Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast (Facebook page) recently conducted an interview with former KINGDOM COME and current SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak. You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below.
Asked why the original lineup of KINGDOM COME only managed to record two albums before falling apart in the late '80s, James said: "Well, I hate to say it, but there was somebody in the band who said the wrong thing to the press and created a lot of bad blood. And you can live and die by the press, especially back in the '80s. I mean, I hate to say it, but look what happened to QUIET RIOT. R.I.P. Kevin DuBrow, but, man, his mouth ruined that band; just too much talking and talking. And we had a similar situation where, instead of accepting the compliments — 'Hey, man, you guys sound like LED ZEPPELIN' — it was, like, 'Oh, no. We don't.' And I was the complete opposite. If I was ever asked, 'Who's your favorite drummer?' I'd say, 'John Bonham.' 'Who's your favorite band?' 'LED ZEPPELIN.'"
He continued: "If you're gonna be compared to somebody, be compared to the very best. And that was my whole attitude the whole time. And, unfortunately, the second album came and went, and things happen. It's not always about the music; [there's] a lot of politics involved. And that was it. The manager who got the whole thing together, about halfway through, he kind of lost it and wasn't around anymore, and he was really in charge of everything. So there was a lot of things involved."
Kottak also spoke about the possibility of a reunion of the original KINGDOM COME lineup. He said: "I've been talking to [KINGDOM COME singer] Lenny [Wolf] since 2009 — really talking serious trying to get this KINGDOM COME thing back together, and then it just fizzled. And even when I was, basically… I was asked by Klaus [Meine, SCORPIONS singer], 'Hey, you know, don't do any outside stuff.' Then I said [to the other members of the original KINGDOM COME lineup], 'Okay, guys. Go ahead and go on without me.' And nothing happened. They had gigs on the table. The four of them could have gone and done anything. Just get another drummer. And it just… Nothing happened. So… go figure."
He continued: "I would love to revisit [the early KINGDOM COME material], 'cause I love the first and second album — they're two of my all-time favorite albums. And the songs are incredible. And I think there's an audience out there for it, based on all the other stuff. Heck, if nothing else, we could do the Monsters Of Rock cruise. I mean, we could actually go out and really play a lot. But we'll see."
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http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/james- ... sRYzice.99