Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shared that listening to AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses has helped him during the war against Russia.
In an interview with CNN, journalist Erin Burnett asked Zelensky: “As a human being, so many people look up to you; they rely on you. No one can imagine how hard that is. Do you do anything for yourself? Are you ever able to take a minute to read or to listen to music or something to sort of give yourself that moment?”
The Ukrainian leader explained that during these difficult times, he turns to music, specifically such acts as AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, and Eric Clapton, as a form of distraction to help him deal with the political turmoil of the war.
Among good company 🔥 https://t.co/gFuYA0cfWt
— Guns N’ Roses (@gunsnroses) July 5, 2023
“I have such moments,” he told Burnett. “It’s important to be in silence, to be alone. Alone, how can I be alone? Alone I can be with music or with a book, and early, early in the morning when there are no sounds, no people, nobody. I can just read. Think, think. And the music helps really.”
After being asked what kinds of music he listens to, Zelensky replied: “I like AC/DC, and Ukrainian music. Of course, I like Ukrainian music a lot because Ukrainian, that’s native language. That’s why you understand not only music, you understand words, etc. AC/DC, I don’t understand all the words [laughs], but I like the energy of AC/DC. I like Eric Clapton, Guns N’ Roses… Maybe it’s too old music?”
He went on to share that he mainly listens to music while working out early in the morning. Guns N’ Roses took to their official Twitter account to share the interview with a caption reading: “Among good company.”
In other news, two baby owls were rescued from underneath the Pyramid Stage at this year’s Glastonbury during the band’s headline set.
Fundraising Manager at Secret World Wildlife Rescue, David Plant, issued a statement about the discovery of the two owls, sharing: “When Guns N’ Roses were playing ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, I’m sure they didn’t realise how close they actually were to wildlife,” he began. “This is possibly the most unusual disturbance case we’ve heard about this year, but it just goes to show the importance of checking your surroundings for wildlife before any activity.”
In a three-star review of Guns N’ Roses performance at Glasto, NME described the set as being “one of their strongest sets in recent years”, but receiving an underwhelming response as it was delivered to the “wrong crowd”.
“To any G’N’R fan, the Glasto set undoubtedly marks one of the strongest sets that the rock veterans have given in recent years,” it began. “Unfortunately, this is somewhat lost on the Glastonbury crowd, as Guns N’ Roses’ sultry, whiskey-chugging, in-your-face brand of rock felt misplaced when delivered at the hippie nucleus of the world.”
The band are currently on their Guns N’ Roses world tour. You can find any remaining tickets here.