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Hopefully we can all go together into a peaceful future with this new generation .” And the Russians back then , the young kids , said , “ Ah , come on Klaus – the Cold War will be over soon . There ’ s a whole new generation with Mikhail Gorbachev being in power . And it ’ s going to all be different – it will be a different world .” Their outlook on the future was so positive . But to see this turn around almost 30 years later , it ’ s like , “ Whoa . I didn ’ t expect to see that in my lifetime !” I mean , we live in a global , modern world today , but we grew up with a wall . So we cannot understand how anybody – wherever it is in the world – can think about putting up walls , dividing the world again . It ’ s like we ’ ve turned the clock backwards – it ’ s just crazy .
IE : And meanwhile , climate change – a scientifically-proven threat to the survival of
Award that night for “ Wind of Change ,” which was a wonderful moment for us And in my Thank You speech , I said something like , “ Music is the shining light on a dark cloud , and music is what brings us together tonight . And we should take this into a peaceful future without ever forgetting what happened here in the past . We should always remember what happened here , and never [ let ] it happen again .”
IE : You seem grateful , in general . And grateful is a good way to go through life . I mean , you actually lost your voice years ago , and potentially your career along with it before you recovered . KM : I am grateful . I ’ m really very grateful Every time I go out there , and I ’ m still playing the longest encore , like back in the ‘ 80s when I did lose my voice . But I was lucky . After undergoing surgery twice , It was serious . And even back then , I tried to photo by Jovan Nenadic
26 illinoisentertainer . com september 2017 our species – is being ignored in favor of corporate greed . It ’ s sickening and criminal . KM : Yeah . But I ’ m still optimistic . And I count on the young generation , you know , to find a way out of this global mess and make the right moves . And there ’ s a whole new generation of politicians , like Macron in France , that gives us a very good feeling that there is a whole new group of leaders in charge who will make he right decisions for a better , more peaceful world , joining us together instead of dividing . You want to see your children grow up in a peaceful world , and this can be our future . This is all that matters . And it ’ s so important , you see . We may be talking more about politics than music , but as a musician , it ’ s all about coming together , singing together , and being united in the world of emotions and music . And no matter if we lay in the Middle East , in America , or in Russia , it ’ s amazing when you see our fans – fans of music – react to the same songs . Wherever they come from , they react very much the same , because music speaks to their emotions . So it ’ s wonderful to be a musician , and to see people truly united , at least in the world of music . When we played Auschwitz , we received a Peacemaker make my peace with it , and said , “ Okay – even until ’ 82 , I had a great run , and it was wonderful . But if this is it ? This is it . What can you do ?” But I was lucky , and I was carried through by being surrounded with friends . And in the band with Rudolf , when I said to look for a new singer , he said , “ No , come on Klaus – we ’ ll wait for you in the studio . You do whatever you have to do – your voice will be back at the end of the day .” And my voice was back And when Blackout was released , it was a huge success . But for me , with all our platinum records , the best thing for me was , my voice was there . I could go out there and sing in front of an audience again , and my instrument – my vocal cords – were working , and have been up until today . So performing for fans around the world ? This is the fuel that keeps me going . If you could see it through my eyes , what I see when I walk out onstage when we start the show , and you see all these kids going crazy , there ’ s so much positive energy it ’ s like a huge shot of it . And you just have to appreciate that , you know ? Especially after all these years and growing older , but staying young in your heart . It ’ s really a privilege , and you ’ re grateful that you can still live your dream .
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