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SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker has addressed some of the issues that led to the departure of the group’s longtime drummer James Kottak more than five years ago.
In September 2016, Kottak was dismissed from the legendary German hard rock band during his well-publicized battle with alcoholism and was replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD member Mikkey Dee.
Asked in a new interview with Javier Hualde of Spain’s classic rock radio station RockFM how he would compare the drumming styles of Kottak and Dee, Schenker said: “Every musician has his own style. James was great, and is still a great drummer — no question about this — but we had a little problem… well, he had a problem, and we tried to help him through the problem. In this case, we noticed that he need[ed] more time than we could give him because we were on tour. So in this case, Matthias [Jabs, guitar] had the idea to call Mikkey Dee, because he was available because of [MOTÖRHEAD frontman] Lemmy‘s death. So, yeah, it was a great thing to see light in the distance because we were a little bit depressed because we [were] helping James so much, but he couldn’t deliver the spirit we gave him. And so we split.”
Rudolf continued: “We rehearsed with Mikkey Dee and we noticed immediately there’s a new kind of kick-ass [energy]. Everybody has his own style, and Mikkey Dee is really a very — especially for me as a rhythm guitar player — he is a very influencing person. That means when I play my riffs, he knows how to make them more wild and more powerful. And that’s very good — it’s a synergy effect which even is added by Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] because they are really a great rhythm team, Pawel and Mikkey Dee, and me as a rhythm guitar player, we can build a great basis for Matthias and Klaus [Meine, vocals].”
In a 2020 interview with the SCORPIONS official fan club Crazyscorps, Kottak discussed the circumstances that led to his departure, saying: “I always liked a drink here and there. And then I always also take a pain medication called Aleve. It’s what all the baseball players take, all the footballers, and it works like a charm. You take those of those and you don’t feel anything. But on top of that, I’m a rock drummer in a rock band, and you’ve got the green light to drink.
“From 2008 to 2011, I didn’t drink,” he explained. “I just woke up one day and said, ‘I just don’t wanna drink anymore.’ I didn’t go to rehab; I didn’t do any of that stuff. I just didn’t wanna drink anymore.
“If you have any knowledge of A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] or any type of program or rehab, it only lasts so long and then you have what we call in recovery a relapse. I would go through these phases of a year or maybe two years of no drinking, and then you gradually…
“SCORPIONS, we play our show, we go back to the hotel, [and] 45 minutes later, we’re all downstairs having dinner,” he continued. “And everything’s just the right price — free. All these flights back and forth from Europe, from L.A. — I was just flying constantly. Which I’m not complaining about, but it’s always business or first class, and once again, all the booze is at the right price. I’m going, ‘I’ve got the next two days off. I might as well have a drink.’ And that’s what triggered me to start drinking again sometimes.
“It’s a typical alcoholic way of thinking: ‘Well, I may as well have a drink. Why not?’ And that’s typical alcoholic disease thinking. ‘Cause it is a disease.”
Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, recalled one particular turning point when he spent three months at Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment center on the island of Antigua.
“I’ve been to hundreds — I won’t say thousands — I’ve been to hundreds of A.A. meetings,” he said. “I spent 92 days in rehab down at Eric Clapton‘s rehab place. I was only supposed to stay there 30 days. They offered me, they said, ‘Hey, if you wanna stay another couple of weeks, it’s okay.’ And I’m, like, ‘What? Well, do I have to pay?’ ‘Cause it’s expensive — it’s, like, 30 grand a month. They go, ‘No. You can just stay if you want.’ So I stayed another two weeks, then another two weeks. And long story short, I was there 92 days, which it changed my entire life and my whole way of thinking.”
James went on to say that he is “still very good friends” with members of the SCORPIONS. “Me and Matthias e-mail, and me and Klaus e-mail regular, like, maybe once every few weeks. And I just say, ‘Hey, man, how are you?’ And Klaus will write back, ‘Hey, everything is great here. What’s going on with you?’ It’s that kind of a thing.
“I saw them [in 2019] down in Orange County, which, from here, it sounds close, but it was like a two-hour drive. I went and visited with the guys, and I said hello to the crew, and I went backstage, and I went and visited with Klaus privately.
“They’re my friends, man,” Kottak added. “Just ’cause you’re not in a band [together] anymore doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. And these guys are my friends.”
Asked if he had any regrets about the way his time with SCORPIONS came to an end, Kottak said: “Of course, there’s always a regret with any change. But 21 years in rock and roll might as well be 150 years.”
Three and a half years ago, Jabs said that he and his bandmates “had to make” the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer “all the chances” to get better. “We reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it,” Jabs said.
Kottak has spent much of the last four years touring with a revamped version of KINGDOM COME, also featuring guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, and bassist Johnny B. Frank, along with singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB). Original frontman Lenny Wolf declined to participate in the reunion.
SCORPIONS‘ 19th studio album, “Rock Believer”, will be released on February 25.
