MICHAEL SCHENKER – THE DISTURBED FLIGHT OF THE FLYING V |
by Thiago Sarkis |
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In the first twenty months of his career, Michael Schenker was able to start in the Scorpions with the album Lonesome Crow (1972), to leave the band in the middle of the tour, to temporarily be part of UFO to be a permanent member later and to move from Germany to England. Not so bad for someone who was living the adolescence . A sign, however, of his current instability that would mark the trajectory of the guitarist. Brilliant with his Flying V, but always involved in confusions, as in 2007, when he left the stage before playing a quarter of the predicted set list. In a clarifying interview, the German musician, fifty three years old today, guarantees that he is getting things in order, and he can see in The Midst Of Beauty (2008), new album of MSG, the first step of the way he intent to follow. |
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♦ The cover of “In The Midst OF Beauty” shows a variation of the MSG logo, bringing your last name and also of Gary Barden (vocals). What’s the reason of this changing? Michael Schenker: Several vocalists sang with me in other bands and also in the MSG. What I do want with the cover of “In The Midst Of Beauty” is to show immediately that this is an album recorded with Gary Barden by my side. It’s my guitar and his vocals. It’s important to stand it out to make our fans know what it is about. ♦ Is it also a way to renew the MSG after all the problems and difficulties of a turmoiled year as it was in 2007 for you? Michael Schenker: Yes, it is too. But our main goal was really to stand up Gary’s return to the vocals of the MSG. But before recording the album I had to get the things in the right places, there was a lot of confusion. I realized my situation and decided to change managers, the agency and to renew everything and everybody who was around me in and outside of the band. ♦ You moved to England, right? The process of the album composition has happened then? Michael Schenker: Basically yes. I started writing since the moment I moved to England and here I started an intensive work for the development of the album idea. Everything was step by step, without euphoria. I let my inspiration flow and, this way, the process of composition was productive and positive. ♦ Describe us your method of work at the composing moment. How do the songs of MSG start getting form? Michael Schenker: My method of work hasn’t changed a lot since I started my career. Normally, I select some subjects that stand out for me, and then I start practicing them, looking for the best way to its execution. Little by little the composition gets life and form. All these initial drafts are recorded and they become a real inspiration for what I do later. ♦ In “The Midst Of Beauty” specifically, did you count on the collaboration of other musicians who are with you in the album? Michael Schenker: I always write the songs by my own. The beginning of the composition process and all the period of creation and conception of the material are my responsibility. After, I explain to the musicians of the band what I want and how I think each part of what I composed. In the specific case of “In The Midst of Beauty”, when I got into the studio with Gary Barden, almost all the vocal melodies were done. We just worked them a little better and I finished the arrangements. |
| ♦ How has the Gary Braden’s return happened and what made you bring him to MSG’s vocals again? Michael Schenker: I can see things by a simple way: Musicians go through different periods and in each time they need some specific elements to complete their compositions. The time to record with Gary Barden has come again. He has a strong and vigorous voice and it is completely engaged with the songs I wrote for the new album. It’s great to have him by my side once again. It’s a great vocalist we’re talking about, who has constructed a rich and beautiful story with MSG. ♦ Following you thought line, are there any vocalists you’d like to work with but you haven’t got an opportunity yet? Michael Schenker: There’s so many (laughs). It always comes to my mind when I write, cause at the same time the composition gets form I start thinking about names that would be appropriate for this. Anyway, Gary Barden is the guy I think that is perfect for this album and for MSG’s moment now. ♦ Besides Gary, you have Neil Murray (bass), Don Arey (keyboards) and Sinton Phillips (drums) playing in “In The Midst Of Beauty”. How did you find each one of them? Michael Schenker: Since the material has reached an advanced point, I started thinking about musicians who I would like to have on this album. I spoke with my manager and we agreed about these names. They are great and they were happy when they received the invitation to record with MSG. ♦ What would you say about the work with the three guys in this album? Michael Schenker: We work on a little different way this time. Símon is a consecrated professional and with many appointments. Then he couldn’t come to us, and he made everything from his studios in Los Angeles. Don Airey also is a worldwide consecrated musician and today he is a Deep Purple’s member. But fortunately he has found time in his schedule to record with us. Neil Murray, on the other hand, was with me and Gary Barden in England recording the bass’ lines. Even with these distances in a great part of the process, we kept in touch along all the period of the recordings, we shared ideas and I could supervise and talk to each one of them about the directions I wanted for the songs I wrote. As we could expect, since they are very qualified, we got the best about drums, keyboard and bass. ♦ About the musical