Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Ah, the German guitar icon MICHAEL SCHENKER celebrated his birthday (January 10th) live on air one recent Friday night in New York as he was the very special guest of WVOX Metal Mayhem host Matthew O'Shaughnessy on his long-running radio show. Schenker, one of the most awe-inspiring guitar legends in history, was all axes-blazing (pun intended) as he phoned into Metal Mayhem to create... even more mayhem. Michael Schenker's long and illustrious career saw him playing guitar at a very young age and performing his first actual gig at just eleven years old. We all know what happened just a few years later; Michael would join the SCORPIONS and be featured on their debut album, Lonesome Crow. Today, the highly gifted guitarist has more than fifty albums on his resume, perhaps best known for his tenure in UFO. And of course MSG and Michael's incredible solo endeavors.

Now, the German invasion is back with Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock and the full-throttle release, Bridge The Gap, which showcases the teutonic masters guitar prowess to even more innovative heights with three fifth's of former Scorpion members mixed in for good measure; Michael himself, Herman Rarebell and Francis Bucholz. Bridge The Gap is extremely well rounded out by vocalist Doogie White (ex-RAINBOW) and guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay.

Michael Schenker tells BraveWords correspondent and Metal Mayhem host Matthew O'Shaughnessy about creating Bridge The Gap which was produced by Schenker and Michael Voss, his very beginning days in Germany, the music that inspired him at a young age, charging ever forward for more than forty years as a guitar pioneer, his acceptance of The Lifetime Achievement In Rock And Roll Award and much more as the candid interview progresses. Click below for audio of entire interview:

Flying Vs!