AFRICA

Follow your heart

The affinity between Hubert von Goisern and the famous British chimpanzee mother Jane Goodall

It is a kind of affinity that led the folk music anarchist Hubert von Goisern and the famous English primatologist Jane Goodall to one another. "Reverence for creation unites me and Jane," the singer worked on a definition of this fruitful relationship while visiting Tirolerin, "we share faith in the wonderful in life and the knowledge that we have inexhaustible spiritual and human resources, which we should use creatively and cautiously."

Two and a half years have passed since the day when Hubert von Goisern officially went on leave from his job as yodelling and squeezebox-playing alpine poet and looked for new challenges. He found them in numerous journeys, the composing of film music (Schlafes Bruder) and his engagement for occupied Tibet. The inner self-discovery of Hubert von Goisern was considerably influenced by one person, an inconspicuous person around 60 - Jane Goodall.

For more than 35 years Jane Goodall has championed the threatened species of chimpanzee with every fibre of her delicate body For the species of creature that is most genetically similar to us people. Her book, The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Pattern of Behaviour, rose to a world-heeded final report of her 26 year study in the wilderness of Tanzania. She raises money, gives interviews and undertakes almost everything else that can secure her fosterlings a survival. To the question of where she lives, Jane Goodall has long answered pragmatically: "I come from England, work in Tanzania and live in aeroplanes!"

Ever since Jane Goodall saw numbers at a symposium in Chicago, that made it questionable whether there would still be chimpanzees in the wild in the future, she has travelled untiringly around the world in parallel to her fieldwork, in order to enlighten people. Nowadays, the famous primatologist holds lectures almost daily in halls always filled to capacity.

As the renowned report magazine GEO correctly remarked in their latest story about Jane, a real cult has built around the woman from the Tanzanian forest. "Jane Goodall has become a passenger in her own life," writes Dirk Lehmann in his report. Constantly accompanied by a now rather worn stuffed ape, in which the visitors to her lectures stuff sometimes stately quantities of cash, Jane Goodall travels the global village like a missionary. In the course of a flying visit to one of her longtime companions two and a half years ago, the children's book publisher Michael Neugebauer, Jane Goodall met the "tired of the scene" Hubert von Goisern. The two confessed eccentrics quickly recognised that more united them than the almost banal fact that both were in the public limelight. Inspired by Goodall's work with chimpanzees living the in the wild and fascinated by her non-acrimonious fight for a respectful and holistic treatment of life, Hubert von Goisern breathed in deep lungfuls of the aura around this remarkable lady. A deep friendship quickly came from the fleeting acquaintance.

The man from Goisern travelled with Jane Goodall on several occasions into the paradisiacal solitude of the Tanzanian jungle, observed his "sister" in her affectionate dealing with the primates and learned what this women meant with her motivational phrase "follow your heart!". "Follow your heart!" is effectively the quintessence of Jane Goodall's work and experience-rich life. "Follow your heart!" would have to have been the title of the film with which Jane Goodall and Hubert von Goisern recently documented their affinity. The figurehead of the red-white-red music scene spent three weeks with an ORF camera team at the Tanganyika lake and in the mountains of the Gombe National Park, Jane Goodall's place of activity. The film material shot there with the provisional working title of The African Queen should show the world of Jane Goodall, her life philosophy - seen through the eyes of Hubert von Goisern, who will also compose the music to this film. Hubert von Goisern expresses the whole volume of his admiration for Jane Goodall with few words: "Jane's philosophy is simple, but honest. Our world needs more people with her impact!"

The documentary in the series Land der Berge, a coproduction of the ORF and Bayerischer Rundfunk will probably flicker across domestic screens in October this year. Despite his fundamental joy at this film work, Hubert von Goisern didn't spare criticism of the ORF in conversation in Salzburg: "Just because the ORF centre in Vienna is appallingly inflexible, the documentary had to be forcefully pressed into a 45 minute template. But when there's some moronic sport competition on the programme, the same guys still discard any good kids' programme first of all in a twinkling of an eye!"

Excerpt from Jane Goodall's work and life philosophy:

Every individual matters and has a role to play in this life on earth. The chimpanzees teach us that it is not only human but also nonhuman beings who matter in the scheme of things.
Above all we must realize that each of us makes a difference with our life. Each of us impacts the world around us every single day. We have a choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place - or not to bother.
And to all young people, in mother's words, "If you really want something, and really work hard, and take advantage of opportunities, and never give up, you will find a way.
Follow your dreams."
Jane Goodall

Two talents interweave

Documentary: Hubert von Goisern was with chimpanzee scientist Jane Goodall in Africa.

"Primarily, I still feel like a musician," Hubert von Goisern said - just back from Tanzania in West Africa. Not quite two and a half years ago, the new folk musician said "bye" to his Alpinkatzen. Since that time, he has both had his cake and eaten it. He composed film music (Die Fernsehsaga, Schlafes Bruder), journeyed around the Chinese-occupied Tibet and described his impressions in a Land der Berge programme.

