BRIAN JOHNSON Says Meeting PAUL MCCARTNEY For First Time Left Him 'Tongue-Tied'

In a new interview with QFM96's "Torg & Elliott" radio show, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson was asked if he has ever met somebody famous that he was "in awe" of. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, that has happened, and it was [THE BEATLES legend] Paul McCartney. I didn't know what to say to him. I mean, for the first time I was absolutely tongue-tied. And then [fellow BEATLES legend] Ringo Starr walked in beside him. And it was Paul that spoke to me, 'cause he heard me talking to somebody. And he said, 'Hello, Geordie.' You know, because they call us Geordies, with the accent. And I went, 'Hello, Paul. Sir Paul. Your honor. Your majesty.' I didn't know what [to call him]. [Laughs] I just came across like I was breaking a friend's teeth in — I couldn't speak. So it was hard. And then we became friends, which is even harder to describe. If you're in a hotel and somebody like McCartney says, 'Fancy a spot of lunch, kid?' And you go, 'Yes.'"

Back in April 2015, Johnson said that he had received words of support from McCartney ahead of AC/DC's headlining appearance that year at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival.

"I ran into him downstairs [at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, California]," Johnson told the Los Angeles Times. "He goes, 'Brian, you get on that stage and I'm telling you, you see all these kids looking for the hip-hop acts. Then they see you, and they're like, 'Who's he? Oh, yeah — me dad talks of him.' But he said it's great because you're doing your thing, and eventually all the kids go, 'He's cool, this dude!'

"It kind of takes you right back to the start, when you had to win over an audience," the singer added.

When Johnson appeared on "Joe Walsh's Old Fashioned Rock 'N' Roll" radio show, he was asked to name his favorite song in the world. He said: "Right off the top of me head, the thing that makes me smile every time I hear it is 'Get Back' [by THE BEATLES]. And if you listen to Ringo's drumming on there, it's sensational."

Brian is currently promoting his long-awaited autobiography, "The Lives Of Brian", which arrived in October — a year later than originally planned.

The book was published in the U.K. by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House, by publishing director Rowland White. It was published simultaneously in the U.S. by Dey Street Books, an imprint of the William Morrow Group at HarperCollins.

Johnson joined AC/DC in 1980 after the death of previous lead singer Bon Scott.

His first album with the band, "Back In Black", went on to become the biggest-selling rock album of all time.