In view of the Ukraine war, rock singer Campino (59, “Days like these”) currently has a feeling “as if the world is collapsing on us” – and is therefore putting old principles to the test.
For example, the question about service with a weapon: “I personally refused military service in 1983. I probably wouldn’t do that today, under these circumstances, if I got my draft now,” said the frontman of the band Die Toten Hosen in an interview with the German Press Agency in Berlin.
“Right now we are learning impressively why an identity as Europeans is so important and why we have to be a community of values,” said the musician, whose real name is Andreas Frege, who is politically left-wing and a voter with the Greens unfortunately also something to do with rearmament. We cannot afford to be completely defenseless against despots, like Putin, who lives out old fantasies of power. You can only stop a man like that if he also has respect for the other side.”
At the same time, this is “a dramatic tragedy, because all this money that we will spend on armaments in the future, we could damn well use for our social system, daycare centers, schools, public infrastructure and last but not least the fight against climate change”. The singer admitted to being at a loss because of the world situation, but also emphasized: “We can all allow ourselves to be unsure. Even the smartest people can’t give us a recipe for how to proceed at the moment.”
His mission as a musician is clear: “Despite the tense social situation, it is important that we humans maintain mental health and find moments of happiness,” said Campino, whose punk rock group – one of the most successful in Germany – celebrated its 40th anniversary from the end of May with a new record and tour. “And I hope that as a band we can contribute to creating such moments with our music.”
Rumors of cancer surrounding Vladimir Putin have surfaced several times. Reports of the Kremlin chief’s serious illness have been appearing regularly for years. A former CIA analyst has two guesses as to what might be behind the reports.
Ukraine has accused Russia of firing phosphorus bombs at the Azov steelworks in Mariupol. The bombs are said to have an inscription based on the Eurovision Song Contest. All news about the attack on Ukraine can be found here in the ticker.
In the Ukraine war, Russia is running out of alternatives. At the current stage, Vladimir Putin’s plan seems to be to secure the areas already under Russian control. The annexation is probably his last resort from the war, but Putin could delay it further.
The original to this post “Toten Hosen” singer Campino: “Wouldn’t refuse military service anymore” comes from Bunte.de.
