Wolfgang Niedecken
Musician hasn’t been to the supermarket for a year
Wolfgang Niedecken belongs to the risk group in the corona pandemic.
© imago images / Future Image / C. Hardt
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Wolfgang Niedecken has been avoiding certain places: “I haven’t seen the inside of a supermarket for a year.”
The corona pandemic is still keeping Germany in suspense. The number of new infections is increasing again. A glimmer of hope for many politicians and citizens is and remains the vaccination against the virus. Among them is the Cologne cult singer Wolfgang Niedecken (“Everything flows”), who celebrates his 70th birthday on March 30th and is part of the risk group. “The more vaccines are available, the faster we can get this epidemic under control,” he said in an interview with the news agency spot on news. He is skeptical of only one vaccine: the “Putin vaccine”, as the musician Sputnik V calls it.
“If the Putin vaccine is tested well, I’ll take it too”
Wolfgang Niedecken’s aversion to the Russian vaccine is less because of the vaccine than because of the country’s president. “No matter if Putin, Orban or Trump: I just don’t trust these guys,” is the opinion of the 69-year-old. He does not trust any populists “who turn their flags around and only do what is most useful to them. Even if that means giving people an untested vaccine.” He counts on the judgment of qualified scientists: “If the Putin vaccine is tested well, I’ll take it too.” The approval was carried out very quickly. “But if the stuff is okay, I’m fine with it,” explains the Cologne native.
Since the start of the vaccination campaign, there has been heated discussion in Germany about whether concerts and other events should only take place for vaccinated people. “Certain requirements must be met for this,” says the musician. “In any case, it has to be proven that as a vaccinated person you are no longer contagious and that there is a vaccination offer for everyone.” Ultimately, according to Niedecken, it will come down to one thing: “There will be a vaccination certificate – whether digital or as a yellow booklet.” After all, politics cannot permanently subsidize everything. However, it has to be “fair, otherwise it doesn’t make any sense. Otherwise it would divide society”.
After that, Wolfgang Niedecken longs for the pandemic
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, the singer has avoided certain places. “I haven’t seen the inside of a supermarket for a year,” says Niedecken. “Due to my age and my previous illnesses, I belong to the risk group.” In 2011, the founding member of the band BAP suffered a stroke – but made a full recovery. “My wife even goes shopping with rubber gloves so that nothing is carried into the house.” He is not longing for the supermarket.
But other things are at the top of his list: “I would like to see a soccer game live again, go to a pub and meet friends.” What will Niedecken do first when the pandemic is finally under control? “The very first thing is rehearsals. We could be a bit rusty. After all, I was on stage in August 2019.”
On the occasion of his 70th birthday on March 30th, Wolfgang Niedecken already released Niedeckens BAP’s current album, “Everything flows”, in a birthday edition on March 26th – including four new songs.