|
AN ACTION'S CHRONICLE
by Paul Plamper
It should concern us that an ever-increasing number of people
live in ever more crowded prisons yet it seems to have become
an accepted part of our system. So why shouldn't existence
behind bars gain public and cultural recognition? RELEASE
means publication but it also means liberation, deliverance,
redemption. We want a radio play and songs to demonstrate
what music and radio could potentially be: soundwaves, which
create public awareness for something that happens behind
closed walls.
2002. I have an idea for a documentary-style musical: Prisoners
and musicians would work together on a song, which is created
under, and so reflects, the situation of incarceration. With
a radio play in mind I want - as a first step - only to document
the process and then rely on the possibility of editing.
2003. Isabel Platthaus, editor at WDR/ 1- Live (a Cologne-based
radio station), indeed has the courage to get involved in
a project of which it is uncertain whether usable material
will emerge. I prepare the project with my friend and colleague
Julian Kamphausen. RELEASE takes one and a half years to get
started, simply because we cannot find 'our' musician.
2004. Marion Czogalla, with whom I have already collaborated
on HENRY SILBER, joins the project as a production manager
and brings the musician Schneider TM to our attention. A first
meeting with Schneider, who actually has a very busy schedule,
but who immediately says: I simply have to do it. We find
we are instantly on the same wavelength:
We don't want sensationalist "social porn". Instead
we want to concentrate on musical collaboration with the prisoners.
The focus is not on the music itself, more important is the
content the songs are to convey. To get a song finished is
the motto, because in the beginning we had the idea to do
just one song. We don't know what to expect in prison, but
are prepared to record everything for the radio play, including
possible crises and breakdowns. If need be the radio play
will tell the story of a failure.
May 2004. The administrations of the JVA Tegel (Tegel Prison),
the Jugendstrafanstalt (Juvenile Detention Centre) JSA Berlin-Plötzensee
and the JVA Lichtenberg (Women's Prison Lichtenberg) give
their Okay, despite a shortage of staff. One problem is that
this project takes away personnel from the day-to-day operation.
For us and for the prisoners many doors will have to be locked
and unlocked to get to the workspace. These and other last
minute hurdles - such as certificates of our good conduct
- are overcome thanks to helpful colleagues from the socio-therapeutic
departments. One member of staff from the JSA for example
tells us: "We depend on people from outside to initiate
projects, to bring in fresh energy."
We are allowed to spread a flyer in the prisons to announce
that we are looking for prisoners for our project: Dear Inmates!
Who wants to work with us on a song? We are looking for someone
who is interested in music or enjoys making music, who likes
writing lyrics or who wants to learn how to write lyrics,
and who would like to develop a melody for the lyrics, and
also has an interest in singing. Musical skills such as reading
notes or hitting the right tone are no basic requirement.
It is simply about finding an expression, through music and
lyrics, for the issues that concern you and you want to tell
about or perhaps the things that burn in your soul that you
want to give vent to. The musician and music producer Schneider
TM will be working with you. His musical background stretches
from rock to electronic music and he is known for the fusion
of various styles. (…). If you are interested in participating
or simply want to find out if this project has something to
offer you, meet us for an initial talk!"
July 2004. We meet inmates of three prisons, introduce them
to the idea and have talks to ascertain whether it seems plausible
to work together. After our talks, Schneider wants to work
with as many prisoners as possible and also produce a couple
of songs. We come to the decision to work with four inmates
in two prisons, because the logistical organisation would
get too big if we had to deal with three prisons. Ingo and
Rados from House 8 in the Juvenile Prison Berlin Plötzensee
and Mogli and Sabrina from the JVA Lichtenberg are supposed
to be working together on one song - without ever being in
the same room.
August 2004. From now on we are messengers who commute between
two prisons with digital data carriers. At each entrance we
have to deposit our mobiles and ID cards, then we and our
equipment are searched - since at each meeting we record a
radio play and install a music studio and are therefore laden
with technological equipment.
Except for this routine we barely get a glimpse into what
the everyday routine of imprisonment consists of, because
our project is well shut off from the routine operations.