On his recent trip, the Goiserer, who will soon move to Salzburg ("the renovations are not quite finished yet"), accompanied a Land der Berge team to Jane Goodall. The 62 year old Briton became world famous for her behavioural research on wild chimpanzees, carried out over many decades in Gombe National Park.

Reverence before creation

The alpine rocker, in temporary retirement, and Goodall have known each other for two and a half years. "One day she was in front of my door in Goisern and then we drank tea together," said Hubert in reply to OÖN's request to describe their first meeting in a few words. And then he also talks about a congeniality between two loners: "we are joined together by the reverence before creation, the faith in the marvellous in life and the knowledge that we have inexhaustible mental and human resources, which we should, however, use creatively and carefully."

The film with the working title African Queen (director: Hans-Peter Stauber; Camera: Volkmer Voitl, Tone Mathis), a coproduction between ORF and Bayerischer Rundfunk, will probably be broadcast in October. Before the editing, which in three weeks turned the twenty hours into the forty-five minute Land der Berge documentary, Hubert was "a bit shit-scared". His vision, which was not fulfilled, was an hour long music video, which would run to a large extent, without commentary. Hubert incorporated the music of the natives into the composition of the film music.

He found the mixture of cultures and people between the natives and refugees from Zaire and Burundi most interesting. "If one imagines what has taken place there for years, then it is an unbelievably peaceful country. If we had so many refugees in Salzkammergut, in Ischl, then it would have escalated and exploded a long time ago."

With this project of artists, does he place himself in the service of the scientist, or the other way around? Hubert: "I would like to reply in the words of Jane: "leave us to weave our talents together" I am a great opera fan and the co-operation of picture and sound has always fascinated me. Seen like that, I used her to fulfil a dream. On the other hand, she can always articulate what I do."

They are both of the opinion that one can resolve all problems, even those created by "over-industrialisation and through a self-important materialism."

Jane Goodall has started with her Roots & Shoots project for children: The coming generation must learn to deal with the environment, animals and people responsibly and consciously. "There are still children in the city of Salzburg who have never been in a cowshed, who do not know where milk comes from," says the Goiserer.

Can apes play the drums

Jane Goodall and Hubert von Goisern in the Montessori secondary school, Salzburg

In this way in the Montessori secondary school Salzburg at the Hinterholzerkai, nobody said "good morning": Jane Goodall, world-famous primate scientist, surprised the children with a friendly chimpanzee "u-uuuu"; her companion, Hubert von Goisern yodelled: "Jeehuio!"

Goodall and Goisern wanted to bring the environmental campaign Roots and Shoots closer to the children. The target of this environmental campaign, running in 20 countries, is to stop the shrinking of the chimpanzees' habitat. The barely two million population of the chimpanzees had shrunk two years ago to approximately 250,000, Jane Goodall reported.

The Montessori pupils had an explanation for it: The jungles were cleared, the animals were hunted for different reasons - to be eaten (!), or to be put in zoos or circus shows. There one would teach them various tricks under pressure. "Can they play the drums too?", a pupil wanted to know. "If you teach them, sure", said Goodall. The young people were themselves however united over the fact that the chimpanzees would be in good hands where they came from: In the rain forests of Africa, which was meant for them.

An alpine yodeller in Africa

Folk Rocker Hubert von Goisern on a musical journey

"Because I am stubborn," answers Hubert von Goisern, as to why he got involved in a musical adventure, which had caused head shaking at least with all his friends: Tibet and Tanzania. Now two albums of the Austrian folk music rocker's are here, in which he processed his journeys - Inexil and Gombe.

Goisern's music sounds unusual now, compared with rousing alpine yodelling like the Hiatamadl, but it is gripping as always. And it is above all sincere and genuine.

Folk music released from the Musikantenstadl image

Scepticism is appropriate. Many before him have already driven into far-off countries and brought forward their own ethno disc. Goisern, however, masters the tightrope walk. He has created with his new projects, that which he made before with the folk music of his mountain homeland Bad Goisern between Salzkammergut and Dachstein. For the Bavarian and Austrian young people he released the folk music from the Musikantenstadl image. Kren und Speck or Wildschütz-Räp were titles, the accordion and yodelling joined with drumming and guitar solos.

When Goisern performed the last juchitzer with his Alpinkatzen at the end of 1994: he said goodbye to the stage, sadness remained with the fans and a guessing game as to what Hubert would do next. In 1996 he was in Tibet and visited a suppressed country. One year later, he drove to Tanzania and visited the legendary chimpanzee scientist Jane Goodall. Both journeys flowed into unusual albums. It needs a little patience, but then marvellous music is opened up.