direction, would you say that this album is close to your work from the 80’s? Michael Schenker: No doubt. I do believe that “In The Midst Of Beauty” is a typical work of Michael Schenker. Of course it’s a current album, but it brings elements from the beginning of the 80’s, in the line of The Michael Schenker Group (1980), MSG (1981) and Built To Destroy (1983). ♦ Which songs from the new album are the best examples of this? Michael Schenker: I write each song for a reason, but I think they are engaged with each other. There are different dynamics, emotions and atmospheres, but the material would sound good as well if we would put all this in just one track. But I think that the best examples would be “Wings Of Emotion” – a great feature for me -, “I Want You” e “Night To Remember”. They show a good mix of Hard, Heavy, blues and other influences of mine. ♦ Exactly two years ago you released “Tales Of Rock ‘N’ Roll” (2006) celebrating the 25th MSG’s anniversary. How was to work on that album, recording new songs with each one of the vocalists who have already sung in the band? Michael Schenker: It was a test with my patience (laughs). Just kidding, things really took longer than I expected because there were many people involved. But the celebration was worth. We all like going back in time,as well as recording new songs to that CD. It was interesting and I liked the results. ♦ Besides the celebration, the album’s promotion was damaged by the troubles you were involved, specifically last year. What’s your opinion about everything that happened during that time? Michael Schenker: The truth is that I was very confused in my career. Nothing was working. The managers of MSG didn’t know what to do, and I went through disturbing personal moments too. The combination of these facts resulted in disastrous concerts and the cancellation of several dates. I was sorry about what happened, and the only way out was to start organizing everything again. What I can guarantee to people is that we have cleaned all the dirt and now we’ll move on as it’s supposed to be. ♦ The concerts with Scorpions have happened in that time too. How can you see your quick reunion with your former band mates? Michael Schenker: The story before this reunion was too weird and, somehow, I didn’t like it. They made decisions for me, and they hadn’t asked me about what they wanted to do. I found out that I would play with them at Wacken Open Air 2006 during an interview. The interviewer has asked about my preparation for the concert with Scorpions at the festival and I didn’t have any answers, my only reaction was to ask “Will I play with Scorpions at Wacken?”; It wasn’t nice, but other factors have compensated these negative aspects. ♦ Which ones? Michael Schenker: The reunion was a little quick. We didn’t have time to rehearse enough, there was a big fuss from the fans and the press because of the meeting of the former members of the band and, due to these facts, it was hard to even understand what was happening. But we knew that it was because of Scorpions and all that the group went through all these long years of career. It was a valid celebration, and I enjoyed to be on the stage with them, as I liked to play with Uli Jon Roth (guitar) and Herman Rarebell (drums) once again, They are two nice people, and great musicians. ♦ Have you watched the DVD Live At Wacken Open Air 2006 (2007), which brings the recordings of that show at the German festival? Michael Schenker: After the concert, I met Rudolf, and we watched it together. There was no edition, and I have no idea what they did with this material after all. But I liked what I saw, considering what was possible and all of that fuss and not having much time for rehearsals, I think we had a great performance that certainly will be in the fans’ memories. ♦ And for you, which memories are left from that concert? Michael Schenker: Affective ones, not many. I can’t remember very well the feelings I had while we were playing. Actually I think that none of us could deal with this because of all that movement I have mentioned before. On the other hand, I know it was cool to present those songs with the Scorpions and to get on stage with them once again. ♦ You played with them “Another Piece Of Meat”, “Coast To Coast”, “Lovedrive” and “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”. After so many years of the original recordings, which is your opinion about each one of these songs today? Michael Schenker: I like all of them, but of course that some of them sound a little bit raw, because they come from our teenage years, when we were not consisted basically as musicians yet. “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”, for example, was the first song I wrote in my life. I was fifteen years old when I composed the instrumental line. Some time later Klaus Meine wrote the lyrics. Because of this and so many aspects, I believe that he talks about me in it. I identified myself a lot with each part since we reached the final result of the album Lonesome Crow. ♦ Just a quick interruption. I have the impression that this is the song that you like the most among all those you recorded and were played in the meeting with Scorpions. Is that right? Michael Schenker: I really have a special feeling for “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”. It had a fundamental role in my life as a musician and as a person. Although I like the other songs a lot, because of the fact that they had come from other band members I don’t have so much enthusiasm commenting on them. I just worked on that which they have already started to create. I heard Coast To Coast with all the structure and harmony already done and I just developed the melodies. “In Another Piece Of Meat” and “Lovedrive” almost