While most know Dan Rather as a network TV anchor or 60 Minutes icon, his AXS-TV series The Big Interview has allowed him the opportunity to put his interviewing skills to use in speaking with entertainers he's come to enjoy. The new season shows a bit of Rather's passion for rock music, as AC/DC's Brian Johnson, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick and Poison's Bret Michaels all set down with the veteran newsman.

Rather's interview with AC/DC's Brian Johnson and fellow AXS-TV host (Brian Johnson: A Life On The Road) will kick off the new season on Oct. 1 at 8PM ET / 5PM PT on AXS-TV. In a first look teaser, Johnson recalls getting writer’s block while working on AC/DC’s landmark Back In Black album in the Bahamas. Feeling completely out of ideas, Johnson sat down for breakfast with legendary producer Mutt Lange. As the pair spoke, a tropical storm rolled in -- jolting Johnson’s creativity and planting the seeds for AC/DC’s classic “Hells Bells.”

“Mutt went, ‘Oh, it’s rolling thunder!’ And I went, ‘Rolling thunder, pouring rain, coming on like a hurricane. There’s white lightning flashing,’” Johnson explains. “I mean I literally was giving a weather report.” He continues, “When great things are happening so quickly, you never realize, do you? It’s so fabulous. It just looks so easy. When you try to do it again, it never works!" Watch the preview below:

Cheap Trick will follow on Oct. 8, with Michaels booked for Oct. 22 and Cooper's chat coming on Oct. 29. The full lineup for the new season can be seen below.

October 1 – Brian Johnson

October 8 – Cheap Trick

October 15 – Chicago

October 22 – Bret Michaels

October 29 – Alice Cooper

November 5 – Little Big Town

November 12 – Bob Costas

November 19 – David Byrne

November 26 – America

December 3 – Bryan Cranston

December 10 – Yes’ Jon Anderson

December 17 – Alabama

“It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with these entertainment icons each week,” Rather said. “It is a rare treat to be able to delve into a side of these artists that the public doesn’t often get to see, as they tell their stories and share their thoughts in their own words. I am humbled that the series has been so warmly received by AXS TV’s audience, and I look forward to showing our viewers what we’ve been working on in this upcoming fall cycle.”

New episodes of The Big Interview will air every Tuesday at 8PM ET on AXS-TV.