Michael Schenker (born January 10, 1955) is a hard rock and heavy metal gui… Read Full Bio ↴Michael Schenker (born January 10, 1955) is a hard rock and heavy metal guitarist of UFO and a founding member of the Scorpions. He signed with Chrysalis Records in autumn 1979 after leaving UFO. He is the younger brother of Rudolf Schenker of Scorpions fame.

Michael was born in Sarstedt, Germany. He started playing in his early teens when his brother Rudolph brought home a Flying V guitar, which captured Michael's imagination. His playing style is unusual in that he seems not to use conventionally practiced guitar scales but seems instead to improvise.

Schenker joined UFO under unusual circumstances. The band left the UK to play some dates in Germany. Their guitarist at the time; Bernie Marsden, forgot his passport and was unable to make the first gig. At the venue UFO spotted Michael playing a soundcheck with the Scorpions and managed to persuade him into playing that evening's show. Despite the language barrier; he spoke no English and they spoke no German, something clearly "clicked" and Schenker brought the ellusive X factor to the band and took them to another level musically.

Schenker has had a turbulent career with UFO, often walking out mid song and causing shows to be cancelled. He is evidently as temperamental as he is gifted. Schenker says his playing with UFO is like chocolate: fantastic for a while but once you've had enough....

Clearly a musical prodigy, Schenker was one of the 1970's most inspirational guitarists, influencing later musicians such as Kirk Hammett from the band Metallica.

Michael was offered gigs with Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne but decided he wanted to play his own music and not be a hired hand in another group. In 1979, he founded the Michael Schenker Group (M.S.G). The history of the Michael Schenker Group has been strewn with personality conflicts and "incidents" between band members. In 1982, original vocalist Gary Barden was sacked in favor of Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz) who lasted one album (Assault Attack) and was fired from the band after dropping his pants in a warm-up gig before the Reading festival. Gary Barden was enticed back to the band for Reading and stayed with M.S.G. for the recording of a new studio album (Built to Destroy) and a live album (Rock Will Never Die). After the second departure of vocalist Gary Barden after the Built to Destroy album, Michael reorganized the band around himself and vocalist Robin McAuley as the McAuley Schenker Group. After three albums in that configuration, Michael and Robin parted company.

Michael next rejoined UFO for the album Walk on Water. A short tour punctuated by a fight between Michael and vocalist Phil Mogg ended the reunion.

Michael resurrected the Michael Schenker Group with all new players and recorded three decent albums and toured yearly to appreciative Schenker-heads around the United States and Europe.

Michael fell on hard times in the early 2000's after his divorce in which he lost rights to his own music, his Mercedes and his prized Flying V guitars.

Michael picked himself up and got back to the business of making and performing music. The recording of the album Arachnophobiac and the resulting two years of touring got Michael back in rocking form.

2005 brings the 25th anniversary of the Michael Schenker Group. Michael is putting together a new album of songs called Tales of Rock and Roll honoring that anniversary. Singers from each iteration of the group have been enlisted to sing on a track or two.

A new Michael Schenker Group album is as much about finding out who is left in the band as it is about the music. Devoted fans love him regardless of his personal and personnel problems.

Scene Of Crime
Michael Schenker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh destiny i'm feeling sorry
Gotta leave the scene of crime

Chasing down the 101
To my final destination
Benn going much too fast
Then the lights went out

It sounds absurd
As i see my body sleeping
Hear police man talking
From far

Welcome to the shadow people
Meet the carnival of souls
Undead dancing to this crazy voodoo
Anything is supernatural
So emotionless and cold
Please take me home

Wake me up from this dream
I've been sleepin for too long now
Stop this cabaret
Let the curtain fall

I've been torn apart
In need of some salvation
Waiting for the doctor's call

Welcome to the shadow people
Meet the carnival of souls
I'm dancing to this crazy voodoo
Anything is supernatural
So emotionless and cold
Please take me home

Welcome to the shadow people
Meet the carnival of souls
Who said that the living dead can't do the roll
Swaying to the strangest music
Fall into a state of trance

