Kotzreiz, column not yet published

Alright, since the fanzine in Japan is being delayed, I will post two unpublished columns here first.
It seems there is a bit of financial trouble and I hope they get it together again.
If you are reading this in Japan and you want to publish an ad (helping them finance the zine), here's the link:

http://old-fashion.net/advertisers.html
 

Ok... column...here we go:



Warm greetings from cold Germany. The leafs have fallen off the trees and temperatures are dropping towards zero already... I’m looking forward to a white winter. Not like in Tokyo, where it’s chaos as soon as one centimetre of snow falls – we are talking about half a meter over here.

However, if Germans know how to do one thing well, apart from making sausages and beer, then it is building houses! Perfectly isolated, it is warm and cosy inside, even at minus 20 degrees outside.

I have been over here two months now and I am already starting to miss Tokyo! I want to ride my scooter through Tokyo, eat some decent Ramen, go drinking with my crew, get hammered at a Punk show in Koenji or Shimokita, go to Karaoke and then sleep on the train home! That’s my perfect day!
Anyway, no time for whining – time to get down to business, which is introducing German bands.

And today I actually chose a band that is still playing! So no obscure 80s stuff but young and fresh!
I am talking about Berliners “Kotzreiz”. When I first listened to them, there was this feeling of not knowing whether they were being serious or making fun of themselves but I instantly liked it.
 One of the things I hate most is when people take themselves too seriously. I believe everything and everyone should be allowed to be made fun of, Hitler just as well as Ghandi...

That’s why I like Kotzreiz. Every cliché of Punk in Germany is being made fun of in lyrical genius. Exactly the type of lyrics that leaves a huge percentage of listeners behind, but those who know how to take it with a grin on their faces. The last time I had that feeling was with early 90s Hamburg band “Human Punx”. Their irony was pretty obvious but they were still subtle enough to be taken seriously by some.
If you get the chance you should check out their album "Nietzsches Schreibmaschine". Epic title, by the way.

What Kotzreiz are within the German Punkrock scene, Hardskin would be for English Oi and Steel Panther and Spinal Tap for Metal.
All those bands (except Spinal Tap maybe) have in common that they make fun of what they are actually part of.
Kotzreiz are Punks and they are rooted in the Punkrock scene. But especially within the Punk scene there is so much stupidity that is worth being ridiculed. However, they never lose respect for the Punk thing itself.
So different from some silly comedian who puts a safety pin in his ear and a fake Mohawk on his head in order to make jokes about punks, those guys actually know what they are talking about.
Their latest record is called “Punk bleibt Punk” (Punk will be Punk) and lyrically they deal with anything punk-related, like riding on public transportation without paying for a ticket (Fahrschein), collecting empty bottles for money (Pfandflaschenmessi), hating Mondays (Montagscheisstag), loving alcohol (Pfeffi Graf, der Klügere kippt nach), hating Emos (Emosau),  loving Berlin (Berlin), hating work (Punk bleibt Punk) and so on.
However, all their comedy wouldn’t work if their music sucked. Fortunately it doesn’t. Within their Punkrock minimalism they have a feel for good melodies and choruses. The band they reminded me most of musically is Turbonegro during their Ass Cobra / Apocalypse Dudes phase. Especially the “Ohohoh” choruses sound a lot like them. But they also know their Deutschpunk back-catalogue and Vorkriegsjugend are no strangers to them.
All in all it is straight and simple Punkrock with catchy melodies. Raw enough not to sound over-produced but not too lo-fi. Anyway the perfect vessel to transport their overdrawn lyrics.

Go get their records:

“Du machst die Stadt kaputt”
“Punk bleibt Punk”

Both released on AGP (Aggressive Punk Produktionen), label of Rejected Youth singer Matze.

Oh, and the best thing last: I will be a dad soon. Long I have pondered but too precious is my DNA to let it go to waste...