Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => The Dressing Room => Topic started by: Afghan Dave on August 21, 2007, 07:21:54 PM
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MICHAEL SCHENKER Explains Recent Tour Fiasco
Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 at 14:51:56 EST
Guitarist MICHAEL SCHENKER (ex-UFO, SCORPIONS) has issued the following statement regarding MSG's recent tour fiasco:
"To my true fans - this is what happened:
When we started the US tour everything went well I think 11 shows but than it all fell apart. Our tour manager left the tour. He had problems with our agent. Our bodyguard took over and then broke down too. Franky (Rummler) our bass player came to me and said he is trying to run away with our money. So I shouted, 'someone call the police,' at that point he had put the safe back. By the way, all of this happened in our tour bus. It started to get really bad. My girlfriend asked me if my tours are always like that. I said no but for some reason it is happening. It really only happened once before, and that was when we had to cancel in Pala Alto in 2001.
Back to 2007, we were also waiting for our working visas for which our agent had taken $4,000 out of our advance monies. Now our bodyguard left the tour as well because he hadn't been paid by our agent who was holding all advance monies from the venues. Our bus company had not been paid either and were warning us that they would pull out too, if they don't get paid soon and the band hadn't been paid either.
However, Wayne (Findlay - guitar) took over as the tour manager and when I looked at everything. Our situation, having lost our tour managing team, performing with out work permits, which I knew by than we would never get because our agent said that we wouldn't really need them that we could just say that this is a Promotional Tour or that we had spend all monies on expenses. That is totally crazy. What would the immigration have thought about all the money that I would have brought in? It was clear to me that our agent wanted to keep the money for the permits and that we would never get them. It was also clear that some people would have ended up without getting paid by the end of the Tour even if I would have paid for the permits it would have been totally unacceptable to continue the Tour under these conditions especially without a Tour manager.
So I paid $11,000 out of my own pocket to pay everyone off including the bus company and I told the band, go home before you get arrested. So we left the US. At that point I was pretty upset and began to drink more then usual.
We began our UK Tour. Without our usual crew, I don't know why, and we had no keyboards and no guitars.
One problem rarely comes alone. It sucked.
Also what happened to:
• Frome - August 1st
• Stourbridge - August 3rd
• Nuneaton - August 4th
• Cardiff - August 5th ???????
Did it get canceled by the promoter? I don't know. To make this disaster complete, I had $7,000 stolen and basically got stranded in London.
My girlfriend was in Japan, the Band was at home and I was spending my last pounds in London until I was down to 2 Pounds.
I called the promoter to pay for my train ticket to Peterborough. I got the ticket and traveled with my last 2 Pounds. The next show was supposed to be Peterborough, NO band. I decided to do a signing session and played on my own.
The band arrived at some point by than I was drinking even more out of total frustration. I ended up drunk on stage and that was the end of it and that's what happened. I am very upset about the cancellations and I hope that we can try again on a more professional level.
I tried my best.
And by the way, I had NO argument with my brother."
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No excuses.
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thing is, that reads like he was plastered when he wrote it. and of course, none of it was his fault, he was FORCED to drink like a lunatic!
on one hand i feel sorry for him, i've seen enough alcoholics to know that it isn't easy to stay dry. on the other, he seems to have lost all semblance of professionalism. what's amazing is that he's actually been doing this on and off for about thirty years, yet people still keep giving him a chance! i suppose it shows the regard he's actually held in, but this latest fiasco may be the final nail in the coffin.
Sad.
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"I tried my best."
lol!
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"I tried my best."
lol!
"to drink as much as i can and still be able to stand"
that is sadly, the state he's been on and off in, since i was born. and that is a quarter of a century and counting
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thing is, it was quite obvious he didn't try his best when videos of him trying to "solo" show up.
He didn't even try very hard writing that. did whatever source the apology was from receive that written on some bog roll in crayon? pull the other one.
He should have groveled instead of trying to mainly pass his awful performances off on other people. Bottom line is, he was the one onstage playing unbelievably badly, and he cannot blame that on others: legal issues, and promoter problems, fair enough, but it was his fault alone that his performances were so awful and his fans let down so badly. If that is "trying his best", he should retire now, because it is simply not good enough.
