SCORPIONS Singer: The Word 'Retire' Is Only Something I Know How To Spell

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine recently spoke to Malaysia's The Star Online about how the veteran German hard rock band has beaten the career odds and still continues to thrive with new material. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

The Star Online: How has the SCORPIONS survived this long?

Klaus Meine: "It is a mixture between talent and our philosophy of friendship. We've been through highs and lows in our career but the most important thing is that we've never lost our passion for music."

The Star Online: The line-up of your band now features a new bassist, Pawel Maciwoda, how did that come about?

Klaus Meine: "Ralph (Rieckermann),our former bassist, wanted to pursue a career in the movie industry in Los Angeles, making music for films, and we respected his decision. So we went out to look for a guy who would be a perfect match for our American drummer, James Kottak. We were looking for a real rock bass player and Pawel Maciwoda, who is from Poland, has a very nice tone and is a very powerful bass player live."

The Star Online: Do you ever think of retiring?

Klaus Meine: "Retire? No. I suppose that's the impression people get when you're a musician my age (56 years old). There will definitely be the day when I say goodbye but right now, we enjoy what we do and we don't feel our age. And as long as there are people who want to listen to us, I'm there. If I feel that I'm too old for all this (making records and touring) — then yes, I'll retire but as of now, the word retire is only something I know how to spell."

The Star Online: Was it a conscious decision to record a rock album with "Unbreakable" after experimenting with techno-pop in "Eye II Eye" in 1999 and "Moments of Glory" in 2000, which featured the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra?

Klaus Meine: "'Eye II Eye' was an experimental album for us because we felt we needed a new expression but it was not a SCORPIONS album and our fans did not expect such an album. After that, we went through a whole different challenge of working with one of the best philharmonic orchestras in the world. Then, after all these projects, we went on our American tour with WHITESNAKE and we had amassed a whole new bunch of material which we returned to our classic rock roots in the vein of (their albums) 'Blackout' and 'Love at First Sting'. And after a decade of alternative music, rock music is making a comeback and we also wanted to give our fans who have been waiting for an album in the tradition of the SCORPIONS."

In other news, Finland's Sonera Plaza has uploaded several photos from the SCORPIONS' headlining gig in Helsinki last Sunday (Sept. 5). Check them out here (all photos by Timo Isoaho).