Bela B.
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Dirk Albert Felsenheimer (born 14 December 1962),''Die Ärzte. Ein überdimensionales Meerschwein frisst die Erde auf'', p. 80 better known under his stage name Bela B (formerly Bela B.), is a German musician, songwriter, actor and author, best known for being the drummer and one of the singers of punk rock band Die Ärzte. In 2006, he released his first solo album entitled '' Bingo''. He is also an actor and has done several voice-overs for television and film.


Early life

Dirk Albert Felsenheimer was born in Spandau, the westernmost borough of Berlin. He has a twin sister named Diana and his parents separated when he was five years old. Felsenheimer graduated from the Carlo-Schmid-Oberschule in Berlin. Afterwards he joined the police force, partly due to boredom and partly because of the influence of his uncle, who was also a police officer. However, shortly before joining the force Bela became punk, which seemed at odds with the conformity required of him in the police. Despite his reservations, he began police training, as he could think of no other viable option and he did not want his mother to worry about him. However, he quit the force soon after joining because he felt that he did not belong there and he began being harassed by the other recruits.''Die Ärzte. Ein überdimensionales Meerschwein frisst die Erde auf'', p. 82 He then worked in a warehouse for a short time before beginning a three-year apprenticeship as a window-dresser for the department store Hertie. Felsenheimer took his stage name from ''
Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' actor Bela Lugosi, whom he has admired since childhood.''Die Ärzte. Ein überdimensionales Meerschwein frisst die Erde auf'', p. 85 The "B" stands for Barney, as the German name of the fictional '' The Flintstones'' character
Barney Rubble Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next d ...
is "Barney Geröllheimer", and he was nicknamed after him because of the similarity to "Felsenheimer". Felsenheimer is actually registered with the German performing rights society GEMA as 'Bela Barney Felsenheimer'.


Music career


Die Ärzte

Bela B first played in the short-lived
Soilent Grün Soylent may refer to: * Soylent, a type of food eaten in the 1966 Harry Harrison science fiction novel ''Make Room! Make Room!'' ** ''Soylent Green'', a 1973 American dystopian thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer (partly based on the novel ...
before co-founding Die Ärzte in 1982 with singer/guitarist Farin Urlaub and bassist Hans Runge. The group soon appeared on the ''20 Überschäumende Stimmungshits'' compilation, and after winning an amateur band contest, they spent their winnings on their 1983 debut EP, '' Uns geht's prima...'' They signed a record deal with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, which issued the band's debut album, '' Debil'', in 1984. After releasing several albums, the band broke up in 1988 and reunited in 1993.


Depp Jones

After Die Ärzte split up, he soon formed a new band, S.U.M.P, with friend Rodrigo González and the band released an EP entitled ''Get Wise, Get Ugly, Get S.U.M.P.'' featuring cover versions of popular songs. The band was later renamed Depp Jones, named after a character in the German version of the comic book series Lucky Luke. Their 1990 debut LP, ''Return to Caramba!'', failed to capitalise on the popularity of Die Ärzte, and its follow-ups ''Welcome to Hell'' and ''At 2012 A.D.'' did even worse. Farin Urlaub's new band,
King Køng King Køng () was a German alternative rock band established in 1989 and officially declared defunct in 1999, though its last album was released in 1992. It was formed by Farin Urlaub after the split of Die Ärzte in 1988, with the band's former pr ...
, also struggled, and in 1993 he and Bela B agreed to reform Die Ärzte, with former Depp Jones guitarist Rodrigo González joining them on bass.


Solo

In 2006, Bela released his first solo album '' Bingo'', which was produced by
Wayne Jackson Wayne Jackson may refer to: *Wayne Jackson (brigadier), List of Australian generals and brigadiers, senior Australian army officer *Wayne Jackson (footballer) (born 1944), Australian football player and former CEO of the Australian Football League ...
and Olsen Involtini. The record combined many different music styles such as country, rockabilly, beat music and traditional rock elements. Bela's love for horror can be heard in many of the songs on the album. He worked with country legend Lee Hazlewood and in return guested on his album '' Cake or Death''.
Charlotte Roche Charlotte Elisabeth Grace Roche (born 18 March 1978) is a British-German television presenter, author, producer, and actress.Lula, also feature on ''Bingo''. Bela's record reached number two at the German Top 100 and number five in Austria. Following the album release, Bela toured with his band Bela B. y Los Helmstedt, including appearances at several German festivals including Rock im Park,
Rock am Ring The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfeld ...
, MTV Campus Invasion, and
Gurtenfestival Gurtenfestival is an annual musical festival in Bern, Switzerland. 1991–2012 Donovan, (June 9) Rufus Quindile Gunbungus III and the Huantalius Gang 1995 (14–16 July): Ben Harper, Incognito (band), Incognito, Jeff Buckley, Public Enemy (band) ...
. A follow-up record, '' Code B'' was released on 2 October 2009.


