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THE ARCHIVES
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Morrigan's Pit has closed down as of November 2006. The site and its articles will stay online as an archive until September at least, but probably longer.
The Archives
2002-2006
» CD REVIEWS
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MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP
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Michael Schenker
April 2006
http://www.michaelschenkerhimself.com
On a sunny day in April we drove to Weert to meet with my first hero as a metalhead, back in 1981, Mr. Michael Schenker. Theo of Rock Inc. gave a few webzines the opportunity to interview him, I shared my appointment with Ralph of Rockezine and Nico took some pics. Michael was there with booking agent Holger Hübner (known to most people as one of the Wacken organisors). We had a long list of questions and no idea how it would go - after all, Schenker has a bit of a reputation, but we just went in with no expectations. Well, the man we met and talked with didn't look like the rockstar you'd expect, but more shy and sweet, and he wasn't sober, but definitely friendly, witty and talkative. It's just that he talked fairly slow and sometimes drifted away from the questions a bit, so we only talked about a part of the things on our list. Kudos to Ralph for typing out almost the whole interview on his own - from there we edited it for ourselves, so both interviews probably won't be 100% identical as it was necessary to condense a few things or straighten out some sentences here and there. Read on to learn about how this "25 Years Celebration" album came about, with the new talented singer Jari Tiura, plus guest appearances of all the previous MSG singers, but also how he takes us back in history a little bit.
Marlies: 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?
Marlies: 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 (although he wanted it - because Pete Way was working in the studio and was in contact with him). I don't know what happened at his side but fact is I had a great album written, musically, but there were no vocals on it yet. When I found that there was no Phil Mogg, I put it aside. The next thing was that I got a demo from a singer 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 developed step by step. It could not have been premeditated, although I had a vision, it's like a combination of things, because the album is like a concept album and each concept album has a theme. I knew it needed to be put to the next level by a vocalist. What do you do with that? You need 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. I asked all the original singers: "just think "Tales Of Rock 'n' Roll"", there is no way that someone wouldn't know what I was talking about, 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 is frustrating, I pushed myself to the limit with patience which I don't have a lot of.
Ralph: Who came up with 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 a concept album has a kind of story, not a theme. Because of "Tales Of Rock 'n' Roll" it changed things, you know. And I believe in having a vision and let external factors have an influence on how it changes. If you are open minded and you can deal with that, sometimes it can work out much better than what you actually wanted in the first place. So it became a mixture of what I wanted and what actually happened. I'm much more happy because of the "Tales Of Rock 'n' Roll" and the 25 years of MSG, it makes so much more sense. Because each person is singing a tale. It is much more creative, it started from all the way back.. saying to myself "I need an A-B-C-D-E plan". Very important was that I didn't talk to the record company or other people, because they'll easily try to influence you in a negative way and say 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 to happen. 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 possible. (leaning towards me) Marlies, honestly, I did. (laughter)
Marlies: When did you write the songs?
I was writing it when I was in the studio doing the Plot album with Pete Way (The Plot = Michael Schenker & Pete Way, feat. Jeff Martin on drums) and that was the reason why Jeff Martin and Pete Way play on the album. Simply because I have a really nice studio, Pete's wife had just died and everybody wanted to help him to keep him up occupied and away from that type of mysery - 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 to just do it 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 and I could not have premeditated it, but it turned out to be different than I thought it would be. How it ended up, I couldn't have it done 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 though he's a great singer I wouldn't have chosen him for the job. Jari was really the explosion that kind of... (suddenly changes the subject) CNN and Michael Schenker Group: Larry King and I are celebrating the same thing, 25th anniversary.
Marlies: I am celebrating my 25th anniversary as a metalhead :) My first metal album was the first MSG, that shirt was my first metal shirt etc. So that's why it's extra special to me to sit here now and finally meet you.
Fantastic! And it's supposed to be that way, too. Everybody who connects on that level... this is a pretty good idea. We could go back and figure out who actually started at that same time and then have all of those people to come together and have a real big party of 25 years! (laughter) And you will be the inspiration of that, it's actually really unique!
Ralph: 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 because he has a very positive attitude, even though the last time I split from UFO was actually because Pete just got screwed up in his head. I put him on my tour in the middle of a MSG-concert, I put him in the middle with 3 of his own songs and then MSG continues with MSG. 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 started the song when we counted till 4, Pete was counting till 6 or 7. At that time he was embarrassing, he kind of screwed me up and it led to cancellations and it basically started to become a drama. It really was based on Pete, I'm sorry to say that, because I like him very much. He is the very similar to Gary Barden. Pete and Gary are the 2 of the most "liked by me"-people.
