If you copy then it is not self-expression.
If everyone would look for that uniqueness then we would have a very colorful world.
When you are live you never know what is going to happen.
I play with feeling so I need to hear what is coming out of the amplifier to inspire me; I dont just play mechanically. I need to hear what I am doing in order to create the next note. If I dont hear it then I cant feed myself.
I prefer playing in the studio because you have much more control over things.
If you are in a band like my brother, Rudolf, who is in the Scorpions, then you have a kind of umbrella and you cover each other. You have five people to discuss things with and you are all in the same boat, and therefore make much wiser choices.