Learning from Ostrock: What Music in East Germany Can Tell Us

     Hallo, Genossen und Genossinnen.  Firstly, let me say that I plan to be posting weekly for the rest of the summer, so check back frequently!  I might do some extras if I have a draft that just can't wait too...  At any rate, I've got three more posts planned already, and that's barring thought-provoking news here, or from my catching up with Neues Deutschland, so chances for more posts abound

     Over the past two years I’ve been getting into the East German music scene from the 70s-80s.  Briefly stated, when Honecker became Sekretär-General, he liberalized some of the DDR’s cultural policy, and the state started sponsoring rock bands.  The most successful of these has been the Puhdys, who recently announced their retirement, effective next year.  They’ve become my favorite band, as my bemused coworkers and family will attest.

     Quite aside from strong singing voices from Maschine and Quaster(the product of the rigorous training required to professionally perform in the DDR), an absolute rainbow of guitar styles, a peculiarly scientific, deliberate drumming from Klaus Scharfschwerdt, the amazing musical breadth of Peter “Eingehängt” Meyer, and the best bass line I’ve ever heard (on “Ikarus”, courtesy of Harry Jeske) what really draws me is the lyrics.  (Predictably- words are everything to me).  These guys- who frequently wrote their own lyrics from 1980 onward- covered a really wide range of topics.  I can’t decide what’s more interesting- that these guys wanted to talk about this stuff, or that the government endorsed it and even sent them on tour in the west!  Some make sense from my own dirty commie perspective, others suggest a wider degree of permissiveness than that for which we usually give the DDR credit.  

At any rate, I wanted to discuss some of these songs, because I think the Puhdys often convey a constructive, progressive to moderately Socialist message in ways that seem more effective than the idea of state-sponsored rock music would immediately suggest.

Most of these can be found in one form or another on youtube, and I encourage you to check them out.  (Make sure to search for the German names)

Important song topics

     Bullying- on their 1980 album, Heiß wie Schnee (hot like snow) there’s a song called Weit, so Weit (far, so far) from the perspective of a member of a clique who drove a young man to suicide because he “wasn’t loud like us”- this could be interpreted in a lot of ways: on its face it’s a haunting lyric, but it could easily be interpreted (or simply appropriated) to confront homophobic bullying.  It’s worth remembering that Gayness was totally legal in the DDR, though I’m not sure that was the intended reference of the song.  It sure works well.

     Single mothers- Also from the Heiß wie Schnee album, there’s a song “Melanie” about a young woman fleeing an abusive father, seeking comfort anywhere she can find it, and ending up pregnant and alone.  It’s full of all kinds of problematic assumptions about women needing to be mothers to be fulfilled, but it’s significant, and kind of beautiful, that this acoustic anthem was glorifying single mothers at a time when they were being excoriated in the US.

    Gender conformity- from their 1981 album Schattenreiter (shadow rider) there’s a fantastic song called Männlichkeit-masculinity.  This is a pretty basic discussion of pressures on men, but it is early- 1981, to be calling out our society on assuming a man has to be pugnacious, unflinching, emotionless, and “never break the rough shell”.  This is a really commendable degree of sociological awareness, and a fantastic rock song.

     John Lennon- months after Lennon’s assassination, they released a song called “Hey, John”, openly confessing how inspired they were by his work, what solace they drew from his songs “Imagine” and “Give Peace a Chance”.  There is a really sweet line which translates to “although your voice which always sought the truth has been extinguished, your songs will never be silent”.  They spliced in a bit of “Imagine” itself at the end over a refrain of “your songs still live”.  Two ways to interpret this- both of them good.  One- we Leftists know how to honor our own, and two- Lennon’s work was respected enough that a government which ordinarily restricted access to western work allowed a high profile tribute to him.  Either way, it’s a seriously cool event and a very sweet song.

     US imperialism- on the 1984 album "Das Buch" „The Book“ there’s a lovely song called der Angstverkäufer „Fear Salesman“.  This could be interpreted many ways (at least by my imperfect translation), but the core plot of the song is that a businessman “with the American flag on his hat” comes to a utopia to convince the residents they should be afraid, offers insurance policies against disaster, and eventually leaves the smoldering ruin of the town because there is still much for him to do.  I’m not sure if it’s mocking the increased use of American military power as “insurance” or not.  Genossin Sophie says that usury by American insurance companies in the Third World was a recurring theme in Communist messaging, so it could just be that.  Either way it seems to be an effective anti-capitalist message and a fun song.

