KEEP ROCKIN' 13-18
Udo (XIII)
Udo Lindenberg is the pioneer of German rock music. I particularly like his rockier stuff from the 70s and remember exactly how horrified the generation before us was when they suddenly understood the lyrics. Some of my friends were and still are die-hard Lindenberg fans. This time, the blur of colour is a glass of his beloved egg liqueur. I had the privilege of seeing Udo Lindenberg at the legendary 5th Anti-WAAhnsinns-Festival in 1986 in Wackersdorf/Burglengenfeld, the ‘German Woodstock’. It has since become a museum piece (a ticket hangs in the House of Bavarian History in Regensburg). But: I was there! And I still have the ticket...
Mick (XIV)
Mick Box is the last surviving member of Uriah Heep from their golden era in the 1970s. I have a very special connection to Uriah Heep, as I saw the band for the first time in November 1983, when I was just 17 years old. At a time of numerous upheavals, the band performed at the Bürgerhaus in Langgoens, organised by the owners of the ‘Hard Rock’ in the same town. For me, that was reason enough to set off on my moped (and, as I recall, without my parents' knowledge) on the 30 km journey through a bitterly cold November night. On the way, my front light broke, but I fought my way through. It was the first concert I attended on my own – illegally, because I was underage. But that made it all the more important for a member of Uriah Heep to be included in this series. Mick Box was acquainted to his portrait. He sent me a short written greeting, which I have given pride of place in my studio.
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Bob (XV)
In 2016, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, a decision that I, as someone with an affinity for poetry, could readily support. His music and lyrics are more relevant than ever. However, the world he calls for on behalf of us all is further away than ever. ‘The times they are a-changin',’ but unfortunately in completely the wrong direction. ‘How many times must the cannonballs fly before they're forever banned’ is once again frighteningly relevant. I am a Dylan fan because of his clear statements and his clear stance. Also because of his music, even if it's not really rock. I had the opportunity to see Bob Dylan in Nuremberg in 2018, with his own unique and idiosyncratic way of presenting his music. The blur of colour is a type of brooch that he likes to wear.
Wolfgang (XVI)
I have special memories associated with Wolfgang Niedecken and BAP. The BAP concert on 7 October 1982 in Giessen was the first rock concert I ever attended, at the age of 16. Unfortunately, I no longer have the ticket. Logically without a ticket, I saw BAP together with well over 100,000 people at the demonstration against the NATO Double-Track Decision on 22 October 1983 in Bonn's Hofgarten (and also Willy Brandt and Heinrich Boell). This was followed by two BAP concerts in 1986, at the open-air concert in Giessen (while doing community service as an assistant to a young wheelchair user) and at the legendary 5th Anti-WAAhnsinns-Festival. In 2025, I came full circle with a visit to the magnificent Zeitreise concert in Regensburg. Wolfgang Niedecken has written some of the most beautiful ‘German-language’ lyrics ever and often reflected my life situations.
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Ian (XVII)
The unique drummer Ian Paice is best known to most as a member of Deep Purple. He is the only band member who has been part of the band from the beginning, regardless of which ‘Mark’ line-up was currently active. What few people know is that Ian Paice was also the drummer for Gary Moore's band for a time. And it was during this time that I saw him with Gary Moore, as a seventeen-year-old at ‘Rockpop in Concert’ in December 1982 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. The concert, which was broadcast on ZDF at the time, can now be seen on YouTube (and so can young Klaus – white jumper, long hair and a terrible moustache – in the front row of the audience). In 2009, I had the opportunity to see him again with Deep Purple in Muehldorf, together with the Hooters, Status Quo and Roger Hodgson. This time, his trademark is a blur of colour, his glasses with purple lenses.
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Wolf (XVIII)
Put on your boots, set off, let the cold wind blow around your nose...’ is what I think almost every time I put on my shoes to go somewhere. No other rock singer's lyrics penetrate my everyday life as much as Wolf Maahn's. Whether it's in the supermarket (where John Lennon blares out of the loudspeakers to our mutual horror) or when I'm in a great mood at some party I'm looking forward to. Of course, this may be due in no small part to the fact that our views on social issues are so similar. Accordingly, I saw Wolf Maahn and his Deserteure at the legendary 5th Anti-WAAhnsinns-Festival in Burglengenfeld/Wackersdorf in July 1986 and a year earlier at the 3rd Giessen Open Air, which in 1985 was a festival featuring only German-speaking (or singing) bands
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