phillip hugh norman witschke rudzevecuis (born 19 may 1954), better known as phil rudd, is an australian drummer. he is best known for being a member of the hard rock band ac/dc from 1975 to 1983, and again from 1994 to 2015. he lives in tauranga, new zealand. in november 2014, he was arrested for many crimes, including threatening to kill, trying to plan a murder and keeping illegal drugs. in july 2015, he was sentenced to eight months home detention.