Worry about a shift to the right
Singer-songwriter Fendrich fears isolation from Austria
Rainhard Fendrich is one of the figureheads of Austropop. His songs are often quite political and socially critical. Now his worries are about the consequences of an FPÖ chancellor.
Austria’s songwriter Rainhard Fendrich (“Long live sport”, “I am from Austria”) has the greatest concerns about an imminent takeover of government by the right-wing FPÖ. “I’m afraid of the rawness of the language and of Austria’s isolation in the global community,” the singer told the German Press Agency.
He has never been so concerned about democracy. The 69-year-old said that many of his artist colleagues would no longer speak out publicly for fear of a right-wing shitstorm.
The right-wing populists under FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl are about to take over government in Austria. The party recently advertised with the slogan “Fortress Austria” and has repeatedly expressed itself highly critically about the cultural sector, the EU and what it calls system media.
Concern for traumatized war children
In his new album “Wimpernschlag” (release date January 31st), full of thoughtful reflections on life, Fendrich addresses wars and conflicts in 3 of the 16 songs. In “Children of War” he laments the almost incomprehensible trauma of an entire generation. Regardless of whether they were in Syria, Ukraine or the Gaza Strip, children often experienced little other than “war, camps, dirt, rubble, hunger and bombs”. The fear and desperation of those affected will have a long-term impact, he says.
In his tried-and-tested combination of social criticism and musically pleasing style, other songs deal with the agony of making phone calls (“Waiting Loop”), the ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of goods, power and admiration (“Das kleine Glück”) or being alone (“Hoit mi”) . The first stops on his tour, planned from April 11th to mid-May, are Rosenheim, Passau, Hof, Würzburg and Munich.
“What I don’t do is provide fun sound”
The starting point for his songs are always thoughts and experiences that he simply couldn’t get out of his head, says Fendrich. Some of his fans said: “Write something funny again!” said the Viennese native, who was also a presenter and actor in his 45-year career. “But what I don’t do is provide fun sound.”
He also can’t understand anyone who no longer consumes media because of the often gloomy news. “If you’re not interested in politics, you’re not interested in your life,” he said.
dpa
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
