Germans love David Hasselhoff

[stevew]

DALLAS - After helping Dallas win two straight playoff games by sinking clutch free throws, Dirk Nowitzki divulged Tuesday the secret to his success."You just try to relax," he said. "There are a lot of things going through your mind. I try to sing sometimes to kind of take the pressure off."

It must be one impressive tune considering Nowitzki made two foul shots with 7.9 seconds left for the tying and winning points in Game 3 against San Antonio, then forced overtime by making two free throws with 8.5 seconds left in regulation of Game 4.

Smiling wide and laughing loud, he said the song was David Hasselhoff's "Looking For Freedom," a big hit when he was a kid in Germany. -- Associated Press

[JeeberD]

Hey, as long as it takes his mind off his crappy ankles I'm fine with it...

[Mustang]

The Germans sure find a way to get attached to the wrong guys.

[ISiddiqui]

Hey, David Hasselhoff managed to be on a show for many years which included women like Pamala Anderson and Erika Eleniak. The man is a freaking genius!

[cartman]

hxxp://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,407072,00.html

THE HASSELHOFF BLEMISH

Germany's Ticklish History

Germany has a lot of skeletons in its historical closet and talking about them can be ticklish. One in particular makes younger Germans fidget. The popularity of David Hasselhoff is simply impossible to explain.<script type="text/javascript"><!-- OAS_RICH('Middle2'); // --> </script><!-- www.spiegel.de/noads/artikel@Middle2 (http://www.spiegel.de/noads/artikel@Middle2) -->

It is always a bit ticklish confronting Germans with their past. You ask them why it happened. You ask whether they supported it. Why they didn't rebel against it? How could millions of people not see that they were wrong? Andreas from Berlin is a typical witness of the times. A mere 28 years old, his whole life will be marked by the mistakes of an entire nation -- an occurrence that is singular in world history.
"I swear, I have no idea how a David Hasselhoff song could top the German charts for eight weeks in 1989," he says. His tone is defensive and apologetic -- a tone one hears across Germany when talking about the historical black mark.
You might have never heard about "the Hoff's" biggest smash hits "Looking for Freedom" and "Crazy for you," but ask any German between 20 and 40 about it. After a few seconds of blushed embarrassment they might even remember the lyrics, including poetic gems like: "Everybody sunshine, everybody fun time, we've got the power, we've got the Lord." The pain, though, must be deeply felt in a country with the long and highly regarded literary, religious and musical tradition enjoyed by Germany.

When Hasselhoff sang "Looking for Freedom" from atop the remnants of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the whole world knew immediately that something was rotten in the country of Goethe and Beethoven -- that something had gone wrong with reunification from day one.

"I think the people who bought his CDs didn't even understand the lyrics. They were mostly 12-year-old kids who loved 'Knight Rider'," says Andreas. "They just liked the melody of the songs."
It's reassuring to know that Germans are capable of learning from the mistakes of history. And they are. But whenever you meet somebody from Germany, make sure to confront them with the past -- be sure to ask for their explanation for the Hoff's unprecedented rise from two-bit actor to crooner fame. You're sure to find out that Germans have a sense of humor and self-irony after all. And you'll definitely have a great conversation. As David sang himself, you'll have an "everybody fun time."

[Raiders Army]

Hey, David Hasselhoff managed to be on a show for many years which included women like Pamala Anderson and Erika Eleniak. The man is a freaking genius!
Well, if Pamela Anderson, et al, were as popular as David Hasselhoff you would have a point. Since they aren't, I question them even more.

[ISiddiqui]

Well, if Pamela Anderson, et al, were as popular as David Hasselhoff you would have a point. Since they aren't, I question them even more.

Who should be more emulated? The hot chick, or the dude that gets to hang out with the hot chicks?

[Raiders Army]

I don't think it's emulation that they do; it's the fact that they have reverence for him. I'd rather worship chicks than guys. Also, do you think they all want talking cars as well?

[cartman]

Who should be more emulated? The hot chick, or the dude that gets to hang out with the hot chicks?

By this theory, Scott Baio and Wilmer Valderamma should be the most emulated men in history...

:D

[ISiddiqui]

By this theory, Scott Baio and Wilmer Valderamma should be the most emulated men in history...

:D

What... they aren't? :D

Also, do you think they all want talking cars as well?

I sure as Hell fucking do!

[cthomer5000]

Everyone needs to go to youtube.com and watch some of his videos. Try not to cry while doing so.

[cartman]

Everyone needs to go to youtube.com and watch some of his videos. Try not to cry while doing so.

Especially the one where he's wearing the jacket with the flashing lights on the back, while singing on top of the Berlin Wall.

[Ksyrup]

Lucky for us Patrick Swayze only had one top 5 hit, or we'd be in the same league as Germany. That's bad enough as it is. For an entire nation (yes, I know, not everyone, but enough to make you scratch your head) to have supported a guy like that for 20+ years is hard to believe.

[Mustang]

I think we were fooled enough by other actors singing.. Jack Wagner, Don Johnson, Eddie Murphy, Bruce Willis..

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, now that i think of it, I'm not sure what's worse - infatuation with one actor-turned-singer for 20 years, or repeatedly falling for one-hit wonder actors. Fool us once, shame on you; fool us 46 times, we suck.

[bbor]

As a person of German decsent....i am embrassed:(

[cartman]

I think we were fooled enough by other actors singing.. Jack Wagner, Don Johnson, Eddie Murphy, Bruce Willis..

...Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Jim Nabors...

[Chas in Cinti]

Jim Nabors isn't a good example... he actually can sing.

'Back home again.... in Indiana" I get teary-eyed every year when he sings that at the Indy 500.

-Chas

[Ksyrup]

I was going to make that same point. He was singing way before he was Gomer Pyle. He wasn't selling millions of records and certainly that show gave him the spotlight, but he was always a singer. That was durin the time when variety shows were popular, so it wasn't uncommon for people to entertain by combining singing and acting.

[stevew]

Imagine if William Shatner's solo albums had been more popular.

[stevew]

Dola.

It's fun to sing along in the car loudly to shit songs like "She's Like the Wind," "Party all the Time," etc when they come on the radio. I figure that isn't one of those "Who sings this?...well let them" type of situations.

[gstelmack]

Anybody see Hasselhoff on "Whose Line is it Anyway?"? He has a great sense of humor about this stuff, including not knowing why he's that popular over there, either.

[Klinglerware]

Everyone needs to go to youtube.com and watch some of his videos. Try not to cry while doing so.

Seconded. The "Hooked on a Feeling" one is a sight to behold...