“Useless Music Knowledge” by and with Hannes Tschürtz
The author of “Atemlos durch die Nacht” (Breathless Through the Night) has asthma, Cher once babysat Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Beyoncé was actually supposed to sing “Wrecking Ball.” As “useless” as all this may seem at first glance, “Unnützes Musikwissen” (Useless Music Knowledge) teaches you a lot about how the music industry works and reveals some bizarre background information about personalities and hits. Or did you know what connects hip-hop history with “Dirty Dancing” or why Fleetwood Mac once sued Fleetwood Mac? Formally active in the Austrian music business for more than two decades, Hannes Tschürtz has always been passionate about looking behind the curtain, not only professionally, but also collecting stories and anecdotes from pop history.
Now, this has resulted in a book and an entertaining program: “Unnützes Musikwissen” (Useless Music Knowledge) takes you on a short journey through the pop culture of the last few decades, visiting scenes of “music crimes” and reporting on brazen thefts and absurd identity theft, tragic accidents, and astonishing connections. Hannes Tschürtz grew up in Burgenland, where he met his best friend in the mid-1980s: a red Music Champ cassette deck recorder, which he received as a Christmas present.
