Interview: Francis Buchholz, Scorpions

 

BLOWING WITH THE WIND OF CHANGE

Straight into the UK charts with a smash hit, Germany's finest SCORPIONS have found a new lease of life after two decades in the rock business Bassist Francis Buchholz explains why they've still got a deadly sting in their tail…

11 o'clock in the morning, the phone rings. I'm on my first dose of caffeine after a heavy night stuck to a word processor, putting this issue together. On the other end of the line is Francis Buckholz, bassist with German metal monsters, the Scorpions, presently caught in the middle of a European tour, which should see them coming over to the UK in late November/ early December.

Having notched a number one hit all over Europe with their song "Wind of Change," it was time, they felt, to get it to the same position in the UK charts. Although the album, which creatively threw it up, Crazy World, has been kicking around for more than a year. Already having been over to the UK earlier this year to promote the album with a couple of live shows, it seems that they'll still be on the road for quite some time, as Francis outlines to me.

"We started the whole world tour that we are still on in November last year. We did the European tour in the winter, then went over to the States in February, stayed there until the end of July, and then had a break of six weeks. So now we are doing a second European tour."

Yet, so much has happened since then, and now hasn't it happened?

"Yes, it's amazing and it's great that the record is doing so great in the UK y’know, which we almost didn't expect."

The strange thing with your single “Wind of Change” is like you usually get hit singles in one country, but never really on an international level.

"It's the first single to be number one in so many countries."

Do you think that it's filled something of a void in the market because there really hasn't been an international band for so long which has done that?

"Yes, there is probably some reason, but I don't know what the real reasons are, y’know. If somebody would know, you could repeat them again with another single, but I think it depends on circumstances, like this whole political situation because the song is like an emotional thing, which was written after we did those shows in the Soviet Union and that emotion comes across to the people. It's a nice song, you know, and it's a good song for radio, so radio likes to pick it and people are not offended by it.”

Lyrically, it seems to fit the international political situation directly, y’know. Everything that's happened, especially in Russia more than anywhere else, it sort of hits the nail on the head.

"All these changes, y’know, have hit all the people deep in their hearts, and everything seems to have come together for this song."

What do you think is the main reason for the Scorpion's continued success? To me, it seems to be that everybody wants a band who have got a history behind them.

"I think first of all it's the chemistry within the band, that is the working chemistry; there is so much good creativity that happens when we come together, y’know. You can sense the atmosphere when we come together in a room. And also, we all know what we are working for y’know. We are a democratic band and we decide things together. It’s a team; it's like a gang. This is something that people really appreciate, I think. Also since we do so many shows we have a good relationship with our audience when we do concerts. I think these are the main reasons why we're still at it y’know."

As you said, one of the main things is that you've always been a very strong live band who have always delivered the goods on stage.

"That's right, we are mainly a live band. We are not studio musicians. Definitely not, y’know. We have learned to handle the studio situation, to play well in the studio and to mix all the technical stuff we have learned over the years."

So, with this mammoth world tour still in motion, what are your rough plans for the future? Obviously, you did the album quite a long time ago now.

"Yes, it is old now and the rough plan for next year is to sit down, write new material and go into the studio again and record. I don't know whether we're going to do something in the summer. That's not so important right now. We're going to try and get the record together and get it out before next winter."

So, what do you think have been the highlights of the last year or so for the band?

"I would say one highlight is that we got a number one hit that we had never, never expected, y’know. All of a sudden, it's there, y’know. That is definitely the main highlight for us. Plus, all those gold and platinum albums we received, especially in Germany because the Germans are a bit hesitant about us y’know on a radio level. So we've got a double platinum album in Germany now which we never even dreamed of! All the shows we've played I think all the shows are definitely highlights because every show for us is something special y’know. You just go out and play. We just put everything we have into that one particular show. We have a great crew who take care of everything and we've got a good relationship with everybody in that crew. We've done a very long tour and there is just a great sense of camaraderie with all the people we're working with."

With all the changes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, it seems that the European market has now completely opened up.

"That’s right. I don't know how much the political situation has affected the European music market though, definitely the political situation has been very important for the people, especially for Germany, because being a German y’ know, we have lived so close to the Iron Curtain, and all these problems between East and West, it seems to have just all come together."

It seems to be all focused around Germany as well, you're like in the middle of it all.

"I mean we have many problems in Germany. Now there are people coming in and trying to get political asylum while there are so many people out of jobs. So the situation is not easy to handle for Germany. We all hope that we can get it together."

