Relations between Cologne and Düsseldorf are about the same as between Zurich and Basel, only the distance between German cities is half as much, and dislike for him is twice as much. And yet, in my youth, I shared a love for a band from Cologne and a musician from Düsseldorf: BAP and Marius Müller-Westernhagen (74) – his 1978 album “Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz” played loudly in my teenage room and louder.
“In his latest album, in which he likes the song “With mint, I am your prince”, Marius Müller-Westernhagen found his style,” writes the Hamburg writer Friedrich Dönhoff (55) in his recently published collection of portraits about the Rhenish rocker. . After several face-to-face meetings, Donhoff creates a sharp close-up of the musician and actor, who appear to be distant. Details from the life of Müller-Westernhagen you will learn like never before.
For example, an anecdote from childhood: since his father Hans Müller-Westernhagen (1918-1963) is a big star of the Düsseldorf theater together with Gustav Gründgens (1899-1963), theater figures continue to come home to Müller-Westernhagens – in October 1957 great Viennese mimin Hilde Krahl (1917–1999). Ten-year-old Marius falls head over heels in love with her, guards her on the street and receives from her a book with a dedication: “To dear Marius from your friend Hilde.”
The disabled and alcoholic father Marius later refused to register at the Ort des Grauen high school, leaving the boy without education and soon without a father. Since the son is also endowed with theatrical talent, his mother sends him to acting school. In addition, the former football fan discovered his love for music and learned to play the guitar. Müller-Westernhagen later lived with Otto Waalkes (74), Udo Lindenberg (76) and the legendary Hamburg apartment Villa Kunterbunt. The German rock phase begins.
The “skinny herring” – at times weighing 54 kilograms and 1.82 meters tall – was ashamed of her slender body and never learned to swim. Today, the rock star has a pool where he can splash his feet while sitting on the edge of the pool. However, in his songs and films, he always swims against the current with dedication and dexterity – for example, in the satirical song “Dicke” (1978) or in the road movie “Theo against the rest of the world” (1980).
“Following his big break in the fall of 1980 with his tour and the super-success of Theo Against the Rest of the World in theaters, Marius Müller-Westernhagen’s career has steadily taken off,” Dönhoff writes. To date, Müller-Westernhagen has released 27 albums and over 250 songs, including the stadium anthems “Let’s Live” (1983) and “Freiheit” (1987): “Everyone who dreams of freedom / should not miss the celebrations / should also dance graves / freedom, freedom / the only thing that matters.”
Friedrich Dönhoff, “Marius Müller-Westernhagen – portrait”, Diogenes