Once they were ridiculed figureheads of boom boom techno, today they are worthy of a documentary film. For the theatrical release of "FCK 2020 - Two and a Half Years with Scooter" singer H.P. Baxxter from - about politics, drugs and life crises.
"Hyper, hyper!" With this exclamation, the list of prominent DJs at the time, rather clumsy English and rumbling techno beats, Scooter once became just as well-known as they were ridiculed. That was almost 30 years ago. Now "FCK 2020 - Two and a half years with Scooter" is a documentary about the formation with singer H.P. Baxxter in cinemas. The 58-year-old takes this as an opportunity to review the past in an interview with "Playboy".
"This rejection was really uncomfortable at the very beginning, so I thought to myself: What do you want? We make music, nobody is forced to listen to it," Baxxter recalls the difficult beginning of his career. Over time, however, public perception of the band has shifted, "although we're basically doing the same thing today as we always have." In the meantime, it even seems "sometimes almost exaggerated how people pay homage to you. But it shows that if you have perseverance and just sit it out long enough, you'll eventually silence the critics."
Baxxter would prefer not to be constantly reminded of his first big hit - at least not if he were to be dead. "Well, please don't say 'hyper, hyper'!" he replies when asked what should be written on his gravestone. Although the song was from 1994, many still called out the slogan after it. He would prefer the sentence "Don't take life too seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway" ("Don't take life too seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway"). "If that's there and you're already under the ground, that's the best proof of it. And everyone who's standing at the grave is reminded of it," says Baxxter.
The singer also touches on politics and drugs in the "Playboy" interview. "I definitely didn't want to do political texts," he clarifies. He wanted to "shoot himself into a parallel universe of rock music or later New Wave and techno" "to switch off and not have to deal with all this annoying stuff in music as well". That's why he can't do anything with songwriters. "Of course I understand when someone says that the lyrics have a meaning, that gives me something. Just not for me, I don't want to know that," explains Baxxter. He prefers to read newspaper articles or a book.
"For me, the music itself was always high enough. Of course, I used to drink at raves, but not to the point of unconsciousness, and I've never tried any pills," explains Baxxter, who personally seems to subscribe to the techno cliché does not match. "Also as a self-protection measure, because I'm a habitual person and I knew exactly if I liked something, I wouldn't stop doing it. I've had enough with the cigarettes," he continues.
Basically, he would describe his life as "a permanent mid-life crisis, interrupted by happy moments," says Baxxter, whose real name is Hans Peter Geerdes. "I think you struggle with life so often, right from the start. And the older you get, the more senseless it becomes. Until you think at some point, it doesn't give a fuck, you can't change anything anyway, so enjoy the rest and then that's it," he adds. Well then, in this sense: hyper, hyper!
(This article was first published on Wednesday, December 07, 2022.)
