PART SIX OF “THE UNVEILING”
[Volker’s denim jacket]
Meeting Volker was a highlight for me. He wore a denim jacket, 90% of whose surface area was covered with meticulously stitched AC/DC fabric patches. “My grandmother sewed these on for me!” he told us.
Volker is German, but he lives in Tasmania now, where he teaches surveying at the university. I wondered how he can afford to work at all, given his extra curricular AC/DC obsession. In his lifetime, Volker has attended 49 AC/DC concerts! Can anyone out there beat that??
Here’s how he did it: when he used to live in Germany, Volker would tour around Europe in a van, practically stalking the band, going to every single gig they played. But it’s been a long, long time between drinks – AC/DC hasn’t performed live since 2001. Perhaps that’s why he threw in the towel and got a career. You’ve gotta pass the time somehow, I guess.
I asked Volker about the German music scene. “Australian heavy rock is huge in Germany”, he said. “All these bands we’re seeing today, Rose Tattoo, the Angels, they have a very loyal following over there.” So he was disappointed to find that when he migrated to Australia, his beloved rock acts hardly ever play here any more…