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I WAS BORN, WENT TO SCHOOL AND THEN LISTENED TO THE RAMONES IN 1978. THAT WAS IT. I BOUGHT A CHEAP GUITAR AND WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED A BAND CALLED "THE WORST".
Ecki rocking out with Jason Ringenberg - May, 2009
HISTORY LESSON: DER MODERNE MAN & KOSMONAUTENTRAUM
OUR INITIAL CONCERTS IN THE HANNOVER AREA HAD DEVASTATING RESULTS, HOWEVER, WITH A LITTLE BIT OF PRACTICE THINGS IMPROVED. WHEN "THE WORST" DISBANDED AFTER SCHOOL WAS FINISHED I MET ZIGGY XY, A SPACED OUT INSURANCE CLERK READY TO DROP EVERYTHING IN SEARCH OF HIS SUPER-STRADOM. ZIGGY XY INTRODUCED ME TO PUNK FASHION, SPLATTER AND/OR GAY MOVIES AND OTHER GREAT STUFF. HE ALSO WROTE FUNNY LYRICS AND WE SOON FOUNDED OUR OWN BAND CALLED "DER MODERNE MAN" IN DECEMBER 1978. THE ORIGINAL LINE UP INCLUDED EX-"THE WORST" BASS PLAYER THOMAS BRAND AS WELL AS CLAUDIUS HEMPELMANN ON DRUMS, WHO HAD JUST BEEN SACKED BY HIS FORMER BAND "THE 39 CLOCKS" BECAUSE HE WAS TOO BLOND FOR THEM.
WE RECORDED A 4 TRACK EP CALLED "UMSTURTZ IM KINDERZIMMER" IN MARCH 1979. THE EP INCLUDED 2 STRAIGHT HITS, NAMELY "DAS DISCOLIED" AND "GIB MIR DEN TOD" (PLEASE KILL ME) AND MUST BE CONSIDERED AS A TRUE GERMAN UNDERGROUND CLASSIC THESE DAYS. WITHOUT DISTRIBUTION WE SOLD 1.200 COPIES WITHIN 3 MONTHS. PEOPLE ARE PAYING MORE THAN 100 EUR FOR AN ORIGINAL COPY ON EBAY THESE DAYS.
THE SUCCESS OF "UMSTURZ IM KINDERZIMMER" WAS FUELED BY UNEXPECTED SUPPORT FROM PUNK/NEW WAVE RADIO GURU JOHN PEEL, WHO BECAME A BIG FAN AND PLAYED US ON RADIO ONE AND BFBS IN GERMANY. DUE TO THE ATTENTION GENERATED BY HIS AIRPLAY WE WERE INVITED TO PLAY LIVE IN SEVERAL GERMAN CITIES AS WELL AS IN VIENNA AND AMSTERDAM. WHEN DOING SO, THOMAS BRAND HAD ALREADY LEFT THE BAND AND WAS REPLACED BY MATTUS SIMONS ON BASS GUITAR.
Mattus Simons, Eckart Kurtz, Claudius Hempelmann, Ziggy XY, Winter 1979/1980
IN EARLY 1980 WE TOOK A TRIP TO HAMBURG TO RECORD OUR FIRST STUDIO LP "80 TAGE AUF SEE". I WAS STUDYING LAW IN HAMBURG BY THEN AND HAD DISCOVERED THIS VERY CHEAP RECORDING STUDIO. WE TAPED 12 SONGS IN 2 DAYS AND THEN MIXED THEM DURING THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND. A BIT OF PATIENCE/GUIDANCE WOULD HAVE DONE US GOOD IN HINTSIGHT BUT, HEY, WE WERE TRUELY INDEPENDENT THEN. "80 TAGE AUF SEE" CONTAINS SOME VERY STRONG MATERIAL, "DER UNBEKANNTE", "13", "MITTERNACHT", "DAUERLAUF", "FLUCHT" & "VERGESSLICHKEIT" WITH ZIGGY'S LYRICS AT THEIR BEST. THE PRODUCTION IS RUFF BUT WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM AN UNDERGROUND BAND.
