"With all respect to the lad," says Johnson. "I think he's terribly wrong for a start. I really do. I don't think anybody should have the nerve to stand there and just say that a certain genre of music has just ff-- disappeared overnight.

"It's not because 'I [Gene] say so,' OK," he added. "Well, I'm here to tell you, Gene, you're wrong. And I'm saying it's alive and kicking. My name's Brian. How do you do?"

AC/DC made the remarks as they prepare to release their latest album, "Rock Or Bust", on December 2. "For performers who are also songwriters - the creators - for rock music, for soul, for the blues - it's finally dead," the 65-year old Simmons told his son, Nick, during a recent interview, repeating verbatim comments he's made over the past year. "Rock is finally dead."