Bötschi asks Friedrich Liechtenstein "Don't worry, I think it's nice in Switzerland too"
Friedrich Liechtenstein is considered Germany's most glamorous oldie. Now the entertainer, who was homeless for a year, has produced a hit with a star DJ. A conversation about age - and failure.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- He was a puppeteer and actor. Today he is an entertainer. Friedrich Liechtenstein is the most glamorous oldie far and wide for his fans.
- The 68-year-old became famous for his sonorous voice. The man with the distinctive beard has been Germany's number one advertising icon for years.
- But Liechtenstein is much more than that. Above all, he is a performance artist who makes cool music - including with the popular German DJ Purple Disco Machine.
- "I know there are situations that could tempt you to get radical or loud. But here's my tip: better bite your tongue. Offending people is no way to make the world a better place. Offended people either get sick or mess up at some point," says Liechtenstein in an interview with blue News.
Friedrich Liechtenstein, I'm going to ask you as many questions as possible over the next 45 minutes. And please answer as briefly and quickly as possible. If you don't like a question, you can also say "go on" once. Winter or summer?
Summer.
Gold or silver?
Gold.
City or country?
City.
Typical Friedrich Liechtenstein words right after getting up in the morning?
Hmmm ... good morning.
To wake up, cold shower or espresso?
Coffee. French press. A lot.
How much?
About one and a half liters.
You are not yet so well known here in Switzerland. So without further ado, here's a commercial on your own behalf.
My name is Friedrich Liechtenstein. I am The German AdMan. No, not Madman, but AdMan, derived from advertising. I'm an actor, entertainer, musician and anything else you want.
Have you ever been to Switzerland?
More often in the past, less so today.
Harald Schmidt said in an interview: "For Germans, Switzerland is the unattainable ideal."
I'm sure that's good for Harald Schmidt, because he's Swabian. But don't worry, I think it's nice in Switzerland too.
Which of your films, songs or lyrics should a layperson, i.e. someone who doesn't know you yet, start with in order to get to know you better as an entertainer?
This person should first listen to the song "Belgique, Belgique" on my album "Bad Gastein". You can feel my freedom and precision there. "Belgique, Belgique" is a song and radio play in one. And it's quite long. It's great.
Your Wikipedia entry says: "In 2024, he made his musical and artistic breakthrough with the song 'Die Maschine', a duet with Purple Disco Machine." True or not?
I'm happy to hold back on that. I can't write about myself on Wikipedia. Other people do that. That's why it sometimes contains nonsense. "Breakthrough" is a big word. A lot of young people listen to Purple Disco Machine's music - and that's why they play our song. I'm happy that we were able to realize this song together. Will it be a breakthrough? We'll see.
Purple Disco Machine is a DJ from Dresden. His real name is Tino Piontek and he won a Grammy in 2023 with his remix of rapper Lizzo's "About Damn Time". How did you two get together?
Tino told me he saw me in a video by ... oh shit, what's the artist's name again?
Was it perhaps the video "Kackvogel" by DJ Solomun?
Exactly, Solomun. So he saw me there and thought he'd like to work with the guy one day. At some point, Tino called me. At first I was perplexed.
Why was that?
To be honest, Purple Disco Machine's music doesn't really fit in with my music. Despite everything, I felt honored.
What happened next?
I told Tino what topic I would tackle in a possible joint song - the machine. He thought that was good. I then got down to writing the lyrics and a little later took the train to Dresden. There, in his music studio, I improvised to the set he had prepared with my lyrics.
Taylor Swift got a rejection from Purple Disco Machine. But he is working with you. Why is that?
I don't know. Maybe he has a good advisor or a good gut feeling. I also make a lot of intuitive decisions. But maybe he's been watching for a while and thought: this guy is cool, I'll get him into the studio.
Will the collaboration between you continue?
I would love to work with Purple Disco Machine again. When I accompanied him on his German tour, we once talked about the future backstage. But Purple Disco Machine is always very busy and works with a lot of artists. It's a huge machine. A lot of people are involved.
You are 68 years old. That's right, isn't it?
Hmm ... some say so, others say otherwise.
How does it feel to make music for young people?
Very good. But I'm also usually surrounded by younger people. To be honest, I don't know anyone as old as me. And I only know a few people who are over 50. Most of the people around me are 30, 40 or 20.
Are younger people funnier or are you just too bored with older people?
I quickly get bored when I talk to people of the same age. Yes, of course, there are great older artists and philosophers. I really like them and I meet them from time to time. But I spend most of my everyday life with young people.
Why is that?