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As my brother says, "there are reasons and there are excuses" - that was an excuse, and a poor one at that.
He come off sounding like a bratty teenager - "I tried my best", WTF!?!?! Not good enough when people are paying to see you.
:twisted:
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Our tour manager left the tour. He had problems with our agent. Our bodyguard took over and then broke down too. Franky (Rummler) our bass player came to me and said he is trying to run away with our money. So I shouted, 'someone call the police,' at that point he had put the safe back.
That's all crystal clear then. Although I wasn't quite sure who this chap who runs around carrying safes is - was it the tour manager, the agent, the bodyguard or Franky?
Anyway, now that Michael's explained everything I'm not at all upset that I missed out on seeing all four Scorpions guitarists playing on stage together. Cheers, Mikey.
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Our tour manager left the tour. He had problems with our agent. Our bodyguard took over and then broke down too. Franky (Rummler) our bass player came to me and said he is trying to run away with our money. So I shouted, 'someone call the police,' at that point he had put the safe back.
That's all crystal clear then. Although I wasn't quite sure who this chap who runs around carrying safes is - was it the tour manager, the agent, the bodyguard or Franky?
All three of them, can't you see from his excuse that it's a conspiracy against him?
That story is so daft it should be made into a movie.
you can just Imagine the collective WTF?!?!?! when the safe gets stolen.
weirdly, I cannot help but imagine this as a noddy episode
BigEars went to Noddy and said "noddy! sly and gobbo are trying to run away with our money!"
So noddy shouted, 'someone call the police,' and jumped into his red and yellow car.
Mr Plod arrived, but by that point, the goblins had put the safe back.
"hoorah!" said noddy.
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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I'm imagining Noddy now with a red and yellow Flying V.
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Dean must be sooo happy for signing him up now
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:D just one question Michael......who was the dumb C**t that signed up the manager, agent etc in the first place ?
Bulls**t excuse total bull..!
:D 8)
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After reading Plastercaster's Noddy story, I went back and read the Schenker post again and it got me thinking of Billy Bunter (apologies to anyone under the age of 50 - maybe 60 :? ):
"Hullo, Schenker," ejaculated Frank Nugent, "Bunter's trying to make off with the bally safe!"
"I say, Schenker," blinked the fat owl, "I never pinched your beastly safe. What would I want with a safe? In fact I didn't know you had a safe. But you can hardly blame a fellow if he's short of a few bob and spots a safe lolling around on the bus for all the world to see. In any case, I can pay you back as soon as I get my Postal Order from my Uncle Carter..."
"Rag him, chaps!" cried the ruddy-faced Prussian, his bloodshot blue eyes glinting with fury (or was it the schnapps?).
"Ow! Oosh! Yaroogh!"
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care to post a youtube link for the young 'uns and Myself Philly?
or, more importantly do you have any knowledge as to whether either noddy or billy bunter will be joining the scorpions in the near future?
(photoshoppers- get to it!)
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You'd have to read the Bunter books for the full effect, but there was a TV series in the 50s (that's before even my time).
I can't look at YouTube in work, but I'll see if there's anything when I get home.
I doubt Noddy or Billy Bunter will be joining the Scorpions in the foreseeable future, but I reckon there's every chance they could find their way through the revolving doors into MSG. Thinking about it, long-departed bassisy Chris Glen had a touch of the Bunters about him.
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I would be happy to fill in for Michael in MSG while he sorts it all out. PDT_008
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We can all get down on Michael for being what he is today. However, I will never put aside his contribution to the fine music that he has made with the Scorpions, UFO, & MSG.
I'd still pay to see him play.
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I'd still pay to see him play.
Maybe if you had a time machine. Concertgoers at large are not going to support him. Totally irresponsible behaviour coupled with total denial = end of career.
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Hey, EVH straightened out and is on his way back to fame. Hopefully MS can do the same. Its a shame he is waisting such a talent but drinking or doing drugs to excess will put an end to any career.
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It probably does wonders for the dealers/brewers I should think.