Hans Zimmer created the moment of the evening in Paris with a “Fuck Off” to Trump and a joke about his impending US travel ban.
At the concert in Paris, the focus for Hans Zimmer was initially on the music – great emotions, iconic soundtracks and the power of his compositions. But between two pieces, the Oscar winner used the moment for an unexpectedly direct political assessment.
Zimmer began quietly, almost thoughtfully. He talked about the musicians on his stage – people from different parts of the world who perform together. Music, according to his message, is a unifying element: an alternative to a world that is increasingly characterized by tensions.
Clear words with risk
Then the mood changed. “There are these crazy people out there driving us into wars,” Zimmer said. He didn’t generally stay that way. With regard to Donald Trump, he became specific: “I say to people like Trump: Fuck off.” There was an audible reaction in the hall – applause.
Hans Zimmer was aware of the effect. With dry humor he added: “Does anyone have a free bed? They’ll probably not let me enter the USA anymore.” A sentence that caused laughter, but at the same time underlined the seriousness of his statements.
“It is important to speak out against this madness, against these people,” he explained. It was a rare open moment in a concert format that otherwise relies primarily on aesthetics and staging. You can listen to his speech here:
Personal perspectives from the ensemble
It became particularly poignant when Zimmer turned the focus back to his band. He spoke about a musician from Cuba and painted a bleak picture of her current situation: “I have a musician here from Cuba – and right now her country is in the dark. They’re taking everything away from you. That’s absurd. Who does something like that?”
With this personal perspective, the talk shifted from abstract criticism of the system to concrete realities of life. It was a moment that showed how inextricably political developments and individual destinies are linked.
Between relativization and reverberation
In the end, Zimmer tried to soften the severity of his statement. “Sorry, that wasn’t meant to be a political tirade… go have a drink,” the German composer said, smiling.
It was not the first time that Hans Zimmer expressed himself in this form. At a tour stop in Sweden, he clearly positioned himself against Donald Trump and ended his speech with the words: “I’ll just say it: Fuck Trump.” There, too, the audience reacted with audible approval.
Zimmer showed that even in the context of a live orchestral experience, there is room for attitude and that he is willing to use that space.
