"I'm scared": Rainhard Fendrich is worried about Austria

ntv.de "I'm scared": Rainhard Fendrich is worried about Austria 15 hours • 2 minutes reading time He once sang ironically "Long live sport" and hosted humorous shows like "Herzblatt". But the current political situation in his home country of Austria is making Rainhard Fendrich extremely thoughtful. He has never been so worried about democracy, explains the 69-year-old. Will soon be touring with a new album: Rainhard Fendrich. The Austrian songwriter Rainhard Fendrich has great concerns about the looming takeover of the government by the right-wing FPÖ. "I'm afraid of the crudeness of the language and of Austria's isolation in the world community," said the singer of songs like "Long live sport" and "Macho, Macho". He has never been so worried about democracy. Many of his artist colleagues are already no longer speaking out publicly for fear of a right-wing shitstorm, said the 69-year-old. The right-wing populists under FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl are about to take over the government in Austria. The party recently advertised with the slogan "Fortress Austria" and has repeatedly expressed itself highly critically about the cultural sector, the EU and what it calls the system media. New album "Wimpernschlag" On his new album "Wimpernschlag", which will be released on January 31st, Fendrich addresses wars and conflicts in three of the 16 songs. In "Children of War" he laments the trauma of an entire generation. Whether in Syria, Ukraine or the Gaza Strip, children have often experienced little other than "war, camps, dirt, rubble, hunger and bombs". The fear and despair of those affected will have a long-term impact, he believes. In his tried and tested combination of social criticism and a musically pleasing style, other songs deal with the torture of making phone calls ("Waiting for a call"), the ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of goods, power and admiration ("Das kleine Glück") or being alone ("Hoit mi"). The first stops on his tour, which is planned for April 11th to mid-May, are Rosenheim, Passau, Hof, Würzburg and Munich. No "fun music" The starting point for his songs is always thoughts and experiences that he just couldn't get out of his head, said Fendrich. Some of his fans have said: "Why don't you write something funny again!", said the Viennese-born singer, who has also been an actor and presenter of shows such as "Herzblatt" in his 45-year career. "But what I don't do is fun music," explained Fendrich. He also couldn't understand anyone who stopped consuming media because of the often gloomy news. "Anyone who isn't interested in politics isn't interested in their life," he said.