The insular situation that we - for a few hours - are allowed
to create in the conference and rehearsal space at each meeting,
soon makes clear to us that the radio play cannot justify
the claim to tell about the prison routine in a comprehensive
way - if only, because we cannot live through the dimension
of time. The three or four hours we have on every occasion,
from afternoon to evening, when no more visitors are allowed
inside, always seem to be short, the good-bye is always hectic.
Sometimes communication has to continue via fax, for example,
in order to ask that a certain section be to be rehearsed
at the next meeting.
September 2004. I assure all people involved of their right
to have a say in the rough edit. Everybody forgets, ever the
more often, to have put on the clip-on microphones and even
during one of our last meetings the inmates ask: "Is
it running, are you recording this?" During all meetings
everything is being recorded.
That results in an enormous amount of sound material. By
December we will have accumulated 60 gigabytes, which we have
to condense to a 53-minute radio play. Marion pre-sorts the
material. We realise that it is impossible for the audience
to get to know all seven people involved. Therefore the first
and most time-consuming editing step is to make Marion and
myself disappear from the radio play.
Schneider creates the first beats according to the suggestions
of the prisoners, makes a recording of the girls' instruments
and Rados' human beat box. At this stage there are still a
lot of lyrics in circulation, some are put onto tape, others
discarded. It becomes clear that we want to produce four different
songs, but the working process takes its time. A reason for
that - among other things - is that Rados often gets locked
in his cell as a result of squabbles with other prisoners
and therefore can only rarely meet up with Ingo for writing
and rehearsing.
October 2004. Schneider has to go on tour in Japan. In the
meantime I record raps at the JSA Berlin to carry on our work.
Mogli is released from Lichtenberg. That leads to Sabrina
not showing up for the next couple of meetings. Rados and
Ingo have an argument with one another. Since our objective
is not to offer occupational therapy, but to get the songs
finished, all the people involved struggle through. Schneider
is back and prepares as much as he can at home. The fourth
song "The Splint In My Foot" from Lichtenberg we
discard because the released Mogli is not allowed to visit
Sabrina in prison with us: it is considered a risk to security.
Sabrina starts showing up a meetings again and Schneider works
with her to incorporate the "Anarchy Lyrics" into
"Lies vs. Truth". The jointly conceived song still
lacks a chorus. The singer and actress Julia Hummer listens
to the half-finished song in Schneider's studio, gets enthusiastic
about it and raps to it, just for fun. Almost by accident
she comes up with our chorus.
November 2004. Schneider has produced rough versions of the
three songs and now works on the first mixes while searching
sound samples of weapons with Rados and Ingo. The work on
editing the radio play gets intense. Over the last couple
of months the material has been condensed to three hours:
our essence of what has been happening. It becomes increasingly
unclear whether or not something bearable to listen to will
come out of it. The musician Beat Halberschmidt with whom
I have already worked on the radio plays TOP HIT and H2ODH,
joins us. We try out several beginnings. The desire to tell
everything paralyses us. We question whether this project
can be accomplished at all. A date for broadcasting is scheduled.
After listening to the rough version the editors at the radio
station seem concerned. They suggest telling the story based
on the songs. Finally we manage to produce a version which
tells the story of the development of the songs and also reflects
what was going on besides - a succinct spontaneous representation
that is understandable and personal enough. We stick with
this version.
December 2004. Meeting with Mogli who by this time lives
with her dog Motte, a couple of cats, many little puppies
and some other punks in Neukölln. We record her as the
narrator of RELEASE. The radio play is ready. All the prisoners
except for Sabrina listen to it. Some make use of their right
to 'a say' and have things edited out. We cannot get hold
of Sabrina who has been transferred to a "therapy-instead-of-punishment-institution"
and has run away from there. We are concerned because she
cannot now give her okay for the final version. The play is
successfully broadcasted at WDR-1Live.
January 2005. The radio play gets another broadcast at WDR3.