"80 TAGE AUF SEE" WAS RELEASED BY NO FUN RECORDS, HANNOVER, IN SEPTEMBER 1980 AND IT SOLD MORE THAN 8.000 COPIES DESPITE SOME MIXED REVIEWS IN THE PRESS. IT HELPED US AGAIN THAT JOHN PEEL DID LIKE THE ALBUM VERY MUCH - I GUESS HE CONSIDERED US AS A GERMAN VERSION OF "THE FALL" - AND HE PLAYED ALL THE 12 SONGS BUT 1 ON BFBS RADIO OVER MANY WEEKS. THAT TRIGGERED GERMAN RADIO STATIONS TO FOLLOW. JOHN PEEL EVEN INVITED US TO ONE OF HIS FAMOUS JOHN PEEL SESSION IN LONDON BUT, STUPIDLY, I TRIED TO NEGOTIATE SOME MONEY OUT OF THAT AND HE GOT BORED. SILLY ME! "80 TAGE AUF SEE" IS A MATTER OF TASTE AS REGARDS THE SOUND BUT THE SONGS ARE GREAT AND MANY PEOPLE LIKE IT STILL TODAY.
BY THE BEGINNING OF 1981 ZIGGY XY FELT THAT DER MODERNE MAN WAS BECOMING TOO MUCH OF A ROCKBAND FOR HIS LIKING, WHILST HE WANTED TO GET INTO NOISE. ZIGGY, THEREFORE, LEFT THE BAND ON FRIENDLY TERMS AND FOUNDED THE GERMAN ART/INDIE PIONEERS "KOSMONAUTENTRAUM".
Kosmonautentraum#1: Ziggy XY, E.K.T., Suesskind, Karl May, 1981
I HAD THE PLEASURE TO ASSIST HIM AS A DRUMMER ON KOSMONAUTENTRAUM'S FIRST 2 SINGLES "RACHE!" AND "LIEBESMÃœHN" AS WELL AS THEIR PHANTASTIC DEBUT ALBUM "JURI GAGARIN", ALL OF WHICH RELEASED ON ALFRED HILSBERG'S INFOMOUS "ZICKZACK" LABEL, HAMBURG.
I ALSO DID A GERMAN TOUR AS DRUMMER OF "KOSMONAUTENTRAUM" IN DECEMBER 1981, WHEN WE PLAYED 10 DATES TOGETHER WITH "PALAIS SCHAUMBURG".
AFTER ZIGGY'S DEPARTURE, THINGS REALLY GOT OFF WITH "DER MODERNE MAN". WE HIRED A NEW DRUMMER, FELIX HELGE WOLTER, WHO BECAME THE FIRST REAL MUSICIAN IN THE BAND. HE ASLO INTRODUCED US TO THE ART OF DOPE. ON BASS WE RECRUITED JENS GALLMEYER OF "PHOSPOR" FAME TO ENABLE MATTUS SIMONS, THE PREVIOUS BASS PLAYER, TO TAKE OVER ZIGGY XY'S POSITION AS A SINGER/PERFORMER.
THE IMPACT WAS HUGE! INITIAL RECORDINGS - SOME STILL WITH CLAUDIUS HEMPELMANN ON DRUMS - WORKED VERY WELL. BACK AT TONCOOP/HANNOVER, 6 NEW SONGS WERE TAPED IN SPRING OF WHICH ONLY 2 HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY TO DATE, NAMELY "SANDMAN" AND "BAGGERSEE". BOTH TRACKS WERE PICKED CHOSEN AS NO FUN RECORDS AS SINGLE NO. 105.
