The year 1982 was historically significant for Germany in a double sense. Not only did Helmut Kohl become Chancellor in Bonn, but also a few kilometers down the Rhine, something big was happening. It echoed from a cheap recording studio: "We are ready." This was the title of the first single of a Düsseldorf band, which at the beginning was fundamentally out of tune. The instruments were only partially in playable condition, but this blended perfectly with the demonstrative inability of the individual musicians, who nonetheless had something in mind. Still inspired by the spirit of the late 70s punk years, they wanted to carry on the spirit of a movement that was meant to be different from the big rock dinosaurs like Yes, Pink Floyd, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
The five Rhineland punks played wherever there was an outlet, turning innocent parties into wild festivities. In 1986, they were even invited to the party cellar of the Lower Saxony Prime Minister Ernst Albrecht. Of course, not by the officeholder, who was away on an appointment, but by one of his sons. Whether daughter Ursula (the later Minister von der Leyen) was present at the wild affair is not documented. Naturally, at the http://www.dietotenhosen.de/, there was always plenty of Altbier along with harder stuff involved. Not without reason was another early hit titled "Bommerlunder," named after a 40% spirit. An anthem among the first fans.
Even in 1985, there was trouble of all kinds at the majority of concerts. Wherever there was a chance to stir things up, the Düsseldorf rockers, affectionately abbreviated by the fans as "Hosen," were present. Whether they supported a court case for a copy of the folk singer Heino or received temporary performance bans in Heligoland, the five fans of the local football club Fortuna were always active in the front row. And when their records suddenly became bestsellers not just regionally but nationwide, they also indulged in an identity change. As "Die Roten Rosen," they played schlager in punk attire and found buyers for that too.
Records followed records, tours followed tours, and everything always became a bit bigger. In the meantime, the "Hosen" have become Germany's most successful rock band. Their name only has to be whispered softly at the hall door for the concerts to be sold out. Singer Campino is long regarded as an icon of his self-managed one-man culture. The man they always called the preacher in the band because of his many eloquent words played in the Threepenny Opera as well as in https://kulturkenner.de/events/wim-wenders Wim Wenders' film "Palermo Shooting."
Still, the Hosen feel committed to their musical roots. They manage the legacy of punk with care but also indulge in reflective tones from time to time. Many of their songs have become anthems for all those who feel the need to shout out the spirit of the supposedly rebellious. However, it cannot be denied that the band's mass appeal has changed. At "Hosen" concerts, you see fathers, sons, and grandsons united, belting out the same melodies.
Even though the drummer has been changed repeatedly, the remaining band has remained what it was in 1982: a pretty wild group of friends who have no desire for monotony and instead loudly express what bothers them. No one believed at the founding that they would become millionaires from it. And often, the "Hosen" still look at their concerts today as if they can't believe it all. Probably, that is exactly what constitutes their lasting success.
