Back to the origins: 60 years after the start of his stage career Düsseldorf Howard Carpendale was back in the spotlight there. On Friday evening in Düsseldorf’s old town he gave a concert in front of several hundred fans to mark the release of his new album “Zeitlos”. 20 of his biggest hits have been rearranged and sung for the album.
A few hours earlier, Carpendale had reached number one in the German album charts for the first time. Carpendale, who turned 80 in January and is starting his farewell tour through Germany in March, has never achieved this in this country – neither in the single charts nor in the album charts.
The fact that he ended up at number one with his last album as an “old fart” was “madness,” said Carpendale. «The next one tour “It’s really my last.” He then asked his audience: “Put away your cell phones, otherwise you won’t be able to applaud.”
In 1966, around one and a half kilometers away, a completely unknown Carpendale appeared on stage. He still remembers it very well: “Here in Düsseldorf I had my first appearance in Germany 60 years ago: on Graf-Adolf-Straße in the “Liverpool Club”. I sang for six hours in the evening and nine hours on the weekend,” Carpendale reported to the German Press Agency.
“It was pure coincidence that I came to Germany via England. I bought a newspaper and read an advertisement in it: “Band is looking for singers”. It’s fascinating how one second changes your whole life.”
«Sex, Drugs and Rock’n Roll» in Düsseldorf
Because it continued: “The band in England got the order to play in Düsseldorf for a month. We all asked ourselves, “Where is this?” Then we ended up here. We earned 40 D-Marks in the evening. That was a pretty wild time: sex, drugs and rock’n roll – there’s no other way to say that.”
He doesn’t regret that he ended up in Germany 60 years ago by chance, on the contrary: “Germany is my home. I chose Germany and am happy that I live in Germany today. Very happy.”
Carpendale became famous as a pop singer and master of emotions, sold more than 65 million records, according to Universal Music, and landed not only hits but evergreens with songs like “Hello Again” and “Ti Amo”.
After the concert in Düsseldorf, we will go on a big farewell tour with around 45 concerts for several months in March: “I notice an enthusiasm among the audience, which obviously has to do with this world in which we live. People have such a hunger for entertainment and fun that I have never experienced before. It’s crazy. People want to be entertained.”
Touching moments
Carpendale reports that his career has given him many great, touching moments: “For example, I received a letter from a woman in France. She told me that before an operation that she was afraid of, the operating doctor asked me to sing a song. He didn’t even know who Carpendale was. But they then set up a few loudspeakers in the operating room and played one of my songs until the anesthesia took effect.”
He struggles with the changes in his industry: “There are so many new titles coming onto the market every day: How is a star supposed to emerge with a long-term career?” That’s why he would advise a young musician today: “Try basketball.”
Concerned about political developments
Carpendale now also appears to be an observer of political and social developments that cause him great concern: “The loss of truth that we are experiencing. Trump, Putin, Xi, Orban. What is the truth? What do I know what these gentlemen discuss with each other when they are in private? We don’t know. And truth is actually the basis of human contact.”
He doesn’t bode well for the USA: “I’m pretty sure there won’t be an election in America in 2028. Or if so, then a completely different choice than we are used to. I think there are a lot of things that we don’t really notice here. The details that encompass a man like Trump: Your brain will fly away.”
He has few wishes for himself: “I’ve been in a relationship for 44 years that I couldn’t imagine being happier. I’m relatively healthy for an 80-year-old and if it lasts a few more years, then I’ll be very happy.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:260228-930-747738/1
