Helge Schneider finds avatars "spooky"
In Munich, Helge Schneider faces the press and announces that he wants to continue performing live and in color for as long as possible. What is out of the question for the 68-year-old, however, are virtual gigs as an avatar, as we know them from Abba and soon also from Kiss.
Helge Schneider definitely does not want to be represented by an artificial intelligence. "I think it's spooky. I think it's funny. But it would be even worse to send avatars on stage like Abba," said the musician and composer in Munich, alluding to the Swedish pop band, who are performing virtually on stage in their concert show "Abba Voyage". Kiss have also just announced their intention to perform as digital versions in future. Their farewell concert actually took place in New York last Saturday, but the glam rockers presented a first glimpse of the virtual show, which is currently being prepared, shortly afterwards.
Helge Schneider, on the other hand, promised that everything would remain live and real at his concerts and that his band would consist exclusively of live people. And he is indeed showing no signs of fatigue at the moment: his album "Live aus Graz" was recently released and his "Katzenklo auf Rädern" tour starts in Zurich.
Annoyed by cell phones at concerts
With over 70 appearances, it is "a world tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland", said the 68-year-old. Schneider composed the song "Katzenklo" in 1993, when people could not yet imagine that it would be possible to see each other on the phone in the future. Now his audiences are also using cell phones at concerts. "It bothers me, but as soon as I bring it up or something, it bothers me even more," he said.
His new crime novel "Stepptanz" was published in October. In Munich, the author joked about grammatical rules. Sometimes it's even better to write the way you speak, he said. "I'm starting to not care what my grammar is like - the main thing is that people understand it," said Schneider.
The 68-year-old left it open as to whether he will write another book. He prefers to devote himself to music. "Writing is not as imaginary as playing the piano - music is a real art, it's so heavenly. And writing is more on earth," says Schneider.
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Helge Schneider expresses his dislike towards the idea of using artificial intelligence for entertainment, specifically in the context of music performances, citing Abba's virtual concert show as an example. This aversion to digital representations extends beyond avatars, as even the suggestion of sending them on stage is met with disapproval.
In light of this, it's intriguing to consider how Schneider feels about the integration of technology in other forms of entertainment, such as music streaming services or AI-generated music. Given his preference for live performances, one could speculate that he might view such advancements with a mix of curiosity, skepticism, or even concern for the future of authentic human expression in the entertainment industry.
Source: www.ntv.de