Young people know a lot more than I do and they sometimes live in completely different worlds. I find that exciting. When I'm out and about with young people, I automatically move faster. I like that. And young people also listen when I tell them something, just as I listen to them when they say something.
What do you think of the statement "I feel much younger than I am"?
You could think about this sentence for a long time, but I'm supposed to give short answers ... well, I think you always feel as old as you are. But the thing is: what is age anyway? Is it biology or the soul? I think if you say I feel 30, then you're 30 years old - even if your calendar says you're already 68.
Your trademark is your sonorous, melodious voice. Who gave you that?
I didn't inherit it. My voice has become deeper and deeper over the years, through my work as an actor and the partying. So it also has to do with exhaustion, like Barry White.
What happened to the US musician's voice again?
Barry White was once asked how he got his outstanding bass range in his voice. The musician replied: "One morning my mother knocked on the door and said, "Barry, you have to get up", and I replied with a deep "morning".
For me, the low bass register also has to do with my former profession as a puppeteer. I often had to disguise my voice. At some point, I also realized that people listened to me better when I spoke in a lower voice on stage. I don't always speak in the same pitch either. If I'm talking to a friend, I raise my voice. But if I want to say something on purpose, i.e. if I'm performing, I do it with more bass.
How do you look after your voice?
Not really at all. I don't sing myself in before concerts either. At most, I cough briefly once and then I'm ready to go.
You make no secret of the fact that life has not always been kind to you ...
... why should I?
Two years ago, in an interview with "Planet Interview", you said :"If you want to be an actor, you have the experience of failure on stage from day one." What did you do when you failed?
The first time I failed at drama school, I was probably a bit irritated - but not really badly. There were also lecturers who thought I was in the wrong place. But I had and still have a sunny disposition and find it funny when things go wrong. At the same time, I am a self-confident person and have turned supposed failure into pleasure.
Those who fail learn more. Failure made me stand on stage like a Teflon-steeled entertainer at some point. I was so hardened that I could no longer be offended. Slips of the tongue, lyric slips or other minor disasters are often the spark that ignites new poetic worlds.
Nevertheless, you slipped "really badly" into a life crisis, as you said in an interview.
I was working as a freelance theater man in Berlin and only had one employer, the city administration. In 2002, some committee that was supposed to promote culture decided that I would no longer receive any money. I only found out about this termination very late. But as a cultural worker who is on the drip of public administration, you can't just run to the next provider, just like I can change hairdressers on a whim.
What happened after that?
After that, the shit stuck to my shoes for ten years.
How did you manage to create a new plan for your life at an age when other people are often already thinking about quitting?
Despite all the adversity, I always had my ideas about how Friedrich Liechtenstein should function as an entertainer - in other words, how he talks, how he makes music and how he dances. I produced a lot of music back then. There are around 100 of my releases. I organized song recitals, put on my performances and had my own evening event at the Volksbühne Berlin. There was just one problem: I got compliments for my work, but no matter what I did, I hardly made any money. When the world was supposed to end on December 21, 2012 according to the Mayan calendar, my world also fell apart.
What happened then?
I had no more money and was left without an apartment. As a result, I slept on the stairs of a sunglasses company in Berlin for more than a year. Until one day I said to the world that was coming to an end: "Listen, my lady, if you don't give me anything, I won't give you anything either. In fact, the tide turned shortly afterwards. I got my first jobs as a testimonial. I was booked for commercials - from a savings bank to a vacuum cleaner company. As a result, my life slowly got back on track.
From that moment on, did getting older feel really good for you again?
Yes - and you know what, I feel much younger today than I did when I was 32.
What do you mean by that?
At 32, I was bent over by life. I had a house in Saxon Switzerland, was the father of three children and worked as a puppeteer. All of that together felt pretty exhausting.
When was the last time you cried?
I cried really hard in the years when everything was going down the drain - including love. I also developed tics during that time and often listened to special music that made me cry. For example, I listened to "Distant Lover" by Marvin Gaye on repeat and cried and cried. Crying is good, but at some point you have to stop.
Today you are considered the most glamorous oldie in Germany ...
... yes, I hear that all the time.
You're the likeable opposite of Thomas Gottschalk.
Oh, I don't want to offend Mr. Gottschalk. The TV presenter has been cornered enough by the media recently. The fact is: I'm happy with my current life, even if there are certainly people who don't like me.
Who paints your golden fingernails?
It's not polish, it's foil. In the beginning, my youngest daughter helped me. Now I do it on my own. But there is one problem.
What problem?
