GUITARIST MICHAEL SCHENKER ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS BROTHER RUDOLF, “I CAN’T TRUST HIM ANYMORE”
Iconic guitarist Michael Schenker has expanded on his reasons for not being able to trust his brother Rudolf, who plays guitar for the Scorpions.
Schenker said earlier this year that he was “disappointed” in older brother Rudolf over the narrative he and the Scorpions had created about the writing and recording of 1979 album Lovedrive.
Michael added that the Scorpions took advantage of him and took credit for his songwriting efforts.
Now Michael tells The Metal Voice that Rudolf convinced him to sign over songwriting credits and that Rudolf died his hair blond as part of a plot to “misrepresent and fool people” for years.
It all came to light, he explained, when he was approached to help with the recent 50th anniversary Scorpions reissues.
Michael said, “I found out that they put a bio out that was a completely wrong story. I found out that there was nobody credited for what I wrote on Holiday. It’s the intro to Holiday, it’s 45 seconds long. That’s the intro that I wrote but nobody got credit for it.
And then Rudolf asked me to give him the melodies for Coast To Coast and with my black-and-white guitar. And those two things were the most tastiest things and easiest parts to copy, because Rudolf is not really a great guitarist. He can just about play.
But that was something, him being a Schenker and now having blond hair, and all the managers finding out, they wanted to sign that band the Scorpions where I was part of, I guess he figured out how he can misrepresent and fool people over the years, because I didn’t pay any attention until just recently.
I found out that there was not a picture of me on Lovedrive, there was no mention on Holiday who wrote and played that intro, and, of course, Rudolf persuaded me to give him the Coast To Coast melodies.
…so I’m very disappointed with that. And I must say I’m now finding out more and more weird stuff about Rudolf.”
Any lingering hope of the brothers being reunited in Scorpions were already slim, but Michael says it’ll never happen. “I have to stay away from him and I can’t trust him anymore – period,” he says. Listen to the interview below.
Michael will reunite with three Michael Schenker Group singers this summer. Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley will join Schenker at Sweden Rock on June 11th.
additional source: teamrock.com/news/
Nobody is going to confuse Rudolf with Michael, blonde hair or no; and Rudy is an incredible rhythms player, and a more than decent lead player, he has a great feel…moreover, Michael had no part in neither Blackout nor Love at First Sting, which both benefit greatly from Matthias Jabs, a guitarist who knows what not to play as much as what to play (thanks Mandy!), a trait that Herman Rarebell also possesses, unlike Mikkey Dee, who goofed up their music so much, talk about phoning it in…Hurricane had no pocket, no tension..The Scorpions copied UFO, not for those two blockbusters, which were more like a Panzer on a Kiss mission.
“no hanky panky..” lol…I don’t know, Michael’s complaints against Rudy seem a bit piddly.
None of this is new. He’s been talking about giving up that guitar for years now, and he commented on the writing issue back when he started the “Temple of Rock” stuff. I think the only new part (as far as I know) is his dissing of Rudolf’s playing (which I would hardly call “can barely play”).
This is why he’ll always be known as Rudy’s little brother.