What happens when punks get older and, after breaking away from their parental financial backers, realize that the daily sausage sandwich doesn’t come for free? They try to make money out of just about everything, even from the products of their wild phase. At least that’s how it seems when you look at the farce currently unfolding around the band Schleim-Keim.
This weekend, two former members have dared to perform under this name at Höhnies Punk am Ring. Apparently, Klaus, a founding member and brother of the band's various frontman, was not pleased about this in the slightest. A public letter was quickly drafted, which was then diligently spammed by unknown individuals to just about every conceivable internet portal.
If the glorification of a man who spent the last seven years of his short life in a psychiatric hospital after the brutal axe murder of his father doesn’t sit well, perhaps the eternally good-fighting Nix-Gut Empire can manage it. "We thank Nix-Gut for providing us this platform to spread our opinion and perspective and hope that you, as Schleimkeim fans, understand this and help keep Otze's legacy in good memory," reads the letter, which unfortunately neglects to mention that the label with the good name certainly also earns a few hard euros. A blasphemer, then, who thinks ill of this?
This weekend, two former members have dared to perform under this name at Höhnies Punk am Ring. Apparently, Klaus, a founding member and brother of the band's various frontman, was not pleased about this in the slightest. A public letter was quickly drafted, which was then diligently spammed by unknown individuals to just about every conceivable internet portal.
If the glorification of a man who spent the last seven years of his short life in a psychiatric hospital after the brutal axe murder of his father doesn’t sit well, perhaps the eternally good-fighting Nix-Gut Empire can manage it. "We thank Nix-Gut for providing us this platform to spread our opinion and perspective and hope that you, as Schleimkeim fans, understand this and help keep Otze's legacy in good memory," reads the letter, which unfortunately neglects to mention that the label with the good name certainly also earns a few hard euros. A blasphemer, then, who thinks ill of this?
1. Information for all Schleimkeim fans / Letter from Otze's brother:
Due to the planned performance of Schleimkeim on June 6-7, 2008 at Punk am Ring, Klaus, founding member and brother of Otze, the head of the band, has asked us to publish the following lines:
Hello Schleimkeim fans,
I, Klaus, Otze's brother and founding member of Schleimkeim, would like to speak out regarding some current events.
On June 6 or 7, two former musicians of Schleimkeim have decided to perform under the name "Schleimkeim" at the "Punk am Ring" festival. These are the same musicians who abandoned Otze back then. After that, Otze released two more albums that he recorded alone.
It is an outrageous affront that these individuals now want to perform again under this name. We cannot and will not accept this in Otze's name.
Otze was always the head of the band and wrote all the songs (except for one). During his lifetime, he made sure that his legacy would be managed in his spirit and asked and authorized Doris (my wife) and me to act in his interest.
Otze would never want the musicians who abandoned him back then to perform again under "his" name. Unfortunately, we could not prevent the concert due to the short notice, but we will do everything possible in the future to prevent further concerts by these musicians under the name Schleimkeim.
We thank Nix-Gut for providing us this platform to spread our opinion and perspective and hope that you, as Schleimkeim fans, understand this and help keep Otze's legacy in good memory.
Yours, Klaus.
Comment from Nix Gut:
Who is "Schleimkeim"?
For us, the answer to this question is clear. Otze is or was Schleimkeim. For this reason, we clearly side with Otze in the current dispute over the band's succession.
Since the musicians separated from Otze during his lifetime, and he wrote almost all the songs himself, it is in no way understandable to us how these individuals now take the liberty to perform again under the name Schleimkeim. As musicians ourselves, we can understand what it means when others misuse a life's work for their own self-promotion.
Therefore, we stand with Otze's brother and fellow founding member of Schleimkeim to prevent such excesses.
In this sense, we give Klaus the opportunity to officially voice his protest.
I hope that Schleimkeim fans know that there can be no Schleimkeim without Otze.
