Yesterday we ran a half-serious item suggesting a few replacements for Brian Johnson, the longtime AC/DC frontman who was ordered by doctors to stop touring or risk total hearing loss. Some of our picks were serious (Jesse James Dupree of Jackyl, Corey Taylor of Slipknot), while others were not (Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Donald Trump). But while the most obvious was left out (Joel O’Keeffe of Australian rock band Airbourne), it seems we should have shown more love to a hometown product raised right here in New England.
Because right now, the people want Al Barr of the Dropkick Murphys.
Perhaps spurred on by a campaign from the band itself, which is playfully campaigning online for the role, Barr leads a Sydney Morning Herald readers poll asking who should fill in for Johnson once the AC/DC tour resumes later this year. (A quick note for those playing catch-up: When AC/DC announced the news of Johnson’s ailment earlier in the week, they shocked many by declaring that a “guest vocalist” would replace Johnson when their 10 North American dates were rescheduled for later in the year.)
As of 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Barr had a whopping 23 percent of the vote, with nearly 10,000 votes cast. Leading all tallies was the option of “No-one: Without Brian Johnson there is no AC/DC” (with 43 percent), but Barr leads all human replacements. Next up is Jimmy Barnes with 14 percent, while others like Dave Grohl (4 percent) and Axl Rose (3 percent) are way behind. Another local luminary, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, has only 2 percent.
The poll closes in five days. Cast your vote here, and take note: the Dropkicks kick off their traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebration of shows a week from today at the House of Blues. They play the Lansdowne Street venue over three sold out nights, then play Agganis Arena on March 19 and Brighton Music Hall in Allston on March 20. The latest ticket info is available here.
