You Cannot Stop AC/DC, Nor Can You Contain Them
Everybody and their third cousin are sending me links about the Spanish opera singer who slayed the judges of Spain's Got Talent when she cut short an aria (or whatever the hell she was singing) and busted into Highway To Hell. The first time I saw the clip, I literally felt gooseflesh on my arms as she majestically pounded through the verse into one of the greatest choruses of all time, her pipes unleashing a paint-stripping bellow that all but raised Bon Scott from the dead. But then she fucked up. Horribly. Now, the Universe has clearly bestowed a godlike voice upon contestant Cristina Ramos, and we know that English is her second language, but still, if you're going on prime time television to sing a song in front of oh, a few million of your countrymen, wouldn't you spend a little extra time getting the words right? Sadly, no. She skips ahead in the song a bit and attempts the line, "Hey, mamma, Look at me, I'm on the way to the promised land..." Unfortunately, this line comes out as, "Hail mama, paid my kiss, I'm on my way to the promised baaaaaaaaaa..." It reminded me of the time another opera singer messed up a classic song in front of a teeming live audience and millions of viewers.https://youtu.be/l3Yf_ErkN_sUltimately, while nailing the words to Highway To Hell ranks high on the priority list for AC/DC fans, her performance, her seismic talents and the sheer scale of her ambition earned Christina Ramos massive kudos from the judges, the media and from yours truly. Would love to see where she goes next.Meanwhile, a few hours due north, Ms. Ramos' roof-destroying audition eclipsed another electrifying intersection of AC/DC and wacky pop culture. At this year's Crufts dog show in Birmingham, UK, trainer Irena Ištvánková — sporting a leather jacket and Doc Martens — led her dog Mystic Layla through a jaw-dropping routine of heeling, flipping and spinning to a greatest hits medley from both AC/DC vocalists. Layla held the mic, hopped up on an amp and stomped around the stage like Back In Black-era Brian Johnson, whipping the crowd into a raucous fervor. Unlike Ms. Ramos however, Layla's performance was flawless. Insanely, the judges awarded the Czech duo only third place, meaning the judges either hate AC/DC, they hate clever dog tricks or first and second place cured world hunger and cancer, respectively. Anyway, dig it here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJPrAC1FYJA