Legendary guitarist MICHAEL SCHENKER joins Mitch for episode 221 of One On One With Mitch Lafon.
In the show's only interview, guitarist extraordinaire Michael Schenker dicusses his new On A Mission - Live In Madrid (CD/DVD and or Blu-Ray) release, Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock band, Michael Schenker Fest, working with former Scorpions' bandmates Herman Rarebell & Francis Buchholz, his time with RATT, Scorpions, and his current feelings for his brother (Scorpions' guitarist) Rudolf Schenker.
Quote from the interview:
On A Mission - Live in Madrid (time - 1.53): "I always wanted to do a live album with a Spanish audience. They are always great fun."
Temple Of Rock (time - 5.06): "The idea is to develop it into its own identity - into its own style."
(time - 5.26): "After three albums of Temple Of Rock, we should be able to have enough classics to stand on its own feet, so that Doogie doesn't need to sing covers anymore."
The Michael Schenker Fest with singers Graham Bonnet, Gary Barden and Robin McAuley (time - 6.12): "The idea is - while I'm developing Temple Of Rock to stand on its own feet; I also want to present my past through the original guys."
SCORPIONS & his brother Rudolf Schenker:
(time - 12.21): "I had to fight my way out of Lovedrive because they didn't want to let me go."
(time - 12.29): "Everybody in America (all the managements), they wanted to sign the Scorpions and they thought if I leave the band that it would collapse."
(time - 12.42): "The Scorpions basically followed everything UFO did."
(time - 13.06): "I was his favorite guitarist."
(time - 13.58): "I realized what Rudolf had done. He has asked me to play the black & white guitar, he had asked me to give him the Coast To Coast melodies (those were the most tastiest parts). They never mentioned that I wrote the intro to Holiday (which sets up the song very nicely). Rudolf never missed a concert performing those two songs. Basically, he was trying to distort and make people think that there was not really any Michael Schenker. There was just Rudolf Schenker."
(time - 14.43): "I had a contract with the Scorpions. I was sixth member."
(time - 15.03): "Rudolf actually can't really play guitar properly and that's a fact."
(time - 15.18); "Basically, I started the Scorpions with Klaus."
(time - 16.16): "Basically, Uli was the foundation artistically."
(time - 16.39): "But Rudolf... My generosity was very sadly abused and I don't appreciate that. These days, I'm staying away from the Scorpions as far as a can especially from Rudolf. I can't trust him anymore. I don't know what else he has in his trick box."
(time - 17.15): "Klaus is the only one with the real talent."
(time - 17.33): "So, it's very sad that... on that Scorpions side, everything has become numb & dumb. It has nothing to do with music anymore. They milked what they could milk for the last 23 years with that manager who just died. They haven't done anything since Herman & Francis left."
There wasn't room for 'two Schenkers in the Scorpions' (quote from my July 2015 interview with Rudolf) (time - 18.58): "Rubbish. Absolute rubbish. Rudolf cried on the phone begging me back to the Scorpions when I left them because I went there to help the Scorpions out. I had just left UFO and I was peaking. I was #5 guitarist in America."
(time - 20.09): "I couldn't stand playing Uli's songs. I was a guitarist with a focus on pure expression. I wanted to develop as a guitarist. I did not want to be part of the artificial commercial world."
(time - 21.09): "They changed the story around to make it sound good. 'I had to take my brother because it's my brother.' Bullshit! They begged me into the Scorpions. The fact is I did not want to be part of a commercial touring band anymore. I wanted to do & go my own way."
(time - 22.13): "I would agree that there was no space for two Schenkers because if I would have stayed with the Scorpions my brother would have never experienced what he experienced."
(time - 23.58): speaking of Rudolf: "He's become a fame addict."
(time - 25.09): "He's a con artist. He steals everything that I have done. I'm his younger brother and he thinks he can get away with it."
(time - 25.33): "My sister wrote an email and said, 'Our brother is a greedy wanker."
