The feud between brothers Rudolf and Michael Schenker is ongoing – and it sounds like it will keep the latter musician from participating in Scorpions’ 60th anniversary.
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk (as relayed by Blabbermouth), Michael was asked if there was any chance he’d rejoin the band for their anniversary celebration, taking place July 5, 2025 in the group’s hometown, Hannover, Germany.
“No,” the rocker flatly replied, noting the frayed relationship with his brother. “I just know that I have been a very big part of creating Rudolf as a musician. I don’t think without me, he would have been there, and maybe the other way around the same way. But the thing is that I have to protect myself from Rudolf. Every time he wants to do something with me or every time they wanna do something big and they need my name, he misuses me. And I’m very sad that he keeps doing that.”
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Rudolf co-founded Scorpions in 1965 and is the group’s last remaining original member. Michael joined the German band from 1969 to 1973, again from ‘78 to ‘79, and briefly once more in 2006. The talented musicians have regularly butted heads creatively and personally, with Michael accusing his older brother of copying his sound and image.
Michael Schenker Says His Brother Is an Abusive Bully
“[Rudolf is] seven years older than me. He’s a bully,” Michael declared to Trunk. “He has been abusive to me for many, many years. He has distorted my image for many years, and he just pretends as if nothing ever happened. I guess, because I asked other people, ‘Hey, how does your older brother treat you?’ And they say, ‘Oh, exactly the same.’ So I think it’s just the thing they do. They think they own you, they can do with you whatever they want. I’m seven years younger. ‘That’s just my little brother, nobody, blah, blah, blah.’”
“I have no idea how these people, how their heads and their brains work, but the fact is I helped the Scorpions, I jumpstarted them, and they forgot everything about it,” Michael continued. “And it’s not the Scorpions that are the bad guys — or actually nobody is really the bad guy. It’s just Rudolf is just a crazy, weird person. I don’t know what drives him. But I don’t wanna be connected to it. So I don’t wanna be distracted with my vision every time I give in and say, ‘Okay, I’ll do something with Rudolf,’ and then he abuses me or uses me disrespectfully. I don’t know why he keeps going like that, but it’s just kind of very, very strange. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I don’t know why it’s so important for him to be bigger than his little brother.”
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The Schenkers have engaged in a war of words in recent years, lobbing insults and accusations back and forth. Michael has called Rudolf a “con artist,” while Rudolf has responded by insisting his brother “knows nothing about business.”
Outside of his time in Scorpions, Michael has enjoyed multiple runs with UFO. His solo band, the Michael Schenker Group, returned in 2020 after originally being formed in 1979.
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Gallery Credit: Eduardo Rivadavia