Musical style

Bela is a fan of horror, which is reflected in many of his songs, such as "Dein Vampyr" (Your Vampire), "Mysteryland", "Der Graf" (The Count), "Die Nacht" (The Night), "Wir werden schön" (We Become Beautiful), "Der Vampir mit dem Colt" (The Vampire with the Colt), "Licht am Ende des Sarges" (Light at the End of the Coffin), and "Monsterparty". One of Bela's particular features is that he usually plays drums standing up during performances. He has done this since he saw the Stray Cats perform in 1983.''Die Ärzte. Ein überdimensionales Meerschwein frisst die Erde auf'', p. 28–29 Up to that point he had performed sitting down for the first Die Ärzte concerts. However, he generally plays sitting down in the studio, and also performed seated during the ''
Rock'n'Roll Realschule ''Unplugged – Rock'n'Roll Realschule'' is a live album / MTV Unplugged album by German rock band Die Ärzte. The band performed at Albert-Schweitzer- Gymnasium, Hamburg. The name comes from the song " Rock 'n' Roll High School" by the R ...
'' concert and at times during the "Jenseits der Grenze des Zumutbaren" ("Beyond the Reasonable Limit") and "Unrockstar" tours.


Acting and other ventures

Bela B was the owner of the Leipzig comic book publisher Extrem Erfolgreich Enterprises (Extremely Successful Enterprises), which published horror comic books, including German versions of independent series such as "Faust" and "Satanika". Their titles also included their own publications such as "Schweinevogel" and a comic about Die Ärzte. In an interview with the Berlin magazine Zitty in September 2006, Bela B announced that he was giving up his publishing project. As an author, Bela has written for the vampire anthology ''Liber Vampirorum: Last Blood'' and for comic books published by his publishing house. Other hobbies include acting and he has appeared in many German television productions, including episodes of '' Alarm für Cobra 11'' and '' Tatort'', as well as in ' for the German television channel
ProSieben ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...
in 2008 and in the film ''Ein göttlicher Job''. In 1985, Bela portrayed one of the main characters in ', a film about an aspiring rock band which also starred his Die Ärzte bandmates Farin Urlaub and Hans Runge. More recently, Bela played the lead role of concentration camp prisoner Hans Steinbrück in the 2004 film '' Edelweiss Pirates''. In 2005 Bela's acting roles included a role in the short film ''
Kingz The Football Kingz were New Zealand's first professional football club. They played in the Australian National Soccer League from 1999 until their disestablishment in 2004, when they were replaced by the New Zealand Knights as an inaugural parti ...
'' (directed by Benni Diez and Marinko Spahić), which was produced by the
Film Academy Baden-Württemberg The Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg (German: ''Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg'') was founded in 1991 as a publicly funded film school in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Filmakademie is one of the most internationally renowned film sc ...
, as well as the role of Ronnie in Barbara Gebler's crime parody, ''Salamander''. In 2007, Bela interviewed his favorite director, Quentin Tarantino, about the film '' Death Proof'' for the German newspaper Die Welt and later had a cameo role as a cinema usher in Tarantino's 2009 film '' Inglourious Basterds''. Bela's voice-over work includes the voice of Clay in the German version of the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
cartoon television series '' Free for All''. He also recorded the voices of various characters in the German version of the Danish film '' Terkel in Trouble''. His work also includes several audio dramas, such as ''Faust vs. Mephisto'' alongside Thomas D from the German band Die Fantastischen Vier and the audiobook '' Venus in Furs'' with actress Catherine Flemming. He also recorded the audio version of a biography of Elvis Presley in 2007. In early 2011, Bela recorded another audio book, ''Exit Mundi'', a popular scientific book by the Dutch science journalist Maarten Keulemans discussing many possible and absurd end-of-world scenarios. The promotion tour took Bela on 15 venues, reading on stage in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The tour also included gimmicks, such as Bela reading from the book to the tune of R.E.M.'s hit single " The End of the World as We Know It". In 2019 Bela published his first novel, titled ''Scharnow''.


