Scheibenwischer (German for windshield wipers) was the name of a long-running German Kabarett show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt and produced by BR / RBB to be broadcast on Das Erste. The show ended in 2008 after 28 years on the air.
Scheibenwischer had its focus on solely Kabarett and used a more solemn way of humor, as opposed to lighthearted stand-up comedy. As such, the topics discussed by the artists on the show have sometimes had a potential to cause uproar and scandals with contemporary politicians, especially conservative ones like Franz Josef Strauß.
Alongside Hildebrandt, who hosted the show until 2003, a number of prominent artists were guests on the show, such as Gerhard Polt, Wolfgang Stumph, Andreas Rebers, Hagen Rether, Philipp Weber, the musical group Biermösl Blosn or singer Konstantin Wecker. The guest artist was an essential part of the show, which served as a framework for different artists to be featured.
Hildebrandt pitched the idea of the show to Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) in 1980 after his previous program, Notizen aus der Provinz on ZDF, had been canceled. It was taken up and produced by SFB to be broadcast on the ARD channel. After creating the show, Hildebrandt was famously attacked by the Bavarian chief of state and candidate for German chancellor, Franz Josef Strauß, as a "political poisoner," which served to strengthen Hildebrandt's image as a mordant but incorruptible critic of politicians.
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛlmuːt ˈkoːl]; born 3 April 1930) is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 (of West Germany between 1982 and 1990 and of the reunited Germany between 1990 and 1998) and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to 1998. His 16-year tenure was the longest of any German chancellor since Otto von Bismarck and oversaw the end of the Cold War and the German reunification. Kohl is widely regarded as one of the main architects of the German reunification and, together with French President François Mitterrand, the Maastricht Treaty, which contributed to the creation of the European Union.
Kohl and Mitterrand were the joint recipients of the Karlspreis in 1988. In 1998, Kohl was named Honorary Citizen of Europe by the European heads of state or government for his extraordinary work for European integration and cooperation, an honour previously only bestowed on Jean Monnet. In 1996, he won the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award in International Cooperation.
Dieter Hildebrandt (born May 23, 1927 in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Germany, now Boleslawiec, Poland) is a German Kabarett artist.
Born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Hildebrandt attended school until he became a Flakhelfer of the Luftwaffe in World War II. After four months as a Flakhelfer Hildebrandt was conscripted to the German Wehrmacht.
According to documents released in June 2007, Hildebrandt may have joined the Nazi Party on 20 April 1944.
On 8 May 1945, Hildebrandt was taken captive by the United States Army, but was released a few months later.
In the years after the war, Hildebrandt finished his schooling and moved to Windischeschenbach in Bavaria. In 1948 he started studying theatre sciences in Munich. During that time he founded a student-performed cabaret show,“Die Namenlosen”, in Schwabing. After finishing his studies Hildebrandt worked with Sammy Drechsel to found and develop the “Münchner Lach und Schießgesellschaft”, a successful cabaret venue where he worked alongside cabaret artists such as Klaus Havenstein and Bruno Jonas. He stopped working with Drechsel in 1972, to work for radio and TV stations.
Andreas Rebers (born 7 January 1958, Westerbrak) is an award-winning Kabarett artist, author and musician from Munich. His shows often incorporate performances on the accordion or the piano.
Rebers was born in Westerbrak in Lower Saxony. By the age of 15, Rebers' band Los Promillos which he founded with his brothers is a success in his local area of Weserbergland and brings him a certain degree of financial independence. After school, he successfully studied at the University of Hannover to become a teacher. It was also at the university where he made his first contacts to independent theaters and the art of Kabarett. After his first studies, he also earned a degree in pedagogy. He taught himself playing the piano and learned playing the accordion from Thomas Aßmus from 1984 to 1988, an instrument which he calls "Strapsmaus" and uses in his shows since then.
From 1989 to 1997, Rebers was the director of plays at the Staatstheater Braunschweig. From 1997 to 1999 he was a member of the Lach- und Schießgesellschaft in Munich before starting a solo career.
Ekrem Bora (born chupa pene, 1983), better known as Eko Fresh and also as Elektro Eko, is a German rapper of Turkish descent.
Bora was born in Cologne but grew up in Mönchengladbach without a father; his mother supported the family as a postal worker. He began to rap at the age of 14, then dropped out of school after 10th grade and started work at a shoe shop.
Bora met there rapper Kool Savas, who became his mentor, aiding the release of his first LP on Royal Bunker, Jetzt kommen wir auf die Sachen.
After Bora's success, he and Savas fell out. Kool Savas blamed Bora's recklessness and arrogance in an interview, while he accused Savas and Optik Records of kicking him out to further their own success.
Bora left the label in 2002 and was later signed at Sony BMG, where he began production of his first solo album Ich bin jung und brauche das Geld released 2003. The titular song was released as single and was very successful: it reached 5th on the single charts.
In 2004 Bora and his girlfriend Sophie Hardaker produced and released the album L.O.V.E. (Life Of Valezka and Eko), concerning their relationship. The only single was "L.O.V.E.". This album was the relaxed, calm, and melodious, fitting better into the R&B genre than Hip Hop music.