Wind of Change

10/10 No notes

This is probably my favorite long form podcast of all time. But let’s be real —Klaus wrote Wind of Change. Because only a German musician of his generation, at that time, could write such a song. CIA ?? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. …but it does not mean that Doc or Klaus were not really special agents… Curiously the song sounds best in Russian - not German or English … 🐇

As soon as I finished Patrick Radden Keefe’s book, “Say Nothing,” and before I watched the corresponding Hulu doc, I googled him and found an article about this podcast. 3 minutes in, I recognized that sensation you get when you know you’re about to hear a very good story. And that was before we even got to hearing Micheal! What a character. Living in NorthernVa, and working as both a freelance journalist and massage therapist, I get to meet many such characters- first on the scene, even before it’s a scene (dot com, cannabis) who seem to know everyone and every story I need to report. Thank you! There’s no one like you two!

I just finished this at the recommendation of my brother. We are both state department brats who lived in Germany from 1976 to 1981. Both of us, rather than going to the American school were placed into Gymnasium. So we got completely absorbed into German culture. You don't know how fascinating it was to hear all this. I've always felt a strong admiration for and connection to the Scorpions. I believe it was 1994 when the Scorps came to Dallas. I was playing in various cover bands and was writing my own music. I heard that the Scorpions were hosting a backstage party at a local restaurant so I drove down there and bribed somebody $20 to let me behind the ropes. The only way I could think to get the band's attention was to wear my Deutschland Weltmeister T-shirt and walk up to Rudy and greet him in German. He appeared to be a huge soccer fan so we hit it off. And then I got to speak to Klaus who was such a genuine article. They signed that T-shirt, which I sure hope my wife hasn't thrown away. I can't seem to locate it. Anyway, as a lover of the spy genre, this podcast held me completely spellbound. When my parents returned for another tour of duty to Germany in 1990, my brother and I rode an America military train through East Germany to Berlin and when we got out, we heard the clinking of hammers and chisels as people were ripping out pieces of the wall. My brother still has a piece of the wall with graffiti on it displayed in his front hallway. Sorry, I ramble. This is one of the best podcasts I've ever listened to. Thank you, Patrick for your tireless pursuit of all the threads that led to the amazing patchwork of a story. It is so well crafted and so well narrated. I can't wait to hear what else you have done! Atticus (or as I go by my parody-alter-ego on social media, "Franz Ferkelduft" where I pay homage to the Scorps)