Tommy Henriksen has defended AC/DC’s straightforward approach to rock music, arguing that their mastery lies in the fundamentals rather than technical complexity. He made these comments in an interview with Loudwire.
Henriksen focused on what he sees as the band’s core strength: their understanding of rhythm and chord structure. He also contrasted the demands of live performance with the world of online guitar content.
“It’s the sound and it’s the chords,” Henriksel said. “Those guys and the rhythm, it’s just everything, dude. They are the masters. And rhythm guitar to me is so much more important than lead guitar.”
He then turned his attention to social media guitarists who showcase their skills online. “I sit back, I get a kick out of these Instagram guitar players and stuff,” he continued. “You need to get onstage. I mean, I’m glad and happy you’ve got like 700 million followers in your bedroom, but put the guy on stage at 100 degrees, humidity, guitar out of tune, trying to perform and then talk to me about that stuff.”
Henriksel’s comments reflect his view that real musicianship is tested through live performance in difficult conditions rather than through technical showmanship alone.
Henriksen has long admired AC/DC and learned to play guitar by watching videos of Angus Young and other musicians on YouTube. After just two paid guitar lessons as a child, he pursued a self-taught path, developing his skills by studying his heroes.
His own project, Crossbone Skully, began when he and drummer Glen Sobel jammed AC/DC tracks during soundchecks with Hollywood Vampires. Crew members encouraged him to turn the collaboration into his own band, and Henriksen based his debut album on his influences including AC/DC, Queen, The Who, The Cars and Kraftwerk. He is preparing to release Crossbone Skully’s second record, Condemned to Rock n’ Roll, which includes a collaboration with Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen on the song “Thunder Love.”
Henriksen gave this interview to Loudwire Nights on October 28, 2026, while working with Hollywood Vampires on their European tour that year, which featured Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry alongside him.
