CREATIVE STORIES
Every creation is a story
Some stories are quickly told, others take hours. If they’re good, they all have one thing in common: you read or listen to them until the end. A good story captivates, a good song connects. As with a good meal, the recipe is often simple, which is why it is so good.
Writing
I come from a creative family. Art, music, literature, history – all important items in our place. Especially in Frankfurt during the 1970s. And then everyone paints like a god. Not me, though. My drawings are more like structures without much elegance. On the other hand, however, images and, above all, sounds in my head are a completely different story. My tools of trade are imagination, pen and drumsticks.
When it came to writing, creativity arrived with reading, which I was able to do early on. In consequence I quickly became a regular at the Bockenheim library, halfway between my primary school and home. After adventure stories came Sherlock Holmes, followed by my crime-loving mother’s Agatha Christie library. From then on, we both tracked down murderers together.
At school, things were less morbid, but just as literary. I always enjoyed writing a lot during my school days. Later in my career, I wrote a lot in marketing, brand and strategic planning. Until my wife said that if I was such an expert in criticising storylines of crime novels, I might as wellshut it and try writing one myself. Yes, Ma’am.
Music
According to my mum, I was already drumming in the womb. Music was always in the air of our flat in Frankfurt. From classical over jazz to blues, beat and rock from the 60s and 70s. The incrdile luck of Generation X enjoying the most excellent soundtrack to our childhood.
Drumming didn’t stop, so my father stretched a skin over a very, very old washing machine drum for me. It was the 70s and creative solutions had to be found for almost anyything. Besides, I was four years old – it was still too early to tell. By the age of five, I had convinced my parents of my talent to the point of being awarded a snare drum. Drums and cymbals were quickly added to every gift-giving occasion. By the age of seven my drum-set was complete and I embarked on playing with Beatles and Stones albums. And I continued through the record collection, from the Floyd, ELO, over Queen, Santana and Rainbow to Toto and The Police.
Then came music school and a conservatory course at the Frankfurt Jazz-Cellar. Since studying in Berlin, I have been playing in bands. It’s a semi-professional hobby, creative enjoyment and mental exercise. And so I still spend a lot of happy time in the rehearsal room and in my home studio.
