Als die Welt noch unterging

Contents

A chronicle of the emergence and development of punk and New Wave in German-speaking countries up to 1985.

When the World Was Still Coming to an End ... anything was possible. The apocalyptic mood around 1980 gave punk and New Wave the momentum they needed. It sparked an incredible outburst of activity and creativity. Against the backdrop of the nuclear arms race, nobody believed in a bright future anymore – so suddenly anything was permitted, regardless of the consequences. This is the story this book tells.

Frank Apunkt Schneider traces the history of Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave) and the German punk underground, extending his account to regional scenes, cassette culture and fanzine communities. Alongside the now-canonical classics of the movement (e.g. DAF, Fehlfarben), he also brings chart-topping acts such as Trio and Extrabreit into focus, as well as underground bands like Kosmonautentraum, Familie Hesselbach and others.

Schneider highlights historically determined points of convergence, tells stories of friendships and rivalries, contrasts provincial epicentres with the major cities, and continually connects the past to the here and now. As a profound expert on the subject, he offers a richly detailed insight into the (counter-)cultural history of West Germany between 1976 and 1985.

"When the World Was Still Coming to an End" is by far the most comprehensive book on Neue Deutsche Welle. It includes an annotated discography and a cassetteography in the appendix, both of which have been further expanded for this new edition.

Table of Contents

Editorial

• When the World Almost Came to an End ...

• What Was NDW?

• Neue Deutsche Welle in 2007

• Punk and New Wave as a Youth Revolt Within Pop Culture

• Rock Music in Germany. The Prehistory of a Unique Starting Point

• German Punk Appropriations. Productive and Unproductive Misunderstandings

• The Geography of Neue Deutsche Welle: Its Spread and Regional Distribution

• When the Media Were Still Messages: Media Use and Wear-and-Tear in NDW

• Subcultural Mass Media: The Cassette Scene

• Low-Budget Aesthetics

• The Worst of Both Worlds: Deutschrock NDW

• Art School or Hard School?

• The Endings of NDW

• Trust No One Over 68

• Discography: West Germany

• Discography: Austria

• Cassetteography: West Germany

• Cassetteography: Austria

• Index