A Conversation with Scorpions’ Klaus Meine – HuffPost 2.1.12

Mike Ragogna: Klaus, the latest Scorpions album, Comeblack, is supposed to be the band’s last project. Really?

Klaus Meine: This is really our last album. I mean, what can I say? We announced that the last album we did was our last then went back into the studio last summer because our farewell tour was such a huge success. Sony Music said that they didn’t want to let us go quite yet and they wanted to support the great tour we just had – so we went back to work in the studio. The idea was to pay tribute to some of those legendary bands that we listened to in the ’60s before we started. It was a lot of fun to do material from the ’60s. In fact, we have also re-recorded some Scorpions classics like “Rock You Like A Hurricane.” We wanted to present some of those classics to the audience with the sounds of the 21st century – there’s so much you can do in the studio these days that’s different from the sound in the ’80s. It was a lot of fun.

MR: Let’s talk about one of the cover songs you recorded for Comeblack. Can you tell us about your take on T. Rex’s “Children Of The Revolution”?

KM: Well, I don’t know how big the song was in the U.S., but it was huge over here. I think the fact that it has such a strong riff was part of the reason people liked it in the first place and why we chose to do it. All of the songs we did, “Children Of The Revolution” is a classic composition that it would be impossible to top. The only thing we could do was try to put the Scorpions DNA on the cover and give it a try, really give it our best.

MR: Let’s also talk about your 3D, 11 camera, concert film that you recently recorded calledGet Your Sting And Blackout.

KM: Well, our guitar player Rudolf Schenker has been saying for years that we needed to shoot something in 3D, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. You have to have the right director and the right 3D technology. Last year, we met with the director and he assured us that he had the newest 3D technology. We were already doing a Farewell Tour show in the southwest of Germany, so he came and filmed it in 3D. I tell you, the result is mind blowing. When you watch it, it’s like the Scorpions are performing in your living room. You can feel the smoke when we play “Blackout,” or you really see the mic coming towards you when I reach it into the audience for you to sing along. It’s like you have the best seat in the house. You can’t get any closer unless you were under my skin. (laughs)

MR: (laughs) What bonus material can people expect?
KM: Well, you will get to see the making of our 3D concert. We filmed a lot of the meetings and preparation for this show and that’s all included in the box set. I think it’s also important to let people know that you can also watch the 2D version of the concert included in the box set as well.

MR: Klaus, do you have a 3D set up at home?

KM: It’s funny you ask. I was considering buying one recently because I wanted to watch our Blu-ray. I wasn’t sure if I could watch in 3D on my television. All of a sudden, one day, there was a man with a huge package at the door. Rudolf sent me a 3D television as a very nice birthday present. (laughs)

MR: And what was the first movie that you watched in 3D?

KM: I believe it was Avatar. It was really breathtaking. And don’t forget that not only is the movie in 3D, but it was also recorded in 5.1 surround sound, so the sound is really powerful as well.

MR: With so many years of Scorpions music under your belt, what would you say is your favorite song to perform?

KM: We get asked this question a lot, and I prefer to pick three songs – “Still Loving You” for love, “Wind Of Change” for peace, and “Rock You Like A Hurricane” for sex. (laughs) I mean, with a song like, “Still Loving You,” we could be held responsible for the rise in the population in France in the ’80s. (laughs)

MR: (laughs) When the band first formed, what influenced Scorpions’ musical style?

KM: I think there were lots of things that contributed to that. We were inspired by a lot of bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who, all of those great bands that were a part of the “British Invasion” that came all over the world in the ’60s. Of course, Led Zeppelin was also a huge inspiration. Actually, we tried some Led Zeppelin material for theComeblack album, but there wasn’t a song that we really wanted to touch because that’s one of our all-time favorite bands. They had the perfect combination between “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway To Heaven,” you know? They have a hard rock and heavy feel, while at the same time, seeming ballad-esque. We were thinking about trying to do, “Good Times Bad Times,” but in the end, it didn’t work out because I didn’t want to try to sing like Robert Plant. I have far too much respect for those guys. So, those were the bands that really inspired us. We wanted to be a band that was melodic but had hard, hard riffs, like Led Zeppelin, but with the melody of The Beatles. I think when we met our producer Dieter Dierks back in the ’70s and recorded our first album with him, he became important in helping us find our style.

MR: Do you have any advice for new artists?

KM: Believe in yourself, believe in your talent, and follow your dreams. The most important thing is to get out there and perform no matter how small the stage and the audience is. You have to go out and be on stage regardless so that you can actually figure out where you want to be, to see if you like being in front of an audience. Chemistry is also really important. Find some friends who are, hopefully, also talented musicians and get together and work with them. Then get on stage and play your music if you find that that’s the place where you want to be.

MR: Klaus, for many, it will be very sad to see the Scorpions out on their last tour. How long will you be touring?

KM: I think we’ll be going through the end of the year. We started the tour in March 2010, and we played the U.S that year, but we’ve decided to come back in June 2012. We’ll be in the U.S. from early June through the end of July. We may even come back for a bit in October. So, it looks like we’ll be all over the world for the rest of the year – North and South America, Canada, Asia, and, of course, all over Europe. We’ll also be playing at the biggest metal festival in the world called the Wacken Open Air Festival. We played there in 2006 and now we’ll be playing again in August. We’ll be all over the place until the end of this year, and we’re very excited about it. It’s a celebration of 40 years of rocking. We’re also doing a movie that’s set to be released in 2017. We started shooting all over Europe last year. It’s a very exciting project about this band and some younger kids that were trying to follow their dreams of making it in music out of Hanover, West Germany.

MR: Will that film be in 3D also?

KM: No. (laughs) That’s a very complicated and very expensive setup. This is just a regular 2D film, but I think the material in the film is more important. This film takes the fans with us on this long journey and gives them a look behind the scenes. There will be tons of unseen footage and behind the scenes clips for the die-hard fans.

MR: Klaus, thank you so much for spending time with us today. And best of luck to you with your final album, your Farewell Tour, and the many other things you guys have going on right now.

KM: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

Transcribed by Evan Martin