej version of
Problem Child, because at theend of that song, you get a
little treat, like a littleencore right in the song.
Why?
Depends just being a problemband, even for the studio
recording folks.
All right, so here's yourmission.
You go add these 10 songs toyour playlist tonight.
(37:57):
Then watch what happens whenyou play them at your next
gathering.
People are going to ask, who isthis?
And you'll get to say, huh,that's ACDC, my friend.
You've never heard of this one?
And hand him a beer and say,have a drink on me while I tell
you all about it.
What a ride through time today,folks.
(38:26):
We got to stride all the wayback to the early 70s when ACDC
released a Chuck Berry coversong.
All the way up through just afew weeks ago as folks continue
to release Thunderstruckreaction videos.
We got to hear the story of afamous rock band.
bouncing back from a tragicdeath, only to set a record that
(38:51):
will never be broken.
And of course, we got to hearthe world premiere of Truman
Passworthy's version ofThunderstruck on the PVC pipes.
And it's been a minute since weheard that rendition, so why
don't we play it one more time?
Thunderstruck (39:15):
What's that?
Thunder Thunder
Truman (39:47):
Today, July 25th, is special because of the release
of that Back in Black album.
And I hope you've enjoyed thefull blast of ACDC in today's
day striding journey.
I was inspired to make thisepisode unique because of the
amazing feelings I felt a fewweeks ago at what is likely my
(40:11):
very last ACDC concert.
The last time I got to seeAngus and Brian perform live at
the ripe old ages of 70 and 77.
That's funny, isn't it?
Anyway, being at that concertand reliving the memories from
(40:31):
my youth and into my middle agesgave me a chance to reflect.
But on top of that, the nextgeneration of my family, my son,
nieces, and nephews, they werenow old enough to join us.
And all of my awesome brotherswere there too, blood and
extended.
And they got the experience ofa lifetime to enjoy ACDC live
(40:57):
once again with their crazy andamazing performance.
The 20-minute solo during LetThere Be Rock.
And the digitized version ofRosie.
It wasn't the same as theblow-up, but they still got to
hear it.
And we got to hear together thethunder of guns.
and see the hell's bells bellthat ties us all the way back to
(41:22):
this day in history.
And I got to enjoy themenjoying their very first
experience of ACDC while I wasenjoying it for the very last
time.
Man, it makes me emotional justthinking about it.
All right, let's catch ourbreath and let's get back to the
(41:43):
program.
Because you know what?
If these stories made you grin,there are dozens of others
waiting for you in our backcatalog.
If originality is something youlove, well, Thunderstruck on
the PVC pipes isn't the onlyskill I have.
I wrote a fairy tale on March17th, and I have a very short
(42:05):
but quite egg-citing comedy biton Egg Day on June 3rd.
If hearing how people recoverfrom tragic death makes you
appreciate life even more, youwill be fascinated to hear how
Samuel Morse responded afterlearning of his wife's death on
January 8th.
And you'll also be amazed athow Clara Barton responded to
(42:29):
battlefield deaths in the May21st episode.
And if you just love having thechance to diversify your
playlist with new songs, yougotta check out my one-hit
Wonder Day episode on September25th.
where you can get two suchsongs from each decade and, of
course, a micro story to boot.
(42:50):
Now, normally in this segment,I lead into famous birthdays.
And today, I would have coverednames like Matthew LeBlanc, who
played Joey on Friends, andWalter Payton, who played
football for the Chicago Bears.
But today's birthday sectionincludes another famous person
(43:12):
that needs to have her storytold.
Have you ever heard of LouiseBrown, born on this day in 1978?
She was the baby the world waswaiting for.
Is that a good enough hint?
No?
Okay.
Well, here's a fun fact thatmight help.
(43:32):
It's estimated that between 10to 12 million babies have been
born through IVF, in vitrofertilization.
And here in the U.S., about 2%of all babies born each year are
using this technology.
Well, about 60 years ago, itwasn't even a thing.
(43:54):
Back then, families like Leslieand John Brown from Bristol,
England, they tried to have ababy in all the traditional
ways.
Timing, sleep patterns, diet,on and on.
And for nine years, thisworking class couple tried and
tried.
But sadly, blocked fallopiantubes made their efforts
(44:16):
fruitless.
And then they met Dr.
Steptoe and Edwards and theirscientist, Gene Purdy.
And these three had been tryingto get IVF to work for most of
the 1970s.
They learned how to harvesthuman eggs from the ovaries.
They learned how to preservethese eggs.
(44:36):
And they learned how toinseminate them outside of the
body as well.
They did all of this in a laband then tried over 300 times
with all different families toget this process to work.
And finally, for the Browns, ittook.
Crazy fun fact, Jean Purdyactually witnessed that egg's
(44:59):
very first division from onecell into two.
So I guess you'd say she wasthe first person to witness
Louise's life?
I don't know.
I'm not getting into thatdebate, though.
Anyway, after those cells haddivided for a few days, they did
a procedure on Leslie, and thenthe media circus could begin.
(45:21):
Because once it was clear thebaby was growing inside of her,
they went public with theirapproach.
Now, back in the day, this wasall newspaper articles and TV
shows and radio shows, right?
And there were hundreds of thempraising the technology.
And believe it or not, dozensof people were bashing this
(45:43):
experience.
Humans were playing God, andthat wasn't right.
And the hype grew and it grew.
And when the Browns went to thehospital for Louise's birth,
the press from around the worldwas there waiting to take
pictures and do theirinterviews.
Yeah, they had to do this as aC-section because the doctors
(46:06):
wanted to remove Leslie'sfallopian tubes to prove that
they were damaged.
And this wasn't a hoax.
That's crazy, right?
They had to go that far toprove it.
Well, anyway, Louise is livinga mostly normal life today.
She has two sons who bothnaturally conceive children.
