In a new interview, the Scorpions singer reveals his opinion on Russian ex-fans who have turned away for political reasons.
With their perestroika song “Wind of Change” in 1990, the Scorpions provided the ultimate soundtrack to the political upheaval. Until the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the band also enjoyed a huge fan base in Russia – but that was to change suddenly. After the group announced in response to the outbreak of the war that they would no longer give concerts in Russia until the conflict was over, many of their fans there turned away in outrage.
“I don’t want to do without a single fan,” said 76-year-old frontman Klaus Meine in an interview with the German edition of Playboy magazine. “But when you hear: ‘We loved your music, but now you’re cooperating with the Nazis’ – what else can you say?”
“Wind of Change” apparently not understood correctly
In the past, these fans would have sung along to songs like “Wind of Change” at the top of their lungs, “but they obviously didn’t understand them properly,” said the singer. He was “very, very sad” about the development and of course it had an impact on his band that they could no longer play “in such a huge market as Russia.”
However, he does not want to “completely pillory” the country. At the funeral of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny (1976-2024), it was clear that there was still an opposition. So “ultimately, it is not about Russia itself, but about the regime.”
“Of course we can’t change the world with music”
Writing a new political song that reflects the current political mood like “Wind of Change” was not on the Scorpions frontman’s mind at the moment. “We are better off on stage, where we can use our music to encourage fans that the world will find balance again,” stated Meine. Of course, you can’t change the world with music. You can only “hope and pray that there will be a tomorrow in which we wake up in peace and freedom.”
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