Is it real or surreal
Blurring my distinction
My metamorphosis comes alive

I can see what was a car
Now been fallen into pieces
Stranded at the river bank
Burning to the ground

Emergenc
Is it how my case ceases
These footprints in the sand are not mine

Oh destiny I'm feeling sorry
Gotta leave the scene of crime

Overall Meaning

The song "Scene of Crime" by Michael Schenker is a melancholic ballad about a person who is running away from their past mistakes and trying to find solace in a world that seems to be indifferent to their struggles. The singer voices their regret about their destiny and the choices they have made, hoping to escape the scene of their crime. The lyrics describe a car chase, where the singer seems to be driving recklessly, with the headlights going off, and finally, the car crashing. The singer then finds themselves outside their body, watching the police officers approach. As the chorus ramps up, the singer is surrounded by shadow people, also known as the living dead, who are dancing to supernatural music, and the singer is lost in a surreal world where distinctions are blurred.

The singer requests to be awakened from this dream or nightmare, and the curtain closed on this cabaret. They express their pain, the need for salvation, and a desire to return home. The chorus continues to repeat as the singer encounters the carnival of souls, the living dead, and the strangest music, all of which are surreal and otherworldly. The song ends with a scene of a crashed car, with the singer stranded on the riverbank, contemplating their fate and feeling sorry for having to leave the scene of the crime.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh destiny i'm feeling sorry
I regret my fate and how things have turned out

Gotta leave the scene of crime
I must quickly depart from the place where something wrong happened

Chasing down the 101
I'm traveling on road 101 trying to get somewhere

To my final destination
To the place where I will end up once I reach my destination

Been going much too fast
I've been moving too fast and not being careful

Then the lights went out
Suddenly the lights went out and there was darkness

It sounds absurd
What I'm about to say may sound ridiculous

As I see my body sleeping
As I witness my physical body sleeping

Hear police man talking
I hear a police officer speaking

From far
The sound is coming from a distance

Welcome to the shadow people
Welcome to a group of mysterious and elusive beings

Meet the carnival of souls
Get acquainted with an exciting and otherworldly gathering of spirits

Undead dancing to this crazy voodoo
The spirits are moving to an unusual and wild rhythm

Anything is supernatural
Anything can happen beyond natural laws

So emotionless and cold
The atmosphere is devoid of feelings or warmth

Please take me home
I long to be taken to my safe place

Wake me up from this dream
I need to be able to distinguish reality from fantasy

I've been sleeping for too long now
I've been in this state of confusion for far too long

Stop this cabaret
Put an end to this spectacle of bizarre sights and sounds

Let the curtain fall
Allow the performance to come to an end

I've been torn apart
I've been badly damaged

In need of some salvation
I require some kind of rescue or relief

Waiting for the doctor's call
I'm waiting for someone to come and heal me

Who said that the living dead can't do the roll
The undead can also enjoy life and hobbies

Swaying to the strangest music
The spirits are dancing to a very peculiar tune

Fall into a state of trance
Become mesmerized by the spectacle

Is it real or surreal
I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is real or a figment of my imagination

Blurring my distinction
The line between what's real and not real is becoming less clear

My metamorphosis comes alive
My transformation is taking place before my very eyes

I can see what was a car
I can make out what was once a vehicle

Now fallen into pieces
It's now in a state of total disrepair

Stranded at the river bank
The wreckage is now on the banks of a river

Burning to the ground
It's now engulfed in flames

Emergency
This is an emergency situation

Is it how my case ceases
Is this how my story will come to an end?

These footprints in the sand are not mine
I see footprints in the sand that don't belong to me

Contributed by Camilla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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11y↑1

Same to you Brother. How about Michael playing flute? Guy is amazing. Simon's drumming on the few tracks he is on is off the charts! Guy is an acrobat. I personally like the heavy hands of Carmine, Cozy, and Pete Holmes of the newer stuff, but you can't deny Simon's ability. This album just KILLS for me. I think the last one I liked this much was The Odd Trio. (And we know who THOSE crazy 3 musicians were!) lol Even Rudolph didn't know. Peace Always Bro. Be well. Johnny