Hier findet Ihr mein Interview mit Rudolf Schenker, dem Rhythmus-Gitarristen, Haupt-Songwriter und Gründer der SCORPIONS. Es wurde aus Anlass des 60-jährigen Jubiläums der Band geführt und hat in einem großen Amphitheater in Nîmes (Frankreich) stattgefunden.
English translation of the interview with Rudolf Schenker of the SCORPIONS:
Rock Bottom: You’re releasing a live album from your Hanover concert in November. Will there also be a DVD/Blu-ray release? Will other people be able to see it again?
Rudolf Schenker: Yes, we’re releasing everything possible from the Hanover show as a musical portrait. What it will be is another question, but it will be a lot.
You’re also releasing a biopic, a film adaptation of your story.
We’re not releasing that; Hollywood is doing that. It’s from Warner and Netflix. They’ve had the idea for six or seven years and are working on bringing the Scorpions and our career to future generations. It’s not just that we’re from Germany and have been active for another 60 years; we rocked all the way to the Kremlin. Nobody would have believed any of that before, and the topic is apparently of interest worldwide. This is conveyed in the film „Wind of Change.“
You’ve already performed in 83 countries. Are there any unvisited regions you’d still like to play?
Well, that’s not necessarily so important to us anymore, because we’ve played in so many countries now. We had an offer to play in South Africa back then, but we didn’t want to play there because of the apartheid policy. We’ve also taken a bit of a step back from that situation these days because the competition has become very fierce; it’s not as easy as it used to be to get tours like that. We’ll be playing in Cairo and Abu Dhabi soon. But we don’t want to go in all directions right now; we want to honor our music and our musical legacy; we don’t want to sell it cheaply on the last leg.
Many bands have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they probably haven’t heard about you yet. That’s a shame, because you deserve it. Why aren’t you in there yet?
Yes, because we’re not in the American circle. Our former manager, Doc McGhee, recently sent me a message saying he’s working on this important project for us and that he’s working on getting us into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So, anything is still possible. We have to raise the bar so high that it’s simply impossible to ignore us.
How did you manage to look as fit and fresh at over 70 as you did at 47? What’s your recipe?
It’s rock and roll and your inner attitude. Make every day of your life a unique experience. That’s what kept me fit, and Matthias is still in top form, too. That’s an important factor. Then, of course, I practice yoga and meditation. I meditated a lot; I wanted to go to India, up to the Himalayas, but then I gave it all up because my connection to music was so strong that nothing could disturb it. So, I did what I enjoyed. My mother said, „Rudolf, school’s almost over.“ What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a musician. She said, please do something sensible. And so I said I’d become a high-voltage electrician. I was also able to solder and repair speakers for the band. My father told me, Rudolf, do what you enjoy, the money will come to you. And that became my motto. I never paid attention to money. People would come to me and ask me if I wanted to invest my money. I said no, I want to make music, not worry about money.
You did a great job with that, too. Okay, Rudolf, thank you for the nice interview. Good luck for the coming years, with the band, personally, and health-wise!
All right. With that in mind, goodbye!