Rados gets released and leaves the city. Our next step is
to publish the songs and the play. Lieblingslied Records show
an interest. George Lindt wants to further develop the project
through the publication. He suggests producing it as a double
CD with additional material and to add a visual dimension
by producing a video for "Lies vs. Truth".
February 2005. Sabrina is back in prison in Lichtenberg.
We meet. She is happy about the play. More editing. The double
CD offers the opportunity to publish important scenes that
did not have a place in the play due to the time limits of
a radio broadcast. We decide to leave the radio version as
it is, but to add important fragments in the bonus material
in an attempt to widen the horizons of RELEASE in various
ways. Schneider produces a DUB-version of "Chicko"
and asks video artist and filmmaker Niklas Goldbach who has
previously made video clips for Schneider, if he would like
to film our clip.
For doing the filming with Niklas, Rados has to return from
Munich. We install a blue box at the office of Lieblingslied
Records, at the JVA Lichtenberg and in House 8 in Plötzensee.
All people involved are filmed on separate location, because
that is the only possible way of doing it. In the finished
video, all stand next to each other, presenting their collaborative
song. The video gives everybody the opportunity to finally
see the others: "I thought he would look completely different!"
Up until now participants had only known each other by voice.
March 2005. Niklas Goldbach produces a second video, for
the "Chicko"-DUB, with recordings from Plötzensee.
April 2005. Final check of the release by the prison administration.
Unfortunately, we have to follow the legal requirement of
the JSA Berlin: For the bonus material Ingo's face in the
video and the voice of a prison guard have to be made unrecognisable.
May, 14th, 2005. RELEASE is the opening event of a monthly
series called "DIE HÖRSPIELZENTRALE", organised
by Marion and me in the HAU-Theater in Berlin. This event
is also the record release party. Enjoy!
Berlin, 16th of April 2005.
TWO BERLIN PRISONS
by Kirsten Küppers
In the juvenile prison in Berlin-Plötzensee, 529 young
men are incarcerated. They are of about 35 different nationalities,
the Germans being the biggest group with 55 percent, followed
by the Turks (11%) and the Lebanese (7%). The average age
of the inmates is 21. 60 per cent are doing time for violent
offences, from robbery and aggravated assault to rape and
murder. About 60 to 70 inmates - according to the prison administration
- are so called multiple offenders.
At their first day in prison the men receive blue uniforms
that at the same time serve as a work gear. After 3 pm the
prisoners are allowed to wear their own T-shirts and trousers.
For recreational activities the prison offers - among other
things - a chess group, a football club and anti-aggression
training. The 9.5 square meter one man cells are equipped
with a separate bathroom unit with sink and toilet. The prisoners
themselves can lock them from the outside. The room is fitted
out with a bed, a cupboard, a desk, a chair, a small shelf
as well as a coat-rack. The inmates can bring along electric
devices such as tape recorder, Walkman and radio. For a bit
longer than a year now the institution has had its own website.
The Prison Plötzensee has existed for a long time. When
in the mid-19th century an increasing number of people from
all over of the country came to Berlin to look for work in
the new factories, the city needed a new prison. In the years
from 1848 to 1871 the population grew from 400 000 to 826
000. Last, but not least, the bad living conditions in the
tenement buildings contributed to spreading criminal energy
among the occupants. Gangs were formed, crime figures rose,
the existing penal institutions were not sufficient. The Ministry
of Justice under King Wilhelm I decided to build a new prison
on the site of the Tegel forestry estate Plötzensee.
Inside, the new institution conditions were also cramped.
The prisoners accommodated in shared cells with up to 40 others.
There was also the so-called mask wing. The strictly isolated
men were allowed to leave their cells only after putting on
a facemask. They were supposed to remain anonymous to have
no disadvantage in their later lives.
The prisoners spent their days in workshops where they produced
paper plates, doors, brooms, carpet beaters and coir matting.
Alongside school lessons, instructive lanternslide lectures
and gymnastic exercise were offered, attendance was compulsory.
In 1887 the Plötzensee prison was chosen as the location
for execution of the death penalty. Convicts with a death
sentence were beheaded by an executioner with a hand axe.