Traditional folk music into everyday life

Like his moving songs from the mountains the pictures of sounds are built. The quiet pieces of the Alpinkatzen, which were shaped by the voice of "Alpine" Sabine Kapfinger, the yodeller, the juchitzers and the beautifully sad vocals led the listener with closed eyes into the areas, where juicy pastures hung above green forests and over them, snow-covered rock.

It is exactly the same with Afrika Overtüre for instance and the eleven other pieces on Gombe; out of a kind of yodel a green thicket develops before the mental eye, damp heat, slow-moving water - the national park Gombe, where Jane Goodall has researched for over 30 years. Gombe is the musical counterpart to a documentary, which Goisern made for the television. It was a challenge for him, after he had become acquainted with Goodall. He sees the CD as journey, a 40 minute immersion into another world. Nevertheless the music is still from Goisern's roots, not strange to him. Compared with that, Inexil, the work from Tibet, is far removed from that which one connects with Hubert von Goisern, and it has its special attraction.

Young Tibetan departs from advanced opera

The folk musician engages himself for the Tibetan people, because he experienced for himself how the culture is systematically destroyed under the Chinese. He personally got permission from the Dalai Lama for each concert location. With four Tibetan singers as well as several musicians, Goisern and his fellow combatant of many years, Wolfgang Spannberger, took up twelve songs, which have corners and edges for European ears, as Goisern says.

With the young Tibetans the music hits after his words however. All, who have heard the pieces so far, would not have considered this contemporary beginning possible. "The people, who have never listened to so much as Tibetan opera singing, who had nothing to do with traditional music, who suddenly went off and said: "It is just like our music" Goisern tells me proudly. And he is pleased that he has got things rolling again, like ten years ago with his album Alpine Lawine.

But where it rolls now, he does not know yet. Starting from autumn he wants to work on a new piece. He already has ideas, but he would not breathe a word. For spring 1999 a tour is planned - also here it is open, which songs Goisern will give to this. Only one thing is sure: He does not fear about the agreement of the fans. Even if some turn back in view of the outrageous tones "Well, perhaps different people will come to it".

Yodelling is the coolest musical language

Hubert von Goisern returns after four years

After a four year break from the stage, Hubert von Goisern has returned without his Alpinkatzen, with whom he once sold hundreds of thousands of CDs . It was with Jane Goodall and her chimpanzees in Africa and he was with exiled Tibetans illegally travelling to Tibet. He recreated both in his music in the CDs Gombe/Afrika and Inexil/Tibet (BMG Ariola). In the winter he wants to record his own album and in the coming spring go on tour again with new musicians. With the ZN interview on Kloster Banz he reflected on review and departure.

When he said goodbye to his public in 1994, in an interview in Munich, he analysed: "each sound comes from the silence. The sound is not to be assumed in the noise. Only if it is perfectly quiet, can one work with subtle sounds. It is a character of our time that also with painters, everything is already so fully painted that one can only paint over it. For each musician I believe that the silence, like the original ground, is very very important."

Four years later the album Gombe documents that Hubert von Goisern has drawn his conclusions. "If one goes up a mountain in Austria, one hears the noise of the roads. Only in quite remote valleys can one come into the situation to hear nothing at times except the birds and the noise of the wind - I really like that." Impassioned, "HvG", as he is called by everyone, continues: "however if you come to Africa into the jungle, you suddenly have that for days and weeks! There, not even an aeroplane flies over. Everything which one hears is what brings nature out. You suddenly become very sensitive again."

He wanted "to take it as close as possible to the missing links left between cries and singing", he therefore also "cried along with the chimpanzees". The song Delta is almost exclusively structured on the sounds of nature , on the cries of Freud, the alpha-chimpanzee of Jane Goodall's commune. He begins to imitate the rhythmic whimpering - repeated in Delta by means of audio engineering - and increases with the call in a final ape cry. "I was not as much in search of African drums and choirs", as some were before him, Hubert von Goisern, continues: "rather I wanted to create music with the voices of nature and wanted to arrive at this primal cry, which I had heard, as I was sat with the chimpanzees, often for hours." The peace and calm of nature developed in Hubert's head, between the polarisation from intensity and lack of ambition of sounds, which was Hubert's target.

It was not difficult for Hubert von Goisern, who said: "with me everything immediately becomes music! I hear the humming of an engine and it is for me a very fast frequency which I locate. If I hear the fire brigade, I immediately sing the second voice in addition or possibly a harmony". Similarly in Africa his "very intensive musical fantasy " came to fruition.

"At last after long years" Hubert again got into music because one evening a friend paid him a surprise visit with Jane Goodall. He stayed one month in Africa and was "deeply impressed" by Jane's work. Once more at home, nine months later he wrote an exposé for a television documentary. "My desire was it to make a music film a documentary, which should express what I felt mainly over pictures and music". That only conditionally folded, he leads today on his "lacking TV experience" and on the "constant discussions about the format". Frustrated, he had to see that the documentary and music would become "two quite separate projects". The CD Gombe, which stormed into the Top 100 the first week after publication, shows that it was situated correctly.