MIKE SOS: How did you actually land the gig with the Scorpions?

JAMES KOTTAK: I’ve been the drummer of the Scorpions for 15 years and in rock and roll term that’s an eternity. Of course, Herman was the former drummer and I actually had a band called Kingdom Come who opened for Scorpions on the Monsters of Rock tour in 1988. It was Kingdom Come, Metallica, Dokken, Scorpions, and Van Halen. We became friends then, and then I went on to work with Keith Olson, the producer who did Crazy World and also recorded with Michael Schenker…just a small world. So, when it came up they remembered me and we were friends, and it just all kinda somehow worked out. The phone rang one day in 1995 and they said, “Hey, would you be interested in coming over and playing?” And I said, “Okay.”

SOS: What’s the hardest aspect about playing drums for the Scorpions?

JK: It’s just endurance, really. I sing on almost every song live, which I love – I get to have the honor of singing across from one of the greatest voices of rock and roll…it’s just endurance. It’s really physical. I was always into sports as a kid so it all kind of worked out really well because rock and roll drumming is like playing jackhammer. It just all somehow worked. When we’re playing in Europe we’re sometimes playing two and a half hours. And I love it, man. I love every second of it.

SOS: What’s your favorite Scorpions song?

JK: Oh, that question. Believe it or not, I like “I’m Leaving You.”

SOS: How familiar are you with the older stuff prior to Blackout?

JK: I grew up listening to the band and their music. It was always around. I was never like one of these guys who went out and bought a bunch of records. I never did – only if it was something I had to learn for a cover band or whatever. I was just always listening and I was always hearing the Scorpions on the radio so much in America but I was never one to go out and buy albums. But when I did join the band I investigated all the original stuff and the old stuff and it’s almost like being in three different bands because they have such a long history. You know, the ‘70s, what I call the Stoner Era with Uli was really great, all those songs. Then Love At First Sting took off and it was a whole different level. And then even further we did an acoustic album and we did the orchestra record. It’s such a massive amount of songs to be responsible for.

SOS: Talk a little bit about the new album, which is the closest thing I’ve heard from vintage Scorpions in about 15 years.

JK: This is kind of like the marriage of the old and the new Scorpions. It all adds up just nicely. And there are four tracks with the word “rock” in it. We recorded almost the whole album almost a year ago. And then we went back and started over because we weren’t sure what we wanted to do and there was a time where we were writing with a few different writers and I guess the thing is, the longer your history is, it gets harder and harder to come up with stuff. As far as Klaus and Rudolf, they just needed somebody to take the ideas that they have and just take them to the next level.

SOS: How did the decision to retire after this album come about and how much input did you actually have in that?

JK: I actually brought it up months ago, saying there has to be a time when we say when this has to come to an end. And they go, “Wow, we never thought of that.” Well, it’s kind of almost like a courtesy to your fans to say, “Hey, you know what, this is kind of the last album, the last thing,” and not carry on for six more farewell tours. We’re going to really do just one tour and it’ll probably last about three years.

SOS: You guys are a global entity.

JK: Dude, we play every corner of the planet. The only place we haven’t really played is Australia. So, it just kind of made sense. And even Rudolf said it best, “Look, I’m 61 now and when this tour’s over I’m going to be 64, I think that it’s enough.” The band wants to go out on top as opposed to gradually fading away, playing to smaller crowds and all that.

SOS: Can you shed a little light on the bands you guys are thinking about taking out on tour and where the farewell tour is going to take you?

JK: We already played Prague and Moscow and I think we’ll be going back to Moscow one more time. We have a totally new stage set, just massive lights and everything you would expect from us. And then we have a few shows in April in Minsk and the Czech Republic. Then we start for real in May and start in Germany, we do France, do three shows in Greece and then come in the States around June 15th through August. We have a couple weeks off, then we’re gonna do South America…and that means really South America, Brazil, Argentina. Then another couple weeks off and then back to Europe in November. That’s just this year and then it’s going to continue on and on and on. So, there you have it. There are just too many places to play in America. I don’t think we’re even hitting Michigan this time around. We just got the dates and we could spend just a month in Canada if we wanted. It’s just so many places to play – that, and so little time.

