“The problem with the CD cover is the painter misunderstood the concept in the beginning and the first iteration had the band hanging me on the guitar. I told him it doesn’t make sense. I’m supposed to be hanging on the guitar, and the band is supposed to be rescuing me. The front cover ended up as if the singers are glorifying me. That wasn’t the idea either; I must have overlooked it when I was proofing the artwork because I was so blown away with the beauty of it and how it was painted. The back of the CD cover is the way it was meant to be with the singers in fighting mode trying to get me off the guitar. The story is supposed to be that they cut me off the guitar and here we are. We’ve succeeded, we’re back, and we are carrying on. It’s a celebration of surviving the middle years, and now we are all together.
“I only learned a few weeks ago that Graham [Bonnet, vocals] was offended by the CD cover. I took another look at it and was, like, ‘Shit. I’m not surprised.’ Doogie should be more offended as he looks like he is worshiping me. I never noticed it, and I’m really embarrassed by it. They should have been looking to get me off the guitar to save the Michael Schenker Fest. It’s a bummer.”
