Westerhagen

Westerhagen

Genres: german, Deutschrock, rock, deutsch, pop

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About Westerhagen

Marius Hubertus Hans Müller-Westernhagen, later known simply as Westernhagen, was born on 6 December 1948 in Düsseldorf. He is a German rock musician and former actor. He has sold approximately 12.1 million records in Germany. Some of his notable songs include "Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz," "Sexy," "Weil ich dich liebe," "Freiheit," and "Wieder hier." His breakthrough as a film actor came with the 1976 film "Aufforderung zum Tanz," in which he played Theo Gromberg. Müller-Westernhagen is the son of actor and theatre director Hans Müller-Westernhagen (1918–1963) and Lieselotte, née Krawczack (1920–1999), who worked as a postal employee and later as a government official. He grew up in Düsseldorf's Heerdt district with his older sister Christiane. His father was part of the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus ensemble under Gustaf Gründgens and died at the age of 44. His maternal grandfather was a chief engineer in the German U-boat fleet. Elements of his early life, including the loss of his father and his relationship with his mother, are reflected in his songs, such as "Was Du …" from the album "In den Wahnsinn." Müller-Westernhagen reconciled with his mother in the 1990s. Lieselotte Müller-Westernhagen also appeared in the film "Keine Zeit." At his mother’s urging, Müller-Westernhagen attended a commercial school in Düsseldorf after completing the Mittlere Reife in Erlangen in 1963. In the same year, he appeared in the film "Die Höhere Schule" based on Sholem Aleichem, directed by Wilhelm Semmelroth. He invested his first acting fee in hockey equipment, reflecting his interest in the Düsseldorfer EG ice hockey team. He continued to appear in television films and undertook acting training with Otto Ströhlin in the late 1960s. Early in his career, he was often cast as a rebellious youth. In 1965, he voiced the main character in the WDR radio play "Wickie und die starken Männer." Müller-Westernhagen also wrote for magazines such as Twen and Underground, contributed to the satirical news magazine Express, and worked in radio and as an assistant director for Gerhard Schmidt. In the second half of the 1960s, Müller-Westernhagen began pursuing music, teaching himself guitar and receiving vocal training from Gisela Litz in Hamburg. He developed a powerful singing style reminiscent of Steve Marriott from The Small Faces. In Düsseldorf, his band About Five achieved local recognition, later renamed Harakiri. The song "Mit 18" from the 1978 album reflects this period. In 1968, the band’s name was also used for a politically themed film that was initially controversial. After the band disbanded, he continued work as a theatre actor, musician, and journalist. In 1972, he released "Gebt Bayern zurück an die Bayern" for the ZDF satire programme Express, inspired by Paul McCartney's "Give Ireland Back to the Irish"; the single was withdrawn following protests. During the production of the film "Supermarkt," he sang the title song "Celebration" under the name Marius West. In 1974, he signed with Warner Music, and his debut album "Das erste Mal" was produced by Peter Hesslein and released in early 1975, but it was not commercially successful. That year, ARD broadcast a documentary titled "Es geht mir wie dir" about his life and music. His breakthrough as an actor came with "Aufforderung zum Tanz" (1976). Its sequel "Theo gegen den Rest der Welt" (1980), directed by Peter F. Bringmann, was one of the most commercially successful German films of the post-war era, attracting almost three million viewers. Müller-Westernhagen received the Ernst-Lubitsch-Preis for his performance. He also recorded spoken word albums, including works by Wolfgang Borchert and musical adaptations of "Peter und der Wolf" and "Die Geschichte von Babar, dem kleinen Elefanten." Müller-Westernhagen's musical career gained momentum with the 1978 album "Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz," produced with Lothar Meid, which sold over 1.5 million copies by 2008. In the 1980s, he experimented with provocative and socially critical lyrics, including "Dicke" and "Grüß mir die Genossen." Albums such as "Sekt oder Selters" (1980) and "Stinker" (1981) followed. He recorded "Hier in der Kneipe fühl ich mich frei" for the crime series "Tatort" in 1981. The 1984 album "Die Sonne so rot" featured a cover of "Mackie Messer" by Brecht and Weill. The 1985 compilation album "Laß uns leben" became highly popular, and he gained a reputation as a strong live performer, appearing multiple times at Rock am Ring. Müller-Westernhagen ended his acting career in 1987 with "Der Madonna-Mann," and released the album "Westernhagen," marking a stylistic shift from his earlier image. Songs such as "Ganz und gar," "Weißt Du, dass ich glücklich bin," and "Freiheit" were included. The 1989 album "Halleluja" featured "Sexy" and "Weil ich dich liebe," reached number one on the German charts, and sold over one million copies. He also performed in the former East Germany. In the 1990s, he continued touring and recording. The 1990 double live album "Westernhagen live" recorded during the Halleluja Tour sold over 1.5 million copies. The 1992 album "Jaja" was recorded in London, leading to stadium tours and multiple awards, including Echo and Bambi. "Affentheater" (1994), produced with Pete Wingfield in the UK, topped the charts and was accompanied by the Affentour. The tour was documented by D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus in the film "Keine Zeit," which was commercially unsuccessful. "Radio Maria" (1998) was recorded in Italy and incorporated recordings of prayers from a religious radio station. The tour featured elaborate stage and lighting setups. He concluded stadium performances after a final concert in Hamburg with over 100,000 attendees. Müller-Westernhagen returned from a creative pause in 2000 with the compilation "So weit …" and released "In den Wahnsinn" (2002) and "Nahaufnahme" (2005), with the latter achieving Gold status. He toured smaller venues, performing with musicians such as Jay Stapley and Helmut Zerlett. The live DVD "Wenn das Licht auf dich fällt" (2006) was released in a limited earBOOK edition. He celebrated his 60th birthday in 2008 with concerts in Cologne, Hamburg, and Berlin. "Williamsburg" (2009), recorded in New York with American musicians, reached number two on the German charts. From 2010 onwards, Westernhagen continued touring and releasing music. He performed with a backing band including Brad Rice, John Conte, Aaron Comess, Markus Wienstroer, Alan Clark, Frank Mead, Della Miles, and Ron Jackson. The 2010 tour concluded in Hamburg. A live album, "Hottentottenmusik" (2011), followed, and a 2012 tour brought him to Austria and Switzerland. "Alphatier" was released in 2014, with a tour in 2015. He celebrated 50 years as a musician in 2016 with an MTV Unplugged concert at the Berliner Volksbühne featuring guest musicians including Udo Lindenberg, directed by Fatih Akin. "Das Pfefferminz-Experiment (Woodstock Recordings Vol. 1)" was released in 2019, and "Das eine Leben" followed in 2022, reaching number four on the German album charts and remaining in the top 100 for 35 weeks. Studio albums Das erste Mal (1975) Bittersüß (1976) Ganz allein krieg ich's nicht hin (1977) Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz (1978) Sekt oder Selters (1980) Stinker (1981) Das Herz eines Boxers (1982) Geiler is' schon (1983) Die Sonne so rot (1984) Lausige Zeiten (1986) Westernhagen (1987) Halleluja (1989) Jaja (1992) Affentheater (1994) Radio Maria (1998) In den Wahnsinn (2002) Nahaufnahme (2005) Williamsburg (2009) Alphatier (2014) Das eine Leben (2022)

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