Literature LIVE
How did East German bands like the Puhdys, City, and Karat manage to perform in West Germany at the time and sell hundreds of thousands of records? Behind these successes was one man above all: Peter Schimmelpfennig—“The Double Agent.”
Image gallery
Gunnar Leue & Peter Schimmelpfennig präsentieren: Der Doppelagent. Wie Peter Schimmelpfennig die Puhdys in den Westen und James Brown nach Ostberlin brachte
It was this passionate music fan, manager, and record producer from Hamburg who recognized the cross-border potential of East German rock and struck a chord in West Germany. In this book, he opens up for the first time about the German-German music business during the era of the Berlin Wall.
Schimmelpfennig has many interesting and humorous stories to tell about how pragmatic deals were struck behind the scenes on both sides of the Wall, in the shadow of high-level politics. In addition, as a tour and band manager, he was very close to the artists on their tours of the West—and conversely, he also brought international stars like James Brown to the GDR.
The thrilling story of a border-crosser—a double agent from the Cold War era—offers fascinating insights and is packed with captivating backstage anecdotes.
Gunnar Leue, journalist and author, interviewed Peter Schimmelpfennig for the book. On stage, the two discuss the border-crossing magic of music and the pitfalls of the German-German music business. In addition to the funniest stories from the stars’ backstage world, the audience can also expect photos and short video clips that bring the most beautiful and interesting historical moments to life.
Additional information
Dates
May 2026
| Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
2
|
3
| ||||
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