And she has a book about herlife and IVF.
(46:28):
And, of course, she's anadvocate of fertility
procedures, etc.
So, not surprising.
Happy birthday, Louise.
All right.
Other things celebrated today,July 25th, is Hot Budge Sunday
Day.
Now, there's a holiday thateveryone should celebrate.
either on your own or at arestaurant.
(46:50):
The origin of the ice creamsundae has many claims.
And similarly, who added thehot fudge into it?
That's debatable as well.
I couldn't even figure out whenwe started celebrating this
wonderful treat as a day.
But I did learn that McDonald'sadded their hot fudge sundae to
the menu in 1978, the same yearLouise was born.
(47:13):
This year, July 25th, falls ona Friday, making it Get Gnarly
Day.
Gnarly, dude.
Yep, a day to celebrate surferson the last Friday in July.
And as any surfer knows, somewaves can appear dangerous and
scary, which makes them evenmore exciting.
(47:36):
So if you could ride that wave,the surfers would respond with
a Gnarly, dude.
So the point of today, ifyou're not a surfer, is to take
on something dangerous andscary.
Because of that superexcitement.
You could even start a podcast.
Or you could apply forSurvivor.
Season 51 open casting calls.
(47:58):
Now there's an idea.
It's also Hire a Veteran Day.
This is a neat concept that'sbeen around since 2017 and
reminds employers thatveterans...
who've completed their serviceto our country are highly
skilled and capable.
So make it a point to considerthem as you try to fill open
(48:19):
positions.
And it's a great way to thankthem for their service.
Do you have a loved one whocelebrates July 25th?
Yeah?
Well, if you do, and you wantto make them feel special about
this day, then I've got somegift ideas that will turn you
into their hero.
Why do I say that soconfidently?
(48:42):
Well, it's because these giftsare customized to their special
day.
And not only that, many ofthese things they don't have
already.
No way.
So I have links to the shownotes so you can find these and
place your order.
From our first segment todayabout Thunderstruck,
surprisingly, there are a numberof books out there with that
(49:03):
title.
All about something differentfrom each other, including some
about the Oklahoma Citybasketball team.
And since that segment wasabout making music, there are
also books out there that youcan give that'll teach them how
to make their own music.
Of course, we talked aboutACDC's best-selling album ever
(49:23):
today, Back in Black.
Naturally, you could buy thatalbum, or CD, or T-shirt.
or sweatshirt, or flag.
Now, warning, note tolisteners, nearly everything
associated with that album is,well, it's black.
Of course, if you're lookingfor some great t-shirts, you can
(49:45):
go with any album or songlyric.
But I found the winner.
You can get an ACDC fluorescentlight sign for their man cave
or their gaming room.
Now that is a great gift.
In fact, I might need to haveone of those myself.
Hint, hint, hint for anylisteners who are family members
(50:05):
of mine.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
ACDC fluorescent light sign.
All right.
And if you want to check outLouise Brown's story from her
own perspective, she wrote abook.
That'd be a good gift as well.
And of course, hot fudgesundae.
That ought to make you hungry.
I found some fancy hot fudgesauces that you can get for your
(50:29):
loved one.
Or you can go the gnarly routeand get them something
different.
Something they don't have, likea new hobby kit.
Whittling, carving, there'smini gardening, and sewing.
All kinds of kits to getstarted on something gnarly and
new.
So no more hemming and hawingabout the person who has
(50:50):
everything because they do not.
Have enough ACDC t-shirts.
Even my collection could beenlarged.
Hint, hint, hint.
Again, ding, ding, ding.
And if none of theseoutstanding ideas work, there's
one other way to make this dayspecial.
You could dedicate apersonalized shout-out right
here on this podcast.
They'll be memorializedforever.
(51:11):
I can do the shout-out for you.
All you got to do is send metheir name and something
interesting you want to share.
And as always, if you have astory that just needs to be told
about any day in the past, sendme an email and let's connect.
All right, let's wrap things uphere, folks.
(51:31):
Obviously, it's been a minutesince my last episode.
And in between then and now,several of you have reached out
wondering, hey, Truman, when'sthe next one?
So guess what?
Thank you so very much forthose questions.
It's very appreciated.
We're going to keep theserolling for sure, even if life
brings in some twists and turnsthat fill up the time.
(51:53):
This is too much fun to stop.
And we still have over 300 daysleft to cover.
We can't let them sneak awaywithout sharing at least
something from those days,right?
So, let's see where our daystriding takes us.
Thunderstruck (52:14):
Music
Truman (52:15):
Thanks so much for listening.
Until next time, this is TrumanPastworthy reminding you that
every day has a great story.
And we'll be striding throughthem all to find some more
goodies for you.
Now get out there and make yourown great story today.
Welcome, Seeker! What do you get when you mix some PVC
pipes, a love of ACDC songs, anda little bit of free time on
your hands?
Well, for one, you get themakings of a fantastic
Daystrider episode with a tripback to July 25th, 1980, when
(00:22):
ACDC, the world-famous rock bandfrom Sydney, Australia, did
something that no other rockband has ever done.
¶¶ ¶¶ I'm joining in on the funwith my own PVC pipe collection
(00:59):
that will make the Blue ManGroup jealous.
And did you know that ACDCreleased 193 songs over their 50
plus years of playing?
Oh yeah.
Well, guess what?
I've got for you the 10 bestACDC songs you need to add to
(01:20):
your playlist.
The Portal's Humming Historysecrets are waiting and our day
striding adventure begins now.
So grab your curiosity andlet's go shoot to thrill as we
get shook all night long intothe past while listening to
Hell's Bells.
And because rock and roll ain'tnoise pollution.
(01:44):
Truman.
Can we please get back in blackto the show here?
Welcome, Seekers, to theenchanting world of Daystrider,
the podcast where we embark on adaily journey through history.