Especially during the Third Reich a lot of people who opposed
the regime were murdered in Plötzensee - among them the
members of "Rote Kappelle" and 89 members of resistance
from the circle of the assassins of 20th July.
After the war the Allies decreed that the Plötzensee
Prison become a juvenile detention centre. That didn't mean
the staff had to learn new methods. The young inmates were
kept the same way as the adults previously. They had to perform
the most simple and unqualified work and were rented out as
cheap labourers to private companies. They wove mats, glued
paper bags and stamped metal. The prison staff were not allowed
to have a private conversation with them. Because large sections
of the institution couldn't be used due to war damage, conditions
were very cramped. Up to three prisoners were confined in
a single person cell and shared units sometimes had to accommodate
25 men. It didn't take long before criminal subcultures and
an unpleasant enforcement structure had established themselves.
Only at the beginning of the Sixties the penal system in Plötzensee
was reformed: efforts with educational and social groups were
undertaken. The subcontracting of manpower was abolished in
1965. Since then there have been only apprenticeship workshops,
school with special need courses and the opportunity to work
towards a school-leaving certificate. The prison management
came to the conclusion that only in a newly built establishment
with bright, modern rooms a reasonable penal system can be
possible. A nationwide architectural competition was announced
and took its time. Lobbyists who objected to prisons on principle
and wanted to abolish them, protested against the plan. As
a matter of fact the new development was not ready to be occupied
until 1987.
Today, a residential group in Plötzensee comprises 10
to 20 inmates. As a general rule the prisoners are accommodated
in single bed cells. Each group is supervised by a social
worker or psychologist and by prison officers. Together with
each prisoner they work out a plan of action, which defines
the main objectives of therapy and further vocational training
and education. There are one-to-one interviews and group discussions,
a debtor advisory service, computer courses etc. The cells
are open open and unlocked from 6 am to 9 pm. Clubs, theatre
groups, church events and student groups get invited on a
regular basis to bridge the gap between inside and outside.
The prison administration reports that aggression among inmates,
against staff and property have decreased since these and
other measures, such as the possibility to ease restrictions
on holidays and probationary time out, were introduced.
Still in existence are the parallel economies that are to
be found in every prison, for example, the illicit trade with
drugs and cigarettes and also the legal on-site business of
an enterprising Berlin-based company that overcharges the
prisoners for basic commodities.
Imprisonment for women is organised in a different way. Whereas
in Berlin more than 5000 men are imprisoned, there are only
about 220 female inmates. Prison psychologists say, while
men direct their frustrations at their fellow prisoners, women
are more likely to turn their violent impulses against themselves.
They are more at risk from suicide, it is said.
Therefore, there is more liberty at the women's prison in
Berlin-Lichtenberg than at the detention centres for men.
The prison is not any more as it was when it was still a notorious
Stasi prison. Then, the inmates were crowded into narrow cells
and hassled by unpleasant guards and the food tasted awful.
A former inmate recounts: "Especially the cabbage soup
which was on the menu every Monday was unpopular with everyone.
The flavour reminded of a damp washing up cloth that had been
kept over a long period of time. Another unpleasant dish was
"Tote Oma" (Dead Granny), black pudding mixed with
large amounts of water to a spinach-like sauce."
Today, Lichtenberg is considered a particular progressive
facility. All 230 inmates live in residential groups, where
they can move about freely, cook or watch TV. The single cells
remain open, only the residential unit gets locked. It is
not customary to permanently control the prisoners. For women
with a drug addiction there even is a syringe machine on the
corridor.
But nevertheless there was an outbreak of violence at the
beginning of last year. Four women beat a 20 year old with
an electric cable; her head was shaved and she was forced
to drink urine.
"That won't happen again", hopes the Head of the
Lichtenberg Prison. "We have taken measures to increase
social control among the women."
THE SONG LYRICS
LIES vs. TRUTH
MV EGON:
I enjoy lying, it makes my eyes sparkle
I lie far too often, it's my addiction, it is what drugs are
to others
That is why it is written across my T-shirt: "I have
lied"
I've cheated on many women, lied from morning 'til night
I've broken many women's hearts
I've never tried to pull thoughts about lying out of my head
Rather laughed about it.
