Gerd Demobowski: football vs. country music – riot-reading and performance

What do football and country music have to do with one another?  Come find out!  Dembowski brings out the emotional background in his stories by quoting well-known song lyrics combined with lyrics from his musician friends.  He also sings at his infamous readings – only to interrupt himself with children’s instruments and toys.  He tells about his first goal as a survived threat, about the search for Maradona, and about the singing lumberjack shirt, Gunter Gabriel as surrogate father and about football as the backbone of community.  Infamous slander and heartfelt love stories – a literary tightrope act between a Fifa Congress and a squatters den.  Gerd Dembowski has become well known as the spokesperson for the Alliance of Active Football Fans (BAFF), through his work with Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) and his collaboration on the book and exhibit “Tatort Stadium”.  His latest book, “The ball is Colorful.  Football, Migration, and the Diverse Identities in Germany.”   For too long to count Dembowski has been reporting from the fan scene and in 2007 was part of “For Tolerance, Against Discrimination” as part of the German Football Task Force.  Sometimes he doesn’t know himself if he is either fan or anthropologist.  In 2007 “Football vs. Country Music” came on the scene with its snappy commentary, was readily nominated as the Football Book of the Year for 2007 – and lost.  In compensation Dembowski became an underground literary success, giving over one hundred readings.

“Also striking are the three black-out lines in the last chapter, where apparently the subject is Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, while other fantastical characterizations of leading representatives of football are obviously left alone.” (Berliner Zeitung)

“When a man like Dembowski leads the discussion, even the politicians can’t remain silent.  Annoyed by long weeks of bickering the Chancellor himself even spoke up from his vacation in Italy.” (Der Spiegel)