James Kottak has died. Rest in peace.

This afternoon the sad and unexpected news of the death of musician James Kottak hit the specialized media. Original drummer for Kingdom Come, his own band Kottak and Scorpions among others, will no longer sit behind his drums to drive us crazy again. Ever. Was only sixty-one years old. Young, too young to leave. I don't want to turn this site into some kind of obituary, but James was special and it was necessary.

Nothing is yet known about the reasons for his death, but it's easy to think that his own personal demons played some role in this sad news. He'd been fighting his drinking addiction for years, in fact that seems to have been the main reason why Scorpions ended kicking him out of the band. His guitarist Matthias Jabs recalls that they gave him a lot of possibilities and treatments, but in the end there was no choice but let him out. And I believe them all, surely few people in this rotten business will be as honest as Scorpions. He was part of the german family from 1996 to 2016, twenty years, and was by far his best and most qualified drummer. That's for sure.

In recent years reformed Kingdom Come again, without the participation of vocalist and leader Lenny Wolf, but he had had to stop performing with them due to those supposed health problems that in the end turned out to be enterely true.

I remember the many Scorpions concerts I've been able to enjoy with him behind the drums in the most bizarre places one can imagine. The delirious performance in Nancy, France July 2012 where he was completely out of control and in which, despite Scorpions having announced a reunion show with former members, only Uli Roth came out to play one song. What I would have given to be in the backstage the previous hours witnessing what was surely a real fight between musicians. Also saw the amazing concert he gave in Madrid with his own band named Kottak as the opening act for Edguy back in 2011. Great memories about fucking nights of real and dangerous Rock 'n' Roll.

A drummer with punch, range, taste and technique. Need to listen to the first Kingdom Come cassette and "Unbreakable" by Scorpions right now in solitude, silence, darkness and with a glass of wine in my hands.

James Kottak. A guy who lived Rock' n' Roll way of life till the last end.

 

Rest in peace.