Shortly after 8 p.m. last Sunday, the host of the preliminary program said goodbye with unmistakable anticipation: “I’m really going to get drunk!” Quite understandable, we are here at the Ballermann Award. Previous appearances include: Party man Atze (“Cindy, Cindy, Cindy, are they real?”), the Doof brothers (“Moin, moin, good tach, drink cola and corn”) and Schäfer Heinrich (“I’m walking with flip-flops jogging to remember the sound of sex”). Who wouldn’t want beer!
But now: start of the main program, first awards ceremony of the evening, category “Whirlwind (Group)”. The winners are Kings of Günter, two young men in short-sleeved shirts with a pineapple print. “Everyone raise your hands,” they shout from the stage. “Who has to work tomorrow?” Some hands go up. “Who’s free tomorrow?” Some hands again. “Who’s drunk?” A few more hands this time. “Who gives a shit about any of this?” Well, almost all hands this time, and that might have brought us to the secret of the whole evening, but more on that later. First of all, play music: “What about the fucking-ei-ei, are you in-ei-ei?”
A little to the side is Tommy Fever, sunglasses, red suit, for this occasion with short sleeves and trouser legs, baseball cap with printed lettering:
The Ballermann Award will be presented for the 16th time this evening, according to the organizers’ description of the “Party Oscar”, although that is of course nonsense because the Oscar is presented at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, but the Ballermann Award is presented at the Willinger Brauhaus in the Sauerland.
Tommy Fieber, 27 years old, real name Julian Traute, is actually the head of department in the residents’ registration office in the 12,000-inhabitant town of Borken, but some time ago he won a competition at a discotheque in Göttingen and has since then also been a party pop singer. First big success last year: “Maradona”, now 3.8 million streams on Spotify. Current hit: “My Alpaca”. He says he is living his dream.
Fever’s recipe: “I don’t take myself seriously so that people don’t take themselves seriously either.” This immediately raises the admittedly somewhat pointed question: Why is it Tommy Fieber’s dream not to take himself seriously? And why do people drive all the way to Willingen to avoid taking themselves seriously?
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