The German music star is over 70, but remains the country's king of rock. The film "Lindenberg! Do your thing!" shows how the young Udo did just that — breaking the mold of the music world as he developed his career.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Charisius
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Udo Lindenberg is a legend in Germany. The rocker has been around for so long and has created so many hits. And even though he's already over 70, Udo — as Germans affectionately call him — still looks incredibly cool, with his trademark sunglasses, floppy hat and his brash attitude.
Lindenberg had his breakthrough in 1973 with the album Andrea Doria. He then became the first German rock singer to sign a mega-deal. And in the following years, he wrote music history in West Germany.
Now a new biopic celebrates the legend: Lindenberg! Do your thing! premiered on Tuesday in Hamburg — an obvious location for the event, since the musician has been living in the north German city for ages, even though he was born in the city of Gronau in North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946.
After the premiere, the rock star was visibly emotional: "I had tears behind my sunglasses," he said. "Tears of sadness, but also of delight and joy."
Arts and Culture - Friday, October 01, 2021
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The challenges of singing in German
With Lindenberg! Do your thing!,director Hermine Huntgeburth wonderfully portrays a turbulent era, as well as a man with a dream: The young Udo Lindenberg wanted to sing in German — not in the typical style of Schlager kitsch hits, but rather rock and pop music, with a few jazz notes. But that didn't exist at the time. That's another aspect explored in the film: the struggle with your own language.
The film recalls how, in the 1960s, singers in Germany were all doing Schlager. The young Udo felt that it should be possible to do rock with refined lyrics in German, combining melancholy, rawness, charm and humor. That's exactly what he ended up achieving.
Interpreting Udo instead of copying him
Lead actor Jan Bülow turned out to be a perfect cast for the role. He sings the songs himself in the film, and that works well. The actor admitted that he initially tried to imitate Udo as much as possible, but the director and producers encouraged him "to simply do everything the way I was doing it," Bülow said.
Jan Bülow as the young Udo LindenbergImage: DCM/Letterbox/Gordon Timpen
"Basically we made sure we weren't delivering a copy of Udo, but rather an interpretation of him." Instead of dwelling on the image of Lindenberg that is already well known in Germany, the film aims to show how he became such an iconic personality; how he was simply a person who always did his own thing.
The film ends when Udo Lindenberg achieves his first commercial breakthrough, focusing on the development of a young man, his doubts as a teenager and the awakening of his musical talent.
Yet Lindenberg! Do your thing! also manages through the portrayal of Lindenberg's youth to reveal the origins of later hits, or even why he would become an agent of reconciliation between East and West Germany who would communicate with the GDR's leader, Erich Honecker.
Throughout the years, Udo Lindenberg has always remained true to himself, never forgetting his roots and sticking to "doing his thing" despite external resistance. As the film shows, that turned out to be the key to his success.
The day Udo Lindenberg rocked East Berlin
He had been banned from performing in the GDR for years. West German rocker Udo Lindenberg then performed for the first and only time in East Berlin in 1983. The event didn't go unnoticed.
Image: picture-alliance/Dieter Klar
Celebrated and spied upon
On the day of his East Berlin concert on October 25, 1983, the East German state security started tracking Udo Lindenberg as soon as he came through the Invalidenstrasse border crossing. Every step of the rock singer from the West was photographed. Exact times were recorded in Stasi documents: "Entry at 12:10. From 12:10 to 12:23, an interview with West German TV broadcaster," and so on.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Klar
Enthusiastic crowd in front of the Palace of the Republic
"It is to be expected that a large number of young people from the capital and from the districts of the Republic will try to take part in this event, even if they are not in possession of a valid ticket," the Stasi noted in its mission paper ahead of the event. Preparations were made accordingly to tackle the presumably enthusiastic crowd, with 400 task force workers sent to the event.
Image: picture-alliance/Dieter Klar
Udo is finally here!
GDR leaders were hoping for a good outcome from Udo Lindenberg's performance at the "Festival for World Peace." The famous rock star from the West was also an outspoken peace activist. By allowing him to perform, communist leaders hoped to portray themselves as committed to peace as well. But beyond politics, the fans were simply thrilled to finally be able to see their idol perform live.
Image: picture-alliance/Dieter Klar
The real fans weren't invited
But that was a fallacy: The tickets for the festival were issued by the communist Free German Youth association, so Lindenberg was facing 4,200 dutiful GDR youths and a number of officials at the concert. "Inside, there were only stiff animals on Valium who adhered to party principles; the real fans were outside, demanding their Udo," Lindenberg later recalled.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Klar
An allegedly harmless performance
Udo Lindenberg sang four songs at the concert, including his anti-war anthem "Wozu sind Kriege da?" (What are wars for?). He did not perform his song "Sonderzug nach Pankow" (Special Train to Pankow), which had been so unpopular with functionaries in the run-up to the concert. Instead, he caused a furor with a remark that was not in line with the organizers' plans...
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Klar
'Get rid of all missiles'
Lindenberg fulminated against NATO armament in the West. So far, so good. But then the star added: "German ground must never again be the source of war. Disband all rocket scrap metal in the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR!" That didn't go down well, as it was precisely on this day that the decision had been made to station Soviet missiles in the GDR.
Image: picture-alliance/Dieter Klar
The real fans rioted
Meanwhile, there was major tumult going on outside. Hundreds of Udo fans weren't able to experience the concert — and that had consequences. Before, during and after the show, fans rioted in the streets, so the East German police had their hands full. For the Stasi, the whole event proved to be a huge operation, until Lindenberg finally crossed back to West Berlin at midnight.