Arthur Alexander "Aljoscha" Rompe (20 October 1947 in

Berlin-Buch Buch () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Pankow. Situated on the Panke river, it is the city's northernmost quarter, chiefly known for its historic village centre and extended hospital premises. Geog ...

– 23 November 2000 in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg) was the lead singer of the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

punk band

Feeling B Feeling B was a punk rock band founded in East Berlin in 1983. They started out firmly grounded in the underground punk scene. Over time, Feeling B's popularity grew greatly, and climaxed around the end of the German Democratic Republic. Front ...

Career

Feeling B began in 1983 as part of the second wave of underground punk acts operating outside the state-sanctioned music scene. By the time East Germany (the

GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

) imploded in 1989, Feeling B had become one of the country's most popular bands. Soon after the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

, Rompe co-founded the political party Wydoks, which wanted to reclaim public property on former GDR soil and fight against the takeover of the country by "money people", i.e. West Germans. He and like-minded members of the punk scene

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

several buildings in the East Berlin districts of Mitte and Prenzlauerberg. Rompe made films, ran pirate radio stations, and squatted for long periods of his life.

Personal life

Rompe spent long periods of time camping on

Hiddensee Hiddensee () is a car-free island in the Baltic Sea, located west of Germany's largest island, Rügen, on the German coast. The island has about 1,000 inhabitants. It was a holiday destination for East German tourists during German Democratic ...

, in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

, with his bandmates, playing gigs, selling drinks and organizing underground festivals. He was of Swiss origin and died in Berlin in the year 2000 (aged 53), following a severe

asthma attack Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

Christian "Flake" Lorenz Christian "Flake" Lorenz (; born 16 November 1966) is a German musician and keyboard player for Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, as well as the main composer of the band along with guitarist Richard Kruspe. He was also a member of the East ...

, Rompe's friend and bandmate in Feeling B who later found fame with

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

, said "he knew how money was able to corrupt people, he didn't want to be successful in a monetary sense either, neither of us wanted to, as we were all punks."

References

* The book "Grün und Blau" written by Flake Lorenz), keyboardist of Feeling B and Rammstein * The documentary "mittendrin" East German musicians 20th-century German male singers 1947 births 2000 deaths Deaths from asthma German people of Swiss descent {{Germany-singer-stub