Atze Schröder on showbiz: "There is an astonishing amount of sadness, alcohol, drugs and depression"

Comedian - Atze Schröder on showbiz: "There is an astonishing amount of sadness, alcohol, drugs and depression"

They will be touring Germany with their new program "Der Erlöser" until March 2024 and, according to the press release, fans can look forward to two hours of indulgence and no guilt.Due to the never-ending crises of recent years and bad news without end, I have the feeling that many people have lost a little of their basic trust.

The basic trust that everything will be all right in the end?Pandemics, wars, inflation and the climate crisis have led to increasing uncertainty and doubt as to whether the future holds much good in store for us. That's why I thought: why don't you just be the one to hold on to for a while? Visitors can throw their worries on me for two hours, I'll take on their sins - and then everything really will be fine.

What anice promise... Welcome to the world of stand-up comedy! The program is of course very exaggerated and funny - but I also want to offer a little food for thought: For example, that we can't easily change many things in life - but we can change our attitude towards them.

Will it also be about the church?And, of course, Jesus also plays a role in the program: this all-around great guy who was a cross between Kurt Cobain and Otto and whom everyone loved - except for the Romans.

How often do you test the gags with your circle of friends before a new show?When I've come up with something nice and new, Radio Schröder is particularly happy to be on air. Then I test out what works and what doesn't every day. That way I get a feel for whether the gags are successful at all, whether I need a different timing or have to change something. When I look into understanding faces, then I know: I can safely delete this line.

They also like to throw out some crude remarks. In this age of woke, sometimes extreme political correctness, isn't it always more difficult as a comedian?there are certainly more and more sensitivities today that I have to take into consideration. But then I have to work more with a scalpel and less with a sword and work along the edge of a potential shitstorm, which is a good challenge. The more sensitive people are, the more of a fall there is. I find that exciting.

After thirty years in showbiz, what do you see as the abysses of this industry?Behind the scenes, there is an amazing amount of confusion, sadness, alcohol, drugs and depression. I know a lot of unhappy celebrities and have witnessed many crashes. I am all the more grateful that I have such a great talent for happiness.

Stars like Kurt Krömer and Nora Tschirner now talk openly about their depression. Krömer has even published a book on the subject, and there are many more examples who just don't want to make it public. It really is a big topic! And there is also a lot of envy and resentment. On the red carpet and in front of the camera, most people like to pretend that they love all their colleagues - but behind their backs, the knives are sharpened. They secretly take great pleasure in every shitstorm the other person receives. In contrast, I have rarely experienced mutual support.

Why do you only show yourself in public appearances in the form of your stage ego with all the details? I really like the fact that I can go through my life anonymously as a private person. If I were to walk around my neighborhood in Hamburg as my alter ego Atze, I would hardly have a moment's peace. I value my private life very much and love to remain largely unrecognized. Sometimes people who recognize me even without my stage outfit give me a friendly, knowing wink - but that rarely happens.

So being a celebrity is basically not for you?if there's one thing I can do without, it's celebrity. I don't want fame or to create something unforgettable and see myself as a service provider who wants to give pleasure but be a private person as soon as he leaves the stage. If I fall over at some point, I want people to forget about me in peace. Apart from a certain sense of mission as a comedian, I have zero star qualities. Neither in a positive nor a negative sense.

You've been living in Hamburg for more than four years. Is it true that you hardly ever had your own apartment before that?During my time in Münsterland, I also had a home there. But there was a long phase in my career where I took on 300 jobs a year and therefore lived almost exclusively in hotels. That's why I'm not really cut out for everyday things like shopping. I never used to do that and only really got to know it in Hamburg.

In fact,it was there that I went to the supermarket for the first time for a bulk purchase, immersed myself in a whole new world and first had to organize a chip for my shopping cart. It took me quite a while to finally get into the groove - but now my pearl sends me off on my own. Only sometimes I'm still latently overwhelmed and ask myself: Fennel? What does it actually look like?

Were you also a late bloomer when it came to moving out at home?I was already 26 years old - and even then my mother was still crying, clinging and begging me: "Son, stay with me! The world out there is bad and tough - you won't be able to cope. And in a way, she was right.

You'll be 60 next year. What do you enjoy about getting older and what can you do without?I think it's great that my capacity for enjoyment continues to increase. When life gives me gifts, I can enjoy them much more - even the very quiet moments. On the other hand, I find it very annoying that my skin is getting flabbier and flabbier. I'm still a physical person and work out diligently, but that doesn't change the fact that it hangs in the most impossible places - on my elbows, for example. Terrible!

What is the biggest challenge in life for you?Coming to terms with the realism of the world. Of course, I could also say the cruelties, abysses and all the hate that unfortunately surrounds us more and more. That's why I try as best I can to build the world the way I like it, but I keep coming up against my limits. Realism? That's not for me!