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Fiddling away

October 28, 2011

He's made a career as a street musician, not for lack of talent but due to a commitment to the protest tradition and bringing a message to people who may not want to hear it. At 71, Klaus der Geiger is still performing.

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"Klaus der Geiger" fiedelt auf der Bühne Foto: Bernd Thissen dpa/lnw
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

"You guys know the song - so sing along!" shouts Klaus der Geiger (English: Klaus the Fiddler) to the passers-by who have formed a circle around him. He's singing an old English sailors' tune rewritten with a modern twist. The lyrics, translated into English, go: "Let [the bankers] starve, and stick your gold under the mattress."

The lyrics are a hit, and the crowd claps - a good day for Klaus, but that's not always the case.

"Recently when I was performing to protest the development of the harbor here, I got an ice cold response," he said.

Being a street musician is no easy way to make a living, but what the violin player enjoys is the freedom to perform when and where he wants without having to answer to a manager.

"And when I don't want to play anymore, I shut my case and head for a drink!" he said with a laugh.

Asphalt Paganini with a raspy voice



But usually Klaus wants to keep playing, and demonstrations are especially important to him. Whenever Germany sees leftist protests against nuclear power, racism, the bank crisis or reduced welfare, he's there. And when there are no demonstrations, he heads downtown to sing loudly, bitingly and honestly about what's on his mind.

"Of course, you have to have something to offer otherwise you'll be left standing there like a beggar," he noted. "For our kind, that's horrible."

Klaus is in his element on the street, hopping back and forth with his unruly hair, bushy beard and off-center glasses. Then he starts to play – gritty and scratchy or tender and happy, depending on his mood. People correctly call him the Asphalt Paganini; his instrument is at once a street fiddle and a concert violin.

And then comes that voice that sounds like a grater. He rants, blusters, cries and laughs. He is there for people to hear and especially to listen to.

Out to provoke

One song takes up the theme of Hartz IV, casting Germany's contentious social welfare program in a positive light. He's glad when it causes passers-by to get into heated debates.

"It's definitely a lot more effective to do street music than just stand as a sole figure in a demonstration," he said, adding, "You sound off and make yourself a source of discussion. That's why I think it's great when my songs provoke people to think."

Normally, very few people are interested in politics, he thinks.

"But if you can somehow pull it off, then politically-oriented street music is a very meaningful activity for society - that's why I became a street musician," Klaus noted.

Even if it sounds corny, Klaus the Fiddler is out to change the world - or at least his environment. His melodies and lyrics are catchy; street music has to catch on quickly. It's music that is provocative and cynical but also poetic and almost affectionate at sudden moments. He sings and sways with the beat as though his life depended on it.

Commune, construction wagon and prison

The street musician learned his craft as an eight-year-old, then known as Klaus von Wrochem. He was born to an upper class family in 1940 in eastern Germany. As a young man, he studied initially at Cologne's Music Academy with an interest in both classical and avant garde music. Then, inspired by a pamphlet, he left school and moved to the USA, where he landed in the middle of the hippie movement.

Once back in Germany, he founded a commune in Cologne, put aside any ambitions in classical music and transformed into Klaus the Fiddler, who wanted no part in traditional concert life. In the 1980s, he headed throughout the country in a construction wagon with his family, and when money got scarce, he hit the streets and sang. There is scarcely a pedestrian zone in the country where Germany's most famous street fiddler hasn't set up shop.

Trouble from above

His political engagement has often brought the performer legal troubles, sometimes even prison sentences. And the passers-by also aren't always impressed.

"They've left me with nothing pretty often," he said with a shrug. "I've gone home angry and frustrated many times."

But when the authorities issue new rules - for instance, that he's not allowed to play or only if he performs for a full hour - Klaus tends to lose his temper.

"I say: people, honestly, I've been playing here for 40 years! Street musicians have it hard enough, and if they've won their freedom in this way, then people shouldn't always be trying to stop them," he stressed angrily.

But it was in the city where he has most regularly gotten into trouble with authorities, since he's not officially registered as a street musician, that he won the first prize he's ever earned as a musician. At the TFF world music festival in Rudolstadt, Klaus won the RUTH Prize for his life's work.

Not rich, but happy

Klaus the Fiddler is now 71 years old - and at an age when most are enjoying retirement, he is far from stopping his fight for justice. He lives with his wife Ulla in the same old commune building - on the fourth floor with no elevator. His friends from the commune all live in the area and still help one another out.

Klaus doesn't just have to rely on street performances for his money these days. He's a welcome guest at other bands' concerts. He's also the enthusiastic head of the Cologne Salon Orchestra, where he can live out his avant garde past.

His career hasn't made him rich, but it has made him happy. The most important thing for him is being able to hit the streets and fiddle to make a difference.

"If I play and it goes well, and really it goes well more often than it doesn't, then people will stand around in a big circle into the hundreds and be completely strong," he said with glowing eyes. "There's an incredible energy that comes back. And that's the point of street music."

A portrait of Klaus der Geiger
At 71, Klaus is as active as ever - both on the street, in protests and in the concert hallImage: Hartmut Springer
A violin next to a musical score
Klaus' son built his father's instrumentImage: Fotolia/Denis Gvardiyan
The CD Cover of "Von allen Seiten" by Klaus der Geiger
"Von allen Seiten" (From all Sides) is the title of Klaus' 2011 releaseImage: Westpark Music
Klaus in a street performance
Klaus turns stage presence into street presence - sometimes to the dismay of the authoritiesImage: Suzanne Cords

Author: Suzanne Cords / gsw
Editor: Rick Fulker