In 1970 I said, "The Scorpions are going to be one of the top 30 bands in the world."
Wikimetal (Nando Machado): Hello, Mr. Rudolf Schenker?
Rudolf Schenker: Yes, it's me on the phone. How are you?
W (NM): Hello Mr. Rudolf. I am very, very happy to speak with you. How are you?
RS: I'm doing very well, we're coming back from the United States, from our tour, which was very successful, and you know, we're going back to the studio to look for some new songs and some new things to do, and you know, there's always something to do.
W (NM): So, speaking about the time when you were young in Germany, Rudolf, in the early 60s, did you imagine that you would have so much success and such a solid career after more than 40 years, and that you would create one of the most important bands in the history of rock?
RS: I know that feeling from all my partners. And you know, especially after “Fly to the Rainbow,” it really took hold. And even before that, yes, before I did interviews, which were in May of '70 or '71, something like that… Before “Lonesome Crow,” I said – and this is interesting – “The Scorpions are going to be one of the top 30 bands in the world.” So, you know, that was the situation in which I wrote the book, called “Rock Your Life.” The situation is: if you trust your feelings and if you really have a philosophy, then you can do it, because the problem is that most American and English bands think, “OK, let's get together, let's play music, let's see what happens.” So, especially in the United States and England, there are agencies, big agencies that don't tell you the truth, they say… Let's say, believe what they want you to believe. So when we started the Scorpions in Germany, in Hanover, a very small place, I was the management. So in that case, nobody could tell me what was true and what wasn't, because I decided for myself what the truth was. From that moment on, I began to realize what I needed to do for the band's career to thrive. First of all, the band Scorpions is based on the philosophy of friendship. I was always looking for good musicians, without a doubt, but also for musicians with whom I could build a friendship, with whom I had chemistry, who connected with my personality. Chemistry is a very important point. If you think about it, when you drink a Piña Colada, if the Piña Colada has the wrong ingredients, if it's not the right rum, with 80% alcohol, and if the coconut isn't the right kind, it's not fresh, and the pineapple isn't either, you might have a Piña Colada, but the taste is terrible. And also, it's gone very quickly. So in that case, chemistry is vital. If the chemistry is right, you have a good life; if the chemistry is wrong, you have a bad life. So in that case, I try to get the right musicians. Even later, when we lost some musicians, the philosophy on which we started the band was always very important. So especially coming from Germany, it was a difficult situation, but, you know, if you really believe in what you're doing, then do it. The only thing I wasn't sure about was whether the band would last this long, that this career would last for more than 40 years. I thought maybe, "OK, 20 years might be a good time." But 40 years is truly unbelievable, and that's fantastic.
The band Scorpions is based on the philosophy of friendship
W (NM): Indeed, it's fantastic. We're very happy to have you on our show. So, Rudolf, Scorpions is known for being a great live band, they've always been known for being a fantastic live band. Scorpions' live albums are probably among the best live albums of all time in rock history. How important is live performance for an artist, in your opinion?
RS: It's the most important thing! You know, the fact is you can never forget where you started. The band's starting point was playing live. Even in the beginning, doing covers, play as much as you can. And so, making your own music, you'll start thinking, "What can I do to play music really well, and also to entertain people?", which is very important. Music, of course, is an art form, and also a form of entertainment. What was happening is that, in the early 70s, especially in the early 70s, I bought a car where I could take the whole band and drive to France, Belgium, and Holland, and I always put on a really good soundtrack so we could hear what was happening, what was current in the music scene. And we couldn't always listen to music, driving for 8 or 9 hours. When we turned the music off because we were tired of listening, we'd talk about what we could do to make great Scorpions shows. So, in all of that, five guys in a car—we had a Mercedes SEL, long version—there wasn't always room, but sometimes some of the guys wouldn't go, and often we'd just talk. And we talked about a drum riser that would go up in the air, we talked about it, we talked a lot, until everyone agreed it was a good idea. So in that case, when we went out, especially coming from Germany, we always had the feeling that we didn't have to give 100%, we had to give 150%, 180%. We went on stage every day like a rock 'n' roll gang, and we rocked like a hurricane. And that was our first trump card. When we went to France, Belgium, and England, people couldn't believe it. They'd say, "What kind of band is this?" First, we played for 40 people, then 700, and then 2000, especially in England, which is a rock 'n' roll country, like the United States. So in that case, live performances are the important part, because you can't lie, you have to play, and people can immediately see, "Is this a real band, or just a studio project, or is it made up, or whatever?" So in that case, live performances are the heart of rock 'n' roll. Attitude is the fuel of rock 'n' roll. So in that case, the Scorpions have both of those things. The live situation is very important. And when you're also available, and you also know how to make a good album, you have the perfect start to a great career.
