I think our career speaks for itself. We had many hits, many classic, great songs, which we played live very well
W (Nando Machado) : Hello, Mr. Rarebell. How are you?
Herman Rarebell : I'm doing very well, how are you all?
W (NM) : Thank you again for such a quick reply. It was great to get in touch with you.
HR : Oh, wonderful. I'll be anywhere for the next two weeks before the broadcast. Where are you guys now?
W (NM) : We are in São Paulo now, I am here with my colleague, Daniel Dystyler.
W (Daniel Dystyler) : Hello, Mr. Herman, how are you?
HR : Ah, very good, thank you very much.
W (NM) : As I said, we are the number one Heavy Metal podcast in Brazil and we are very honored to speak with you. We believe that Scorpions was not only the most important Heavy Metal band in German history, but also the most important Rock band in German history. Do you agree?
HR : As you know, I joined the band in 1977, in May. But before that, of course, there were other bands in Germany. I don't know if you're familiar with bands like The Rattles, they're a big band in Germany. Helloween is another one that came from Germany, and more recently, Rammstein, who also came from Germany.
W (NM) : Yes, of course, but it's great to talk to you, since you were part of the Scorpions during the band's most important period, right?
HR : Yes, of course. As you know, I wrote several lyrics for the band and composed other songs, such as "Another Piece of Meat" and "Passion Rules the Game." So, of course, we were a good group for writing songs, you're right.
W (NM) : So, just to start, when you were younger, when you started playing drums, what were your main influences?
HR : I started playing drums early, when I was 12 or 13, and at that time my main influences were, of course, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. And later, when I got older, my main influence was Led Zeppelin, when I was 16 or 17.
W (DD) : Yes, Jon Bonham was a great drummer, wasn't he?
HR : Yes, he was my favorite drummer. Of course, I really liked Keith Moon from The Who, but my real love was for Hard Rock, like Led Zeppelin, they really impressed me a lot.
W (DD) : Since we're talking about the old days, can you tell us a little about how you joined the Scorpions?
HR : Well, I lived in England from 1971 to 1977 and I heard from Michael Schenker, Rudolf Schenker's brother, that the Scorpions were looking for a drummer. So I went to the audition and became their drummer in 1977, the same year I auditioned.
W (NM) : Speaking of songwriting… like Neil Peart from Rush, you were one of the band's main lyricists during Scorpions' most successful years. I think you had an unusual role as a drummer. Tell us a little about your songwriting experience.
HR : Well, first of all, when I joined Scorpions my English was the best in the band, because I had lived in England for 6 years when I met Scorpions. My first song became a great song, “He's a woman, she's a man.” Then the band saw that I could write lyrics in English and from that moment on, and on the next album, I started writing and then came “Another Piece of Meat” and then “Don't Make Promises Your Body Can't Keep,” and suddenly the next album, with songs like “Falling in Love” and the famous “Make It Real.” And all these songs started with lyrics and then, of course, “Blackout” and “Rocking Like a Hurricane,” just to name the two biggest. But if you go back to the first Scorpions albums, you'll see my name everywhere.
I think you guys really have the Rock and Roll spirit and I'd love to come back and play in your country.”
W (NM) : You've probably mentioned the two best Scorpions songs, at least in my opinion. What has been the highlight of your career so far? Do you have one or more highlights you could mention?
HR : I think one of the high points was obviously 1984, at Rock in Rio. If you go to my website, I still have a recording of my solo from that show, from January 1985, on the website www.hermanrarebell.com. So that was definitely a great show for me and, of course, the previous year the US Festival in San Bernardino. And, of course, “Rock You Like a Hurricane” being played at Madison Square Garden. I would consider those my high points. Obviously, later on, there was good music at the peace festivals in London and Moscow, when the wall fell in Berlin, all those political movements were quite exciting for me.
W (DD) : And since you mentioned Rock in Rio I, which was in '85, I have a question. For most Brazilians, their first contact with the Scorpions, or at least the first time they saw the band live, was that year. Tell us a little about what you remember from those years, since it's a great time for us to remember.
HR : Well, for me it's the same, as I said. My drum solo, which is on my website, I think it was the best solo I've ever done in my entire career. There's a reason I put it on the website. It was your fantastic weeks in Brazil. My first show was on January 5th and the next one was only two weeks later. We stayed in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, I had a lot of fun, I went out every night, to parties. I think you guys really have the Rock and Roll spirit and I would love to come back and play in your country.
W (DD) : And are you planning to come to Brazil with your project with Michael Schenker?
HR : The thing is, Michael Schenker is on tour with three guitarists. I don't know when Michael and I will get together again in Brazil. We toured together in England, played with Black Country Communion, and played at a big festival called "High Voltage" on July 24th. You can see it on YouTube, on Michael Schenker at "High Voltage Festival". You can also see Rudolf Schenker come on stage and play "Rocking like a hurricane" with us.
