Gerhard Rüdiger Gundermann, who generally performed as simply Gundermann, was a Germansinger-songwriter and rock musician. An excavator operator, his musical career began in the former East Germany, where he became known for his clever, often melancholic lyrics imbued with social commentary. After German reunification, he became especially popular among former East Germans who felt disenfranchised in the reunited country.
Career
Born in Weimar, Gundermann moved with his family to Hoyerswerda in 1967. After completing his secondary education, he studied for a year at the military academy in Löbau, but was expelled in 1975, after which he was forced to seek work in the coal mining area of the Spreetal. In 1976 he began night school, and was recruited by the East Germansecret police, the Stasi. In 1977 he applied to join the ruling party, the SED, but was asked to leave the following year, although this was reduced to a "strong rebuke" after he appealed. In 1983 he married Conny. The following year he was again expelled from the party and also from the Stasi. Gundermann's first appearances as a singer-songwriter came in 1986, and a year later he won the grand prize and a recording contract in the East German national song contest. His first LP Männer, Frauen und Maschinen appeared in 1988, but in contrast to his solo acoustic performances it was a rock record with a backing band, with uptempo numbers like "Halte durch". It included an ode to his hometown, Hoyerswerda, "Hoy Woy." After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gundermann ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Volkskammer in the March 1990 elections, running for the leftist alliance Aktionsbündnis Vereinigte Linke. Gundermann lived an ascetic lifestyle, eschewing alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and was a committed vegetarian. However, he was a workaholic, and slept little; besides a full recording and performing schedule, Gundermann continued to work operating a giant excavator, digging up seams of brown coal; he was worried that his music would lose its authenticity if it became his sole way of life. Perhaps because of overwork, Gundermann died of a stroke on June 21, 1998 at the age of 43 at his home in Spreetal. He left behind four children. His death followed that of his friend and collaborator Tamara Danz, also 43, by less than two years. In 2018, a biographical movie by director Andreas Dresen, Gundermann. Gundermann was portraited by Alexander Scheer. The movie was awarded with six German Movie Awards in 2019 by 10 nominations, among them the "german Oscars" for the best movie, best actor, best screenplay and best director.