The foil is no longer available to buy. So if anyone reading this interview still has "Color Riche Nail Stickers 007 Feuille d'Or" from L'Oréal Paris in stock and no longer needs them, please let me know. That would be wonderful.
What products do you use to care for your long gray hair?
(Laughs) Oh, I don't even know. I once read that you should change your shampoo every now and then.
Don't you use conditioner?
No, I don't do that. But I have watched a few videos with you on blue News. I think your hair is very beautiful. You are lucky with your head and your hair.
Thank you for the compliment.
I admit, I would like to have a bit more hair.
A friend recently said to me: "This Friedrich Liechtenstein is so cool. He reminds me of the Swiss advertising icon Peter Steiner."
That was me too.
Rauschebart-Steiner became famous for his 1995 single "It's Cool, Man" and his role as Alpöhi in the Milka ad. And you now claim to be an incarnation of him?
Yes, exactly (laughs). I believe that we humans are always in the world more than once. And we always come back.
Some artists see being an advertising figure or testimonial as selling out their soul, others call it prostitution.
That's true. But I see it completely differently. But I feel that way about many things in life.
Do you write all your lyrics yourself or do you sometimes work with authors?
I write all the lyrics for my own songs myself. But every now and then I also sing a cover. And even when I do advertising, I sometimes get involved in the briefing.
Do the advertisers find that funny?
Not in every case - but then you go back inside yourself and look for new ideas.
You have to maintain your brand.
That's how it is. If I provide a company with the Friedrich Liechtenstein brand, I have to make sure that my label stays cool. The company booked me for this reason. In other words, I am obliged to ensure that my brand remains stable.
How would you describe the DNA of the Friedrich Liechtenstein brand?
Ironic, in love with the world and playful.
When and where did the idea for your spoken-word piece "Tomatenliebe", which can be found on your record "Bad Gastein", and in which you describe an unusual morning act of love with the red vegetable, come about?
The tomato lyrics come from my early days as a performer. Back then, as a young man, I toured East Germany and later reunified Germany with the one-man show "Der Silberfisch". I later turned the tomato fantasy into a film for a friend who was campaigning for Transylvanian tomatoes.
No matter what format you appear in, you always seem relaxed. Nevertheless, the question: iIn which moments does Friedrich Liechtenstein become radical or even loud?
Yes ... well ... you shouldn't get radical and loud. I know there are situations that could tempt you to do so, but my tip is to bite your tongue. Being offended is no way to make the world a better place. Offended people either get sick or mess up at some point.
Who would you rather not have met?
Wow ... that's a question. There are some people who ... but I would never mention their names here.
What is your relationship with politics?
I find it interesting that there is such a thing as politics. That people get together and think about how the world could be shaped. At the same time, I struggle with the internal dynamics of politics. Because it's already a given that only idiots will be in charge in the end. That's part of the DNA of this business model, so to speak. I would prefer it if, in the end, the laws came from people who really know something about a topic - in other words, from scientists and not from lobbyists.
Olaf Scholz, Donald Trump, Markus Söder: which politician isn't an idiot?
All three are not jerks, but I don't like them all.
Your opinion of Alice Weidel?
I don't like her either.
Which politician would you like to shove?
I think shoving is cute. It's almost like flirting. Pushing is funny (laughs). Which politician would I like to push?
Or a female politician.
What's his name again from the Green Party?
Do you perhaps mean Robert Habeck?
Yes exactly, that's who I mean. I met him years ago and thought: What kind of person is he? He didn't behave or speak like a politician at all. But today, of course, he is also steeped in his job as Vice-Chancellor. Yes, I'd like to push him once and tell him he'd better give up politics again.
The best fight of your life?
I've never been in a fight.
What do you spend a lot of money on unnecessarily?
Unnecessarily? I spend a lot of money on ... well, I don't own any cars or works of art, but I pay rent in Berlin and Vienna. And I like to eat out often, but I don't find that unnecessary.
How relaxed do you remain in the face of Christmas?
I'm looking forward to seeing my family and my children. We'll be celebrating together in Vienna. It's going to be huge, but first and foremost it's going to be wonderful.
Have you already bought all the presents for your loved ones?
No, I'm not the gift-giving type and I don't want to get any. I'm happy when my apartment is empty. And if I do get presents, then please get ones that disappear again, such as a bottle of wine.
Have you ever taken something from a store?
Nah, that's not my core competence.
Do you hope for an afterlife?
No ... but I do believe in immortality.
What do you mean by that?
I'm sure that we humans are immortal, but we can't remember it. Just like we were alive during the nine months in our mother's womb or when we sleep at night but don't remember it. I firmly believe that we humans transform and come back again and again.
