Kulturamt Langen

A boomer looks back and forward. Boomer boy Oliver Kalkofe traces the footsteps of his era. We didn’t have much, but we had plenty of that. Actually, it was a wonderful time. Is that really true? Or have our kind brains simply deleted a few unpleasant details from the mental hard drive of our memory album called “The Good Old Days”? Like, for example, the physically palpable boredom, the cigarette smoke in that ridiculously cramped vacation car, mullets and perms on every head, musty, paneled party basements, hedgehogs as pets, and only two TV channels that went off the air at a set time.

In his new book *Nie war Früher schöner als Jetzt* (The Past Was Never Better Than Now), Oliver Kalkofe opens up his boomer heart and his personal photo albums. He takes the audience on a journey back in time to their own youth and asks, on behalf of all baby boomers: Was there really more tinsel back then? What does the past have to do with the present—and can the present even be understood without the past? Oliver Kalkofe analyzes the supposedly golden days of the baby boomers with his trademark drastic humor and sophisticated wordplay. In doing so, he holds up a mirror to himself and an entire generation: Were the “dumb” people back then really smarter than they are today? Are we ultimately just romanticizing the ’70s, ’80s, and the years in between—or were we lucky enough to grow up during the best decades ever? Personal and funny: a satirical parody with heart.

Photo: Jan Kopetzky / Langen Cultural Office

October 17, 8:00 p.m.

Neue Stadthalle Langen, Südliche Ringstr. 77, Langen

2-for-1: Price Category 1 = 40 €

Oct. 17, 7:00–7:30 p.m., box office