Lying to me is like an unknown power
It has always worked for me
So far it hasn't failed me
Not even the lie detector has managed
To uncover my lies and bring the truth to light
Little Egon has always turned a lie into truth
To spread it among the people everyday -
Always successfully, of course
Otherwise it wouldn't make sense.
People would say I am crazy
But no way, my lies are already melding with your brain cells
My lies are also cruel
Without hesitation they infiltrate your thoughts.
RABO KIVIO:
No way
Your lies are leaky like a sieve
And deluding like a hallucinogenic trip
As a matter of principle I give everyone good advice
With me you won't succeed
At most you managed to succeed once
After that you bang your head against a brick wall.
So leave the shit, because I am not into politics
Without diversion I tell the truth
Because it screams out from my heart
It still stands when everything is gone, nothing remains
And life dictates the lyrics
It has freed me from the dark
And taught me a lesson
Now I am prepared for every struggle
You cannot pull wool over my eyes,
I am not one who doesn't feel the truth
Because they cheat or lie too often and don't look for it
Because they cannot bear the truth
I wasn't always honest
Therefore I won't complain
I put my cards on the table
I am systematically
Allergic to lies
As to three week old fish
JULIA:
Lies have short legs
Hey little Egon, check yours
You are rapping as if in a devils delusion
Your lies don't get anywhere with me
MV EGON
I listened to your lyrics and died laughing
In your shoes I would have already killed myself
Open your eyes
Your are stuck in your make-believe world
These days the whole contemporary generation is based on lies
No matter where. No matter when.
Everything we see, nowhere is a piece of truth to be found
That is also the reason why little Egon raps as in a devils
delusion
JULIA:
Lies have short legs
Hey little Egon, check yours
You are rapping as if in a devils delusion
Your lies don't get anywhere with me
Your lies don't get anywhere with me
I wouldn't be able to relax any more
would then be like all the others
I wonder why you don't miss a thing
Check out what it would be like to be truthful
Lies have short legs
Hey little Egon, check yours
You are rapping as if in a devils delusion
Your lies don't get anywhere with me
And now listen to this:
SABRINA:
I am what I am, living my own anarchy
I am what I am, I don't live like them
I just want to be human, a person, not a "celebrity"
With a false grin among a crowd
Leave me air to breathe
Let me live, after all
Leave my me to myself
Your masks are ablaze
I can see them burn
There beneath only dead faces
Which stand in a void
Where is your head, where is your heart?
You have to get cracking before it freezes to death
JULIA:
Lies have short legs
Hey little Egon, check yours
You are rapping as if in a devils delusion
Your lies don't get anywhere with me
Wouldn't be able to relax any more
I would be like all the others
I don't understand why you don't miss a thing
Check out what it would be like to be truthful
CHICKO
MV EGON:
In the morning I get up, wash my face
Look in the mirror, that ain't me
Chickos time is over
He comes to me and says "Get going"
I don't quite get it
Ask him like every morning: "Have you put the coffee
on?"
