KEEP ROCKIN' 1-6
Keith (I)
There is hardly anything more appealing to an artist than a face covered with furrows and the traces of life. This challenge was the initial motivation for the Keep Rockin' series. For this reason alone, Keith Richards, whom I saw with the Rolling Stones in Spielberg, Austria, in 2017, naturally had to be the first in the series. There could hardly be a more rewarding subject. The blur of colour is hidden in the cigarette in his hand.
Ian (II)
Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull is a dazzling personality both as a person and as a musician. I had the privilege of seeing him live three times, twice in Munich and once in Regensburg, where, even as an older gentleman, he still stood on one leg and coaxed the wildest sounds from his flute. His staring eye with raised eyebrow is also one of his trademarks. The blur of colour is very discreetly incorporated into his flute, which is of course a must in his portrait.
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Peter (III)
Peter Gabriel has fascinated me throughout my musical life. Whether as the eccentric lyrical mind behind early Genesis or as a solo artist with a constant stream of innovative musical and creative ideas. The film ‘Birdy’ is one of my favourites, partly because of Peter Gabriel's music. I demonstrated against apartheid to the sound of “Biko”, and ‘So’ was a revelation. His excursions into world music also fascinated me immensely. I had the opportunity to see Peter Gabriel in 1987 on the ‘So’ tour in Offenbach (and write an article about this concert in a youth newspaper) and much later in 2004 in Nuremberg. The blur of colour here is a microphotograph of two red blood cells from the cover of the ‘Scratch My Back’ album.
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Paul (IV)
One of the first albums I ever owned was a Beatles greatest hits album (as far as I can remember, it was a gift). Even though John Lennon was my absolute favourite Beatle, one of my main goals in life was to see one of the Beatles live. On 14 May 2003, that moment finally arrived when my wife and I got to see (Sir) Paul McCartney perform at the Stadthalle in Vienna. I put him the tie on that his cartoon character wore in ‘Yellow Submarine’ as a blur of colour.
Neil (V)
Neil Peart, who sadly passed away in 2020, was the drummer and lyricist for the Canadian band Rush. Rush was a band that fascinated me and my friends with its complexity. I had the privilege of seeing Rush with Neil Peart on drums in Frankfurt in 2011, and I went on a wild ride to do so (work - train to Frankfurt - concert - night train back - work). As a blur of colour, I pressed one of his drumsticks into his hand.
Steve (VI)
I have been a die-hard Genesis fan since I was about 15 or 16 years old. However, this love only lasted until Phil Collins decided that he needed to make the band more commercially successful. That was also around the time when Steve Hackett left Genesis. I remained loyal to ‘And Then There Were Three’ and ‘Duke’, but I began to feel alienated by “Abacab” and by ‘Genesis’, the 12th album, my love had completely cooled. In addition to Peter Gabriel, I also remained loyal to Steve Hackett and his solo projects, especially as I am also captivated by his classical excur-sions. Anyone who wants to experience early Genesis today has to see Steve Hackett. Consequently, I have already been to six Hackett concerts: in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2019 in Munich, and in 2023 and 2024 in Nuremberg. I draped one of his scarves around him as a blur of colour.
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