Interview
“Kettcar” singer
Marcus Wiebusch on coming out in England: “I was so happy that Jake Daniels did it”
Marcus Wiebusch is the singer and frontman of the indie rock band Kettcar. Eight years ago he wrote a song about homosexuality in football. In conversation with the stern he explains how he perceived the news of Jake Daniels coming out.
stern: Mr. Wiebusch, let’s talk about your old song “The day will come”. Well, it’s not even that old…
Marcus Wiebusch: Eight years.
Do you remember when you recorded the song?
The story of how it came about is more exciting: I’ve never researched so much for a song because I usually didn’t write long lyrics. So I read a lot and had a lot of conversations and watched documentaries on the subject and then I started writing the song and that became the seven minutes. That’s one of my more important songs, I have to say that quite clearly.
It’s about a gay soccer player who is struggling with his coming out, but can’t bring himself to do it. What did you think when Jake Daniels had the decisive courage this week?
In the song, the footballer doesn’t dare. That he knows about the progress that we are making in society as a whole, but he doesn’t make it. In the case of the song, that’s somewhat bitter, but probably also realistic. But the song is also based on the assumption that that day will definitely come, and after Jake Daniels I believe that even more.
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What makes us believe that it doesn’t happen in Germany at some point that someone has the courage? I was so happy that Jake Daniels did it. Especially since two years ago Philipp Lahm said: “I would strongly advise a professional footballer not to come out.”
It’s been eight years since the song was released. Quite a while…
Well, if I’m completely honest, I was of course hoping that it would go faster.
But of course I also have to see that this football business is a very unique, very special biotope. When I arrive there with this self-empowerment: “In any case, someone will come out at some point” – the reasons that Philipp Lahm gives – even if I don’t share them – are absolutely valid.
In a team spirit, it’s sometimes not well regarded when someone is so “outstanding”. And homosexuality, like Jake Daniels, is still outstanding at the moment: he did it at the end of the season, but the cameras are all on, only pointed at him. And if his performance is then reduced, for whatever reason, then it becomes difficult for the whole team.
Are we further along in other countries?
In football, the homosexual player cannot simply go to Italy or Spain. And if the team is blessed with a lot of players with conservative-religious worldviews, then they see it even less relaxed. The player is therefore denied some changes that would be beneficial for his wallet. Any player agent will tell him that.
In my opinion, however, we are on a very, very good path as a society as a whole. We continue to normalize it when someone is gay. You can see that in dozens of series, in dozens of films and cultural testimonies that it is becoming more and more normal and natural.
Jake Daniels said in his statement “I don’t want to lie anymore” and who are we not to give him that right? So we all have to keep making the climate better together.
But the day, as the song says, hasn’t come for you yet?
As someone who grew up in Germany and is confronted with German football, I relate this completely to Germany. But I say now and here, you can count on it: “The day will come.” Basically, it only takes someone with courage, because our situation in the stadium or in the newspaper forest or on the Internet is no different than it is in England.
Let’s not kid ourselves: We have exactly the same idiots in the curve, have exactly the same Western open culture towards homosexuals that we have fought for decades. Jake Daniels did it.
What makes us think there isn’t another one with courage? Either in two years, in five years or in ten years. I don’t know of a single argument against it.
Thank you for the interview!