Michael Schenker: Ozzy ‘Would Have Been Sorry’ With Him in Band
Michael Schenker said the temptation to join Ozzy Osbourne's band in the '80s made him resolve to "protect himself" from offers from other groups — and said Osbourne "would have been sorry" if he had accepted the invitation.
The ex-Scorpions guitarist previously discussed being approached to join Osbourne's band after the death of Randy Rhoads in 1982, and said he's also been courted by the likes of Aerosmith, Motorhead and Deep Purple over the years.
"[W]hen Ozzy's offer came up I almost fell for it," Schenker told the Metal Voice in a recent interview. "But I had to, from that moment on, figure out how to protect myself from being tempted and not ending up doing something that I shouldn't be doing — which I would regret doing later."
He continued: "So I came up with this thing, like, 'Michael, why did you… leave the Scorpions? For the same reasons you should not join Ozzy Osbourne, Motorhead or Deep Purple or Ian Hunter or any of those people who asked me.' For the same reason, because I would have to copy all of the stuff for live shows they had done before. I hate copying. It would not be Michael Schenker expressing himself and it would just not make any sense to what my mission is."
Schenker said he wouldn't have been the only one disappointed in a partnership with the Prince of Darkness. "If I would have joined Ozzy Osbourne he would have been sorry because I did so many things," he added. "I did acoustic instrumentals, electric instrumentals, covers, you name it. Fifty years later I did everything I wanted to do out of my system. So now I can relax and focus on the stuff I love most, the rock music that I do these days."
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