Stephan Weidner
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Stephan Weidner (* 29th May 1963 in Alsfeld near Kassel) is a music producer and was the bassist, songwriter and the head of the German hard-rock band Böhse Onkelz, which existed from 25th November 1980 until 18th June 2005. He was also the singer of Nordend Antistars, a project of him with Sub7even singer Daniel Wirtz.
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[edit] Youth
Weidner grew up in a family with two half brothers and two sisters in restrained financial conditions. During his school career he was one times palpable against the school's principal - in consequence , he was banned from school and wasn't taken up by another school in Hessen. Then he moved with his father Tex to Hösbach near Aschaffenburg in Bavaria, where he became acquainted with the other members of the first line-up of the Onkelz. But also at the Hösbach school he wasn't successful and left without graduating. After school he didn't start an apprenticeship - he worked in different jobs, e.g. as a barkeeper in a tavern, which was connected to his father's brothel
[edit] Musical career
In 1980 the 17 year old Weidner founded the band Böhse Onkelz with Kevin Russell and Peter "Pe" Schorowsky. Stephan first played the electric guitar, after Matthias "Gonzo" Röhr came to the band, he played the bass. The band understands itself as a punk band in tradition of Slime or Abwärts. Especially Stephan felt a connection to the Oi!-Punk and the first unpolitical Skinhead- and Hooligan-culture, which move came from England to Germany at the beginning of the 80ies. That expressed also in his songs, which often glorified force. Conflicts with Turks and the increasing right-wing-drift of the scene, which also the band gone through, let him develop texts which are xenophibic and justified the doubtful "fame" of the band.
In 1983 Stephan was married and holds itself with opportunity jobs over water. Also on the first commercial releases he earned hardly something. The first Album "Der nette Mann" was embargoed and for "Böse Menschen - Böse Lieder" the band never saw money. In this time it came ever more to the break with the skinhead-scene. Dresscodes and other regulations contradicts the feeling of freedom of the former punks. Also in his songs Stephan developed himself further. In the song "Erinnerung" he processed his past. But the call as a "right-wing skinhead rocker" remains existing. The critics accused to them, that they hadn't itself distanced from the scene clearly enough.
In 1993 Stephan discussed peacefully with Campino from the band Die Toten Hosen at MTV's "Free your mind" about xenophobia and the influence, which bands can have to its fans. The skepticism in the public remained, what couldn't stop the increasing success.
After the gig with the Rolling Stones at Hanover in 2003 Weidner explained, that he wouldn't spend his old age on the stage. In 2005 the band split.
After the split of the Böhse Onkelz Stephan remains faithful with music and works as a producer. With Sub7even, which arose with the Onkelz back in 2001, he produced their third album, which don't have a concretely release date yet.
[edit] Attitude
Weidners living standard, to remain faithful himself and his own way, independently from outside influences, he represented as the front man of the band consistently in his texts and interviews. This attitude often led to conflicts with the press. So the refusal to rename the band was rated as sign, that the Onkelz had not distanced from their right-wing past. The conflict with the media culminated in his song "Meister der Lügen" (Master of lies), in the refusal to give interviews outside of the music press and it is in the meantime a part of the "mythos Onkelz".
