Recommendations of the Editorial team
Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre justifies his public demarcation in the Ulmen case with a clear stance: he is convinced that silence would have seemed like consent in this situation. In “Zeit” he describes why he didn’t hold back despite his long-standing friendship with Christian Ulmen.
The controversy was triggered by allegations from Ulmen’s ex-wife Collien Fernandes. She accuses him of creating fake profiles in her name, contacting men and spreading intimate content that made her appear to be the sender. Ulmen rejects parts of the allegations and is taking legal action against them.
Stuckrad-Barre links his position with the claim that he also formulated in his literature. His novel “Still awake?” revolves around abuse of power and overstepping boundaries, which are often euphemistically labeled as “misconduct”. For him, one thing is certain: standards lose their meaning if they are only applied selectively.
Against this background, he also talks about problematic passages in Udo Lindenberg’s work. Some early texts can be read as if they trivialized border crossings against minors. Lindenberg himself hasn’t played these pieces for decades. Stuckrad-Barre classifies it as a marginal phenomenon in an extensive oeuvre, refers to pop culture quotation traditions and the contemporary historical context, but at the same time emphasizes that this does not excuse the content.
The connection to Lindenberg is also personal: both have been friends for years; Stuckrad-Barre’s book “Udo Fröhliche” is currently being published.