(02:06):
I'm your travel guide, TrumanPastworthy, and together we'll
explore some fascinating storiesthat happened on this exact
day, but from some time in thepast.
From groundbreaking inventionsto remarkable birthdays and
extraordinary events to quirkynational holidays, we've got it
all.
So kick back, relax, and openyour mind for some lighthearted
(02:28):
stories that'll leave yousaying, huh, I never knew that
happened on this day.
Alrighty then, let's get to it.
You know that feeling you getwhen you're about to have
someone watch your favoritemovie?
or you're about to show them anincredible video on your phone
(02:50):
yeah you're sitting thereholding in your smile and your
excitement watching them becauseyou just know they're about to
get their mind blown and maybeyou get that feeling of
goosebumps it's coming as youhit the play button and you're
just watching them waiting fortheir reaction well That's me
(03:13):
every time I watch a reactionvideo on YouTube of people who
are hearing Thunderstruck forthe very first time.
And it doesn't matter theirbackground, if they're rappers,
or they only do opera, or evenif they're a voice coach.
Every one of them is going tostart bobbing their head up and
(03:34):
down.
Some, their entire body ismoving along with that song.
And this opening right here.
Yeah.
And what's funny is they can'thelp themselves.
If you listen to that riff, youtoo will start bobbing.
It's catchy.
And then you get to the...
(03:55):
The tension and the buildup.
I think that's when the fullbody movement comes in.
Yeah, you can't help it.
And then...
Starts coming into the mix.
They're squinching up theireyes and they're like, what is
this?
What are we hearing here?
(04:16):
And then Brian Johnson's voicecome in and his crazy voice gets
that.
That's probably my favoritepart of all the reaction videos
because people's faces are allscrunched up and they're like,
what?
What the heck am I listeningto?
It happens every time.
In fact, I went and watchedabout a dozen understruck
(04:38):
reaction videos on YouTube justto refresh my memory about it.
Kezzy Boy, Diane the VoiceCoach.
All kinds of folks.
They even had a collection offifth graders.
And pretty much everyone hadthe same reaction.
And of course, every time I didit, I got goosebumps over and
(04:59):
over again.
And every time I'm bobbingalong with the person in the
video because I just love thatsong.
Well, check this out.
That opening riff, the...
That part actually started as awarm-up and finger exercise for
Angus Young, the lead guitarist,where he was just using his
(05:20):
left hand, going up and down theneck of the guitar, playing
along the frets.
And then his brother Malcolm,the rhythm guitarist, felt like,
hey, we could do something withthat.
So he added in his ownbackground guitar, and bam, they
had the makings of a song.
that would eventually have oneand a half billion views on
(05:41):
YouTube and still counting.
Literally, it's still gettingwatches as recently as last week
because people are doing thesereaction videos.
So what makes this song socatchy and likable?
And of course, I have no ideahow to explain it because I'm
biased in favor of the song andI'm not really much of a music
(06:02):
person.
But I looked it up.
And without getting nerdy intothat music stuff, the chords
Angus plays have minor notes andmajor notes creating musical
conflict.
Now I know something aboutconflict, right?
Because in storytelling, forany great story, conflict is
what makes it all go.
(06:23):
And apparently hiding in thesong is a minor B note that is
present through the entire riff,acting like a heartbeat.
And then the major chords danceall around it.
And that's what gets your headbobbing.
Yeah, you don't have a choice.
So then we have the conflictand then the song builds tension
with its layers, adding in thedrums and then the backup vocals
(06:47):
and then Brian Johnson's crazyvoice.
That's the part where thereaction video folks make that
same scrunched up face.
And you can see them thinking,what is up with this guy's
voice?
But guess what?
While cringing, they're stillbobbing their head along.
And what's great about thissong is there's not only
(07:08):
reaction videos, there's alsoremake and remix videos with the
song too.
There's one where these celloplayers, they start off playing
a pompous concert to a stuffycrowd.
¦ And then the song morphs intoThunderstruck.
(07:29):
Busting it out on their celloswhile their hair's flying
everywhere and the bow stringsare popping.
It's a good video.
And it's not just the cellos.
You can find artists out thereplaying it on the pianos or
(07:49):
xylophones or you can even findit on banjos.
And then there's the remixvideos.
And the most popular one, Ithink, is that Baby Ryan video
where the dad recorded his sonmaking sounds for over a year.
And then he turned those littlesounds into Thunderstruck.
(08:11):
Yeah, that's a good one.
Here's the beginning of thatsong.
Yeah, so of course, I decided,why not try to make my own
version of Thunderstruck?
Yeah, let's add another remixout there in the world.
(08:33):
And I was going to try it withmy power tools.
But I really struggle becauseI'm not musically inclined.
I can't tell what note a drillmakes versus a sander versus a
circular saw.
So I was thinking about it as Iwas walking through Home Depot
the other day.
And I was walking past theplumbing aisle and I saw PVC
(08:54):
pipes.
And my mind thought of the BlueMan Group.
Which, of course, we're goingto feature in a future episode.
And I thought...
I'm not good at making music,but I can cut me some PVC pipe.
So I pulled out my phone,opened up my buddy ChatGPT, and
I asked it about the lengths ofpipes I'd need to make the notes
(09:17):
for the song Thunderstruck.
Uh-huh.
See that?
I'm on to something.
I can do this.
So I'm asking the app, allright, do I need one and a half
inch pipes or two inch pipes?
What should I be using?
And meanwhile, as I'm standinghere in the plumbing aisle
reading on my phone, the ladycomes over the loudspeaker and
says, Attention Home Depotshoppers, please bring your
(09:40):
purchases to the checkout.
I'm like, hold on a second.
I'm brainstorming here.
I need to figure out what I'mgoing to hit these pipes with
that make a perfect sound.
