Don't Hassle the Hoff

So I have a German Student who works for me- and she has taught me much about German Culture especially in the area of German music. If you grow up in Germany, you basically have 2 choices of what music you want to listen to: a) Rammstein, or b) David Hasselhoff. So why the discussion on German music options? Because Hasselhoff's international celebrity status has grown to proportions that no one, not even those who grew up watching Knight Rider and thought they knew what his potential was, would have guessed. This requires some discussion.

After Germany was desecrated during WWII, there were not many who envisioned the once-proud nation returning to its status as a world leader. And while Germany has never been thought of as much of a fashion center, an artistically inspired nation or a producer of great international entertainment, it DOES have strengths.

While I hate to generalize, Germany is basically only famous for its engineering (think the autobahn). Some might argue that its cars would be another famous, German icon (BMW and Volkswagon, HELLO BEETLE!). But let's be honest, the cars are a product of the engineering. Germany is so proud of its world-renowned engineering, that its youth have a hard time growing up with a chance at being anything but engineers. In a nation so steeped in the hard science of engineering, why would David Hasselhoff's music, of all things, be popular?

The only conclusion I can draw on Hasselhoff's musical popularity in Germany is that he is a musical engineer, not a musical artist. For those of you in America who have heard any of his music, you have probably cringed at the thought of Hasselhoff as an artist. I know this idea was hard for me to swallow. For some reason, I feel much better knowing that he is not an artist, but a musical engineer.

-Do Americans love David Hasselhoff ?- (DISCUSS IN COMMENTS)

After all this discussion of Hasselhoff, I'm left to question why he is still popular at all. Since Baywatch- we have seen him in youtube videos, drunk on the bathroom floor. Internationally, the biggest thing he has done was to issue 2005's CD entitled:



This CD is amazing. At least the cover. Looks like he is standing on German engineered car, in the same outfit he wore when he actually was popular in the US back in 1986. His hair is feathered perfectly. And look at that stance...knees bent at just the right obtuse angles to drive those German engineer girls mad. The guitar looks about as unnatural in his hands as a t-shirt would look under that leather vest.

But the Germans love him (according to my exchange student)

Shouldn't this cd cover have been his downfall? I don't think I have even heard any of the songs, but the cover is enough for me. Doesn't matter how good the music is. However, from the cover, I can only imagine...So why do Germans love Hasselhoff? There are some things that those of us with refined musical taste will just never understand. I would vote for the fact that he has engineered his way into their hearts. Somehow. We need to commission someone to research the Science of Hasselhoff to find some answers. I, for one, am never going to understand it.