Schlager Army

Ah, fewer things are stranger than another culture's collective nostalgia for something they actually want to forget. But can't. Living here in Germany, my own nostalgia for the weird television of my childhood is meaningless to anyone but me. I can't share it. So I'm actively trying to find connections to the childhood memories of my German contemporaries - to gain access to the the collective cultural consciousness of Germany! No more lonely memories.

"Disco" was a popular music show here in the 70s and 80s that mixed international pop hits with the domestic Schlager musical terror. the more I hear schlager from this period, the more I'm convinced that it was actually a clever invention of the German avant-garde elite.

In this clip you'll see schlager singer Tony Marshall (?) leading an hysterical marching, clapping conga line of guests into the show, including a fairly enthusiastic ABBA at the front. Just when you think it's about to end, it starts again with double intensity. No escape. My favourite moment has to be around 1:22 when two surly youths stubbornly fold their arms instead of clapping (probably communist radicals). And look out for the policewoman posing as a dancer, standing on the piano and freaking out around 3:08!

As I said, soon I'll be able to actually remember this from my childhood, even though I was definitely elsewhere at the time.