Just days before the start of his tour of Germany, singer and “Baywatch” and “Knight Rider” star David Hasselhoff says he would like to establish roots in the country, possibly buying property on an estate that shares his name. (click here for original story on Spiegel.de)
The Hof is back, is he buying property in Germany?
David Hasselhoff arrived in Germany this week in preparation for a much-anticipated concert tour across a country where he is a figure who has long been associated, for good or for bad, with the fall of the Berlin Wall. During this visit, though, the “Baywatch” and “Knight Rider” star has said he would like to purchase a patch of land on the “Hasselhof” country estate in the western state of Hesse. It would enable the star to receive his mail at “David Hasselhoff c/o Hasselhof.”
“I hope to visit the village during my German tour” the singer told news agency DPA. Hermann-Josef Kaiser, the owner of the Hasselhof estate, told DPA he hasn’t been informed of any planned visit — nor did he appear to be taking the suggestion very seriously. But in what appeared to be a polite brush off, he suggested Hasselhoff’s “management should get in touch with me and set up a meeting.”
Hasselhoff, who had great success in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s as an actor and singer, particularly with a memorable concert at the Berlin Wall on New Year’s Eve 1989, has long expressed his affection for the country. Last August, Hasselhoff’s search for his German roots paid off when he found, with the help of the TV station RTL, relatives in the tiny village of Völkerson, near Bremen.
“I now know that my ancestors come from Völkerson near Bremen,” he told DPA. “I was in the village last year and there are actually people there who are called Hasselhoff and who are related to me. I even found the house that my great-great grandfather lives in. I believe he migrated to America around 1865.”
‘A 20-Year Journey of My Music’
Hasselhoff told DPA that when he kicks off his tour on Friday, German history would also be part of the show. In one part of the production, “20 years of the Hoff,” Hasselhoff said, “beginning in 1989 at the Berlin Wall, I will take the audience through a 20-year journey of my music.”
Outside of the German-speaking countries, Hasselhoff has had limited success as a pop star. When asked by DPA why his success has been so much greater as a singer here, he said: “Someone told me that I am famous as the American who sings German songs. My songs sound a little bit like ‘Schlager’ (a form of sentimental German pop and folk music that many compare to country music). When people listen to them, then they instantly know that they somehow come from Germany.”
As posters advertising the concerts note, Hasselhoff won’t be alone when he returns to the German stage this week: “His legendary car K.I.T.T. will also be there.”