Of course, ChatGPT had somesuggestions, but I'm like, oh my
God, I don't know where thoseare in this store.
So I looked down, I slipped offmy Under Armour flip-flop, and
(10:01):
I tried hitting that against thepipe.
Yeah, there it is.
I'm ready.
I got me some two-inch pipe,and I headed home to start
cutting.
And now, I have a wholecollection of different lengths
of PVC pipes.
All right, I was excited,excited, checked out from Home
(10:22):
Depot, drive home, and startcutting.
Yeah, but wait a second.
How long do I cut each of thesenotes?
Well, chat GPT to the rescue.
It helped me figure out howlong to cut each pipe so that
I'd get the right musical note.
Yeah.
And I ended up with a G note at15 and a half inches.
(10:45):
And I got a G sharp note at 14and five eighths inches.
And I got a D sharp note Yeah,all these notes, that's 20 and a
quarter inches.
And then there's threedifferent B notes.
(11:05):
This highest pitched one.
And then a middle pitched one.
And then the lower pitched one.
Okay, so we're all set with ournotes, but...
I still need to learn how toactually play this song.
(11:29):
In that opening, there are allthese different patterns of
notes, like this first one.
And then there's also melodypatterns, like this one.
Man, that's hard to play thatone.
(11:54):
Goodness gracious.
And I'm struggling here to playit, and you're thinking,
Truman, that doesn't sound likethe song at all.
You've got some work to do.
And I know, I know, you'reright.
I've got to speed them up.
All right, we're gettingcloser.
(12:19):
I need to keep practicing.
So I'll be right back.
back all right are we ready togive this a go i think we are
beforehand i recorded somebackup vocals and i got my drum
beats ready so then all i had todo was start playing and here's
(12:41):
what we got enjoy
Thunderstruck (12:54):
Thank you.
Truman (13:26):
That was fun, wasn't it?
Was your head bobbed along?
Was it?
I know it was.
I know it was.
You're probably thinking, waita second.
How did he do that?
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
A lot of practice, people.
A lot of practice.
Using my audio editor.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
So all I had to do was hit afew notes in the right spots,
(13:47):
record them, and then I couldput them together and mix them
all in and bam! We've got somethunderstruck.
Yeah, ha, ha, ha.
That was fun.
That was so much fun.
Thank you.
Thank you for listening alongand enjoying my version of
Thunderstruck.
(14:08):
Roses are red and ACDC lovesblack.
Writing a review really helps.
Big Jack.
Feeling thunderstruck aboutwhat you should say?
Type, this pod's high voltagewill brighten your day.
Thunderstruck (14:26):
Thunder.
Thunder.
Thunder.
Brrring, brrring.
Truman (14:43):
Hello?
Malcolm, I've got some bad newsabout Bon.
I'm sorry, mate, but he's gone.
We found him this morning.
What?
What do you mean, gone?
No, no, no, Bon.
It can't be.
How is he gone?
That phone call shatteredeverything.
(15:04):
When Malcolm hung up and turnedto his brother Angus...
They both knew they weren'tjust losing a friend.
They were staring at the end ofACDC.
This was in February of 1980.
They had just released theirHighway to Hell album that had
climbed the charts in Americawhile topping them in the UK and
(15:27):
in their home country ofAustralia.
And everything was pointing tostardom and everlasting fame.
But now their frontman, BonScott, was gone.
Not in rehab, not injured, notquitting the band.
Gone.
The two guitar gods just staredat each other.
(15:47):
Sure, we can play like no oneelse, but we still need someone
to sing.
And it can't be just anyone.
Bon Scott's voice was unique.
Well, his mama, Isabel, gavethem a little hope with her
nudge, telling the boys thatthey needed to rock on.
Go find someone and keep onplaying because that's what he
(16:11):
would have wanted.
Well, it turns out that Bondhad given them the answer a few
years back.
And of course, at that time,they blew him off.
But while they were on tour,Bond said, hey, if anything ever
happens to me, you guys got togo check out this guy named
Brian Johnson.
(16:32):
I love him and he's crazy andhe likes to party.
He'd be a great fit.
Of course, they were all youngand invincible at that time and
so they blew him off.
But in March of 1980, BrianJohnson's name came up again.
And as Brian tells the story,he got a phone call from a
(16:52):
German lady.
And she asked him to come downto London and try out for the
band.
And he wanted to know who hewas trying out for.
And she said, I can't tell you.
It's a secret.
And he said, no way.
I'm not driving all the way toLondon without knowing who I'm
trying out for.
And she said, well, I can tellyou their initials are AC and
(17:15):
DC.
And he said, you're telling meACDC wants to hear me sing?
And she responded, well, I'vesaid too much.
Now, that German voice, heactually, there's a video of him
interviewing with Howard Stern,and he tells that story with
the same German accent that Ijust tried to do.
But anyway, when he got there,he was a little nervous because
(17:37):
it's ACDC.
And he asked them if they knewNutbush City Limits by Tina
Turner.
What?
Imagine that scene.
ACDC has almost 50 of its ownoriginal songs out there, and
this guy trying out wants tosing a Tina Turner song for his
audition.
Crazy, right?
(17:58):
Well, you've heard me say itbefore.
Sometimes crazy is genius.
And once they got going, theynever looked back.
It was pure magic.
He was perfect, and everyoneknew it.
So the band headed off intoseclusion at an obscure
recording studio in the Bahamas.
And there the magic continued.
(18:21):
As it took them less than twomonths to create and record ten
songs that turned out to be morethan just magical, it was epic.
Literally.
Those album sales set a recordthat still stands today and will
never be surpassed.
More on that in a minute.
But first, I want to take youback to my childhood.
(18:43):
I had just turned 17, and myhigh school sweetheart, she got
me a new record player and thesehuge speakers for my bedroom.
And she got me some records toplay on my new toys.