Personal life

Bela B lives with his girlfriend Konstanze Habermann and their son in Hamburg. He is a fan of the German football team FC St. Pauli. He is also a keen runner, having completed marathons in Hamburg and New York. In 2004, he completed the 20 km event in the 26th
Ahrensburg Ahrensburg () is a town in the district of Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located northeast of Hamburg and is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Its population is around 31,000. ''Schloss Ahrensburg'', the town's symbol, is ...
Lümmellauf and the Dracula Transylvania Marathon from Sighişoara to Mediaş, Romania. Bela B has also supported many
anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
projects, including the initiative "Kein Bock auf
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
" (No Room for Nazis), which was started by the Berlin punk band ZSK. His anti-fascist stance has also been shown in songs such as " Schrei nach Liebe" (Cry for Love) and also "Deutsche, kauft nicht bei Nazis" (Germans, Don't Buy from Nazis). Bela made the latter available to download for free from his website. Bela is also a big fan of '' The Simpsons'' and has expressed a wish to appear in the series.


Discography


Die Ärzte


Solo artist


Albums

* '' Bingo'' (2006) * '' Code B'' (2009) * ''Bye'' (2014) * ''Bastard'' (2017)


Singles

Charting singles Other singles *"Pogo Dancing" (1989) – with PVC *"Grönemeyer kann nicht tanzen" (1989) – as a producer for Wiglaf Droste's single *" Wir brauchen... Werner" (1990) – with Jan aka Farin Urlaub *" This Girl Was Made for Loving" (1997) – with Heike Makatsch, as Heike & Dirk for the soundtrack o
"Obsession"
*"Leave" (2000) – with Lula for the soundtrack of "Kaliber Deluxe" *"Chocolate for the Tears" (2000) – with Diane Lemonbaby for the soundtrack of "Kaliber Deluxe" *" You'll Never Walk Alone" (2002) – Bela B. & the Tikiwolves feat. Gary'o'Wolf (official FC St. Pauli hymn) *"
Candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...
" (2002) – Killer Barbies feat. Bela B. *" Tanzverbot (Schill to Hell)" (2003) – with Fettes Brot *"
Tag mit Schutzumschlag ''Bingo'' is the first solo album by German musician Bela B, released in 2006. The song "Lee Hazlewood & das erste Lied des Tages" is also featured on the Lee Hazlewood album '' Cake or Death'' as "The First Song of the Day". Track listing So ...
" (2006) – from " Bingo" *"1. 2. 3. ..." (2006) – featuring
Charlotte Roche Charlotte Elisabeth Grace Roche (born 18 March 1978) is a British-German television presenter, author, producer, and actress.Bingo" *"
Fussball ist immer noch wichtig "Fussball ist immer noch wichtig" (''Football is still important'') is a song by Fettes Brot, Bela B. of Die Ärzte, Marcus Wiebusch of Kettcar and Carsten Friedrichs of Superpunk. It was written for the 2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIF ...
" (2006) – with Fettes Brot,
Marcus Wiebusch Marcus Wiebusch is a German musician and lyricist. From 1992 to 1999 he played in the political punk-band ...But Alive, for which he sang, played guitar, and wrote lyrics. He also had two even more aggressive and politically charged, but less ...
of Kettcar and Carsten Friedrichs of Superpunk *"
Sie hat was vermisst "Sie hat was vermisst" he missed somethingis a song by Bela B. It's the third single and the ninth track from his debut album Bingo. It's a comforting song for a man, whose partner has left him. Video Bela casts as "Bingo King", a bingo-fan. H ...
" (2006) – from " Bingo" *"Der Graf vs. Horrorpunks" (2007) – split-EP with Balzac *"Gitarre runter" (2007) – from " Bingo" *"Hölle" (2008) –
K.I.Z K.I.Z is a German hip hop group from Berlin. The members are the three rappers Tarek, Nico and Maxim. Until 2018, DJ Craft was also part of the group. Their lyrics often contain a lot of dark humor and irony as well as sociocritical content. ...
feat. Bela B. *"Altes Arschloch Liebe" (2009) – from " Code B" *" Schwarz/Weiss" (2009) – from " Code B" *"Tag für Sieger" (2010) *"In diesem Leben" (download only) (2010) – from " Code B" *"Im Klub" (2013) – with Peta Devlin & Smokestack Lightnin' *"Abserviert" (2014) – from "Bye" with Peta Devlin & Smokestack Lightnin'