THE SINGLE WAS VOTED RECORD OF THE WEEK IN MANY UNDERGROUND PUBLICATIONS AND THE 1.000 COPIES SOLD OUT RAPIDLY. "BAGGERSEE" IS A SIMPLE SKA-LIKE PUNK/SURF SONG, WHEREAS "SANDMAN" WAS DARKER, WITH A HYPNOTIC, EARLY TALKING HEADS LIKE RIFF AT THE END. THE UNRELEASED SONGS INCLUDE EARLY VERSIONS OF "BLAUE MATROSEN", "LAUT" & A RAEGGAE VERSION OF "UNMODERN". ANOTHER TRACK, "FERNSEHZEIT", GOT LOST BUT WILL RE-APPEAR ON CD SHORTLY.
IN SUMMER 1981 NO FUN RECORDS ORGANISED A BIG NATIONWIDE TOUR CALLED "JUBEL 81" WITH ALL THEIR MAJOR ACTS LIKE HANS-A-PLAST, ROTZKOTZ, DER MODERNE MAN, 39 CLOCKS, BÄRCHEN UND DIE MILCHBUBIES, A5 AND OTHERS. OUR SET WAS USUALLY VERY WELL RECEIVED AND THE TOUR RESULTED IN A BIG BOOST FOR OUR BAND. IT GAINED US THE REPUTATION OF BEING A GOOD LIVE BAND, WHICH HELPED US TO PAY THE RENT IN THE MONTHS TO FOLLOW.
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Jens Gallmeyer, Felix Wolter, Eckart Kurtz, Mattus Simons, The "Jubel 1981" Tour Lineup
ANOTHER SIDE EFFECT OF THE "JUBEL 81" WAS THAT "39 CLOCKS" SAXOPHONE/KEYBOARD PLAYER TONIO SCORPO SOMEHOW JOINED US DURING THE TOUR TO COMPLETE A NEW "DER MODERNE MAN" 5 PIECE LINEUP. IT ALSO GAINED US A MANAGEMENT DEAL IN MUNICH AND SOME INITIAL TV-APPEARANCES.
WE FELT TO BE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BUT AND RELEASED A LIVE RECORD CALLED "VERSTIMMT" IN AUTUMN 1981 TO HAVE MORE TIME FOR A NEW STUDIO ALBUM. THIS MINI LP CONTAINED MAINLY RAW VERSIONS OF OLDER MATERIAL PLUS 2 NEW TRACKS. WE WERE AIMING TO CAPTURE THE NEW POWER OF DMM LIVE ON RECORD, BUT TO ME THAT FAILED. LUCKILY ONLY 3.500 COPIES WERE PRINTED BY NO FUN RECORDS AND, AGAIN, ALL SOLD OUT QUITE QUICKLY.
BY THE END OF 1981 THERE WAS A HUGE INTEREST IN THE BAND AND THE NEW STUDIO ALBUM WAS EAGERLY AWAITED BY THE PRESS. WITH A REAL MUSICAN AND A KEYBOARD/SAXOPHONE PLAYER IN THE BAND, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THINGS WOULD CHANGE. FELIX CONTRIBUTED REAGGAE AND FUNK INFLUENCES, TONIO ENABLED US TO HAVE A WIDER SOUND IN GENERAL. STILL WE TRIED TO DO SIMPLE GUITAR ORIENTATED MATERIAL AS WELL. THE MIXTURE OF THAT BECAME "UNMODERN" OUR BIGGEST AND BEST SELLING RECORD TO DATE WITH ABOUT 12.000 COPIES.
NO FUN RECORDS ALLOWED US A SIZEABLE BUDGET AND "UNMODERN" WAS RECORDED IN 2 STUDIOS. IN DECEMBER 1981 WE RECORDED IN SPENGE, A STUIDIO WHERE I HAD SUCCESSFULLY WORKED ON KOSMONAUTENTRAUM'S "JURI GAGARIN" BEFORE.
