Michael Schenker: I have to stay away from Rudolf

Michael Schenker (Image credit: Getty)

Michael Schenker has expanded on his reasons for not being able to trust his brother Rudolf.

The guitarist said earlier this year that he was “disappointed” in older brother Rudolf over the narrative he and Scorpions had created about the writing and recording of 1979 album Lovedrive.

Michael added that Scorpions took advantage of him and took credit for his songwriting efforts.

Now the younger Schenker tells The Metal Voice that Rudolf convinced him to sign over songwriting credits and that Rudolf died his hair blond as part of a plot to “misrepresent and fool people” for years.

It all came to light, Michael says, when he was approached to help with the recent 50th anniversary Scorpions reissues.

Michael says: “I found out that they put a bio out that was a completely wrong story. I found out that there was nobody credited for what I wrote on Holiday. It’s the intro to Holiday, it’s 45 seconds long. That’s the intro that I wrote but nobody got credit for it.

“And then Rudolf asked me to give him the melodies for Coast To Coast and with my black-and-white guitar. And those two things were the most tastiest things and easiest parts to copy, because Rudolf is not really a great guitarist. He can just about play.

“But that was something, him being a Schenker and now having blond hair, and all the managers finding out, they wanted to sign that band the Scorpions where I was part of, I guess he figured out how he can misrepresent and fool people over the years, because I didn’t pay any attention until just recently.

“I found out that there was not a picture of me on Lovedrive, there was no mention on Holiday who wrote and played that intro, and, of course, Rudolf persuaded me to give him the Coast To Coast melodies.

“And so I’m very disappointed with that. And I must say I’m now finding out more and more weird stuff about Rudolf.”

Amy lingering hope of the brothers being reunited in Scorpions were already slim, but Michael says it’ll never happen. “I have to stay away from him and I can’t trust him anymore – period,” he says.

Michael will reunite with three Michael Schenker Group singers this summer. Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley will join Schenker at Sweden Rock on June 11.

Michael Schenker live DVD due in May

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Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.