Musical Saturday Morning

Missing old acquaintances this morning.  Watched some videos from my cousin (if she divorces my real cousin, is she still my cousin, I hate family intrigue politics!) and almost posted another one by her this morning because I am in a wild Scottish rocker mood.  But, then got to thinking about Hans Hölzel - it has been 15 years since his death and yeah I miss him too.

Hans was one of those eaten alive by stardom and certainly not what he ever wanted.  One of only four Austrians to actually make it to international attention, the only Austrian rocker of note, the only German speaker to score a number one on the American Billboard - He was talented.  And in spite of all you might read about him and his problems, he did love his wife.

But, with fame came chemical dependencies and situations not conducive for family nor children.  He lost both, even to the point of in the heat of the hatred surrounding his divorce - his wife told him his daughter was not actually his, and his life spiraled out of control.   A story not unique to him at all.  I can still remember him climbing on stage and beating the (tar) out of a bass player at an open air concert, because the guy could not play to Hans' liking.  He then took the guitar and made a complete ass of himself - too far gone to play.  I felt so sorry for him.  I could understand how he fell so low ... he had lost all he knew and all he loved.  There was nothing left for him as a Germanic male.  We are fragile it seems.

But, in earlier times, when he was at his height of both creativity and popularity, Amedeus was released in 1985.  I howled with laughter when I saw what he had done.  Well done Hans.




But, his fall was already in progress.

Make no mistake, Hans did figure it all out, somehow got his life clean and himself back together.  He was working on a new album, building a new house in the Dominican Republic and staging a comeback.  I remember he had said that his greatest love was his daughter, and when he started the house project, my wanting to ask him how moving half way around the world was going to allow him to stay in her life.  I did not have the guts back then to say it.  And at his death in 1998, while on a trip to see how the house was coming along, all he had went to his daughter (as I remember) but she was too young to understand.  I remember thinking how it was sort of a trick of the fates - his ex was probably going to be the first person to stay in his house.

Like so many, he got famous, he lost it all, he got cleaned up, got his life together and BLAM!, he was gone.  It happens far too often to be a coincidence.  It is like God gives one really hard shove, so a person can get it together because He knows time is short.  Whether being hit by a car in Vienna, backed over by a bread truck in Seattle or flattened by an out of control bus in the Dominican Republic - when it is time, it is time - to the split second.  At least, that is my belief.

I am glad he got a piece of his life together - for his daughter's sake if nothing else.  Maybe it is just a Germanic thing, but I think it is important how you are remembered.  For Hans, I knew him going up and then flat on his face.  I was excited for him to attempt his comeback, cleaned up, sober, pulling all of the pieces of his life back together.  I only wish 30 years ago I had been brave enough to have witnessed about the only real answer in this life.