Following the announcement from AC/DC that Axl Rose is confirmed to be joining the band for their remaining tour to replace frontman Brian Johnson, Alice Cooper responded that he "thought it was just a joke." Meanwhile, the band's front man released a statement about his replacement.
After hearing that Rose is the touring frontman for AC/DC instead of Johnson, Cooper said that he thought it was merely a joke saying, "At first I thought it was an April Fool's thing. I went, 'Oh, come on.' Then I started thinking about it and said, 'You know, his voice is absolutely perfect for that band. That might just work.'"
"I just think that's such a unique combination," he continued. "Whoever has tickets to that show has got the golden ticket, because who doesn't want to see that?"
Meanwhile, comedian Jim Breuer talked about the replacement of Johnson on his The Metal In Me podcast saying that the AC/DC frontman is being "kicked to the curb" by the band and that he is feeling "really depressed" about it. But Breuer later backtracked his comments saying that he was merely "carried away," NME reported.
Since the news had been talking about it, Johnson clarified that he is "not a quitter and I like to finish what I start" adding that "the doctors made it clear to me and my band mates that I had no choice but to stop performing on stage for the remaining shows and possibly beyond."
He also said in a letter released by Rolling Stone that he feels emotional since he was part of the band for 36 years and that he cannot imagine living without being part of it but for now, he doesn't have a choice.
"The one thing for certain is that I will always be with AC/DC at every show in spirit, if not in person. My thanks also go to [band mates] Angus [Young] and Cliff [Williams] for their support," he wrote in a statement.
Although the frontman, who has been part of AC/DC since 1980 after the death of its former singer, Bon Scott, could not join the tour, he can still record in a studio while continuing his medical treatment to help improve his hearing condition.
The band will be touring 12 European areas from May to June with the Guns N' Roses singer including two shows in the UK at the Olympic Stadium in London on June 4 and Etihad Stadium in Manchester on June 9, as previously reported by Music Times.
