Recommendations of the Editorial team
Otto Waalkes: When I think of Udo, the first thing that comes to mind is his waterbed. The contents came through the ceiling. He lived right above me and then fell asleep with his cigar lit. “Bad for bed, good for hair growth,” was his comment.
Marius Müller-Westernhagen: I had absolutely no money and had to find somewhere to stay, if necessary in a room under the attic. Without a mattress, with old magazines as a base. Udo and Otto lived there, as did all sorts of other people. There was a lot of drinking and a cleaning crew came through the house once a week.
Wolfgang Niedecken: I first heard Udo on the car radio in the early seventies, “Thumbs in the Wind”. I remember finding it different than anything else out there. Bulky, no ordinary hit.
Nina Hagen: I met him for the first time in Wolf Biermann’s apartment on Chausseestrasse. Udo visited the beer man and I just happened to be there. Well, not so coincidentally: I was only 15 or 16, but I was already a singer. I wanted to meet Udo at eye level. He asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I announced: “I’m going to be a global star.” He was amazed. But he liked it.
Marteria: “Special train to Pankow”, the fact that he stood up for the people in the GDR was really special. This is one of the reasons why Udo was one of the most important musicians of my childhood and youth.
Alli Neumann: I was once invited to Udo’s birthday at the Hotel Atlantic and there were a lot of doubles in the hotel. They were so good that to this day I don’t know whether I congratulated him – even though he stands for individuality and distinctiveness. I find that paradoxical and funny. But somehow it fits Udo and the whole world he created.
Jan Delay: No matter whether I’m rapping or singing – every time I open my mouth, Udo sings along. Whether I want to or not. Because I got to know German singing through him. The fascination became even greater when I met him. Because you realize: He really is like that. And at the same time he is completely awake. You think he’s screwed up, but Udo notices everything. He sits with you, talks, listens to three other conversations in the room, gets up, maybe briefly closes the window – and then starts right where he left off. And all in his language. This almost seems like a facade, but it isn’t. That’s just how he is.
Marius Müller-Westernhagen: He’s such an excellent drummer because he just has swing – very few people in Germany have that. He even played with Doldinger. I always regretted that he stopped.
Clueso: Udo has celebrated rock’n’roll so much for years that he even has a bar on stage. But it has its pitfalls: When I was on tour with him, I only ever had to go on stage for “Cello”. The song came at the very beginning and after that I had a day off. If you dared to sit at that bar in the middle of the stage, you actually got something. The bar is not a dummy, you can actually order something there in front of 60,000 people.
Alli Neumann: Udo advised me to shave off my long blonde hair so that my appearance would better match what I wanted to convey. I then colored it black and white – and that actually helped me.
Marius Müller-Westernhagen: Udo apparently has alien blood, like Keith Richards. There’s no other way I can explain why he’s still going around with his lifestyle.
Marteria: Udo Lindenberg is just an alien, right? It’s just different.
You can read the whole story in our May issue, from July 24th. in trade. Also in the issue: Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre about Udo Lindenberg’s eternal wanderlust. PLUS, only in ROLLING STONE: the world-exclusive vinyl single with his big hits “Cello” and “Horizont” – as a supplement to the magazine. Or order now here:
