Son of Udo Jürgens about his father: There was no family life on tour
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John Jürgens, son of the singer Udo Jürgens.
© Source: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Munich. In the life of singer Udo Jürgens, apart from sold-out concerts, long tours and world-famous hit songs, there was often little time left for family. His son John Jürgens never took offense at his famous father. “I didn’t feel that way as a child – it was just the way it was,” said Jürgens of the German Press Agency. A good relationship with his children was important to his father. “We didn’t have it much, but whenever we had it, it was very intense.”
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Nevertheless, as a child and teenager at boarding school, it was not always an advantage that your father was one of the best-known people in Germany. “There were also children who didn’t think you were so great because of something like that,” said Jürgens, who lives in Munich. The singer and composer himself was also aware that it wasn’t always easy for his children. “He even apologized for it,” the 58-year-old recalled.
“It was a job and not a family vacation”
Even when he accompanied his father on tour at the age of 16, there wasn’t much time for family life. “I rode in the truck with the roadies. I was on the road as part of the crew and always in their hotels, not in my dad’s hotels. It was a great time, but it was a job and not a family vacation,” said Jürgens. At the concerts he helped out behind the stage with sound and light. “Dad was very strict. He always noticed when he wasn’t in the cone of light because I missed a mission.”
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“It’s so not a hit”
His son thinks it’s a shame that Udo Jürgen’s music was eventually reduced to his success as a hit star. “People get it mixed up. If you listen to the lyrics to “Greek Wine”, for example, then it’s not really a hit. It carries such an insane message,” said Jürgens.
Eight years after Udo Jürgen’s death (1934-2014), the new album “da capo, Udo Jürgens – Stations of a World Career” will be released on December 16th with 61 songs by the Austrian singer, who also had Swiss citizenship. In addition to Jürgen’s great classics, the album also includes previously unreleased variants of some songs, rare live versions and pieces that were not previously available digitally. The album was curated by Jürgen’s children Jenny and John Jürgens, among others. “You get very close to our father when you hear it,” said Jürgens.
RND/dpa
