In a new interview with Matty Roberts of the Percussion Discussion podcast, former Motörhead and current Scorpions drummer Mikkey Dee discussed how he keeps his drumming in shape when off the road, and why his nearly six decades of experience have made him a more precise performer than ever.
Dee said (transcribed by Blabbermouth) about staying active between tours: “I do different projects… I play drums when I’m off, yes. But right now, the body, actually, after a long tour with SCORPS, it’s important for your body to rest also — your shoulders, your elbows, your wrists. But I am doing some shows with ‘Mikkey Dee With Friends’; we’re out playing some stuff. And I do session work… And so I try to play as much as I can, but I also need the rest for it.”
He elaborated on how maturity has reshaped his technique: “I think I’m way more mature on my drums. The routine I have, the lack of physical power you compensate with routine and knowledge, if you will. And I compare this to ice hockey as well, because when you were 20, you had so much physical ability, you were skating all over the place like a f***ing moron. And then when you meet the older guys, old pros and stuff, they spend maybe 40% of their energy because they are at the right place at the right time all the time. While we were skating 100% just to make it to these areas and to be right, but they already know that. Why do they do that? Well, because they have the routine and knowledge where to be on the ice. Same as a drummer. I know where to back off today. I know where I can push. I feel so much more secure behind the drums.”
On his reputation for zero-mistakes performances, Dee recalled what he told his new bandmates when he joined the Scorpions: “I told the Scorpions boys, I said, when I joined them [a decade ago], I said, ‘I don’t do f***-ups.’ And they were laughing, and I said, ‘No, no, I’m serious. I never f*** up.’ ‘Yeah, yeah, Mikkey. We understand. It’s okay. It’s no problem. Everyone f***s up.’ I said, ‘I don’t,’ because I don’t. I don’t f*** up. I do my homework, and I know by the time I sit behind the drum kit, I don’t f*** up. And that’s because of routine. You know how to prepare yourself. You do your homework in the right way.”
Dee also addressed the physical side of longevity at the drum kit: “You don’t have to have the same energy when you are 15, 20, 25 years old anymore. I hit the drums with a different approach. You don’t need that much muscle and energy. You have a different snap in a way. So, it compensates. And I try to stay fit, and I stay the f*** away from drugs, and I drink only beer. And so my hair keeps growing, and that’s about it. And I play a lot of hockey when I can, and I do sports and try to live a decent life. And keeping up on my drums. And that’s all I have to do, really, to stay on the level that I wanna be.”
Earlier this year, Dee announced more than a dozen European shows for 2026 on which he will perform Motörhead classics alongside The Drippers members Viktor Skatt (bass/vocals) and Stig William Rickard (guitar).
A Swede of Greek descent, Dee rose to prominence with King Diamond in the mid-1980s, recording the albums Fatal Portrait (1986), Abigail (1987) and Them before serving as a session drummer on Conspiracy (1989). He then joined Don Dokken for Up From the Ashes (1990), with the videos for “Stay” and “Mirror Mirror” receiving airplay on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, and briefly filled in with World War Three. Having been courted by Lemmy Kilmister since 1985, Dee accepted the invitation in 1992, replacing Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor as Motörhead’s drummer; his first show with the band was Aug. 30, 1992, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Following Lemmy’s death and Motörhead’s dissolution, Dee joined the Scorpions in 2016. His only studio album with them to date is Rock Believer (2022).
The post Drummer MIKKEY DEE: “I Told the SCORPIONS Boys: ‘I Don’t Do F***-Ups.’ And They Were Laughing. I Said, ‘No, No, I’m Serious’” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