Def Leppard's Hysteria, VanHalen's 5150, and ACDC's Back in
Black.
(19:03):
Now, for those of you oldenough to remember what those
large LP records looked like,right?
They were huge, and they had abig sleeve, kind of like a CD,
but much bigger.
And the cover of that sleevewas everything at the time,
right?
You can't judge an album by itscover.
Hysteria, bright colors,crazy-looking skull, 5150, Tony
(19:26):
Atlas holding that shining globewith an electric cloud, and
then the Back in Black album.
It was all black, nothing on itexcept the band name and a
lightning bolt.
No flash, no color.
But that cover told a storyabout mourning and resurrection
(19:48):
all wrapped in one.
And I'm sure everyone had areaction to that cover because
it wasn't normal.
Well, guess what?
Thunderstruck (20:00):
No.
Truman (20:02):
The music, that wasn't normal either.
It was awesome.
The very first song on thealbum kicks off with these
ominous bells tolling.
Anyone want to guess, by theway, how many rings they played
(20:24):
in the song?
Go ahead.
Have you been counting as I'vebeen talking?
I'm a rolling thunder, pouringrain.
Great opening lyrics.
And this song and that bellhave been iconic ever since.
At every concert, they dropthis huge bell from the ceiling
with the big ACDC logo on it.
And sometimes Brian Johnsongets out a huge mallet and gongs
(20:49):
the bell in the concert.
It's amazing.
And one time he actuallydisappeared from stage and then
you could see him riding thebell down from the ceiling as it
was drifting in.
Thunderstruck (21:02):
Ha ha.
Truman (21:02):
It was amazing.
Anyway, song number two on thealbum is probably the most
overlooked song, but it rocksyou hard.
It definitely has the bestinstrumental of the ten songs on
that album.
I'll play it for you.
(21:25):
Guess that song?
Can you guess what it is?
I'll tell you later.
Anyway, they didn't even get tothe album's namesake song, Back
in Black, until the first songon the flip side of the record.
Yeah, that's right.
That's one thing that nobodymisses, right?
Getting up after the recordends, going over and flipping it
(21:47):
over to the second side.
Today's kids just click, andthe playlist rocks on.
But let's keep going.
Song number two on that secondside is the song that propelled
ACDC back to the heavens.
The song that got all the radioplay.
The song that everybody knows.
And everybody's belted out thechorus at one time or another.
(22:10):
What's funny is, Brian hasalways maintained that the song
is about a car.
But somehow, I just don'tbelieve him.
He actually did write thelyrics, though.
One night, When they're in theBahamas while recording, Malcolm
(22:32):
approached him with a tabletand a pen and asked, Hey, can
you write songs as well as yousing them?
And he said, Sure.
And then the words just startedflowing.
She was a fast machine.
She kept her motor clean.
She was the best damn womanthat I've ever seen.
And the record album was aninstant success.
(22:53):
With a brand new lead singer,they recorded in less than six
weeks, which was unheard of.
They did a partial tribute tothe former singer and filled the
album with instant classics.
Yeah, definitely true.
Check this out.
I recently went to a show fromthe ACDC Power Up Tour and five
of the 21 songs came from theBack in Black album.
(23:16):
That's right.
They released that album onthis day 45 years ago.
That seems insane, right?
They've released 13 albumssince then during those many
years, but the songs from theBack in Black album are
mainstays at the concert.
So cheers to that.
In fact, you could crack open acold one and have a drink on
(23:40):
me.
Now, depending on your source,you'll see that this record
album was the second highestselling in history and the
highest for any rock band, ofcourse, outselling the likes of
Elvis and Whitney Houston.
And the one album ahead of ACDCon that list?
Any guesses?
Come on, anybody?
(24:00):
That's right, Michael Jackson'sThriller.
And speaking of answers, I needyou to get the answers to the
other two questions I asked.
There were 13 bells gonged inthe beginning of the Hell's
Bells song, and thatinstrumental I played for you
was from the song Shoot toThrill.
All right, we got to wrap uphere.
I'll take you back to thatchilling phone call.
(24:22):
that could have endedeverything.
But instead, it became thecatalyst for the second
highest-selling album in musichistory.
Sometimes, the worst thing thatcan possibly happen sets you up
for the very best thing thatever will.
Bon Scott's final gift to ACDCwasn't just a recommendation for
(24:44):
a new lead singer.
It was rock and rollimmortality.
And the last song on thatalbum...
says it best, rock and rollwill never die.
A time traveler's delight on ahighway to hell.
Going into Sin City, all willbe well.
(25:06):
If these tales have given you abit of a shock, please share
with your friends for thoseabout to rock.
Guess what?
Your backyard barbecue playlistis missing some songs.
I'm telling you now, you'remissing some musical
(25:28):
masterpieces.
Yeah, sure, you've got Highwayto Hell, Back in Black, and
Thunderstruck, all of which havenearly 2 billion streams on
Spotify.
But I've got some suggestionsfor you, along with some fun
mini-stories about each one thatwill change your impressions
about ACDC forever.
I promise.
(25:50):
Check out this list of 10 moreACDC songs you should add to
your playlist.
Now, I've followed the bandintensely for the last 20, 30
years and been to a dozen or soconcerts.
And I have the t-shirts andhats to prove it.
My latest purchase was an ACDCflag from the Power Up Tour just
(26:12):
a few weeks back.
And if you look at your phone,you can see a picture of that
flag.
And I've hunted down and peckedthrough all 193 ACDC songs,
even the ones they neverreleased in America.
Why?
Because buried in thatcollection are some masterpieces
that will change your listeningexperience forever.
(26:32):
And because I love ACDC somuch.
Now, to be clear, we're nottalking about popular songs like
TNT or Dirty Deeds.
Now, we're going to give yousome money here and some
bagpipes and a rock song.