     State repression – earlier in their career- which is significant because they weren’t as established then- they put out a song called „Ikarus“ with the aforementioned awesome bass track.  Its lyrics are a creative repurposing of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, to reflect well on Icarus as a standin for those who attempted to flee the border.  Lines like “He achieved nothing and was broken, but he was the first.  Many followed him, therefore his death is a victory” and the chorus “Soar, Icarus!  Fly us outta here!” make it pretty clear.  So, to recap, we have an awesome band, who seem to be pretty Socialist in their later work, releasing a rock song plainly critical of the government’s emigration restriction, and completely getting away with it.  They performed a similar feat in 1979, when, asked for a suitable single release for the country’s 30^th anniversary celebration, they responded with “Doch die Gitter Schweigend”, later exported in English as “Prison Walls are Silent”.  Title pretty much tells you what you need to know.

     Napoleon- on their 1979 album “10 Crazy Years”, there’s a song, with interludes in the style of 19^th century chamber music, about Napoleon invading Saxony, killing the local nobility, and violating Saxon girls.  On its face, this seems to be a simple “Napoleon was a prick” song, but the conduct described does bear a certain resemblance to that of the Red Army on its liberation of Germany.  I think we can all agree that while the Soviet Union deserves most of the credit for resisting and eventually saving the world from the Nazis, their military’s conduct in freed territories, particularly towards women, was often reprehensible, and if this song is reflecting that, then it’s yet another example of the Puhdys getting a significant critique of the Soviet bloc subsidized by their government. 

     Abuse- Schattenreiter “Shadow Rider”, the title track of their 1981 album really reminds me of the Furies of the Oresteia.  In it, Maschine and Quaster are mocking an abusive father who has finally begun to feel guilt, who has beaten his children, lied to his family, and done nothing to correct the injustices he sees in the world.  Noteworthy for how explicit it is, and just another example of the enormous range of topics the Puhdys covered in their songs, especially in the 1980s.

     Solidarity and shared communities- Karriere “Career”, Schöpfung “Creation”- these are excellent examples of underlying Socialist messages, despite the band’s obvious frustration with the more repressive elements of the DDR.  Karriere calls out the failure of a man who ignores his comrades in favor of sucking up to superiors, doing things only with concern for money and advancement, “climbing over bodies” for his career, knowing no friendship or camaraderie.  This strikes me as an excellent cautionary tale designed to reinforce the need for a collectivist ethic, and I like it very much.  Schöpfung is just a great, hard rocking Commie environmental anthem, calling for sharing the earth, and looking to the future instead of short term profit as individuals won’t live out a century, let alone forever, and the earth doesn’t belong to anyone alone.  It also builds a hopeful narrative of progress, at least towards the beginning (I think- remember I’m not fluent)

     Frei wie die Geier- this is the most worthy of mention.  In 1997, the Puhdys released this as the title track of a new album.  It means “As Free as the Vultures”, and blatantly denounces a (newly westernized) society that abandons the hungry, blindly follows religious orders to hate any difference, and applauds wars of conquest and slaughter.  Quaster sings that we’ve gone back into an ice age, and are circling the Dead Sea.  It’s hard to call our society out in stronger terms, and this is a fine Socialist critique of our (western capitalist) cultural norms in general, and of the annexation of East Germany in particular- VEB systems were privatized, women’s reproductive and employment rights stripped away overnight, unemployment became a part of the economy, and cities like Rostock that strongly supported Communism were deliberately penalized by the Western government.  Germany seems to have a pretty strong welfare state, but it makes sure to discourage EU applicants from doing the same, and they didn’t even have a minimum wage until this year!  With these and other problems in mind, listening to the music of the Communist past is a fun way for me to gauge and ponder what has been gained and what has been lost by the annexation of the DDR, and which of its achievements should be remembered.

Solidarität, Genossinnen und Genossen

Genossin Elise

Edit- Just decided to double check the lyrics to "Schöpfung"- it's "if man doesn't break the wonder apart", not "for man doesn't live more than a century"