www . steelnotesmagazine . com
Steel Notes Magazine yeah , we rocked , but come on man , let ’ s move on . Fans want musicians to stay stuck in those epic periods , but what most musicians need is improvement , and we can only do that by moving on . Back in the day I moved to LA and with Dokken I learnt so much . They taught me how to get groovy . Then I joined Motorhead , which was another great learning experience . Now I ’ m with Scorpions , and I feel so “ me ”. All those experiences made me the drummer I am today . I can be really technical , play light , get heavy , and that ’ s because of all the things that I have done over the past decades . I get frustrated when people expect musicians to do one thing only , it pisses me off .
I keep active . I have two children and I stay active with them . I go play soccer , tennis , ski . I love it . I go fishing , I walk and hike . I know my body really well and I know what ’ s best for it . I ’ m very energetic in each show , and that ’ s the way I want it to be . With Scorpions I try to bring even more energy on stage , I want to improve from the “ me ” I was with Motorhead . We feel so fresh and powerful . People say Scorpions are at their best now , even better than the past , and I think it ’ s because we all bring great energy to the table . We have fun and we give 200 % of ourselves . Klaus , Rudolph , Pawel and Mathias are exhausted after every show now . That ’ s great , though . The fact that we give it all we got .
Did you go to school to learn how to play drums ?
No ! Thank God for that . When I speak to young kids , they all ask me how I could play like that with Motorhead . Come on , that ’ s easy . The real question is : how did you think of arranging that part in that specific way ? If I could talk to Neil Peart , I would not ask him how he did things technically , I would ask how he thought about doing things that way . The sound of drums has to feel good in your body , it ’ s not only a matter of playing a rhythm correctly . Technical things are boring , we are not robots . I like to showcase my soul , my style and my passion . It ’ s the soul that has to drive a drummer , not simple sound .
I saw you playing a solo live . What goes on in your brain the moment you start your solo ?
I don ’ t think . Actually I never really think when I play . With Scorpions , for instance , I had to think for the first couple of days . They have many arrangements and various details to keep in mind . I hated that part , but it ’ s all good now . As for the solo , its main objective is entertainment . It ’ s not really that difficult to perform , but I care about entertaining the audience . I always try to make it fun for all fans .
Being on the road for so long requires a lot of physical energy . How do you keep it up ?
What ’ s in your future ?
Scorpions ! My future is with this band . This opportunity came to me at the perfect time . We all feel an amazing atmosphere and we want to make it last .
How did you handle the departure of Lemmy ?
This is a sensitive topic . Phil is devastated and thinks about Lemmy all the time . As for me , I will try to celebrate him every day . He lived 70 years and had the perfect life . I remember when he was 50 , and he told me “ if I die tomorrow , I ’ d be ok with it , because I don ’ t regret anything about my life ”. He accomplished so much , he had a great time . We all had a great time together . He has been a huge part of my life , but I refuse to be knocked down . I don ’ t like it when people say that his departure was a disaster . Nobody would want him to live another 10 years the way he had
Steel Notes Magazine www . steelnotesmagazine . com
111