Are you ready to become themost interesting person at your
(26:55):
next backyard gig?
Let's stride through ACDC'shistory to find you 10 goodies,
along with a tiny backstory youcan share when the song pops up.
We're going to kick things offwith an oldie, but a goodie.
And when I say oldie, I'mtalking about Chuck Berry old.
What?
(27:15):
Yeah, Chuck Berry made thissong.
Up in the morning and out toschool.
The teacher is teaching thegolden rule.
Way back in the 50s.
And as you learned on theOctober 18th Day Strider
episode, ACDC found lots ofinspiration from Berry.
including Angus' Duck Walk thatyou can find in pretty much any
(27:38):
video you watch of the band.
Anyway, ACDC actually did acover version of that song in
their early days, and here'swhat theirs sound like.
Up in the morning after school Ateacher is teaching the girls
(28:15):
So there's the first one.
Up next is a song from theDirty DJ album that a lot of
people really love.
It's not my personal favorite,but it brings in the fringe fans
because it's a little lower anda little slower.
And it shows some of the rangefor ACDC for people who think
(28:36):
all their songs sound the same.
Check this one out.
I'm just another empty head.
(29:07):
Did you know that Stephen Kingis a huge ACDC fan?
Yeah, the author of Cujo.
That's right.
Well, up next on the list is amade-for-the-movie song.
Literally.
Now, if you watched the movieMaximum Overdrive, that thing
was a dud.
But the songs were not.
And Who Made Who is actually13th on Spotify's Most Played
(29:34):
list, and it needs to be onyours as well.
Now, while we're talking aboutcommercialization, let's hop
over to Major League Baseball,who got the rights to start
using this song to promote theirplayoffs in 2014.
Yeah, before the song was evenreleased.
(29:58):
How about that?
I remember hearing thecommercials and the promos, and
I'm like, what?
Sounds like ACDC.
That's got to be Brian Johnson.
We went back.
We re-round and tried to listento it.
I'm telling you.
So then I had to go online.
And thank goodness theinterwebs were there to uncover
the truth that Play Ball was asong from their next album.
(30:19):
And they were playing it beforethe album was released.
So that's pretty cool.
All right.
For our next song, we're goingto stride all the way back to
1975.
And this is a great one thatyou'll never get to hear live in
concert.
Truman, why is this song sospecial?
(30:44):
Well, I got one word for you.
Bagpipes.
song has bagpipes.
(31:06):
Any rock and roll songs have abagpipe.
This one.
Bon Scott actually learned toplay the bagpipes just for this
one song.
It's pretty fun, right?
And he'd belt out the lyrics,and then he'd do an
instrumental, and then he'dbanter back and forth with Angus
and his guitar.
Listen to this.
Thunderstruck (31:26):
...
Truman (31:34):
If they played this song live in concert today, I'd
probably die enjoying Bon Scottand Evan myself.
All right, five great songs sofar, right?
And a little bit of noveltyattached to them.
Kicking off the top half of mylist is Money Talks, a great
rock and roll song with somelyrics that ring true in all
walks of life.
Thunderstruck (31:58):
Money Talks
Truman (32:10):
When this concert came around, they actually dropped
ACDC dollar bills from theceilings of the venues for
people to take as souvenirs.
And bonus fun fact, I was atthe concert in Philly when they
recorded the official video forthe song.
And that flood of money at thatshow was at least 10 times more
than at regular shows.
(32:31):
Of course, don't ask me how Iknow that difference, but
anyway.
Up next is a song.
It's number seven on Spotify'smost played list.
But I'm betting it's not onyour playlist.
And it needs to be.
When the album was released,this song had to share the
spotlight behind Hell's Bells,Shook Me All Night Long, and the
(32:54):
title track, Back in Black.
But Shoot the Thrill is stillplayed at concerts, and it's an
awesome song.
You don't need to take my wordfor it.
Check out the Iron Man 2.
When they introduced and gotpeople fired up about Tony
Stark, they played Shoot theThrill.
It's a great scene.
Thunderstruck (33:13):
Pull the trigger! Shoot the thrill!
Truman (33:18):
Coming in at number three on my list of suggested
additions to your playlist isLet There Be Rock.
Now, I try to introduce thissong to any young person that
asks me about the band because,well, Angus uses this song to
show off a little.
Listen to this one real quick.
Thunderstruck (33:40):
Let There Be Rock
Truman (33:48):
He's a little solo, right?
That's the first one in thesong.
And later in the song, heswitches it to this verse.
Wait a second.
That's a little different,right?
(34:09):
But wait, there's more.
Thunderstruck (34:13):
Wait a second.
Truman (34:23):
three different solos hiding in this one song.
And this song and its solos arethe main feature at every
concert.
And they stretch it out foralmost 20 minutes.
This one song, 20 minutes.
You might be thinking, oh myGod, that's crazy.
It'll get old.
No, no, no.
Angus taunts the crowd theentire time.
(34:44):
And the louder the reactionsare, the longer the solo.
And he'd keep it going andgoing.
And guess what else?
They have this little platformon a cherry picker.
And Angus gets on that thingand the platform rises is up
above the crowd and he's like 20feet above the crowd and he's
up there playing and then heflops down on his side and
(35:04):
squirms around while playing thesolo to Let There Be Rock.
Yeah, check it out.
Yeah, this is it.
Yeah, that's the exactsituation where he's squirming
on the ground 20 feet above thecrowd playing for all to see.
It's awesome.
All right, now we're coming upto my favorite concert song.
(35:30):
You can tell that this is alive version, and the crowd is
cheering Angus.
That's what they're
Brian Johnson singing (35:45):
yelling.
Truman (35:53):
It's about a woman.
quite a large
Brian Johnson singing (35:55):
one,
Truman (36:00):
whose measurements are
Brian Johnson singing (36:01):
56
Truman (36:07):
inch hips on a lady of the night.
