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Rainer Kitzmann Interview

After meeting Rainer Kitzmann, the former guitarist of The Stripes online in early 2007, we got to chatting about the band; how they came to be, why they disbanded...It was fascinating as The Stripes have always been something of an enigma; they unfortunately never had any hits, and the sad truth is that they're probably only remembered today because lead singer Nena Kerner went on to become an icon of European pop music. Having only released one album, the band went their separate ways in 1981.

You can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a picture of Rainer taken recently. He looks much the same as he did during his time with The Stripes; I recognised him immediately and sent him an email. He responded and began to recollect his time with this criminally underrated band.

Rainer Kitzmann founded a band – with no name – and was looking for a singer. He lived in Hagen, which was a well know place during the “Neue Deutsche Welle”. He visited many of the local clubs, and it was during this time, the summer of 1979, that he met Gabriele "Nena" Kerner; but the first thing he noticed about her wasn't her singing, it was actually her dancing. Eventually, he invited her to audition for a role as lead singer in his still unnamed band. He was impressed, and she became a part of the group. The puzzle was complete by June of that year: Rainer played guitar, Rolf Brendel played drums, Frank Becking played bass (He was later replaced by Frank Frank Röhler), and Nena was on vocals.

Soon, they performed together for the first time in a small club in Hagen. On the night of the gig, each member of the band had coincidentally worn striped clothing, and they decided to call themselves "The Stripes". In September 1979, the band recorded their first demos, had their first official photo shoot, and made the cover of the German magazine MUSIKER. An official at CBS read the article, and he was interested. So, the band was flown to Frankfurt and offered a contract. They were signed on 18 December, 1979. Eventually a self-titled album sung entirely in English was recorded and released in 1980. As we all know, it was unsuccessful.

Rainer blames the record's dismal sales on the fact that the "Neue Deutsche Welle" had come into play by the time the LP was released, and that German bands were expected to sing in their home language. CBS' initial plans were to release the album in Germany, and if it was successful there, it would be released worldwide. But due to the lack of sales, the plans for an international release were scrapped. The band were struggling to make ends meet by this point, each member working numerous jobs. Soon, they disbanded and went their separate ways...Except for Nena and Rolf Brendel, who moved to Berlin and started their own band; and we all know that story.

So, that's the history of The Stripes. After Rainer told me all of this I was desperate for an interview; I wanted to know everything about this virtually unknown band that had, sooner or later, sent Nena Kerner spiraling to pop stardom with her own band. My wish came true, and Rainer was kind enough to grant me an interview. Not only that, he also sent me some fantastic pictures of The Stripes that haven't surfaced until now, you can see those HERE. Being that his English is a bit rusty nowadays, he asked me to correct any errors he made (the interview was typed). You can read it below; enjoy!

What was your favourite song from The Stripes' album?

It’s hard to say. I personally like “On the Telephone” and “Leaving the Suburbs”. But asking that question is like asking a father to decide who his favourite kid is…

Did The Stripes hold a concert tour, or did they perform only in clubs?

Well mostly we played in clubs – even on small club tours with up to 10 gigs in a row. And we even performed at some big festivals. But we never did a real big tour.

Why did Frank Becking, the original bass player, leave the group?

He was never a permanent member of The Stripes. He played bass on the first single, and performed with us at a few gigs. But, he was in another group called The Ramblers, so he left the group when we found Frank Röhler.

What was Nena's reaction when she discovered that she would be singing in English and not German?

Well we started before the “Neue Deutsche Welle” came up. So it was not surprising at all, not even to Nena, that we did our songs in English. But, unfortunately, when the album came out it was the rise of the “Neue Deutsche Welle”, and everyone expected German bands to have German lyrics. So that was one of the most important reasons why our album was not really successful.

Nena's command of the English language was limited at the time the band was formed. Were there difficulties teaching her how to pronounce the lyrics during recording sessions?

Her English was not too bad; but we did have an English sound engineer, Nigel Jobson who did quite a good job to aid Nena with her pronunciation during the recording sessions.

On the album, the song "Tres Chichi" was originally by Amy Bolton, and "You Must Be Good for something was originally by Hall & Oates. How did the band come to record these songs?

Our producers made some proposals and we decided to record both songs.

When Nena and Rolf formed their band, were you a fan?

I was interested what they were doing, and really it wasn’t bad. But to say that I was a “fan” is too big a word.

When the album was released, the band's first single, "Ecstasy", was not included in the release. Why is that?

We produced "Ecstasy" and the B-side ourselves and sold the tape to CBS, but the album was produced by CBS. So they wanted to place only new songs on the LP – from the new producers. But the CD includes "Ecstasy" and even two B-sides.

What memory stands out to you the most when you remember The Stripes?

I was working in a Laundromat to earn some money to buy some new equipment. Then my boss came to me and told me that I was wanted on the phone. It was our manager Uli Wiehagen. He told me I could quit my job, because CBS made an offer and we should go to Frankfurt within the next few days to negotiate all the details.

The next funny memory was when we got an advanced payment on our CBS contract. I cashed the cheque at the bank, took all the money and spread it on the floor of my apartment. Then the band arrived and we had a party: A really funny picture that I still remember. The next day we went to a music store and bought all instruments and equipment we needed. I never did laundry again.

What were your influences?

Well I, of course, was influenced by all of the classic Rock and Roll bands in the 70's. Although they were famous “before my time”. Every thing changed when bands like the Ramones and Sex Pistols became popular. I loved them both – from a musical point of view, less from a stylistic and ideological point of view. I think punk was never substantial in ideology and politics as most people believed in those times. I also liked bands like XTC, The Cars, and later on I liked The Cure and others. But one of the most important initially had been The Ramones.

Describe the personalities of your former band members.

Well, when we started Frank Becking was playing bass guitar, because for a long time we had problems finding a suitable bass player. So it's him on the cover of the "Ecstasy" single. But the album cover features Frank Röhler who was our base player for most of our time together. Nena was always the creative, extroverted, charming person, but even chaotic. And this was her authentic personality. Rolf Brendel was a real family guy. Starting with the band his whole life changed. He left his wife, had a relationship with Nena, and never returned to that kind of normal family life again. Frank Röhler was the baby because he still lived with his mom. And she and his dad were always worried that he could get in problems with drugs, groupies and the dangerous rock and roll life. After the band broke up he studied civil engineering, returned to a normal, suburban family life with a wife and children and got a job. The tragedy was that one day his boss sent him to pick up an important client and he died young during the big fire at the Düsseldorf airport. I more liked to stay a bit in the background. So others should say something concerning me.

The Stripes released four singles. Which singles had corresponding music videos?

Honestly, I can’t remember. I think we did one for "Ecstasy" and "Strangers". And we also did a few TV appearances. But I have no video tapes at all.

Do you still speak to your former band members?

Unfortunately, no. I was briefly in contact with Nena’s Manager when they released The Stripes' album on CD. And even with her co-author during the preparation of her autobiography, Willst du mit mir gehn, but I never met her again during the years since The Stripes disbanded.

What do you do today? Do you still play music?

Well, I studied economics, then worked within advertising agencies for more than ten years. Since about 2000 I am working as the “head hunter”, searching creative talents, account managers, and specialists for large international advertising agencies. So I finally combined my skills in talent scouting and advertising. Because I'm so involved in my job, there is no time left to play music. I only like to play music if I can do it professionally, but not as a hobby.