Rockezine.com interview with Michael Schenker Group on Apr 21, 2006

with Michael Schenker on Apr 21, 2006

Michael Schenker, the famous German guitar player who had played guitar with the Scorpions and UFO (on the "Lights Out" and the "Stranger in the Night" albums) released in 1980 the first MSG-album, titled MSG. This would be the beginning of a long carrier with many highlights and also some bad periods. In 2006 MSG is celebrating his 25th anniversary of MSG with a great new album "Tales of Rock and Roll". On the 21st of April 2006 I was asked by Rock Inc. if I was interested to do an interview with mr. Schenker. I immediately agreed and met Michael at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Weert.
		The songs on the 25 years-celebration album you originally wrote for UFO, how come they didn`t end up as a UFO album? How do you know that?
		I heard it in on the interview on the promo-cd. The whole establishment is that it was originally written for UFO. Phil Mogg somehow didn’t make it, but he wanted it because Pete Way was working on it in his studio. I don’t know what happened at Phil Moggs side but fact is I had a great album written, musically, but there were no vocals on it yet. When I found out that there was no Phil Mogg, I put it aside. The next thing was that I got a demo from a singer Jari Tiura out from nowhere... Norway? (laughs). I was blown away because I liked his voice so much, it was just like an envelope from God. It was perfect because this time I knew that this person could do something that was developped step by step. It could not have been premeditated although I had a vision. It is like a combination of things.
		It is like a concept album, each concept album has a theme. I knew the time was right to put it to the next level with the new vocalist. The only thing I needed was an attractive story. I could write about Snowwhite but that wouldn`t be a rock album (laughter). After 5 months Jari said to me, "Michael, I have a great title for the album: Tales of Rock ‘n’ Roll." With that idea he saved everything. That moment I asked the original singers: “just think of Tales of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, and everybody has a tale; especially all of the singers. That was a creative suggestion that made things much easier. In 2005 I was already done with the album, because I work very fast. Then I had to wait 1 year just for 6 singers. That was frustrating, I pushed myself to the limit with patience which I don’t have a lot of.
		Who did come up the idea to have all the singers sing a song on the CD? It happened step by step. First of all, it was written for UFO, next thing I got the demo of the singer from Scandinavia, who sung so amazing, and then I thought: “wait a minute, this person is going to do this concept album”. It didn’t actually work out like a concept album. Because of Tales of Rock ‘n’ Roll it changed things, you know. And I believe that external factors will have an influence on how it changed up. If you are open minded and you can deal with that sometimes it can work out much better than that you actually wanted in the first place. So it became a mixture of what I wanted and what actually happened. I’m much happier because of the Tales of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the 25 years of MSG it makes so more sense because each person is singing a tale.
		It is much more creative than started from all the way back with a locked up plan. Very important was that I didn’t talk to any record company. People are very easy to try to influence you in a negative way and say something like: “Michael, this is impossible.”. I don’t want to hear that, I know it is possible, it is just a matter of how you do it. If you have a precise idea you can do it, but you don’t really know it’s going happen, the first plan is always better than the second plan, because with the second plan you always go along with the meaning of other people. If I would have gone to record companies, they would have talked me out of it. They would have not understood how it could happen. And I had a special system that made it happen.
		You had a concept already, when did you write the songs? I was writing it when I was in the studio doing the plot album with Pete Way and that was the reason why Jeff Martin and Pete Way play on the album, simply because I have a really nice studio. Pete his wife just died and everybody wanted to help him to keep him occupied and away from feeling miserable by just keep working. When I had the material it was like phenomenal, I really liked it. It came to the point that we actually split it because it was just too good. So I said to Pete: “I don’t want it to do just that way, I want to be part of it.” Then it was bootlegged, stolen out of the studio and then when it became official the whole impact was gone. But I had a vision I could not have premeditated it but it turned out to be different then I thought it would be. How would it end up, I couldn’t have done it with another plan. In a way it is unique because I love Pete, he’s the nicest guy. Jeff is an extremely talented drummer and even he’s a great singer I wouldn’t have chosen him for the job. Jari was really the explosion that came up.
		It is very unique to have all UFO elements brought by Pete and the MSG-elements brought by yourself on one album. It has a very clear sound and it is full of energy especially the guitar solos. How did you create such an energetic album? As long as Pete is there, there is always energy. He is the very similar to Gary Barden. Pete and Gary are the 2 of the most “liked by me”-people. Both have a very positive attitude. The last time I split from UFO was actually because Pete was screwed up in his head. But I guess because of his wife, I got embarrassed and I started drinking just to be able to stand that “Pete Way-syndrome” which was negative at that time. He didn’t know when to start playing. We agreed we would start the song when we counted till 4, Pete was counting till 6 or 7, he was actually a child. At that time he was embarrassing he screwed me up. I left UFO. It led to cancellations and it basically started to a drama. Pete was an idiot, drinking doesn’t make you an idiot. Something happened to him because he used to be normal, I’m sorry to say that because I like him very much.