W (NM) : Tell us a little about your relationship with Michael, since you still have contact and he was probably the one who helped you get into the Scorpions back then.
HR : Yes, he was the one who helped me get into the Scorpions. He was already playing in a British band, UFO, and one day we met in a park and he told me, “My brother is coming here and he’s looking for a drummer, I think you should audition.” So I went, but I didn’t know there were 50 other drummers wanting the job. But in the end, to make a long story short, I got the job and two weeks later I met the band in Hanover, Germany. I was the drummer and remained the drummer for twenty years, as you can see. And the most important thing is that Michael Schenker and I are old friends, my friendship with Michael Schenker is 40 years old. And we played together last week in England and had a great time. So let’s see what winter brings us, maybe we’ll play together soon, but now he’s planning a tour with two other guitarists, I don’t know when we’ll play together again, maybe next year, that’s quite possible.
W (DD) : We hope so.
HR : But Scorpions with Rudolf haven't been playing the songs like they did at the "High Voltage" festival. It's possible something like that could happen, but we'll see what the future holds.
W (DD) : We have a classic question on our show that we ask all our interviewees. Can you tell us a song that makes you want to headbang, without being able to contain yourself?
HR : Well, for me this song is definitely "He's a woman, she's a man," the typical song for headbanging, you really want to shake your head. "He's a woman, she's a man." Another one, if possible, of course: "Another piece of meat."
W (DD) : Excellent, let's listen to it now, can you introduce the song?
HR : Yes. Hello, this is Herman Rarebell from Scorpions. Now you're going to hear "Another Piece of Meat".
As you know, I've already played with Michael Schenker, with Rudolf Schenker, who knows what will come next?”
W (NM) : Herman, tell us a little about your relationship with the other members of Scorpions, since you reunited at the “Wacken Festival” a few years ago.
HR : Yes, obviously we have a good relationship, I didn't leave the band on bad terms. Don't forget that I left after 20 years and we remained friends. When we see each other, we play together. But now, I think the relationship is different, I don't know about the future. Scorpions ended and now something new is coming. As you know, I've already played with Michael Schenker, with Rudolf Schenker, who knows what will come next?
W (DD) : And about your new projects, I think we heard you had a record label, “Monaco Records”, is that true? Tell us a little about it.
HR : I had Monaco Records, we stopped when the internet took over the whole medium, because we were an old-fashioned record label that produced artists for major labels. The company started operating again almost ten years ago. I had Monaco Records from 1996 to 2001, yes. We signed 5 different artists in 5 years and after that we closed the label because there was no more business, as the internet took over everything. The world changed drastically in 2001, as you know.
W (DD) : Tell us a little about your project, “Herman Ze German & Band”.
HR : I have very few performances in Germany now, but if you go to my website, you can listen to the music. I have recorded videos on the website. And I also finished a book, which will be released in the first week of October. The book is called “And Speaking of Scorpions,” and in this book I will talk about my life in the Scorpions, the behind-the-scenes stories, how everything happened, how the band grew and became successful, how the songs were written, how we recorded… all of that will be answered in the book. So I think it's something that Scorpions fans need to have.
W (DD) : In our episodes – this is a special about the Scorpions – we usually give prizes to our listeners, and to win, we ask a question and the first person to answer correctly wins. We're going to give something related to the Scorpions, could you propose a question for our listeners and whoever answers correctly wins?
HR : In what year did Herman Rarebell leave the Scorpions?
W (NM) : I'm curious, how did you manage to keep the band at the top for so long, after all the live albums, from "Tokyo Tapes," "US Festival," "Rock in Rio," and in the 90s when the band released "Wind of Change," also a great moment for the band? How did you maintain such a high level and popularity for so many years?
W (DD) : And keeping the live performances, which I believe are key.
HR : I think our career speaks for itself. We've had many hits, many classic, great songs that we could play live very well, and I think the band continues to release good material and new songs, good albums, and so you have a long life and a long band.
W (NM) : Could you choose a Scorpions song that you're proud to have written?
HR : Well, I'm very proud to have written "Passion Rules the Game" and I hope you enjoy it.
W (NM) : It was a great pleasure speaking with you, Mr. Rarebell, and thank you again. We just got to speak with the legendary drummer of Scorpions during the band's most successful years, Mr. Herman Rarebell. It was an honor to speak with the drummer of the most successful band in the history of German rock.
HR : Thank you very much, my friend. I hope to see you soon.
W (DD) : Thank you, Mr. Herman.
HR : Bye, bye, then.
See everything we've published about Scorpions.
