2024-08-25 23:36:28
Heino is currently in the USA for a few concerts. In an interview with t-online, he looks at Germany – and has some unflattering words to say about politics in particular.
Heino will be playing three concerts in the USA this summer. He has already performed on Long Island in New York, and this weekend he will be playing shows in Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and Rahway in New Jersey. “I appreciate being called the ‘voice of the homeland’ there. That shows a great affection for Germany, but also for me,” says Heino in an interview with t-online.
This affection is well paid. According to the “Bild” newspaper, Heino is said to have received 60,000 euros for each of his shows in New York and Philadelphia. He is said to have been paid 135,000 euros for his 90-minute concert in Rahway. “I don’t want to comment on the amount, but it’s true, it’s worth it,” said the musician.
“I can understand why many Germans emigrate”
For many conservative Germans, Heino is an idol. The singer has always defended himself against accusations that he is politically right-wing. The fact is: his “homeland and fatherland songs” are also well received in the USA. Heino is particularly popular among Americans of German descent and emigrants. He himself had a second home in Florida for many years and “always felt very comfortable and safe” there, as he revealed to t-online.
He now prefers to live in Kitzbühel in Austria and in Bad Münstereifel in Germany. “But I can understand why many Germans are emigrating. Germany is a beautiful country, but if there’s one thing that bothers me, it’s the politicians and the policies they pursue. And unfortunately, that’s been the case for far too long,” says the 85-year-old.
For Heino, many politicians are “totally clueless and unworldly people” who, in his opinion, do not focus enough on Germany in their work. “However, today’s politicians almost only pursue their own ideals and think they have to force on us what they believe to be the only right thing in their ideology. This is politics that is made without regard for the people. Their worries and fears are hardly taken into account,” says Heino. He is particularly concerned about child and old-age poverty in Germany, which, in his opinion, is not being addressed enough.
Of the 19 million pensioners in Germany, 18.4 percent were at risk of poverty last year. This is the result of the federal government’s response to a query from the Left Party. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the poverty risk rate for children and young people under 18 is currently 14 percent.
Source: with material from the news agency AFP
Heino demands: “This situation must change. I was born in 1938 and experienced the war as a child. I don’t want to experience that again. Politicians are servants of our country and of us citizens. Someone should make them understand that.” According to Heino, this is essential “so that our country can bloom again. Like the gentian, which has been blooming for over 50 years. You can’t let a little plant like that wither, even if it is robust.”
Heino becomes more lenient when he thinks of his wife Hannelore, who died in 2023. He performed in the USA 30 years ago and was accompanied by her. “We have been all over the world together, have seen pretty much everything there is to see. That’s nice to say,” says Heino.
This time he will be accompanied to the USA by his manager Helmut Werner, his wife Nicole and son Lennie. Heino does not have a good relationship with his biological son from his first marriage, but his relationship with his manager and his entourage is all the stronger: “It’s very nice when we go on this trip as a family,” reports the musician. Heino is particularly excited to see how Lennie, his manager’s son, will like the USA. He is looking forward to the shared experiences: “He will also be there backstage at some point and I think it will be great if he can say: The first concert he ever attended was in America and that of Grandpa Heino.”