SCORPIONS On Drummer MIKKEY DEE's Addition To Band: 'The Chemistry Between Us Is Fantastic'

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine and guitarist Matthias Jabs spoke to Poland's Life Festival Oświęcim earlier this year about the addition of former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee to the group's ranks.

"Mikkey's with us since May last year when we picked up the tour in America, Klaus said (see video below). "And he was not so happy when we told him, 'The end of [this leg of] the tour [will be] in December [2016], [and] after that, we need a real break.' [He said to us], 'What? You guys can't stop right now. It feels fantastic. We've gotta keep going. So much positive and good energy, and we've gotta keep going.' We said, 'Mikkey, we need… We'll pick it up a little later in 2017, but for now, we pull the plug.'"

Added Matthias: "But he's fantastic. He plays great, he has a very positive energy. Paweł [Mąciwoda, SCORPIONS bassist] and him get along extremely well, and that's good for the personal side, but also for the playing, because if the bass player and the drummer really play well together, it's easier for all of us. And that works fantastic. He's a very energetic guy. He can go to the clubs until six in the morning, sleep for half an hour, and then we keep going — to the airport and the next show's happening also. So that's good. He gives us extra energy and a kick in the butt, and he just plays very powerful — very good."

Continued Klaus: "Yeah, he's a great drummer. But we are very lucky. I mean, we know the MOTÖRHEAD guys for a long time — we met so many times — but then when you play together and when you spend so much more time now with a new guy coming in the band, fortunately, the chemistry between us is also fantastic. He has a great personality, a great humor. It's a lot of fun to have him around. Like Matthias said, [he has] so much energy. If you wanna go out tonight after the show, yeah, Mikkey's there. But at the same time, he's a family man. He lives up in Sweden, which is not too far away from where we live. It's just perfect. It's a great chemistry and a great feel on stage, giving us a whole new shot of energy."

Last September, Mikkey was named as a permanent replacement for SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band during his well-publicized his battle with alcoholism.

SCORPIONS and MEGADETH will join forces for a North American tour which will kick off on September 14 in Reading, Pennsylvania and conclude on October 15 in Tampa, Florida. The 16-date trek, dubbed the "Crazy World Tour", celebrates SCORPIONS' 1990 LP of the same name. Two of the SCORPIONS' best-known songs, "Winds Of Change" and "Send Me An Angel", both appear on "Crazy World".