SCORPIONS Drummer Discusses Future Plans

Dave's On Tour recently conducted an interview with SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Dave's On Tour: 2007 was another big touring year for the SCORPIONS, and it also marked the release of their new record, "Humanity - Hour 1". Before I ask you any questions about that record, please provide my readers with a sneak preview of the SCORPIONS' plans for 2008.

Kottak: "The SCORPIONS will be closing out 2007 with shows in Japan, South Korea, and India. Our big plan for 2008, starting around May 1, is to play 60 to 70 shows in the United States."

Dave's On Tour: What is the official [U.S.] release date for the highly anticipated SCORPIONS DVD titled "Live at Wacken Open Air: A Night To Remember - A Journey Through Time"?

Kottak: "I don't know about the official release date. There was talk about a November or December 2007 release to get it in the stores for Christmas, but I think a spring 2008 release is more realistic.

Dave's On Tour: At the 2006 Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, the SCORPIONS had a "family reunion" when drummer Herman Rarebell and guitarists Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth joined the band onstage. As one of the newer members of the band, what impact did the reunion have on you?

Kottak: "That show was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For me personally, it was very special because I got the chance to go back into the history of the SCORPIONS. I was able to analyze and get down to the nitty-gritty of where Uli Jon Roth came from. He was only there for a few years, but he had a tremendous impact on the band. The '70s was the SCORPIONS time until the '80s came around and changed everything. I grew up listening to the SCORPIONS and UFO It was great to finally have a chance to play all those older songs onstage, but I had no idea how difficult it was going to be. We played 28 songs at the Wacken show. Interpreting three decades of SCORPIONS music was a challenge. Yet I learned so much about the band's history, and it took me back to an era where it was all about jamming and jamming, unlike the 80s where everything was so formulated and the '90s where it was so much more contrite. It took me back to a place in time that I almost forgot!"

Dave's On Tour: Uli Jon Roth was once quoted regarding a rumor about rejoining the SCORPIONS. He stated, "The idea is not to rejoin... the idea is to create some new and old magic together whenever the moment arises." Was there any new or old magic created during that performance at Wacken?

Kottak: "From my perspective, it wasn't so much magical, but we definitely made a musical statement that evening in Wacken. Hopefully, the DVD will capture the spirit of that special performance."

Dave's On Tour: Jumping back to 2007, congratulations and best of luck with the release of the new SCORPIONS' record "Humanity - Hour 1". The band spent time in California writing and recording with American songwriter/producer Desmond Child. What was the band's thought process using that strategy.

Kottak: "Backtracking just a bit, in 2000, we released 'Moment Of Glory', where we played with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. One year later, we released 'Acoustica', which was acoustic versions of classic SCORPIONS songs. 2004's 'Unbreakable' was our attempt to revisit our hard-rockin' roots with a classic-sounding record. It was a good record, but it wasn't great. For any band with a 30-year history, at some point in time it's good to look at other influences, and Desmond Child gave us that. He wrote a pile of songs that blew us away when he presented them to us. They were incredible. We had written songs as well, and we married the two of them together and came up with 'Humanity - Hour 1'. It's a reflection of the times we live in, a time of turmoil. The planet is in a different place since 9/11. This record is our comment, our statement on the human race and where we are right now. Without being too heavy, we are simply saying that if things don't change, we're all going to hell. The SCORPIONS aren't offering a solution. We want this record to be a wake-up call. Desmond Child offered us a concept and an idea. We took it and ran with it. The SCORPIONS feel this is the best record we've done in 15 years."

Read the entire interview at Dave's On Tour.