		You said you split with UFO, why was that? I see Phill Mogg always like a terrier, he had the veins points at his neck of a dog. He was fighting anything that didn’t fit with his plan. He had never touched me because I said:”If you ever hit me, I’m going to leave this band”. At the end (1979) he hit me and I left UFO. He tried to get me back, but I refused. 17 years later Phil strangely invited my sister Barbara to play keyboards in the band. It was just like he had to have a Schenker in the band. Because of a car-accident she got hurt and it didn’t work out.
		You are celebrating your 25th anniversary of MSG, but your career is going back to 1970 as a member of the Scorpions and UFO naturally. What are your absolute highlights of your whole career? The highlights for UFO weren’t truly highlights for me, because there is a difference between a highlight I support and a highlight I don’t support. E.g. the album “Lights Out” was a highlight for UFO but for me it was the opposite. Lights out put me in the spotlights and I never felt happy in the spotlights. Today it’s easier to accept, now I have adjustments in order to hang on. I’m almost as happy on stage because of the ear monitors and all that in between the guitar player and the singer. Previous you had volume, more volume and more volume and then suddenly the guitar solo, I get dizzy and I almost couldn’t play anymore. A lot of things have chanced over the years, I’m now pretty confident being on stage because I’m an emotional player, not a technical player like Yngwie Malmsteen. I really had applauded him for the first album, it was amazing and sensational. Then it actually turned into acrobatically basically.
		The music my brother makes, and Klaus and myself is something that comes from the heart, from the essence of your being which is the control of your universe which makes it totally different. The inner spring is infinite when you connect with the essence of your being. Everybody has got that essence, that very unique individual. That is how it has been created, not very much people know that they have something because of all the material stuff. Everybody is competing each other with wealth.
		You have put the set list on the MSG internet site. Will you play the entire set list on your tour? The set list on the site was somehow presented but it is not the real set list. I personally prefer not to be told what the next move is, I want to be surprised how the movie is, or I might just as well not go to the movie. So it wasn’t my idea.
		Holger Hübner: This was my idea (laughter)
		The Beatles are one of my favourite bands, when they should only play songs like I Love you, Yesterday etc. it wouldn’t be surprising anymore. In my case it is more like obvious they are classics that you just play even though you do it for 25 years. You can not go on stage every time playing the same songs, because that is like a machine and I’m an individual. It is the same with the solos, it’s important not to play solos the same way, it makes me happy and it makes you happy. It’s every time like an adventure, what will happen next? Can you image how it is to play the same songs and solos during 30 years? Some solo’s I always play the same, like “Only you can rock me” and “Doctor, Doctor”, but that is more like a theme, it’s always appreciated.
		I find it fascinating that you never know why people live the way they live, there must be a reason for it. For me I can explain it this way: I never wanted to be on stage because I’m extremely shy, but God put me there because I was extremely shy. That is an imprint you cannot erase it that easily, but you can go for it. I had done self improvement programs, that is how I found out I was being ripped off all my life, because all the people came in took the money and run away. Basically I learned a lot from that. Intuitively I knew in my heart that something wasn’t right. I finally had the courage to say: “I want to know if that what is going on is actually reality”. And I found out it wasn’t.
		I have a really beautiful story that I again didn’t premeditated, it has happened but it started off with how on earth Chrysalis Records with artists like Leo Sayer, 10 Years After and so many other bands using Strangers in the Night-cover for their 25th anniversary and I never get any money, And when you don’t get any money you can’t eat and you`re going to starve to death. I had the idea that because of the need of freedom that is why I mean I have two tattoos here, one is born to overcome and one is born to be free. For me it is very important. I decided one day to figure out what is going on and what is going wrong, that is how the 2 “Thank you” instrumental albums happened. I went on tour by myself. The only baggage I had were 2 guitars (1 acoustic one and 1 electric one) baggage and three suitcases of clothes. I travelled through the US in a public transport Greyhound in the midst of strangers, I was just one of them. I travelled over 10.000 miles through the whole US and knocked on the doors of the radio stations and asked them if they wanted an interview. Over 75% said yes.
		Before I left all I wanted was freedom, enough food every day and a roof over my head. I knew I could sell at least 3 records each day to have that need to be met. When I came home I was rich! I learned that being rich doesn’t mean you`re going to be happy and being poor doesn’t mean you are sad. I have been both ways. I have been extremely happy and being extremely rich and also extremely happy and being extremely poor.
		So where do you go from that?
		Thank you for the interview and I ‘ll see you in Tilburg on the 18th of may. You`re welcome.
		(Ralph Vermeere)