Speaking from the heart of every teenager: Die Ärzte ‘Geräusch’

The author in her Ärzte phase

Die Ärzte
„Geräusch“
(Hot Action Records)

It’s late summer 2003, we’re driving to the lake. I’m sitting in the back seat and pointing the camcorder at my best friend Leonie: ‘Tell me what you’re listening to,’ I crunch through my braces. Leonie grins and brushes a blonde strand of hair from her face. ‘Die Ärzte, of course.’

Die Ärzte are the best German band. Leonie learned this phrase from her dad. And she says it so convincingly that I believe her. The strong opinion of a twelve-year-old who knows her music. I ask her if I can borrow an album. Twenty-two years later, I put it back in my CD player and sit down on my bed, ready for a trip down memory lane.

It turns out that ‘Geräusch’ is neither musically virtuosic nor has it aged particularly well. But that’s not the point here. It’s more about how influential this album was for me and my friends. And the songs that are good are really good. Even today.

Bela Farin Rod were already as old as our parents back then. To this day, I still don’t understand why we were all so crazy about them and their music. Maybe it’s because Die Ärzte’s music is somewhere between slapstick, punk and singer-songwriting. That fits in with teenage life. Nights of giggling, silly jokes and toilet humour were just part of it back then. It’s a mixture that seems a bit out of place nowadays. But that’s what makes it refreshing in a way.

By 2003, Die Ärzte had already passed the peak of their career. They no longer had anything to prove to anyone. You can hear that in their music. Not every song on this album necessarily needed to be there. But then there are the hits, the bangers that have survived to this day:

‘Deine Schuld’ is still played at every left-wing demonstration; ‘Nichts in der Welt’ at every break-up – then as now, I put this song on repeat when it’s over again. And when I lose faith in myself again, ‘Nicht allein’ reliably helps me out of the crisis. The lyrics are good, the emotions are real. And once you’ve learned to love Die Ärzte, even after 20 years you can still sing along to most of the verses and choruses with fervour.

‘Against the system’ – Die Ärzte have shaped my world view like no other band. They inspired me to fight for my values, take to the streets against Nazis and become politically active. Today, the three white men from Berlin are around 60 years old and sometimes get their views a little wrong. Bad jokes about knockout drops and tasteless allusions to the abuse scandal surrounding Rammstein singer Till Lindemann have disappointed many fans.

I always wonder whether you can become a Ärzte fan later in life, or whether there is a window of opportunity that closes at some point. At around 15, for example. Die Ärzte speak from the heart of every teenager, no matter what generation. Maybe because Die Ärzte themselves have secretly remained teenagers? It’s conceivable. I only know what I will never be: unrockable.
Vicky Hytrek