Interview with Rudolf Schenker

  IIn interviewing with  Rudolf Schenker With the Scorpions he talked about their new CD coming soon HUMANITY HOUR 1 a triumph of soul-searching hard rock. A concept album loosely constructed around a vision of the future in which humans and androids battle for control of the Earth, HUMANITY HOUR 1 is a total departure from the band's most recent releases (EYE II EYE, UNBREAKABLE. Thirty-five years after the release of their debut album Lonesome Crow, Scorpions believe they have reached a new creative high in their impressive career. And they plan to prove it with the release of album number 21. Even though they have already made music history with hits like "Wind Of Change", "Rock You Like A Hurricane" and "Send Me An Angel"- there is still nothing more exciting than a new challenge. I Had the interview in person at the Grand Sierra Theater in Reno and caught there live show. They are still on top with and awesome a show and CD HUMANITY HOUR 1.

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Interview with Rudolf Schenker

RP:      You’re just a busy guy.

Rudolf:            We just flew in from Germany to America

RP:      Good old Germany.  That’s your roots.

Rudolf:            Yeah. 

RP:      That’s what I thought.  I caught you guys when you were touring with the San Jose Philharmonic Orchestra.

Rudolf:            In San Francisco?

RP:      Yes, in San Francisco.  That was fun.

Rudolf:            It was something special in the 90s.  If wasn’t so worthwhile ... we try to learn.  We go on got the philharmonic to do something together.  The overture was great.  It came to be used in an album which when we look back it worked and also for us finding out about ourselves looking at old material and then do a quick picker up and then go into a break now.  It was a good way of really going and working in a new direction.  Too, in the 90s, we were kicked out of Dresden by grunge and fraternities and now we’re finding out the extent of the Scorpions.  We are different.  By getting kicked out, we tried to find out what good for the 90s, the only one way to do it.  Make two projects or five projects.  It’s a little bit like Eye II .  In the way of five projects by experimenting around and harmonic.  And then only because the producer which did this album, of Moment of Glory.   We had to spend a lot of time with him.

RP:      Moment of Glory produced a lot of hits.

Rudolf:   Yes a different production.  When we do it with an acoustic album which was already out for many many years from Asia.  We do it now because when we have anything control . Really the sort of people that we feel alive and that said things and are one step up.

RP:      I was listening to your album.  Very very powerful.

Rudolf:  We are still because we enjoy what we are doing.  In this case it was only one part of humanity and there’s this tour..  Our album records tend towards to see the light.  We want to make an album where you, by yourself, going and then take the challenge.  You made an album, especially in these days, where other people get so much, an album today is not anymore to make money it is promo.  This album  is really adventure and we want to do an album of today.  We are not a band of yesterday, we are a band of today and we want to show the people in here the Scorpions with an update sound with an update sound.

RP:      I notice with acquiring Desmond Childs ...

Rudolph:  It was a busy relation.  But before he said he might do it.  He said no.  He came by to get to come from the outside.  We met Desmond the first time in ’89.  We had a few songs on our list and thought February 2006 he would look and  all of them and because neither were published.  He know what he want to do.  He is a very excellent songwriter and said I want to work with you but I can only start in October because I am working with Meatloaf at the moment .  Okay, no problem because we three weeks much to do.  We work playing everywhere.  And when he came  in October, he could put together  Humanity Hour One.  He had the cover already with the art design.  Those are two things that normally come in the end.  You know, the only situation in Germanycame out of you know, we had a big party and night and can’t remember.  But this time, Desmond came up with the whole thing and it looked right.  I think you guys are ready and gave a message for the people in 1990 with Winds of Change. 

RP:      Winds of Change that was the song about the Berlin Wall coming down.

Rudopf:  Exactly it became the songs about people.  If you like doing this, Humanity Hour One, a declaration of look up and contemplate of our world.  Make sure that we’ve changed and we’re taking more care by what we’re doing now.  And to be basic message like the 60’s “make love not war,” in a different way.  And you know what, when you think about at the same time, there is same message.  This is something in the air and we  make entertain.  That is a very important point, because it’s no good.  You know rock songs like peoples like painting.  If a painter is painting something, it is there.  It is up to you whether you find humanity or want to.  It is an album, a  that is not all concert like the red line but around humanity human beings and.  And when we started we had a lot of songs to learn.  New songs when we wrote in October with them and then we said let’s start from zero.  I have met a lot of good people like that.  Let’s go from there.  When we have something to share, if you don’t have, then you have to look up.  When we went to work with ___ out give us the life and we worked with the moment  thats why we had albums Eye II Eye

        Desmond Child  wanted to make the overview and I have here an upcoming producer, and we were doing a job on guitars and bass in different studios .    We learned a lot. 

