When the federal chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen moved into a shared flat a few years ago, her roommate thought she was constantly heartbroken. Heartbreak music blared continuously from Lang’s room. But then the all clear – sad songs are just their thing. But the Berliner with a Ba-Wü background also knows her way around in pop events. We present our blind date of the year 2022.
Tocotronic – “Never Again War”
Ricarda Lang: That’s Tocotronic, of course. In terms of age, I just barely missed the band. I know that they were on tour again recently. Because a lot of people from my circle of friends were looking forward to it. I know some where the band accompanied the first love, the first heartbreak, but also the first political moments. That song came out in January I mean? So just before the Russian attack on Ukraine. As a result, he gained a different heaviness from one moment to the next.
As a professional politician, were you prepared for the outbreak of war or did it surprise you too?
Ricarda Lang: The conflict actually began in 2014 with Putin’s illegal annexation of Crimea. In recent years there have been repeated warnings, especially from Eastern European countries, and of course I knew that the situation was getting worse. So I was very worried beforehand, but I – like hardly anyone else – did not want to imagine that this war of aggression could actually come about on European soil.
If you’re not a Tocotronic Ultra, is there another anti-war song that you adore?
Ricarda Lang: Not directly, but after the start of the war there were large demonstrations and solidarity actions for Ukraine, for example the “Sound Of Peace” solidarity concert took place here at the Brandenburg Gate. Relatively at the end, Marius Müller-Westernhagen came on stage and intoned “Freiheit”. You saw a lot of Ukrainians living here in Germany singing along to this piece. That was a moving moment. This song in particular was instrumentalized by lateral thinkers recently. That’s why I felt it was such a strong sign that Westernhagen played it at that point and connected with people who are really fighting for freedom. The lateral thinkers’ idea of being able to live free from social conditions and solidarity has nothing to do with actual freedom. Not to mention the sometimes misanthropic conspiracy stories.
Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
Ricarda Lang: That’s Lizzo, isn’t it?
I agree.
Ricarda Lang: I just don’t know the title of the song, but I enjoy listening to her and following her on social media. Especially on TikTok I encountered her music very often this year. What strikes me the most is that Lizzo spreads so much fun. When I hear their songs, see their videos, I get the feeling that this person takes incredible pleasure in what they do. That wears off very quickly.
DJ Robin & Apron – “Layla”
Ricarda Lang: Oh dear! I’ve tried to deal with this song and the debate surrounding it as little as possible. I have no idea what the band’s name is. The discussion was too undifferentiated from almost all sides and the excitement about the song was too exaggerated. Interestingly enough, in the end it is often the case that those who complain the most about identity politics lead the most identity politics debates. Gladly without me.
Grim104 – “Bam Margera”
Ricarda Lang: I can’t assign that…
This is Grim104 from Moved Masculine.
Ricarda Lang: Yes, that’s right, I’ve even been a guest on the podcast for Grim and Testo. We’ll edit that out later because I didn’t recognize him right away (laughs)! That’s such a cool podcast that they run over there. It’s called “Zum Dorfkrug” and they invite people who come from a village. I’m not totally from the country, but I grew up in the suburbs of a small town, so it was a good fit. Talking about rural youth in this context, also about right-wing structures and politicization in rural areas, is a really exciting format.
Taylor Swift – “Anti Hero”
Ricarda Lang: Taylor Swift of course! I hear that very, very much. I guess I drove my ex-flatmate and now my partner to the brink of madness because I’m someone who likes to listen to repeat. I got into their album FOLKLORE the most. “Exile” is one of my all-time favorite tracks. But the new record MIDNIGHTS, which came out in October, has been a hit with me.
Kraftklub feat. Tokio Hotel – “Ride with me (4X4)”
Ricarda Lang: I can’t think of that now…
They are Kraftklub, but Bill Kaulitz from Tokio Hotel also sings.
Ricarda Lang: The voice seemed familiar to me right away. I had heard about the collaboration, but not the song itself.
Kraftklub and Tokio Hotel are also boy bands in the broadest sense, did you ever have a crush regarding this phenomenon?
Ricarda Lang: When I was a teenager, there was a huge argument – was it Tokio Hotel or US5? You had to make a decision. I confess I wasn’t really into either of those things, but I couldn’t have told anyone that at the time. So I decided on Tokio Hotel, which I thought was a bit cooler when I was twelve or thirteen.
Kate Bush – “Running Up That Hill”
Ricarda Lang: I’m conducting the interview right now from my office in the Bundestag and my office manager said to me beforehand: If ‘Running Up That Hill’ comes along, I should say that Kate Bush is the best singer in the world! So done. But I was also at an exciting and somewhat strange Kate Bush event myself, a kind of dance flash mob. Once a year, hundreds of people in red dresses, like in the music video for ‘Wuthering Heights’, dance the choreography of the clip at the Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin. I can’t dance myself, didn’t have a red dress, but I accompanied a friend – and it was a special moment even without taking part.
This interview first appeared in the Musikexpress issue 01/2023.