Don't believe in money, believe in fun, believe in talent, and believe in friendship
W (NM): Excellent, this is almost a recipe for success, many young musicians will love listening to this. Rudolf, do you agree if I say that Scorpions is the greatest German artist of all time?
RS: I mean, if you look at our whole career, and let's say, especially now, on the farewell tour, we're doing very, very well everywhere, actually. So yes, that may be true, but I think there are a lot of bands with us in Germany… Rammstein – a very, very good band, one of my favorite bands in the whole world. So, in that case, there are very good bands from Germany, no doubt, but looking at commercial success, and also the success of these more underground bands, I think yes, Scorpions are number one in terms of performance.
W (NM): We have a classic question on our show, changing the subject, imagine you're listening to music on the radio, or maybe on your iPod on shuffle, something like that, and suddenly a song starts playing that makes you completely lose control. What song would that be, so we can listen to it on our show now?
RS: OK, I think Rammstein's "Du Hast" is incredible. Yeah, maybe also… Green Day, I really like them, System of a Down, and Metallica, without a doubt. And AC/DC's "Back in Black" is incredible, an amazing masterpiece. And Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" is fantastic.
W (NM): No, just one, we only need one right now.
RS: Oh, Mamma Mia, that's very difficult! Just like that... Oh, "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.
W (NM): Tell me a little about the experience of playing in more remote locations. You had the opportunity to showcase your music to people who weren't used to seeing big shows. You did this many times, you did it at the first edition of Rock in Rio, you did it in the USSR, in Asia, in Egypt. What was the importance of taking your music to places where people didn't have the chance to see other great artists?
RS: That was the most important part of our career. For me, always managing, having to play 20 times in the United States because it pays… Look, money isn't the most important thing for me. OK, you need money to live, no doubt, but my way of making music is more about philosophy… I was a big fan of Elvis, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, all those older rock 'n' roll guys. So I started playing guitar, and I discovered that playing guitar isn't so easy, so I put my guitar away in the closet, until the Beatles and the Rolling Stones came along. Then I knew, “That's what I want to do. I want to have the feeling of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, of four or five friends traveling the world and making music, playing music for the fans.” So that was my philosophy, I wanted to travel the world with my friends and play music for everyone and everywhere… In the most remote places, and make it an adventure. And that was a very, very important point, because that's the reason why the Scorpions' career is still going on, because we played in Asia in the '90s, when Grunge and alternative were huge in the United States and Europe. We had the opportunity to play in Asia, in huge stadiums in Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, the Philippines, wherever… In India. So it was because we played there, and we played two nights at the Big Four in Bangkok in '82. And there were no record labels, there was nothing, just bootleggers trying to sell things on the street. And everyone said to us, “You're idiots, why are you playing there? There's no market, nothing.” The same thing in Russia. We went to Russia, and there were no record labels there, there was no possibility of profit in those places. But we said, “Look, guys, this is why it's important. Let's play for these people who want to hear the Scorpions, who want to hear rock.” So it was an adventure, and there was a vision behind that adventure… The result of that grand vision, especially in Russia, was the soundtrack to the most peaceful revolution on the face of the earth, called “Wind of Change.” So in that case, I always tell musicians around the world, I always say, “Don’t believe in money, believe in fun, believe in talent, and believe in friendship.” If you have those three things, you can succeed anywhere in the world, and people will love you, and you’ll be able to play the best music in the world for them.