Other collaborations

*"Ausgebombt" (German Version) (1989) –
Sodom Sodom may refer to: Places Historic * Sodom and Gomorrah, cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis United States * Sodom, Kentucky, a ghost town * Sodom, New York, a hamlet * Sodom, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Sodom, West Virginia, an ...
featuring Bela B.; for Sodom's EP " Ausgebombt" *"Requiem für Nossek" (1989) – The Incredible Hagen feat.
Jan Vetter Jan Vetter (born 27 October 1963), better known as Farin Urlaub. (from the German ''Fahr in Urlaub!'', "Go on holiday!"), is a German singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist/vocalist for punk rock band Die Ärzte. He ...
& Bela B.; for the soundtrack of " Lindenstraße", titled "Wir warten auf die Lindenstraße" *"Stand by Your Man" (1994) – The Waltons featuring Bela B.; for the album "Essential Country Bullshit" *"Donna Clara" (1995) – The Bates featuring Bela B. & Kill Kill Gaskrieg; for the album "Pleasure + Pain" *"Die Zeitmaschine" (1995) – with Rod Gonzalez as 2 Fickende Hunde for the Prollhead tribute album "Prollhead! fordert Tribut..." *"It's Only Love" (1996) – Stimpy featuring Bela B.; for the album "Dirty Love Affair" *"König von Deutschland" (1998) – C.I.A. featuring Bela B. and Axel Kurth; for the album "Codename Freibeuter" *"All This and More" (1998) – Mad Sin featuring Bela B.; for the album "...Sweet & Innocent? ...Loud & Dirty!" *"Dusty Crown" (1998) – as Mr. Felsenheimer & Perry Spinoza Gang; for the compilation "Der FC St. Pauli ist schuld..." *"It's a Good Life" (2000) – Chainsaw Hollies featuring Bela B. *"Are You Ready for Some Darkness?" (2001) – with Denim Girl aka Jasmin Wagner for " Alpha Motherfuckers – A Tribute to Turbonegro" *"Gerechtigkeit" (2001) – Die Göttlichen feat. Bela B.; for the soundtrack of "Ein göttlicher Job" *"Bad Capricorn" (2003) – The Yucca Spiders featuring Bela B.; for the album "Zodiac" *"Dee Dee's Dead" (2004) – Ramonez 77 featuring Bela B.; for the album "Rest in Pace" *"Für immer Christ" (2004) – Jesus Skins featuring Bela B.; for the split-album with Jewdriver, "Neuer Wein/Hail the Jew Dawn" *"Operation Dance Sensation" (2005) – Bela B. & ZZZ Hacker feat. DJ Wolfgang Jack; for the soundtrack of "Operation Dance Sensation" *"Meister aller Frauenärzte" (2005) – with Rod Gonzalez as 2 Fickende Hunde for the Die Kassierer tribute album "Kunst! 20 Jahre die Kassierer" *"Who Will Save Rock'n'Roll?" (2005) – Gigantor featuring Bela B., Doro Pesch and Olga of Toy Dolls; for the album "G7" *"Iron in My Soul" & "No Cure for the Undead" (2005) – Smoke Blow featuring Bela B.; for the album "Dark Angel" *"The First Song of the Day" (2006) – with Lee Hazlewood; for the album " Cake or Death" (it is actually the same song as "Lee Hazlewood & das erste Lied des Tages" from " Bingo" but with an English title) *"I Want" (2008) – with Lula for her debut album "Lost in Reverie"


Audio books

* ''Die Nixe/The Mermaid'' (Christa Fast) (1992) * ''Die Brautprinzessin'' (2002) * ''The KLF der schnelle Weg zum Nr. 1 Hit'' (2003) * ''Gabriel Burns – Folge 6, Die Totenmaschine'' (as barkeeper) (2004) * ''Thomas D vs. Bela B – Faust vs.
Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * '' Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German-Hungarian film based ...
'' (2004) * '' Venus im Pelz'' (2005) * ''Böse Nacht Geschichten'' (2005) * ''Captain Berlin vs. Dracula'' (from
Jörg Buttgereit Jörg Buttgereit (born 20 December 1963) is a German writer/director known for his controversial films. He was born in Berlin, Germany, and has lived there his entire life. He is best known for his horror films ''Nekromantik'' (1987), ''Der To ...
) (2006) * ''Vampira-Hörspiel-Reihe'' by Lübbe Audio (2006) * ''Last Train to Memphis'' (part 1 of an Elvis Presley biography written by Peter Guralnick) (2007) * ''Careless Love'' (part 2 of an Elvis Presley biography written by Peter Guralnick) (2007) * ''Kill your friends'' (by John Niven) (2009) * ''Exit Mundi – die besten Weltuntergänge'' (by Maarten Keulemans & A.W. Bruna Uitgevers) (2011) * ''Sartana – noch warm und schon Sand drauf'' (based on a 1970 Spaghetti Western) (2016)


Filmography

*''SinnFilm'' (1980) *''Edith Schröder – eine deutsche Hausfrau'' (1981) *''Manne – the Muwi'' (1981) *''Captain Berlin – Retter der Welt'' (1982) *' (1985) *'' Der Todesking'' (1990) *''Over the Rainbow'' (1998) *''Nass'' (1999) *''Salamander'' (1999) *''Laila – Unsterblich verliebt'' (2000) *''Kaliber Deluxe'' (2000) *''Ein göttlicher Job'' (2000) *''Horrorskop – Bela B. blickt in die Sterne'' (2001) *''Nachts im Park'' (2001) *''Puzzle Punk'' (2002) *'' Tatort: Totentanz'' (2002) *''The Killer Barbies Versus Dracula'' (2002) *''Kinder der Nacht 2'' (2002) *''Honey Baby'' (2002) *''Space Wolf'' (2002) *''Höhenluft'' (2002) *'' Garden of Love'' (2003) *''
Nikos the Impaler ''Nikos the Impaler'' is a 2003 z-grade splatter film directed by and starring German arteur Andreas Schnaas. It follows a reincarnated Romanian barbarian ( Schnaas) as he wreaks havoc on modern day New York City. It was released in some territ ...
'' (2003), cameo *''Operation Dance Sensation'' (2003) *''Kein Blut. Nirgends. Eine romantische Axtmördergeschichte'' (2003) *'' Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei'' **'' Feuertaufe'' (2003) **'' Für Immer und Ewig'' (2004) *'' Edelweiss Pirates'' (2004) *''No Snow'' (2005) *''Sportsman of the Century'' (2005) *''Vineta'' (2005) *'' Wilsberg: Todesengel'' (2005) *''Kampfansage – Der letzte Schüler'' (2005) *'' Terkel in Trouble'' (2005), voice-over for every character in the film, plus all songs in German *'' Free for All'' (2005) (voice-over) *''Deichking'' (2006) *''Kein Bock auf Nazis'' (2006) (documentary DVD) *''
Dittsche Dittsche: Das wirklich wahre Leben (The really real life) is a German Improvisational comedy, improvisation comedy television show starring Olli Dittrich and Jon Flemming Olsen. Olli Dittrich plays the unemployed Dittsche, who frequents a loc ...
'' (2006) *''Bye Bye Harry!'' (2006) *''
Kingz The Football Kingz were New Zealand's first professional football club. They played in the Australian National Soccer League from 1999 until their disestablishment in 2004, when they were replaced by the New Zealand Knights as an inaugural parti ...
'' (2007) *'': Der Ausbruch'' (2007) *' (2007) *'' The Three Robbers'' (2007, voice) *''Zimbl – A Real Cool Time'' (2008), documentary about Markus "Zimbl" Zimmer from The Bates *' (2008) *''Olli Schulz – Mach den Bibo'' (2009) *'' Inglourious Basterds'' (2009), cameo as cinema usher *''Bridges'' (2011) *''Der Sandmann'' (2012) *''Glanz & Gloria'' (2012) *''King Ping – Tippen Tappen Tödchen'' (2013) *''3/4'' (2014) *''
Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
: Elvis lebt'' (2017), as Martin Stude *'' Sharknado 5: Global Swarming'' (2017) *''Das letzte Mahl'' (2018) *''So was von da'' (2018) *''Leif in Concert Vol. 2'' (2019) *''M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder'' (2019) *''Die Geschichte der Menschheit – leicht gekürzt'' (2022) *'' Polizeiruf 110: Keiner von uns'' (2022), as Jo Mennecke


References


Further reading

*


External links


Official website

Official Die Ärzte website

The Big Felsenheimer
– Bela B. internet encyclopedia (in German) * * {{Authority control 1962 births Living people German drummers Male drummers German male musicians German male singers Male actors from Berlin German anti-fascists Musicians from Berlin People from Spandau