Philip Burger is a South Tyrolean singer, songwriter, guitarist and author. He became known as the lead singer and lyricist of the band Frei.Wild.
His biography “Freiheit mit Narben” was published on 10 October 2023. In this interview, Philip Burger explains the background to his book and talks about his personal experiences as an author.
1. What Inspired You to Become a Writer?
The idea of writing an autobiography about my very ambivalent life as a singer, songwriter and guitarist with Frei.Wild, one of the most controversial and successful German-language
rock bands of our time, didn’t come from me. It was a representative of a major German record company who gave the impulse and said: “There will never be a better and more
patient mirror of yourself than a biography. In your case, lyrics, songs and interviews do not go further than your fans. If you really want to show your life to a wider and wider audience,
then go for it. Leave nothing out, don’t hide anything, show yourself as you are – and even your biggest critics will reconsider their attitude. That alone was not the reason, but it was the
decisive impulse. Having written or worked intensively on several books for our band in the past, it wasn’t long before I decided to get to the bottom of myself and my whole being. With the help of two mentors, Karoline Kuhn and Prof. Dr. Stephan Kaussen, both very experienced people in the fields of politics, culture and, above all, biography, they accompanied me on this adventure and guided me through my inner jungle of my own history, crises, pressing questions, lessons learned and, above all, everything that ultimately made me who I am today, with countless questions and food for thought. A controversial and much-discussed, but totally happy singer, farmer, fisherman and carpenter. But above all, a person for whom family and nature are the most important things.
2. How Do You Deal with Writer’s Block?
Honestly, I haven’t had any, and fortunately I don’t know any. But I also think I know where this freedom and fearlessness comes from: from the large repertoire of songs I have been able
to write in almost 25 years of making music, not only for Frei.Wild and my solo album, but also for many, many other artists. The potential safety net of hundreds of songs and lyrics is
now so big that I probably don’t even think about what a fall, in this case writer’s block, would mean. And so I just keep on dancing, unperturbed and free (laughs).
3. How Important Is It for You to Get Feedback From Readers?
As with my music publications, impact, response and longevity are very important to me. But of course, first and foremost, the work created has to feel good to the minds behind it, and that’s probably the case for all creatives. If not, the chances of success are slim.
4. Would You Say That Writing Your Biography Has Changed You?
It certainly has! It has opened my eyes to many things, clarified many mechanisms and simply strengthened me in some areas of my work and actions. And it reminded me again that
conviction and passion are enormously powerful driving forces and that criticism from others, especially in my very specific case, has always been very close.
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