The result of Scorpions' grand vision, especially in Russia, was the soundtrack to the most peaceful revolution on the face of the earth, called 'Wind of Change'."
W (NM): Speaking specifically about you, your performance, Rudolf, you are one of the greatest rock artists. In your opinion, who are the best guitarists, in terms of performance?
RS: Ah, performance? Of course, no doubt: Mick Jagger is still one of those guys, I've seen him many times, I have to say… Incredible! And there's also Till from Rammstein, he's unbelievable, the whole band is unbelievable. And other people… I don't know, I think… Steven Tyler, without a doubt.
W (NM): And what about the guitarists?
RS: Guitarists? Guitarists… I have my favorite, without a doubt, it's Jimmy Page, because he's a great songwriter and he plays very well, no doubt about it. But there's also the way you present yourself on stage, and Pete Townshend has always been a great stage performer, for sure… Or maybe… Who else? Wait a minute, I need to think about that. Angus Young, yes, of course! Angus Young, without a doubt. He is, you know, if you think about the fact that he's the smallest guy in rock n' roll, and his two brothers, Malcolm – he's an incredible guy, plays rhythm guitar very well, and his brother is perfect to be the lead, he really is a tornado. It's fantastic to watch them.
W (DD): Excellent, excellent. I'm Daniel, one of the presenters of Wikimetal, so I'll just ask you a few questions as well. Rudolf, you're coming to Brazil in September with the "Final Tail Tour". Is this really a farewell tour, or can fans expect a new album in the future?
RS : Well, the point is, we said in 2010 that we… That this would be our last studio album and our last tour, because we know how much energy is spent being on the road, touring, playing five days a week. So in that case, we said to ourselves, “Let’s stick to the truth.” But what we had in mind… That’s why the project got the “Comeblack” moniker. “Comeblack” came about on the 2010 tour, when we saw all the young people in front of the stage. We said, “Incredible! Where do all these guys come from?” And we found out, because we have around 1.5, 1.8 million fans on Facebook, and we found out that most of those 1.5, 1.8 million fans are between 14 and 28 years old. So, in that case, we said, “Look, what can we do?” And then came the idea of going back to the studio and recording our classics. But then we thought, "Why not give these people an idea of who influenced us?" Bands like The Kings… Whoever. And we decided, "Let's do Scorpions covers," to give an idea of what the Scorpions are like, where we came from, and our hits. And we wanted to do this, let's say, with the new technology, Bluetooth; you can even record with this new technology that young people understand, and that has the sound of today. So in that case, we created this project, which was the farewell tour. But in the future, of course, we are currently working on a film that will be released in 2012, 2013, or 2014. It's a film about the Scorpions' career, so, of course, we have a lot of material, which back in the 70s and 80s, we could only record 9 songs, but we always recorded more than 14 or 15. So in that case, some songs were left over. And what we want to do is, we want to go back to that old material, discover which songs we still like and which songs stand out, and release an album with all those tracks, something like that. So we have a few things in mind, and we also have approximately 800 hours of video material in our library. So we want to go through the Scorpions in front of the walls or maybe the Scorpions in Manaus. So we want to do that kind of thing, swimming with the dolphins, whatever. When we have the time, the problem is that we already started with a kind of film that talks about the Scorpions' career over 40 years, but then we discovered how much time you really need to make that a work of art, so in that case we said, "OK, guys, when we finish the tour we'll do it, because then we'll have enough time for it."
W (DD): That's incredible, Rudolf. Thank you so much for your time. We're sure we'll have two sold-out nights in São Paulo, with over 15,000 people going crazy in September when the Scorpions come to Brazil again. And before we finish, could you choose a Scorpions song that you're very proud to have written for us to listen to on the show now?
RS: Of course! “Rock you like a Hurricane”!
W (NM): Thank you very much, Mr. Schenker. It was a great honor, so we look forward to seeing you in September in Brazil.
RS: OK, and I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans from Brazil, and equally, thank you so much for supporting the Scorpions for so long. We can only say that we're going to rock them like a hurricane! See you later!
Listen to the full episode:
