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Down The Years // |
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The Year 2001
T.V. Smith
The Toten Hosen met TV Smith in 1991 when recording "Learning English Lesson One". They have stayed in touch with the Adverts' former front man ever since. Campino: "In complete contrast to his degree of celebrity, T.V. Smith has been one of the best lyricists on the music scene since 1977. At some point we came up with the idea of recording a "Best of" album spanning his whole musical career." The Hosen returned to the studio with their friend from London and recorded the CD "Useless-The Very Best of TV Smith".
Concertposter in Warsaw
After Campino was fully fit following his ligament injury, the Hosen were finally able to show what they were made of "live" here too. The emphasis was on a balanced mixture: They played small clubs in Hungary, Poland and The Czech Republic, revived the legendary living room gigs and when AC/DC were looking for support for their German dates, the Hosen seized the opportunity with both hands. Campino on the subject of one of his favourite bands: "They've always been an example to us in terms of their single-minded, heavy sound".
The Hosen with AC/DC
And yet there were countries on the map of the world that still hadn't been marked by a DTH "been there "drawing pin. After having already performed five South American tours and having visited Mexico once, the Hosen embarked on another trip to the Americas in May. In conjunction with the Popkomm music fair, this time the Hosen landed on Cuba. The concert in Havana took place in front of 1,000 jubilant fans in a disused open air swimming complex on the sea front, but had to be broken off after only an hour. The Hosen commented afterwards: "You have to remember two things: First, rock bands, particularly foreign ones, are a complete novelty for this country and that fact has made a few people here a bit jittery; besides, it's not that long ago that police and event organisers in Germany were also in the habit of pulling the plug."
DTH in Cuba
In the meantime Duesseldorf's long-established football club Fortuna was experiencing severe financial difficulties. Relegation to the German 4th Division loomed. Then the Hosen stepped in as shirt-sponsor, disaster was averted, as was the drop to the lower division. For several days the new partner's logo was the cause of debate within the German Football Association, but in the end, the wise, venerable gentlemen of the League could find no real objection to the familiar star and "grinning" skull motif. Breiti's heart-felt desire for the team: "Play like Angus Young of AC/DC: Give 120% every night - but the solos don't need to be as long!" Be that as it may, the first game of the season still ended in a 0-4 home defeat...
DTH & Fortuna
Then the Hosen went to Spain, to get out of their habitual environment and write songs for their new album "Auswärtsspiel". At the end of November, their first advance single was released, called "Was zählt". The band only let themselves be distracted once, and that was a most welcome occasion: they appeared at Vienna's Burgtheater with Gerhard Polt and the Biermösl Blosn. The pre-Christmas show called "Abvent" wonderfully combined Bavarian musicality and Düsseldorf noise. |
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