Rock music was like there first, back in 89 you went over to the Moscow Peace Festival with OZZY and BON JOVI. Did the music lay any sort of foundations for political change because music has no barriers?

"Music y’know always means something that goes over the borders and people know it and listen to it, but I don't know how much music did change the political situation. It depends on the people. I don't know if we have influenced anybody with the lyrical aspect. Klaus [Meine] maybe could answer that one."

I think it mainly brings people together, y’know.

"The foundations for the political situation were already laid down when we played in Moscow, y’know, and because the situation was ready, we came there and created an impression. That's what we do when we make a record. We write about our impressions on the road, be they impressions of the people or the road experiences or political experiences."

What are your experiences of touring with other bands? I mean, you went out on the road with WINGER for a while, didn't you?

"Yes they supported us in America and in Europe on the first leg of our ‘Crazy World’ tour. They are a very good band. They are very nice guys, and I think they have a great future, and they have worked very hard y’know. Everybody has to work hard y’know to get something out of it."

The thing with the industry, like nowadays, is there aren't many new bands who have done their groundwork, and that's probably why people look back to bands like yourselves because you've done that groundwork.

"We have done a lot of work. Other bands are around, you know, who have existed a long time. Look at JUDAS PRIEST and RUSH, for example. They are bands who have been around as long as we have. Of course, the young bands, they have to work their ass, y’know, to get there. It does take time, and you don't have to try to play what people like to hear.You have to play for yourself. If you do it for yourself, it doesn't matter if it's a long way or a short way, because you're having fun anyway.”

However, as we know, there is a lot of pressure on new bands today because they're expected to have an instant success rate, record company pressure, etc.

"It's pressure that everybody has, y’know, and when you are in a situation you have pressure because you want to repeat that success. You either want to get it or you want to repeat it, y’know. As far as young bands go, when they start out nobody wants to know them. Radio doesn't know them because people like to listen to things they know. Nobody wants to listen to things they don't know. So at the same time, for a young band, they only can do it if they get an overnight success hit, which is almost very uncertain, so they have to play, y’know, and get the feeling and the reaction from their audience. There's so many things you learn when you play live."

Every serious rock band knows that the live side is probably their main key to breaking it.

"It's very important because you know how people are reacting to you, and you know what songs they like and what songs they think are boring, and what comes across to them and what doesn't."

But when you go and see them live, and it's like uhhhh.

"Many bands do that, but they tend to forget that without live playing, they don't have the experience. You cannot rely on a theory to work. Normally in the rock business you have to work for your success and then the record company starts to look at the album y'know and the album gets into the shops. If you don't tour and you're sitting at home, nobody's going to pay attention to the album because you're not there to promote it."

Phonogram seem to be well behind you on this particular album.

"Yeah, but it's still a lot of work. You have to do it to convince people that you're doing the right thing and then they are behind you. If you didn't, they'd just look for somebody else, if you know what I mean. As a band, we have earned their respect with what we have done."

What is your personal favourite Scorpions album?

"I think for me, normally the last album is my favourite because it's the freshest The last album we recorded in a very short time. It has more emotional things on it. Listening to other albums, I very much like Lovedrive which is ten years older than this one and Love at First Sting is a very good album, it's one of my favourite albums. When I'm at home, after a tour, I have one of those days where you think back over what you have done and you drink a bottle of red wine and get out all the old albums and sit there and listen to them until four o'clock in the morning and relive all those situations."

After you go to the gig, the record takes on like a new meaning.  

"The same happens to me. You go to a concert, you listen to the songs played and you feel that atmosphere which you don't get at home. It's the same with working in the studio and playing live, you know. Playing live, you can see what comes across and what doesn't and what the atmosphere creates together with the people who are listening to you. So it's totally different. When you are recording in the studio, you don't have that y'know, so you close your eyes and try to imagine that you are at a live concert and that creates an atmosphere artificially and then you try to get that on tape."

As far as live albums go, World Wide Live is still considered a classic by many rock fans. It's probably the album that gives the best indication of what you're about.

"We did many shows and then selected tracks where everything comes across the best. I think you cannot play well or equally good every show, y'know. Sometimes it's a little bit weaker. Sometimes it's stronger. Sometimes the audience is great. Sometimes the audience is a little bit hesitant. We covered the best moments from that tour." 

You don't seem so convinced.

"Sometimes, y'know, we have shows in the middle of nowhere, in a small city where nothing is happening. We don't have a recording mobile y'know, and it turns out to be the greatest show we've ever played. All these farmers' daughters are there, y'know, dancing to the music and nobody is there to record it!"

Mark Crampton
Riff Raff
November 1991

Share on Google Plus