Yep, Rosie is a concert icon.
Why?
Well, you think about the mostelaborate prop you've ever seen
at a concert.
Tell me if it's bigger than ahouse.
because Rosie is.
During the Black Ice tour, theyhad a huge blow-up of her above
(36:28):
the speakers on the stage.
It was as large as one of thoseMacy's Day Parade balloons.
It was crazy.
Now, those two concertmainstays I just covered sit at
18th and 14th on Spotify's MostPlayed ACDC Songs.
But my number one songrecommendation for your playlist
sits way, way down Spotify'slist At 102.
(36:51):
That's way down there.
All right.
So this one is a hidden gemhere, people.
This song is ACDC's way oftelling the world that they're
going to do what they want.
And if you've got a problemwith it, then that's too bad.
I'm hot.
(37:14):
Now, they used to play this atevery live show, but I guess
after so many years and so manyalbums of new songs, something
had to go.
And deep into the song, you getthis little treat.
The song, Problem Child,actually appears on two separate
studio albums.
(37:34):
So you'll want to make sure youget the Dirty Deej version of
Problem Child, because at theend of that song, you get a
little treat, like a littleencore right in the song.
Why?
Depends just being a problemband, even for the studio
recording folks.
All right, so here's yourmission.
You go add these 10 songs toyour playlist tonight.
(37:57):
Then watch what happens whenyou play them at your next
gathering.
People are going to ask, who isthis?
And you'll get to say, huh,that's ACDC, my friend.
You've never heard of this one?
And hand him a beer and say,have a drink on me while I tell
you all about it.
What a ride through time today,folks.
(38:26):
We got to stride all the wayback to the early 70s when ACDC
released a Chuck Berry coversong.
All the way up through just afew weeks ago as folks continue
to release Thunderstruckreaction videos.
We got to hear the story of afamous rock band.
bouncing back from a tragicdeath, only to set a record that
(38:51):
will never be broken.
And of course, we got to hearthe world premiere of Truman
Passworthy's version ofThunderstruck on the PVC pipes.
And it's been a minute since weheard that rendition, so why
don't we play it one more time?
Thunderstruck (39:15):
What's that?
Thunder Thunder
Truman (39:47):
Today, July 25th, is special because of the release
of that Back in Black album.
And I hope you've enjoyed thefull blast of ACDC in today's
day striding journey.
I was inspired to make thisepisode unique because of the
amazing feelings I felt a fewweeks ago at what is likely my
(40:11):
very last ACDC concert.
The last time I got to seeAngus and Brian perform live at
the ripe old ages of 70 and 77.
That's funny, isn't it?
Anyway, being at that concertand reliving the memories from
(40:31):
my youth and into my middle agesgave me a chance to reflect.
But on top of that, the nextgeneration of my family, my son,
nieces, and nephews, they werenow old enough to join us.
And all of my awesome brotherswere there too, blood and
extended.
And they got the experience ofa lifetime to enjoy ACDC live
(40:57):
once again with their crazy andamazing performance.
The 20-minute solo during LetThere Be Rock.
And the digitized version ofRosie.
It wasn't the same as theblow-up, but they still got to
hear it.
And we got to hear together thethunder of guns.
and see the hell's bells bellthat ties us all the way back to
(41:22):
this day in history.
And I got to enjoy themenjoying their very first
experience of ACDC while I wasenjoying it for the very last
time.
Man, it makes me emotional justthinking about it.
All right, let's catch ourbreath and let's get back to the
(41:43):
program.
Because you know what?
If these stories made you grin,there are dozens of others
waiting for you in our backcatalog.
If originality is something youlove, well, Thunderstruck on
the PVC pipes isn't the onlyskill I have.
I wrote a fairy tale on March17th, and I have a very short
(42:05):
but quite egg-citing comedy biton Egg Day on June 3rd.
If hearing how people recoverfrom tragic death makes you
appreciate life even more, youwill be fascinated to hear how
Samuel Morse responded afterlearning of his wife's death on
January 8th.
And you'll also be amazed athow Clara Barton responded to
(42:29):
battlefield deaths in the May21st episode.
And if you just love having thechance to diversify your
playlist with new songs, yougotta check out my one-hit
Wonder Day episode on September25th.
where you can get two suchsongs from each decade and, of
course, a micro story to boot.
(42:50):
Now, normally in this segment,I lead into famous birthdays.
And today, I would have coverednames like Matthew LeBlanc, who
played Joey on Friends, andWalter Payton, who played
football for the Chicago Bears.
But today's birthday sectionincludes another famous person
(43:12):
that needs to have her storytold.
Have you ever heard of LouiseBrown, born on this day in 1978?
She was the baby the world waswaiting for.
Is that a good enough hint?
No?
Okay.
Well, here's a fun fact thatmight help.
(43:32):
It's estimated that between 10to 12 million babies have been
born through IVF, in vitrofertilization.
And here in the U.S., about 2%of all babies born each year are
using this technology.
Well, about 60 years ago, itwasn't even a thing.
(43:54):
Back then, families like Leslieand John Brown from Bristol,
England, they tried to have ababy in all the traditional
ways.
Timing, sleep patterns, diet,on and on.
And for nine years, thisworking class couple tried and
tried.
But sadly, blocked fallopiantubes made their efforts
(44:16):
fruitless.
And then they met Dr.
Steptoe and Edwards and theirscientist, Gene Purdy.
And these three had been tryingto get IVF to work for most of
the 1970s.
They learned how to harvesthuman eggs from the ovaries.
They learned how to preservethese eggs.
(44:36):
And they learned how toinseminate them outside of the
body as well.
They did all of this in a laband then tried over 300 times
with all different families toget this process to work.
And finally, for the Browns, ittook.
Crazy fun fact, Jean Purdyactually witnessed that egg's
(44:59):
very first division from onecell into two.
So I guess you'd say she wasthe first person to witness
Louise's life?
I don't know.
I'm not getting into thatdebate, though.
Anyway, after those cells haddivided for a few days, they did
a procedure on Leslie, and thenthe media circus could begin.
(45:21):
Because once it was clear thebaby was growing inside of her,
they went public with theirapproach.
Now, back in the day, this wasall newspaper articles and TV
shows and radio shows, right?
And there were hundreds of thempraising the technology.
And believe it or not, dozensof people were bashing this
(45:43):
experience.
Humans were playing God, andthat wasn't right.
And the hype grew and it grew.
And when the Browns went to thehospital for Louise's birth,
the press from around the worldwas there waiting to take
pictures and do theirinterviews.
Yeah, they had to do this as aC-section because the doctors
(46:06):
wanted to remove Leslie'sfallopian tubes to prove that
they were damaged.
And this wasn't a hoax.
That's crazy, right?
They had to go that far toprove it.
Well, anyway, Louise is livinga mostly normal life today.
She has two sons who bothnaturally conceive children.
And she has a book about herlife and IVF.
(46:28):
And, of course, she's anadvocate of fertility
procedures, etc.
So, not surprising.
Happy birthday, Louise.
All right.
Other things celebrated today,July 25th, is Hot Budge Sunday
Day.
Now, there's a holiday thateveryone should celebrate.
either on your own or at arestaurant.
(46:50):
The origin of the ice creamsundae has many claims.
And similarly, who added thehot fudge into it?
That's debatable as well.
I couldn't even figure out whenwe started celebrating this
wonderful treat as a day.
But I did learn that McDonald'sadded their hot fudge sundae to
the menu in 1978, the same yearLouise was born.
(47:13):
This year, July 25th, falls ona Friday, making it Get Gnarly
Day.
Gnarly, dude.
Yep, a day to celebrate surferson the last Friday in July.
And as any surfer knows, somewaves can appear dangerous and
scary, which makes them evenmore exciting.
(47:36):
So if you could ride that wave,the surfers would respond with
a Gnarly, dude.
So the point of today, ifyou're not a surfer, is to take
on something dangerous andscary.
Because of that superexcitement.
You could even start a podcast.
Or you could apply forSurvivor.
Season 51 open casting calls.
(47:58):
Now there's an idea.
It's also Hire a Veteran Day.
This is a neat concept that'sbeen around since 2017 and
reminds employers thatveterans...
who've completed their serviceto our country are highly
skilled and capable.
So make it a point to considerthem as you try to fill open
(48:19):
positions.
And it's a great way to thankthem for their service.
Do you have a loved one whocelebrates July 25th?
Yeah?
Well, if you do, and you wantto make them feel special about
this day, then I've got somegift ideas that will turn you
into their hero.
Why do I say that soconfidently?
(48:42):
Well, it's because these giftsare customized to their special
day.
And not only that, many ofthese things they don't have
already.
No way.
So I have links to the shownotes so you can find these and
place your order.
From our first segment todayabout Thunderstruck,
surprisingly, there are a numberof books out there with that
(49:03):
title.
All about something differentfrom each other, including some
about the Oklahoma Citybasketball team.
And since that segment wasabout making music, there are
also books out there that youcan give that'll teach them how
to make their own music.
Of course, we talked aboutACDC's best-selling album ever
(49:23):
today, Back in Black.
Naturally, you could buy thatalbum, or CD, or T-shirt.
or sweatshirt, or flag.
Now, warning, note tolisteners, nearly everything
associated with that album is,well, it's black.
Of course, if you're lookingfor some great t-shirts, you can
(49:45):
go with any album or songlyric.
But I found the winner.
You can get an ACDC fluorescentlight sign for their man cave
or their gaming room.
Now that is a great gift.
In fact, I might need to haveone of those myself.
Hint, hint, hint for anylisteners who are family members
(50:05):
of mine.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
ACDC fluorescent light sign.
All right.
And if you want to check outLouise Brown's story from her
own perspective, she wrote abook.
That'd be a good gift as well.
And of course, hot fudgesundae.
That ought to make you hungry.
I found some fancy hot fudgesauces that you can get for your
(50:29):
loved one.
Or you can go the gnarly routeand get them something
different.
Something they don't have, likea new hobby kit.
Whittling, carving, there'smini gardening, and sewing.
All kinds of kits to getstarted on something gnarly and
new.
So no more hemming and hawingabout the person who has
(50:50):
everything because they do not.
Have enough ACDC t-shirts.
Even my collection could beenlarged.
Hint, hint, hint.
Again, ding, ding, ding.
And if none of theseoutstanding ideas work, there's
one other way to make this dayspecial.
You could dedicate apersonalized shout-out right
here on this podcast.
They'll be memorializedforever.
(51:11):
I can do the shout-out for you.
All you got to do is send metheir name and something
interesting you want to share.
And as always, if you have astory that just needs to be told
about any day in the past, sendme an email and let's connect.
All right, let's wrap things uphere, folks.
(51:31):
Obviously, it's been a minutesince my last episode.
And in between then and now,several of you have reached out
wondering, hey, Truman, when'sthe next one?
So guess what?
Thank you so very much forthose questions.
It's very appreciated.
We're going to keep theserolling for sure, even if life
brings in some twists and turnsthat fill up the time.
(51:53):
This is too much fun to stop.
And we still have over 300 daysleft to cover.
We can't let them sneak awaywithout sharing at least
something from those days,right?
So, let's see where our daystriding takes us.
Thunderstruck (52:14):
Music
Truman (52:15):
Thanks so much for listening.
Until next time, this is TrumanPastworthy reminding you that
every day has a great story.
And we'll be striding throughthem all to find some more
goodies for you.
Now get out there and make yourown great story today.
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