the same thing happened, but I didn’t participate so much in both, I was in charge of the solos. ♦ These last three mentioned songs were released in “Lovedrive” (1979), when you came back to Scorpions. How was this return to the band? Michael Schenker: We gave ourselves a second chance in “Lovedrive”. That was a attempt to see if things would work in the band. But I was really looking for total freedom as a composer and it’s not possible with Scorpions. They have a specific direction, they write together as a machine and they usually don’t go off the limits they’ve adopted and imposed to each of them and to the group since the beginning. That’s why I decided to leave them again during the tour of that album. ♦ This has already influenced your decision of leaving the Scorpions after Lonesome Crow? Michael Schenker: That time I wasn’t thinking about it yet. The pure and simple reason of my departure from the Scorpions was my wish to join any English band, since there was more public to my style in England, as in North America. Germany was still too closed to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in the 70’s. ♦ Did you find what you were looking for with UFO? Michael Schenker: Yes, those first years UFO was all I wanted. I went to England following The Beatles’ steps and, suddenly, there was a space to my guitar and the recognition started to happen, it happened fast. “Phenomenon” (1974) got excellent replies and the repercussion of “Force 11” (1975) was even better. There was an incredible chemistry and I was very focused on improving myself as a composer and guitarist. ♦ Which are the main factors of the band’s development until the definitive recognition with the release of “Lights Out” (1977)? Michael Schenker: We did excellent concerts and we learned a lot on the road. But the real differential of “Lights Out” was the fact that for the first time we were working with a real producer. Ron Neivision did a fabulous work and at right moment for the band. We climbed many steps with his help. ♦ What had changed in about two years that made you leave the band? Michael Schenker: “Obsession” (1978) was a good album which we gave emphasis to the drums and new possibilities of recordings. Some things didn’t work as we wished, but we liked the result. But at the time of the first live album, “Strangers Of The Night” (1979) the internal relationships were to shabby, and Phil Mogg (vocal) started to have troubles with everybody. There were fights and I told him if he would attack me I would leave the band, he did it and I left. ♦ You have met again in 1993 and released new albums. How was this return after all this? Michael Schenker: We had already solved our old problems and once again we lived great moments. The chemistry in the albums we recorded that time was almost the same. There were just some new elements about sounds and ideas, besides the presence of Mike Varney, producer who had different styles and approach from Ron Nevision, evidently. ♦ Besides UFO, Scorpions and MSG, you joined Ratt. Which are your memories of that period with them? Michael Schenker: It was a different experience for me. Of course that the band’s style doesn’t have much to do with mine, but Warren DeMarini (guitar) is a great friend of mine and he asked me to join them for a tour, replacing Robin Crosby (guitar). They are good musicians, it was great to play “Round And Round”, but the group was living in a incredible craziness, the fight’s didn’t stop. It was cool but turmoiled. After all, this is the essence of The Ratt, a little.(laughs). ♦ You have been contrived to join Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne’s band, haven’t you? How did the contact happen and why didn’t it resulted in partnerships? Michael Schenker: At the beginning of the 80’s, Peter Mesch, my manager at that time, told me that Joe Perry had left Aerosmith and they were making auditions with several guitarists. I came to them, but we couldn’t work together so much, because Steven Tyler had health problems. About one year later, I came back to Boston and invited Joey Kramer and tom Hamilton (drummer and bass player of Aerosmith, respectively) to participate of the MSG’s album. We rehearsed a few times, since Steven was recovering and and they decided to reform Aerosmith and go back to play with Joe. About Ozzy Osbourne, he contacted me while I was rehearsing and writing songs of “Assault Attack” (1982). It wouldn’t be nice to leave the band at that point, so I couldn’t accept the invitation. ♦ I have already read about a possible contact of you with Deep Purple to replace Ritchie Blackmore, who left the band during “The Battle Rages On” tour (1993). Did it really happen? Michael Schenker: Yes, they contacted me at the end of 1993 while I was in a short acoustic tour with Scorpions. On the other hand there was a possibility of a new reunion of UFO that time. Then I talked to Rudolf and Klaus and asked: “To join Deep Purple or go back to UFO?” they answered “UFO!!!” (laughs). I already had a connection with the band, and I though the idea of replacing Ritchie Blackmore was stupid, then I also though that to go back to UFO would be the best choice. ♦ Thank you for this interview Michael. Do you have any final message? Michael Schenker: Thank you for this opportunity. I hope to talk to you more times and to play in Brazil soon. See you! |
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The Best five albums according to Michael: |
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Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
Deep Purple - In Rock Mountain – Climbing! Black Sabbath - Master Of Realily Cream - Disraeli Gears Site: www.michaelschenkerhimself.com |
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