Klausitta (THE-SCORPIONS) все записи автора
GLOBALROCKER “SCORPIONS”
“In Germany at the wrong place”
Abroad successfully, in Germany outsider. The “Scorpions” are on world tour, but in their own country they play no single concert. With SPIEGEL ONLINE they spoke about bad press, cudgeling extreme right-wingers and the insatiable desire to Hanover.
Spiegel Online: Mr. Meine, Mr. Schenker, Mr. Jabs, the “Scorpions are currently on world tour in America, Asia and Europe. In Germany, however, they play rarely – why?
Klaus Meine: Of Course Germany is very important for us, but we go where we have the strongest feedback. This is for us the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Asia – where we played in the last month. However, we played in the last of 2006 at the “Wacken Open Air” in front of first very skeptical Hardcore Metal fans. But that was amazing.
Spiegel Online: Affection you don´t get so much in your own country any more. A German critic wrote once, rock-connoisseurs couldn´t conceive of something more badly than to be friends of Scorpions. Cause of such press you never thought: “Germany don´t deserve us, we go”?
Meine: Well, we often ask ourselves, what would have been if we stayed in the United States at the middle of the 80´. Lately someone said to me, “So what? You would be an American band.” What makes us special today, to be a global band, we never would succeed.
Rudolf Schenker: Really? That´s the question. I already had lived in the USA for a time, unfortunately it wasn´t subserve for the band. As a soloist it´s not easy. But it´s true: If we would become an American band, we never could feel and integrate the political change of the 80´, with Perestroika and the fall of the wall in Berlin to our music like we´ve done it that time.
Spiegel Online: …when you wrote the soundtrack for the fall of the wall “Wind Of Change” 1989. How has Germany cope with the change, which you´ve conjured at that time and the reunion and unity?
Schenker: The best is that the fall of the Berlin wall was peaceful, no shot. Also: At which point, especially in the early days, things should or could be done a totally other way as they were done?
Matthias Jabs: The world cup 2006 has shown that Germany has a very great unity. That such a so great event like the world cup is managed by a unit country so nice and peaceful, that´s amazing.
Spiegel Online: Even the world cup showed some mistakes. A former speaker of the federal government advised foreign guests to avoid special federal states in East Germany.
Meine: Right-wing radicalism is the point where you get remembered abroad on your German descent. When a 18 years old MTV moderator asks you in Mexico city, how it feels to live in a country, where foreigners get hunted and beaten almost to death. Then the band is challenged to take a stand and show also the positive sites of Germany.
Jabs: Well, the world cup also showed that the Germans learned to deal calm with symbols like national flags, which was a big step to normality. In the conservative US media, for example “FOX News”, reported very badly about the European states which are not goes to the Iraq war. But even they couldn´t close their eyes for the pictures of black-red-gold flags and peaceful world cup fan festivals.
Meine: I think that in Germany the unit provides more critical than abroad. In South Korea we were driven to the border with a great press a few weeks ago and asked us about the subject reunion. In Korea they still dream about what Germany already has reached.
Spiegel Online: How did you experienced the fall of the wall in Berlin 1989?
Schenker: We were in Paris and had a meeting with the record company, a TV also run there. I was sitting with the back to the screen, all of a sudden Klaus said “Hey look, is it the wall?” It was amazing!
Meine: I often think how nice it would have been to be in Berlin in the evening of November, 9th.
Schenker: Oh like it was, it was also great.
Spiegel Online: Ironically the worldwide success “Wind Of Change” was the reason that the Scorpions as a rock band are not longer taken seriously in Germany.
Meine: On our latest album “Humanity Hour I” we let it rock harder and the rock world in Germany accept it very positive. But like it is: We were always outsider in Germany and that we are still today.
Schenker: We had this feeling very early in our band history, that we´re at the wrong place in Germany. We didn´t want to make “Krautrock”, we didn´t want to sing in German – our former manager even said, we need to change our name to “Stalingrad”!
Spiegel Online: You´re mainly abroad since decades, but you come back home from San Francisco, Paris or Tokyo to Hanover. With which feelings?
Meine: We hear that often: “Why you´re still living in Hanover?” That always sounds so provocative. But it´s great to come back home! Our families and friends lives here. It makes no difference whether we live north of Hanover in the country or live south of Munich or west of Berlin. We maybe would look for an alternative to Germany – not to Hanover.
Jabs: I´m not sure how we would deal with Hanover if we couldn´t leave again. Maybe we would get wanderlust. Otherwise the differences between the countries get lost more and more. That you get a culture shock like in the past, if you come back to Germany from USA or backwards – that´s over.
Schenker: In the 80´ it was very hard. At that time we were one and a half year on tour, then when you come home it´s like a full brake – the car stands.
Spiegel Online: Only few bands are able to be in the business constantly for decades like you are. Is it cause of the most popular German virtues – diligence, punctuality, discipline – or is it a cliché?
Schenker: This is simply a sign of professionalism, not being German. If a French rocker will be successful, he also must be in the studio in time or disciplined on tour, or it will not work.
Spiegel Online: After all you don´t regret that there is no star cult around you in your own country? No homages, no grand staff?
Schenker: Nope. It´s great when you can go to the bakers undisturbed.
Meine: The fuss with the bodyguards and screaming fans we have often enough on tour. What the Scorpions represent most German can see if they see us on a show in San Francisco, Manaus or Tokyo. Then they are also proud of us. When they come home, they forget about it very soon.
Spiegel Online: You wish you would get more attention from your compatriots?
Meine: Let me say so: We try to build musical bridges at focuses of the world since decades. If today a German band gives a concert organized by the Goethe Institute in front of thousand people, it´s shown in all newspaper. If we give a sold out concert in Israel in the stadium, it´s even not a message worse.
Spiegel Online: Sounds embittered.
Meine: No. We´ve accept it. You can´t change it.
Schenker: Fortunately it´s not true that we have to sell our furniture if we´re not successful in Germany. When the mainstream taste here goes in a direction that is not ours, we´ll not do in Rome as the Romans do just cause of a little bit popularity.
Spiegel Online: At least you´ve tried it. The album “Eye to Eye” was influenced by hip-hop – and a capitally flop.
Meine: This was a difficult period for us that time. Hard rock was nearly dead in Germany, everything was only grunge or alternative or hip-hop. So we decided to do something new. The album was made very professional, but our fans haven´t recognized “Scorpions” any longer.
Spiegel Online: There was also a German song on it – were you tired about the critic of your German accent on the English songs?
Meine: I wanted to record a German song since years. But the record company said every time “Very nice, but please in English”. Apropos – just our German critics want to hear always a German accent in my English songs.
Schenker: …what never disturbed our American fans…
Meine:… and when a German song was on an album, for the same critics it wasn´t right.
Spiegel Online: Why you get judged more critical in your own country than elsewhere?
Jabs: I´m not sure if the Germans are so hypocritical. If it´s really true, Dieter Bohlen couldn´t be so successful in this country.