Former TOTO bassist Shem von Schrock takes a deep breath. “This is the first time I've talked about this publicly,” he told Blaze News' Steve Baker.
Baker just spoke to Schrock, who toured with TOTO from 2017 until their disbandment in 2019, about the internal turmoil that led to the final rift between founding guitarist Steve Lukather and keyboardist Steve Porcaro in 2019. I just asked him for his opinion.
“This is a person who can go from laughing at the funniest, most ridiculous jokes to ripping people's heads off.”
Lukather continues to tour under the Toto name, but his breakup with Porcaro also severed his last remaining ties to the founding Porcaro brothers. Drummer Jeff passed away in 1992, and bassist Mike died of ALS in 2015.
legal issues
The root of the crack is 2018 lawsuit The lawsuit was filed by Susan Porcaro Goings, the widow of Jeff Porcaro, who accuses the band (owned by Lukather and founding keyboardist and vocalist David Paich) of suppressing the proceeds from her late husband's estate. did. Toto lost the lawsuit, and Lukather announced the end of the band at a performance in Philadelphia in October 2019.
While the announcement came as a surprise to fans, it came as no surprise to Schlock. “The last year I was with them, there was a lot of conflict within the band,” he says.
“Certainly, I wasn't hired by the band to have an opinion on anything,” he continues. “I was there to play bass, sing, smile and arrive on time. But there was only hate and hostility.”
father figure
Schrock attributes some of the hostility to the departure of Paich, who in some ways held the band together.
“The first year [2017] Having David Paich in the band was golden. Everybody loved everybody,” Schrock recalls. “The band was great. A large family was just traveling.”
In his own way, Paichi was like a father who encouraged everyone to get along, Schrock said. “When he left, I saw the wheels come off the truck. It became a bit of 'Lord of the Flies' when that presence disappeared. …There is a lot of immaturity among men in their 60s. ”
So nervous that Schrock tried to leave the band in March 2019. “It was basically a cry for help.”
Schrock had hoped that his letter of resignation to Lukather would prompt a discussion about how to ease tensions within the band, but the response was more of a threat that his professional reputation would be tarnished if he couldn't finish the year. It was equivalent to .
never meet your hero
Shlok figured it out. He is a long-time TOTO fan and this gig was a dream come true. And Lukather was always one of his top three players he wanted to play with someday.
Today, Schrock regretfully admits that there was an element of “never meeting my heroes” to that experience. He reports that Lukather can be unstable. “This is a person who can go from laughing at really funny and stupid jokes to ripping people's heads off.”
In the end, Mr. Schlok incurred his wrath. He admits he was wrong, but says his reactions tended to be exaggerated. “When I saw people's heads being bitten off, every time I walked away, I felt like this situation didn't deserve that kind of anger and reaction.”
Miscommunication on social media only made things worse. Lukather eventually posted a note calling Schrock “the worst musician in the band” and claiming that “no one wants to work with you, your career is over.”
“Sacred Inspiration”
Mr. Schrock chose not to retaliate in kind. He quickly recalls another side of his former bandmate.
“My emails are piling up. [and] A screenshot of a text message where he praises me. “It's tear-jerking,” he says.
One message in particular is worth noting. “After a near-disaster on stage, my musical director went crazy and managed to get everyone back on track. Because it was meaningful.” [Lukather] “I think there was some divine inspiration from Jeff and Mike upstairs.” They channeled your brother Steve into getting you into this band. ”
Mr. Shlok is amazed at the memory. “It's from him. That's amazing. You're saving something like that.”
Why talk about this now?
“It's been five years,” Schrock said. “I've been out of the band longer than I've been in it. … Nothing I'm saying here is meant to be condescending. Fans like you should be interested. ”
Although Schrock has moved on to composing for films, he hasn't completely ruled out working with Lukather again. “Anything can happen. So I'm not going to say never. If it hits my bow, I'll entertain it.”
For more from TOTO's talk, and highlights from over 40 years of schlock in the music world, check out the full interview with Steve Baker below.
