Rock Overdose had the pleasure and the honor of having an in-depth conversation with guitar legend Michael Schenker who spoke about Michael Schenker Group's new album "Immortal", for his 50 years of active presence in music, for his memories from Greece, but also for many other interests that will surely be discussed.
Pavlos Giannakopoulos wrote the questions on behalf of Rock Overdose and Zisis Petkanas recited them to the artist but also improvised on them because the discussion was live.
RockOverdose: Hi Michael, welcome to RockOverose Greece!
Michael Schenker:Thank you for having me!
RockOverdose: How are you these days?
Michael Schenker :Under the circumstances I’m fine.
RockOverdose: Did the lockdown caused any problem to the release of your new album?
Michael Schenker :Yeah… It’s a long story. It’s an adventure! I realized my 50th anniversary was coming up, because you know I put my first note down when I was 15 years old, it was when Scorpions had their first album too.
It would be a release for 2020 because the release was in 1970. I wanted to celebrate with musicians friends as guest from all over the world, and I struggled to get them together during 2020. It was incredible to manage this all together; I lost the timing to be released in 2020. It was then that my agent told me that the Scorpions album was released in 1972, so I realized I had 2 more years!
So I had more time, focused more on a humble 50th anniversary with one compact band, but then I saw there was a problem with the virus cause the borders were blocked, it was a problem for me and the musicians to travel. Looked for a different way to make it to the recording studio, I travelled by boat for 7 days from England to Holland, but then my musicians couldn’t make it to the studio due to quarantine!
It didn’t happen the way I wanted it at first time but Michael Voss (the producer) helped me to direct the whole chaos and get the final outcome which is absolutely brilliant!
RockOverdose: Was ‘In search of the peace of mind’ (Scorpions “Lonesome Crow album) the first song that you have ever written when you were 15 years old?
Michael Schenker :I wanted to have that song on my 50th anniversary ‘cause it marks my first note on an album, when I was 15 years old. On the Scorpions first album “Lonesome Crow” they never wrote songs by themselves.
I was the writer! They didn’t know how to write songs. My first note was on “In search for the peace of mind” and this title became the theme of my life!I wrote it all by myself in my mother’s kitchen there was nobody there! Then I saw on the credits they put both Michael and Rudolf Schenker, but Rudolf had zero knowledge of lyrics how could he be on the credits?
And on the top of that there is a lead (quitar) play on that so perfect I would never change a note ever! Up to this day I don’t understand where this lead playing comes from, because on the first Scorpions album my lead guitar playing sounds like an amateur, because I’m developing, I’m a teenager, I don’t know where this lead playing came from so perfect!!! I’m absolutely shocked, why that happened!
Putting it all together, this song obviously for all these reasons, becomes very important, especially being 50 years old and being my first note on a record and my first contribution. I wanted to make it epic and finish the album with that song, I wanted to put a lot of guitar playing but while making choices on what to do, I realized it sounds like two guitars speaking to each other!
RockOverdose: Can you tell us about your new release? How the idea of this new album came about?
Michael Schenker :The whole album is like a gift for me, of being truth to myself for so many years, not selling out, e.g. not joying Ozzy Osbourne although I’m an Ozzy fan I had to decline him, because I needed to move on, I realized it was time for me to carry on my own thing. I just play and discover, I don’t compare, I don’t compete, I don’t look for money, I don’t look for success. I just have fun as an artist.
When I helped the Scorpions back in 1979, because Matias was unable to travel to America, and I was already a hit in America, Rudolf is more a manager than a musician, he’s a calculator, and he wanted to be like Beatles or Rolling Stones!
I’m the exact opposite, I want to have fun with playing music. Rudolf used me as a tool, because what he couldn’t do for himself he asked me to do it! And just one day I ask him “Why don’t you do it yourself?”…
Rudolf wanted to keep me otherwise they couldn’t make it to America, I didn’t noticed that because I was just a kid, they forced me to stay at Scorpions but I had my own vision, they had so much manipulation power on me that I had to run away, I’m a trend maker not a copier!
RockOverdose: Why did you decide to release this album as Michael Schenker Group and not as Michael Schenker Fest?
Michael Schenker:Everything is Michael Schenker Group! All start with Michael Schenker Group! It’s subtitles to categorize and understand. Michael Schenker Group is the original and by the way Michael Schenker Fest is still available, if promoters can afford us, cause it’s so expensive! To put Michael Schenker Fest together is unbelievable!
The answer is that this is Michael Schenkers’ 50th Anniversary “Immortal”, it looks weird to put it on Michael Schenker Fest! This is the form by the current Michael Schenker’s Group. Whatever shows up, whatever we got is always Michael Schenker’s Group!
RockOverdose: Is it possible for you to compare eras of your carrier?
Michael Schenker:My whole journey is a development! I live in the NOW and take things as they come under any circumstances, just like the virus. The virus took me in a situation to make a fantastic album, which may I couldn’t have done by myself! I don’t really plan cause I don’t compare, as I said before, I don’t compete. Everything is a continuous development of my inner life.
RockOverdose: After all these 50 years in music world did you regret for something?
Michael Schenker :No because I didn’t sell out, if you sell out and look for instant satisfaction this will die sooner or later. If you stay true to yourself, which I did for 50 years, it will live forever!
RockOverdose: “Sex , drugs and Rock n Roll”. Which of them would you keep and which of them would you throw away?
Michael Schenker :There’s no difference for a musician. When you are 16 years old of course you discover sex, you’re looking for girls, you discover drugs on parties you go and drink. When you are as star, of course there’s more attention on you, you are on a microscope, people analyze you … there’s no difference. Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll is part of a teenagers living, part of every consumer or not consumer, everyone you would ask, every person who listens to music, if you ask them they’ll tell you they lived exactly the same way. I would say that “Sex , drugs and Rock n Roll” is just simply what people do when they are young, they’ll discover it sooner or later and they will stop it.
In my case, I drink alcohol because I was stage fright, but later because I was so sensitive and so fragile I was afraid to play in front of people. But later in my life, when I was happy and grateful I had no more stage fright. From that moment there was no drugs, no alcohol, of course there was sex.
The thing is I was free and released from the pressure of stage fright! You can see it that I’m happy playing, I’m stage happy, I’m talking, I’m singing and all that when I’m absolutely straight! I’m so grateful I’ve overcome the stage fright!
RockOverdose: You have visit Greece several times. Any thoughts about our country and the Greek metalheads?
Michael Schenker :Absolutely! The Scorpions invited me to play in Greece because I actually wrote the intro to “Holiday”… a 45’’ long part of the song. I was the writer but it nevers says that on the credits of the album. I don't know how many people know that. I was invited to play on their acoustic show in Greece but they just used my name, they wanted to sale out! The invited also Uli (Jon Roth).
But I must say Greeks are a fantastic audience! I just feel disappointed on how I was used in Greece, because “Holiday” is such a big song there, but many people there don’t know that I wrote the intro, they just use me to trick the people! I agreed, I did it, it was at a stadium, a fantastic concert, Greece is always a fantastic place to play!
RockOverdose: Michael if you like just send a message to your Greek fans and to everyone who will read this interview.
Michael Schenker:Keep on Rocking!
For Rock Overdose
Interview: Zisis Petkanas
Questions: Pavlos Giannakopoulos
Translation and transcription: Vivi Zapantiotou
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