Ralph: You said you split with UFO, when was that? At the end of the 70s or in the 90s?
Pete was drinking, he was an idiot, but drinking doesn't make you an idiot. Something happened to him, because it used to be Phil Mogg, he punched me in '79 and that was why I left UFO, not many people know that. I see Phil Mogg always like a terrier, he had the veins (points at his neck) of a dog, he was fighting anything that didn't fit his plan. He had never touched me, because I was getting fed up watching it, there was always a lot of blood and I said: "If you ever hit me, I'm going to leave this band". He hit me... and I left. 17 years later.. in between he kept asking, he even invited my sister Barbara to play keyboards in the band. It was just like he had to have a Schenker in the band. But she was accident... she was supposed to take part in the Olympics as a gymnastic, but unfortunately she made a wrong jump, ended up with a nail in her leg. In 1980 or 81 I did Rockpalast, we were about to go on stage when someone came to tell me that my sister was lying in the middle of the motorway, underneath a car! And I was about to go on stage! You can imagine what went through my mind. I tried to block it out, as much as I could and it was still a good concert, but it was horrifying. So now Barbara had nails here and nails there. When she was 10 years old, she walked into a piece of metal and cut half her head open. Some people have all the fun. At least it was all metal, she was a heavy metal kid! (laughter)
Ralph: You are celebrating your 25th anniversary of MSG, but your carrier is going back to 1970 as a member of the Scorpions and UFO naturally. What are your absolute highlights of your whole carrier?
The highlights 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, I got scared. I never felt happy being 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 the battling between the guitar player and the singer. Previous you had volume, more volume and more volume and then suddenly the guitar solo, you get dizzy and you 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 not a technical player. To me that means to play what you learned in school, but then you'll hear the same thing over and over again. Happened to Yngwie Malmsteen. I had applauded him for the first album, it was amazing but it was more like a sensation that belonged in a circus or something. Acrobatics basically. The music my brother makes, and Klaus, myself and other people, is something that comes from the heart, from the essence of your being which is the control of the universe which makes it totally different. The inner strength is infinite when you connect with the essence of your being. Everybody has got that essence, that very unique individually. That is how it has been created, not very much people know that they have something, because of all the material stuff and appearances. Everybody is competing each other with wealth. A child in the sandbox says, "I want to be a.. " - whatever. That is what you should be, that comes from the heart. Because all of that other stuff you get side-tracked.
Ralph: You have put the setlist on the MSG internet site. Will you play the entire set list on your tour?
The setlist on the site was somehow presented but it is not the real setlist. I personally prefer not to be told what the movie is, or I might just as well not go to the movie. I want to be surprised. So it wasn't my idea.
Holger: This was my idea (laughter)
But I also asked myself, because e.g. the Beatles are one of my favourite bands, if they would not play songs like "I Love You", "Yesterday" etc. and I would see a setlist that has nothing much to do with what I would like to hear, I can see that too. In my case it is more like obvious 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, it makes me happy and it makes them 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 solos 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. I can explain it best 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 what life is about.
Marlies: Learning.
Absolutely. Always. The generation of WWII is basically the reason why people are the children of their parents. At the same time I understood after a long period of time, what an imprint is. You cannot erase it that easily, but you can go for it. I have done several 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 ran. 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 premeditate, it just happened, but it started off with how on earth Chrysalis Records with artists like Leo Sayer, 10 Years After and so many other big bands using "Strangers In The Night"-cover for their 25th anniversary and I never got any money, it wasn't important to get that money, but it was important to have money. If you can't eat and you're gonna starve to death.
I had the idea that because of the need for freedom - that is why I have two tattoos here, one is "born to overcome" ane 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 first "Thank You" instrumental album happened. I went on tour with just 2 guitars (1 acoustic one and 1 electric one) and three suitcases of clothes. I traveled through the US in a public transport, the Greyhound busses, in the midst of strangers, I was just one of them. I traveled over 10.000 miles through the whole US and knocked on the doors of the radio stations and asked them if they want an interview. Over 75% said yes. Before I left I said, basically between God and me, "all I want is freedom, enough food every day and a roof over my head. I know I can sell at least 3 record each day to have that need to be met". It was a very humble request. But when I came home I was rich! (laughter) I learned that being rich doesn't mean you're gonna be happy and being poor doesn't mean you are sad. I have been in both places. I have been extremely happy being rich and also extremely happy being poor. So where do you go from that? ;)
submitted by Marlies 13.05.06
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