KEEP ROCKIN' 7 -12
Derek (VII)
Derek William Dick is much better known to most people as ‘Fish’, formerly lead singer of Marillion and subsequently a highly accompli-shed solo artist. My friend Alex and I had discovered Marillion before they suddenly became world famous with “Kayleigh” from the 1985 album ‘Misplaced Childhood’. Accordingly, we were almost a little offen-ded that our insider tip, with which we could score big points, was suddenly no longer an insider tip. I left Marillion when Fish left and stayed with Fish, while Alex remained loyal to Marillion. This is still a point of discussion between us to this day. I saw Marillion with Fish in Giessen in 1984, in Frankfurt in 1985 and in Mannheim in 1986, and Fish solo on the ‘Clutching at Straws’ tour in Munich in 2007. The blur of colour is the uniform of the boy on the Misplaced Childhood cover.
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Leonard (VIII)
I admire Leonard Cohen, who passed away in 2016, at least as much as a poet as I do as a musician. He is not the typical old rocker, but for us he was always someone who, as a representative of quiet tones, definitely belonged to rock music. I had the privilege of seeing Leonard Cohen in 2008 at the Olympiahalle in Munich, one of the most impressive and emotional concert experiences of my life. His hat, which became a staple in his later years, is the blur of colour in the painting.
Bruce (IX)
I admire Bruce Springsteen as a musician, songwriter and simply as an authentic person. Even more so since I read his autobiography. I had the privilege of seeing ‘The Boss’ with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Munich in 2023. It was another concert in the series of the most impressive concerts I have ever attended, and certainly the one that moved me the most emotionally. The small blur of colour is a necklace that The Boss wears from time to time.
Neal (X)
Neal Morse, who is probably not so well known, is the former frontman of the band Spock's Beard. I had the opportunity to see Neal Morse with his Neal Morse Band in Munich in 2019 and in Cologne in 2022, and again as part of the band Transatlantic, also in Cologne in 2022. The blur of colour here is the reflection in the sunglasses, in which the members of Transatlantic, whom I have also seen with other bands (Roine Stolt with the Flower Kings and Steve Hackett, Pete Trewavas with Marillion and Mike Portnoy with Dream Theater), can be glimpsed.
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Jackson (XI)
Jackson Browne is a musician who cannot really be pigeonholed into any particular musical genre. In his younger years, he was a regular guest at Andy Warhol's Factory. In addition to his wonderful music, I like Jackson Browne's commitment – including in his music – to the socially disadvantaged, to peace and to the environment. Consequently, he wears the button from the legendary 1979 ‘No Nukes’ concert in Madison Square Garden as a blur of colour, which featured Jackson Browne alongside Bruce Springsteen, Crosby, Stills & Nash, James Taylor and many more. I had the privilege of seeing Jackson Browne live in Frankfurt in 1986 (and probably as one of the few Germans among numerous Americans) and again much later in 2015 at the Tollwood Festival in Munich.
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David (XII)
I have been a 'Floydian' since I bought the then newly released ‘The Wall’ with my saved pocket money at the age of 14. I had the privilege of seeing David Gilmour, one of the best guitarists in the world (hence the coloured guitar), in Frankfurt in 1989 and at an open-air concert in Hanover in 1994. His two solos in ‘Comfortably Numb’ are number 2 on my personal list of the best rock guitar solos ever played (just behind Steve Hackett's solo in ‘Firth Of Fifth’). Even without David Gilmour, I was one of approximately 400,000 people at the legendary performance of ‘The Wall’ in 1990 on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, which was still completely undeveloped at the time. So it's only logical that one of the heads of Pink Floyd belongs in the series.
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