He says: "No, I now leave you to yourself"
His 14 months has gone by for us in no time
We will meet again, the world is a small place
Don't fuck up on the outside, don't come back in
First take a holiday in the sun
Outside it happens, the life that is worth living
That you have to understand, even if things sometimes go wrong
Then you just have to grit your teeth even a bit more
I believe in you, and not only me
Many others also wish that you, Chicko do without drugs,
That you go straight and give a fuck about every bad influence
You come from the MV (Märkisches Viertel, a gritty neighbourhood)
I know myself how hard it is to get something started there
You have the feeling that everyone wants to steal from you
Everyone only thinks of themselves there
Do your own thing, Chicko, I believe in you
And keep your hands off drugs, drugs are false
Your back gets bent by them
Feels betrayed by mankind, drawn down
Chicko, I believe in you and not only me
The other freaks here, too
Kwitschie, his philosophy
In the end always turned out to be a therapy
Wagner, out of it, but always on it
Who knows, maybe he will turn out to be a narc
Peske, he wears a bullet-proof vest
that is also why he always gave us a hard time
To you, Chicko, only the best
You were a painter and decorated my cell
As a 'thank you' I tattooed Chicko onto your arm
Together we have scribbled our names
On the prison wall
The time with you has shown me
For you, my brother I go out of my way
Even further than infinity
Everyone needs to know
This song should not be dissed
The lines come from the heart,
Describing painful times
No need to joke about our suffering
We fought for each other as if our life depended on it
We knew very well that nothing comes for free
Simply blew our problems out of the way
Now we are ready to sink our former lives
The hours behind bars gave us time to consider
To finally understand that we can also make it
Because we, Chicko and Little Egon, exist
Kwitschie, his philosophy
In the end always turned out to be a therapy
Wagner, out of it, but always on it
Who knows, maybe he will turn out to be a narc
Peske, he wears a bullet-proof vest
That is also why he always gave us a hard time
To you, Chicko, only the best
MY LIFE
Translated from Serbo-Croatian by Rabo Kivio
Rabo Kivio:
Awake and hungry for real life, I looked at the world from
5 until 7. I know why I am where I am. I was my own biggest
enemy. I am very likeable, but even more dangerous, less to
myself, but to others. Like a bullet from a gun I am deadly
for anyone who has incensed me enough. I am not the only one
who warns you, I am not even someone, who "salts"
your mind or thinks that your concern will enrich me. Years
fly by at a rapid pace when you are happy, while you are happy,
as long as you feel confident about your fortune and your
life is all right. I give you something to think about. I
no longer live my life as if it was a dream and as if every
day was the last but one. A bit late, but at least I see everything
now and remember how it used to be. Never pleasant, just bitterness,
when something adverse entraps you while you are young and
keeps you captive until old age or death.
To these words listen well, and remember them if you don't
want to atone for it. These are important statements.
A red sky, like my eyes, after I have spent 23 hours getting
drunk and intoxicated. For this reason I have destroyed my
whole future almost entirely. I have been angry with the entire
world since I turned 5. In prison I have come to my senses.
I landed in prison because I have not been listening to my
father: I was born in Germany in the city of Berlin, but I
grew up in our country in a beautiful and tranquil village.
There I went to school, I was a brilliant student. Now I reproach
myself for having returned to the place of my birth. Here
I got into the biggest trouble of my life; I had the greatest
opportunities, but haven't accomplished a thing. I have fled
from reality hiding in a dream world. School I ignored. I
got out of it all day long and fell out with my family. I
lost my fortune and wasted what should have been the most
important, most beautiful time of my life.
Everything got even worse after the poison changed me. I started
to lie and badmouth non-stop, to beat up others, spend money
without care, I bought booze and weed in ever larger amounts.
I stole everything I liked, even though I didn't need to,
because I had enough 'dough' or didn't even need the things.
There was more to come. I also started using other drugs,
did illegal things and went astray, until I returned back
to reality. Oh, it's incredible, how I deceived myself. I
spent too much time holding on, but luckily I have not lost
everything, haven't given myself up. I am young and now I
am on the right side, I am not too stupid to realise. That
is why I escape from misery.
To these words listen well, and remember them if you don't
want to atone for it. These are important statements.
A heart full of strength, it is not too late for me. The
time has come to show each and every one of you, that what
I say is true. I saved myself, by throwing the poisonous dangerous
habit away like a deadly snake and letting go of its tail
just in time.
I have taught myself to take care, now I am on the right track.
I work with the company, creating no hassle, but music and
earn good money. I don't fuck around, instead I let you know
that I want to survive and therefore won't forget, even though
I don't like my own story. I pray to God, however I remember
and pay for everything. You can learn from me. I keep on struggling,
even when I bleed and burn, or don't see the way out. I look
for it until I find it. I can neither judge you or give you
reason. I can only warn you because I am telling the truth.
To these words listen well, and remember them if you don't
want to atone for it. These are important statements.
Life continues and each one looks after oneself only, however,
it is difficult to leave misery behind when you are left alone.
|