RP:      Interesting way to make a Album

Rudolf:   And in this case we were downloading and learning and  doing a promotion tour.  Now, when you say maybe, also a job where you make money, but the money today that is on the tour on the road, we are going to have to even have more a very good lifetime which __ tour after doing the album.  We started the tour on the 3rd of March in the Kremlin surrounding by Vladimir Putin and 9,000 people.  From there we went to the United States, to Kiev, to Pakistan and Mati (sp?).  And then we did all of Europe, Spain, Sweden, Holland, Germany, all that kind of thing.  And then we went over to – the only thing which was a little bit complicated was the mixing, because we didn’t know all that we had to really work through other songs because the album became very dark.  Between hope and darkness, of course we had to have some darkness.

RP:      What about the song called 321?

Rudolf:  Yeah, yeah, exactly.  This kind.  And then we had the song called Game of Life.  We composed this new into the old tour into  instead of composing on a church somewhere, ___.  And we caught it in the end, in life, we didn’t expect end of February. That’s why we had to do the big thing online.  There, we’re sending out on the computer, the mixers.  We had to find equipment to listen to it. 

RP:      It’s a lot different from your previous album.

Rudolf:  Yeah.  If you any single thing, you end up .  Well then after we did Europe, all this time and the other part of Europe, we went to America.  We did a concert in the rain forest.  Zapatero came when we played in Spain.  He came to us and he said you know it would be fantastic  humanity when you will tour a kind of contest to pay more attention to the rainforest because of  the world.  We said yeah, it’s a good idea and then we put something on top of it.  He said okay maybe what you do out here to fill the whole thing before they find out that they are expecting 30,000 to 40,000 people and __ and do it as a charity and give the money.  That was the situation.  We had 30,000 people there.  It was unbelievable to see the rain forest, what nature did over so many millions of years, how nature grows up.  And then we went to Sao Paulo and went to other cities in Brazil and from there we went to Mexico, did five six shows in Mexico, Canada and now the United States.  So we are going back at the end of the month and we’re working on the summer tour next year.

RP:      So is this Album made for today’s Music

Rudolf:  I’ll tell you one things, if this album in the 80’s would be a major.  But you know we have a different time.  And people have to get into the music, they have to find out that this album is something special.

RP:      I didn’t think you guys were heavy metal.  I wish they’d quit saying that.

Rudolf:  Yeah.  We are put into a box, we don’t want to complain about it, but whatever you think is good.  The music will not change but your mind will change. 

RP:      They should listen a little bit more, and they’ll find out that this is rock ‘n roll, heavy rock but not heavy metal.

RP:      You’re very popular here.

Rudolf:  It’s not outstanding anymore because we have lived the life of so many years, it becomes a part of it.  It’s always the communications.  They love to feel us.  Here we are sitting enjoying.  As long as you are nice and not pushy, it’s fine.

RP:      The direction of the album is really awesome the way some of the songs keep on colliding and then you slow down on a couple of them, right?

Rudolf:  You know, Scorpions are known for having some ballads...

RP:      Wind of Change, stuff like that.

Rudolf:  The one song “Wind of Change” was the song of hope.  The other is a song of love, Still Loving You.  Which change and there’s a big baby in France.  At an interview, the guy said “hey guys, did you know that you are in charge of the baby boom in l985?”  And I said what?  And he said “Yeah, its really the song sold around 1.7 million schillings in France and everybody made love there.  It’s called “Still Loving You.” 

RP:      It makes a lot of sense though.

Rudolf:  Yeah, it’s good.  And we put so much energy.   When we played in  Kremlin we were in a Russian limousine escorted by the police.

RP:      Were you a little scare?

Rudolf:  Yeah.  Gate 13.  It’s the gate where normally only politicians are allowed to go through and _____.  And all journalists from CNN to whatever going there and talk to them for 45 minutes about anything.  About war.  Anything.  ___ when Kruschev came with the shoe and knocked on his cable.  We tell him it was rock and roll.  That music can really also be powerful with politicians.

RP:      It definitely sends a message.  Very powerful – you’re right.  I like that, good story. 

Rudolf:  And he can change the world a little bit.  Try to have to change the conscience of the people.  That’s a very important point.

RP:      There’s a lot to be said this album.  You did that. Take care of our world.

Rudolf:  Thank you.  There is a small message, but it’s not the power of the thumb and the ____.  That’s the problem.  You don’t want to preach, you only want to kick it.

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