Doctors drummer turns 60: Happy Birthday, Bela B!

When the young Bela B sat behind a drum kit for the first time, he had no idea that he would one day be part of the – self-proclaimed – “best band in the world”. Born in Berlin, he made a name for himself in particular as the drummer for the Ärzte, but can also look back on an extensive career outside of the band.

Bela B became fascinated with punk music as a student and founded his first band, Empire. He later played in various punk formations such as Wild in the Streets and Kawumm. From 1980 he appeared with Jan Vetter, alias Farin Urlaub, in the group Soilent Grün. Two years later, Die Ärzte emerged from the band, with the line-up of Urlaub, Bela B and Sahnie. The band released three studio albums and one live album before breaking up. In 1993, Die Ärzte reunited with Rodrigo Gonzalez on bass.

Before breaking through as a musician, Bela B began training as a police officer under his real name, Dirk Felsenheimer, which he broke off. He then wanted to train as a window dresser at the Hertie department store, but was fired because his hair was dyed. He then worked in a women’s clothing store.

The fictional character Bela B

Bela B has become an art figure for the musician. “It has nothing to do with work, but only with being part of a great band,” he told the German Press Agency. When choosing his name, he was inspired by pop culture. The first name comes from the Hungarian horror drama Bela Lugosi, which became known in a 1931 film adaptation of Dracula. The last name is a reference to Barney Rubble, Fred Flintstone’s boyfriend. Since scree and rock heimers are close together, Barney scree heimer became his nickname.

side projects

Bela B is working on other projects alongside the doctors, and his first solo album was released in 2006. Besides music, he is also interested in acting. He made a cameo appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Most recently, Bela B was seen as a musician in Rostock’s “Polizeiruf 110”. In 2019 he also made his debut as an author. The novel “Scharnow” tells of the strange events in the fictional village of Scharnow, north of Berlin.

<!–

–>

<!–

–>