AC/DC's Brian Johnson to publish "unforgettable" memoir

The Lives Of Brian - cover detail
(Image credit: Harper Collins)

AC/DC singer Brian Johnson is to publish a memoir this year. The Lives Of Brian will be published in October by Dey Street Books in the US and in the UK by Michael Joseph.

"I’ve had some long nights and some great nights, some bad days and a lot of good days, and during that time I’ve gone from choirboy to rock'n'roll singer, and now I’ve gone and written a bloody book about it," says Johnson.

The book covers Johnson's early years in County Durham and his first taste of success in glam rocker Geordie, before going on to cover his audition for AC/DC and the subsequent recording of the band's classic Black In Black album. 

It goes on to detail Johnson's long career with AC/DC, including his enforced retirement during the Rock Or Bust tour and subsequent, triumphant return for last year's Power Up album. It also covers Johnson's forays into TV with his series Cars That Rock With Brian Johnson and Brian Johnson: A Life On The Road.

“Brian’s memoir captures an unforgettable moment in rock history," says Mauro DiPreta, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at publisher William Morrow, who negotiated the deal with the singer. "Anyone who wants to understand Brian’s roots as well as the moment of ignition when he joined AC/DC and helped create a monster album will be in for an unforgettable ride."

"From growing up in the northeast, the son of a former British army sergeant-major and an Italian mother, to fronting world's biggest rock band, The Lives of Brian tells one of the best stories in music in Brian's own inimitable voice," says Penguin Random House publishing director Rowland White. 

He continues: "His life has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, during which success as a musician too often felt out of reach. But even when it seemed defeat had been snatched from the jaws of victory, he never gave up. Throughout, his feet have remained firmly planted on the ground." 

White goes on to describe The Lives of Brian as "warm, vivid, evocative, life-affirming and often laugh-out-loud funny."

The Lives Of Brian will be published on October 21.

Brian Johnson - The Lives Of Brian book cover

(Image credit: Dey Street Books)
Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.