Bötschi asks Büne Huber "It was an embarrassment for me every time"
Patent Ochsner's new album is being released today. Frontman Büne Huber is the only band member who has been with the band since the beginning. A conversation about dealing with groupies, getting older and Federal Councillor Beat Jans.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Patent Ochsner's new album "Tag & Nacht" will be released today, Friday, January 31.
- In a two-part interview with blue News, frontman Büne Huber (62) looks back on the history of the Bernese dialect band, which was founded in 1990.
- "It was always the case that there were women who came after you after the gig. Some of them also liked it when you got closer to them as a musician," says Huber.
- The second part of the interview with Büne Huber will be published on blue News on Sunday, February 2.
Büne Huber, I'm going to ask you as many questions as possible over the next 45 minutes. And please answer as briefly and quickly as possible. If a question doesn't suit you, you can also say "go on" once.
Hmmm ...
What was the last song you listened to?
"Anyway". It's the second last song on our new record "Day & Night". Is the answer short enough?
Day or night?
I haven't been able to tell the difference between the two for a while now.
What effects does that have?
Difficulty falling asleep and a senile flight from bed.
Leisurely or nerdy?
Leisurely.
Heidi Happy or Sina?
About the author: Bruno Bötschi
blue News editor Bruno Bötschi regularly talks to well-known personalities from Switzerland and abroad for the question-and-answer game "Bötschi fragt". He asks them lots of questions - always direct, often funny and sometimes profound. It always remains open until the very last question as to where the fast-paced ping-pong will lead.
Ohh ... Heidi Happy ... (thinks for a long time)... Sina (laughs uproariously).
Do you get up in the morning with music?
Radio.
Which station?
SRF 3.
When was the last time you slept under the stars?
In summer 2024 together with two of my children.
What is your earliest memory of music?
It was probably the Boss-Buebe with their song "S'Träumli".
As soon as it's said, Büne Huber starts singing: "It's only a small dream, dreams are gone so quickly."
Do you remember the moment when you heard yourself singing as a young person and thought: "Wow, my voice sounds beautiful. I can achieve something with it."
No. But I do remember the moments when I had to stand alone in front of the class because the single teacher was enjoying my voice. It was always an embarrassment for me because, even though you might not believe me now, I'm a shy person. It was also annoying that my classmates shouted "Nerd!" at me after the lesson.
What compliment from your wife Sue about your music will you never forget?
This question is not so easy to answer.
Why?
I get so many compliments from her (laughs). Sue was totally impressed after our concert at the Gurten in summer 2023. She told me afterwards that I was a berserker and had a lot of power on stage.
What was the last thing you surprised your wife with?
The classic - with a bouquet of flowers.
Patent Ochsner has been playing to sold-out halls for years and 20,000 people sing along to your songs from start to finish at the Gurten. People of all ages love your music. How do you explain this phenomenon?
We've been in the game for a long time and of course we've had a few lucky breaks. After we gave a concert on the Schützenmatte in Bern during the "Tanz dich frei" parade in 2012, our audience suddenly became much younger. It's true, today we appeal to everyone from young to old. But I can't tell you exactly why that is.
What is the biggest misconception about Patent Ochsner?
There isn't one.
What do you think is the most annoying prejudice about Swiss music?
That music is only played semi-professionally in Switzerland.
How many interviews about your new album "Tag & Nacht" is this now?
Probably the twentieth.
Do you like talking to journalists about your songs?
Very much so, because these conversations are often not just about music.
Patent Ochsner will be 35 years old next fall. Many relationships wear out over time. Why not yours?
The band that released "Schlachtplatte" in 1991 no longer exists. I am the only musician from back then who is still on stage today. The second oldest member is Disu Gmünder. He's been with us since 1996. But you're right, our line-up has remained fairly stable over the years.
Are you a good leader, or why does your teamwork work so well?
Chrigu Siegenthaler (editor's note: manager of Patent Ochsner) and I are a good and well-rehearsed duo. We take responsibility and look after our people well. We try to be careful in our dealings, which unfortunately doesn't always work. But it's also a fact that the musicians who are on stage with Patent Ochsner receive more encouragement than with their other projects.
How important is humility when singing?
It's a balancing act. If you're too humble on stage, you'll eventually lose your attack.
How is your megalomania after concerts?
I only suffer from it when we perform on big stages - such as the Gurten. If we perform there in front of 20,000 people and we manage to put on a great gig, a bit of megalomania sets in afterwards. That normalizes again after two or three hours - fortunately.
Was there more sex, drugs and rock'n'roll in the past?
Yes, yes ... (ponders) But I couldn't get through such tours today if I acted like I used to (laughs uproariously).
Bela B, songwriter and drummer of the Berlin band "Die Ärzte", has written a novel about a rock band that maintains a sexual abuse system ...
... have you read it yet?
Not yet, but I ordered the book from my bookshop this morning. Are you going to read it too?
I'm going to read the book mainly because Bela is a horny bastard and it amazes me what kind of story he has written down.
What experiences have you had with groupies?
That time is already very, very far away ...
... how far?
What exactly do you want to hear?
During Züri West concerts, women kept throwing bras on stage.
We had that too.
What happened after the concerts?
It was always the case that there were always women who came up to you after the gig. Some of them also liked it when you as a musician got closer to them.
Were you ever assaulted in such a case?
Of course not.
When was the last time getting older felt really good?
Uhhh ... that's difficult to answer. It also has a lot to do with my responsibility towards my two teenage children. At the same time, I'm also regularly confronted with the fact that one thing or another in or on my body no longer works the way it used to (laughs). Getting up in the morning and feeling the ache in my back is exhausting and sucks.
Does getting old suck?
The moments when I realize that my eyesight is failing, for example, are not funny.
When was the last time you ran out of breath?
Half an hour ago, when I was supposed to walk up a flight of stairs.
Was it that many steps?
Not at all (laughs).
When was the last time you cried?
When I told Beat Jans a story last weekend.
Do you want to tell more about it?
About the story?
You can also tell more about the SP Federal Councillor.
I told Beat Jans the story of my father's life. When I was 18 years old, my father suffered a heart attack while driving and drove down the embankments by the Lorraine Bridge. It took 16 minutes for the ambulance crew to start resuscitation.
After that, my father was in a coma for three weeks. During this time, I sat by his hospital bed every day and thought about whether we should switch off the machine or not. My father had always said that if his life ever depended on a machine, then we should please do him a favor and turn it off.
At the time, we all had to give our consent - my mother, my sister and me. But I thought: Fuck, I don't have the heart for this. In the end, I said: Okay, turn it off. After turning it off, the exact opposite of what we had expected happened: my father woke up from his coma and was severely disabled. He lived on for another 13 years.
Were you plagued by a guilty conscience?
Yes, of course. The situation was totally stressful - not just for me, but for our whole family.
Were you still able to communicate with your father after he woke up from his coma?
No.
The second part of the interview with Büne Huber will be published on blue News on Sunday, February 2.