SOS: One thing about the Scorpions that you mentioned before is endurance. They blow away three quarters of the bands half their age. It’s crazy.

JK: Rudolf has always been committed and staying in shape… he’s in better shape than me, dude. We all kind of take it for what it is. It’s pretty serious to keep your health up. Because if you’re healthy and you’re beating it and you’re in shape, there’s nothing better than playing rock and roll… there’s nothing better. But when you’re out of shape, it sucks.

SOS: What do you do to stay in shape?

JK: Play drums. And when I’m not playing drums I have my own band, Kottak, and I sing and play guitar in that. And between all that, that’s it. When we’re in the hotel, I’ll go to the gym and mess around a little bit, but I don’t have like, a regiment. Every morning I do stretching, though, at least ten good minutes. Stretching is the most important thing because I hate exercising. When you sit there and watch TV, just stretch it out, man.

SOS: Talk a little more about Kottak. I mean, it’s an interesting lineup with Tommy Lee’s sister, Athena. Give a little synopsis of what Kottak is all about.

JK: We’re kinda like Cheap Trip meets Green Day on a bad day. You can throw a little of Nickelback in and that’s kind of what it’s all about. We just finished our third album. We got a deal with a European label, coming out, and it’s going to come out in America in June, too. So, we’re super excited about that. It’s more about having a really good time because there’s so much heaviness in the world, we’re like the escape band. We don’t sit there and try to preach about problems, we want to just have fun. We just have a blast. For me, when you go to a show it’s time to forget about all your troubles and stuff.

SOS: How are you going to balance it all out? Will you try to cram some Kottak touring in around everything?

JK: We hope so. What we hope to do this summer, what we call the official Scorpion after show party hosted by Kottak featuring James Kottak, and on days off we hope to do shows and piggy back the Scorpions tour. Because the problem is there is no time. And so for us to tour we have to be creative and come up with different ways and we really hope this is gonna work.

SOS: Where do you live and how do you get to all the places you’ve got to get to? Your frequent flyer miles must be ridiculous.

JK: Dude, it’s a lot of hours on a plane, but we travel pretty good, so, it’s pretty comfy. Just for example, this Thursday I leave to fly over to Minsk, which is in Belarus, play the show on the 10th and I’ll be home the very next day on the 11th. Then I gotta go film some stuff for my drum solo, so there’s really not much time off. But, like yesterday (Easter Sunday) for example, we had a softball game. We had all the kids, Tommy (Lee) and everybody and just had a great day. But we do still keep everything on that end but I have no complaints. You know, it could be much worse.

SOS: Kingdom Come to Scorpions, it kind of comes full circle for you.

JK: Exactly. So crazy. And actually Kingdom Come opened for us last summer when we toured Russia.

SOS: So, I guess you guys are still on good terms.

JK: Best as could be expected.

SOS: Right, amicable, at least. What does the future hold for you after the Scorpions? Do you see yourself immersing yourself into Kottak full time? Do you see yourself maybe taking another drum position with a more established band?

JK: Well, after playing with the Scorpions, anything else is going to be, no matter what it’s going to be, a step down unless AC/DC calls me. And that’s not to say there aren’t good projects out there. I will always be drumming with somebody in some aspect and I’ve been asked to play on a few things already. It’s so far away… it’s hard to think about. But I really do hope to focus on Kottak and making that to where, maybe we can run Kottak six months out of the year and then the other six months, you know, drumming with somebody, I guess. But there are so many other opportunities. Teaching,…I’ve never even done a drum clinic and I’ve been asked to do those like crazy.

SOS: It’s never ending.

JK: No, it isn’t. And that’s the way I like it.