IN FEBRUARY 1982 NO FUN BOOKED US INTO ELECTRO PIONEER KLAUS SCHULZE'S STUDIOS IN WINSEN/ALLER, WHICH HAD JUST FINISHED RECORDINGS FOR THE FIRST "IDEAL" ALBUM. WINSEN WORKED OUT WELL AND WE RECORDED SOME GREAT TRACKS THEIR, SUCH AS "ANAKONDA", "BLAUE MATROSEN", "LAUT" & "UNMODERN".
THE "UNMODERN" ALBUM WAS RELEASED IN MARCH 1982 AND IT WAS VOTED RECORD OF THE MONTH BY "SOUNDS" AND "MUSIK EXPRESS", THE BIGGEST SELLING MUSIC PAPERS IN GERMANY BACK THEN. NO FUN RECORDS EVEN SPONSORED A SMALL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR US AND OUR MANAGEMENT BOOKED US INTO A FULL 32 DATE GERMAN TOUR TO SUPPORT THE ALBUM. THE TOUR WAS SPONSORED BY SOUNDS MAGAZINE, THE VERY FIRST TIME THEY EVER PRESENTED A TOUR BY ANY ARTIST IN GERMANY.
THE "UNMODERN" TOUR WAS FANTASTIC AND A BIG ADVENTURE BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION WAS ALL ON US ALONE. JENS GALLMEYER, THE ONLY UNFORTUNATE WITH A REAL JOB, COULD NOT MAKE THE EXTENSIVE TOURING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED BY AXEL WICKE ON BASS GUITAR, WHO JOINED FROM "ROTZKOTZ". WE PLAYED BIG CLUBS IN SMALLER CITIES AND SMALL ARENAS IN BIGGER CITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WITH SELL OUT SHOWS AND SOME BIG CROWDS ATTENDING. WE DID RADIO SHOWS, TV APPEARNCES AND NUMEROUS INTERVIEWS FOR MUSICK PAPERS, JUST LIKE A REAL BAND WOULD. WE EVEN MET GIRLS BACKSTAGE WE HAD NOT MET BEFORE...
DURING THE SUMMER 82 WE CONTINUED TOURING IN HOLLAND AND AUSTRIA AND DID A TV-LIVE SHOW AT MÃœNCHENER ROCKTAGE. ALSO RECORDED 2 SONGS, NAMELY "TELEFONLIED" AND "GURUS & GEHEIMAGENTEN" FOR THE GREAT DR. MAMBO TV SHOW IN BERLIN. THE SKY WAS THE LIMIT - IF ONLY NO FUN'S DISTRIBUTUION NET HAD WORKED BETTER. BY AUTUMN WE GOT AN OFFER FROM WARNER BROTHERS FOR A 5 ALBUM DEAL, 2 OF WHICH GUARANTEED.
THE WARNER OFFER LEAD TO A SEVERE FRICTION IN THE BAND, 2 GUYS, INCLUDING MYSELF, THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT, 2 VOTED AGAINST IT AND 1 DIDN'T CARE. FEAR WAS THAT WE COULD SELL OUT TO THE RECORD INDUSTRY. AFTER WEEKS OF TENSION WE DECIDED NOT TO DO IT AND TO RENEW OUR CONTRACT WITH NO FUN RECORDS AND THEIR NEW DISTRIBUTORS BOOTS VERTRIEB, HANNOVER. WHAT A MISTAKE!! BOTH COMPANIES WOULD GO BANKRUPT WITHIN THE NEXT 12 MONTH AND ALL THEIR FINANCIAL PROMISSES WERE NOT HONOURED.
LUCKILY, THAT WAS STILL UNKNOWN WHEN WE PLANNED THE NEXT RECORD AND TOUR FOR EARLY 1983. SINCE WE WERE A BIT SHORT OF NEW MATERIAL AFTER ALL THAT TOURS AND STRUGGLES WE DECIDED TO DO A 6 TRACK MINI-LP ONLY.
