Back in Black: Murder for Hire Charges Dropped Against Phil Rudd

So right after AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was arrested on charges of trying to procure a murder, drug charges and death threats, the murder for hire charges have been dropped and the prosectors have conceded that there was not enough evidence to proceed. So basically he's gone from singing "Dirty Deeds" to "Back in Black."

Cause I'm back on the track
And I'm beating the flack
Nobody's gonna get me on another rap
So look at me now
I'm just makin' my play
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way

Seriiously, now Rudd is thinking about restitution (and justly so)
From ABC News.com

 Rudd's lawyer Paul Mabey said the damage to his client had been incalculable and he was considering possible remedies.

"The charge alleging an attempt to procure murder should never have been laid," Mabey said in a statement, adding "Mr. Rudd has suffered unnecessary and extremely damaging publicity as a result of widespread and sensational reporting of a very serious allegation, which on any basis was never justified."

Mabey said Rudd would defend the other charges against him.

Bill Hodge, a law professor at the University of Auckland, said the events suggested police had overreached.

"Usually you'd expect police to lay a basic charge, a holding charge," he said. "Then, maybe when they've got more witnesses and evidence, they could go for a more complicated charge. I don't understand the rush."

Hodge said Rudd could have a good case for seeking financial damages if the case against him fell apart altogether, but he may have little recourse if convicted on the threatening to kill charge.

Yesterday it seemed AC/DC had been caught off guard and they had started thinking about the tour and record release without Rudd as they released the following statement:
"We have no further comment. Phil's absence will not affect the release of our new album 'Rock or Bust' and upcoming tour next year."

It still hasn't been officially stated whether or not he'll be on tour with the rest of the band. It seems like the drug charges may stick so who knows what the future will hold.

You can get more on the ABCNews.com article 

Dirty Deeds? AC/DC Drummer Arrested for Attempting to Procure a Murder

Apparently AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd may have taken some of their songs a little too seriously.* He was arrested in New Zealand on charges of trying to have two men killed early (locally) on November 5. He appeared in the Tauranga District Court and did not enter a plea. He was released on bail and will be back in court in 3 weeks.

He is also facing drug charges, charged with possession of methamphetamine (really? METH? Dude, you're so much better than that) and possession of cannabis (well obviously it was the meth that made him freak out and order someone killed. Name one violent pothead). New Zealand police have not given out any information about Rudd's arrest or who the intended victims were. According to New Zealand news outlet The Sun, Rudd was "accused of procuring murder" between September 25th and 26th.

This has not been a great year for AC/DC as earlier this year it was revealed that Malcolm Young was suffering from dementia and would no longer be in the band. However the band is planning a world tour and has a new record/ cd/ mp3 collection/ whatever the kids are calling it these days coming out on December 2. Many of AC/DCs fans have expressed concerns about the tour being affected, however The Guardian points out that Rudd has not been involved in a lot of the band's activities lately.

Rudd was a notable absentee from AC/DC’s recent promotional material in the lead-up to the release of the band’s first album in six years. The first image released to promote the album, Rock or Bust, did not feature Rudd and he was absent from two video shoots over the past few months. Lead singer Brian Johnson reportedly told fans Rudd was not at one of the video shoots because of a “family emergency”.(see the full article from the Guardian here) 

AC/DC has not released a statement on the events yet (probably because their publicists/record labels etc are too Thunderstruck to comment) but you can keep an eye on the news section of the band's website.


*Don't get your panties in a bunch, this comment is a joke. After suffering through the "Ozzy makes you kill yourself", "Judas Priest makes you kill yourself" and general "Heavy metal is statanic bullshit that was popular in my youth, I would never imply that simply listening to (or making music) makes you do bad things. However there is something to be said about writing songs based on life experiences...