Melancholy is his companion, says Philipp Fankhauser. There would be no reason for that, because the blues musician is currently celebrating a major success with his new album. This went straight to number one in the charts.
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- Philipp Fankhauser is one of the best-known musicians in Switzerland.
- In Claudia Lässer’s talk show, the 59-year-old from Bern says that there is hardly any room in his life for anything else besides blues music. That is also one of the reasons why his marriage failed.
- Fankhauser also reveals that he suffers from melancholy. He is only really happy on stage.
“My brother gave me a record by Chicago blues pianist Sunnyland Slim for my 12th birthday.” At that time Philipp Fankhauser felt: How this man makes music – that is my emotional world.
The teenager stored his records from the Bay City Rollers and Pink Floyd in the closet and from then on had only one dream: to become a blues musician.
The dream has long been a reality.
In 1994 Frankhauser was 30 years old and his Checkerboard Blues Band was doing well when blues legend Johnny Copeland made him an offer: «Come with us on tour in the USA. Then you’ll see what the life of a musician is really like.”
“I’m married to music”
In Claudia Lässer’s talk show, the 59-year-old musician from Bern talks about his greatest passion. “I’m married to music.”
The connection is so strong that apart from Trevor, his eight-year-old pug, there is hardly any room for a relationship, at least a romantic relationship.
That’s why the marriage with his ex-husband Marcelo Gonçalves once broke up. “I need 23 hours a day for myself,” says Fankhauser. “I have no choice but to be single.”
“I’m always happy on stage”
Fankhauser openly admits that he regularly has dark days, although he has been riding a wave of success as a musician for years. So managed his current Album «Heebie Jeebies»which was released last December, jumped straight to the top of the Swiss hit parade.
According to the musician, he knows that there is actually no reason to complain. Nevertheless, he is plagued by melancholy. “It’s a mystery even to me what’s going on with me on days like this.”
Philipp Fankhauser is all the happier that he has been on tour again since this week. “Because no matter how bad I feel some days, I’m immediately happy on stage.”
The whole talk with Philipp Fankhauser can be found here:
You can also watch the entire “Lässer” show with Philipp Fankhauser on Saturday, April 1, at 8 p.m blue Zoom.