HANS PLATZGUMER: „What Goes Up Must Come Down“

In the organizer's words:

Reading ■ Talk ■ Music

Moderation: Markus Naegele

Live music: @hans.platzgumer (HP Zinker, Goldene Zitronen, Queen Of Japan)

Pop is always a story of striving for the sky and of sudden falls, of triumph and defeat. Pop is an attitude to life, a dream and a world view, internalized by generations of fans and stadiums filled with crowds. Pop history is as richly endowed with people and combos, genres and counter-genres as the night sky is with stars that light up and go out. The iron rule is that what goes up must come down.

What Goes Up Must Come Down approaches the history of pop music from a radically subjective perspective. Politics, economics and everyday life are all part of this book, because pop has long been a model and warning signal for many other areas. Everyone is somehow at home in pop and through pop.

What Goes Up Must Come Down tells of an attitude to life, of provocation and rebellion - and also of how pop music as the engine for so much in the 21st century is gradually beginning to stutter.

Hans Platzgumer, born in Innsbruck in 1969, lives in Vienna and Bregenz. He studied music in Vienna and Los Angeles and, after an international career as a musician, has devoted himself primarily to writing for many years. He publishes novels, literary essays, albums, theater and radio play compositions. "Am Rand" was longlisted for the German Book Prize in 2016. Most recently published: "What Goes Up Must Come Down" (non-fiction, 2025), "Favorite Record" (album, 2025), "Die ungeheure Welt in meinem Kopf" (novel, 2024), "Großes Spiel" (novel, 2023).

www.platzgumer.com

Moderation: Markus Naegele

Markus Naegele has been playing in various underground bands since the 90s. As singer, guitarist and songwriter of the indie garage band Fuck Yeah, he released two albums and played with bands such as Maximo Park, Algiers and Frightened Rabbit. As Don Marco & die kleine Freiheit, he released two albums in German with various musicians such as Kristof Hahn (Swans), Tim Jürgens (Die Liga der gewöhnlichen Gentlemen), Maria Moling (Me & Marie) and Philip Bradatsch. His new band is called Drug Stop and his debut album is in preparation. He earned his living as publishing director at Heyne Hardcore, most recently as head of the btb Verlag program.