THE RECORDINGS TO "NEUES AUS HONGKONG TOOK PLACE IN THE STUDIOS OF FRANK BORNEMANN'S "ELOY" IN HANNOVER IN AUTUMN 1982. TO ME, "NEUES AUS HONGKONG" IS CLEARLY THE PEAK OF OUR RECODING CAREER FROM A "SOUND" PERSPECTIVE. IT IS LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF "80 TAGE AUF SEE" BUT, THEN AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE, LIKE JOHN PEEL, BECAME BORED WITH US BECAUSE WE HAD LOST THAT DILLETANT FEELING/ANGER. IF YOU COMPARE OMPARE "DAS DICOLIED" WITH THE 7:50 MINUTES VERSION OF "FÃœR FRAU KRAUSE" THE DIFFERENCE IS STRIKING. I MAY BE ONE OF THE VERY FEW WHO IS ABLE TO LIKE THEM BOTH IN THEIR OWN WAY...
ANOTHER 4 WEEKS TOUR FOLLOWED IN SPRING 1983, WHICH WAS HIGHLIGHTED BY A "ROCKPALAST" TV APPEARANCE AND A RADIO LIVE CONCERT RECORDED IN ZURICH/SWITZERLAND. THE LATTER WAS THE MORE REMARKABLE BECXAUSE WE PLAYED TOGETHER WITH OUR HEROES "GUN CLUB". TO ME, OUR BAND NEVER PLAYED BETTER AS ON THAT TOUR. YOU CAN CLEARLY HEAR THAT WHEN LISTENING TO THE ZURICH TAPES, WHICH WILL COME TO LIGHT SHORTLY.
AFTER THE TOUR WAS COMPLETED EVERYBODY LEFT IN DIFFERNT DIRECTIONS. WE PLAYED SOME MORE SHOWS IN SUMMER, INTER ALIA IN DENMARK, BUT WE ALL FELT THAT AFTER THE INTERNAL STURGGLES AND THE FIGHTS WITH THE RECORD LABELS OUR TIME WAS MORE OR LESS OVER OVER. TOGETHER WITH FELIX I RECORDED SOME NEW MATERIAL FOR A NEXT ABLUM IN 1984 BUT WE ACTUALLY NEVER MANAGED TO COME BACK AS A BAND.

30 YEARS ON!
FUNNILY, THERE IS QUITE AN APPETITE FOR THE OLD DER MODERNE MAN STUFF RECENTLY AND IT LOOKS, AS IF THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF RE-RELEASES IN CD FORMAT DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. FIRST IN LINE IS "HIT ODER NIETE - DIE NO FUN! SINGLES", A CD DOCUMENTING ALL THE 7"INCH VINYL RELEASES OF NO FUN RECORDS. "HIT ODER NIETE" INCLUDES REMARKABLE RECORDINGS FROM REMARKABLE ARTISTS AND WILL BE RELEASED ON SIREENA RECORDS, BREMEN IN AUGUST, 2008.
FOR 2009, THE 30th RECODING ANIVERSARY OF DER MODERNE MAN, IT LOOKS EVEN BETTER. WE ARE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH A MAJOR GERMAN RECORD LABEL, WHICH IS PLANNING TO RE-RELEASE ALL 3 MAIN DMM ALBUMS, I.E. 80 TAGE AUF SEE, UNMODERN & NEUES AUS HONGKONG PLUS LOTS OF BONUS MATERIAL, ALL THE 7"INCH SINGLES, AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF TV APPEARANCES ON DVD IN A SPECIAL FORMAT. IF YOU STILL CARE, I GUESS WE WILL BE HAVING POSITIVE NEWS ON THIS ISSUE SHORTLY.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!!
HAMBURG RAMÖNES
IF YOU ARE INTERSTED IN INFO ON MY NEW BAND - THE HAMBURG RAMÖNES - AND THEIR FORTHCOMING RELEASES PLEASE CHECK OUT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/HAMBURGRAMNES.
RÖCK!!