Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot (Paperback)

~ Wolfgang Flur (Author) "What a magical number this New Year represents to us!..." (more)
Key Phrases: percussion board, percussion chamber, electro pop, Time Pie, New York, Berger Allee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Fatboy Slim, the Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers — these are just a few of the major names in contemporary dance culture whose work owes a huge debt to Kraftwerk. Pioneers of electronic minimalism in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Kraftwerk redefined pop music. When they split up in the early 1980s, founding member Wolfgang Flür discovered his name dropped from album credits and the drum machine of his own invention being patented by his bandmates. Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot documents the group’s alternately inspiring and bitter story from its unsteady beginnings through worldwide fame to the legal battle in a Hamburg court that vindicated the author but left lasting scars on all. Color photographs are included.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sanctuary Publishing; 2 edition (June 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860744176
• ISBN-13: 978-1860744174
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,528,154 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For skimming, not reading., March 24, 2004

By	Leigh Melton (Dawsonville, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unfortunately this book is not what I had expected, which was an honest account of the highs and lows of being a member of the ground-breaking quartet called Kraftwerk. It is more like the diary of a teenager who is miffed at his parents.

While there are some interesting passages about the members and the mechanics of Kraftwerk, those are awash in a sea of irrelevant passages about everything from global politics to Flur's speculations on the sex lives of conjoined twins. Two entire chapters chronicle a dream Flur once had.

Flur also seems to see his lack of success after Kraftwerk as a vast conspiracy of some kind. While there was indeed plenty of legal wrangling going on, to take it to the level Flur suggests veers disturbingly close to paranoia.

I was interested in a book about Kraftwerk and its members. What I received was a litany of grievances, tales of sexual conduct (and misconduct - one of Flur's conquests was apparently thirteen years old) and oddball musings.

"I Was A Robot" is more like a blog than a book. At least with a blog you can say you got what you paid for.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once a Robot But Always Human, February 2, 2001

By	Joe Schepis "joesomething" (Rockland, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot (Paperback)

In this second edition of I Was A Robot, and the first English translation from the German language first edition, Wolfgang Flür reflects on his life as an artist, a citizen of the world, and most important, as a human. His experiences as a member of the world's most significant and influential electronic band provide the first illumination from within the secretive and often inhuman Kraftwerk machine.

From the early years as a child in the Rhine region of Germany, across the globe as designer and musician for Kraftwerk's concert tours during their most celebrated period, to post-Kraftwerk artistic endeavors, Flür engages the reader on a colorful journey rife with anecdotes, observations and experiences. Flür's warm and personal style brings encounters of life, passion, musicianship, and betrayal vividly to life. Flür reveals his deepest and most personal thoughts in the printed page in a way that entices and never offends, and with imagery bordering on the cinematic.

It is a remarkable accomplishment for this first time author, and even more impressive considering the translation from Flür's native German manuscript.

Flür's accounts of his life with Kraftwerk add new dimension to the legacy of the band. The book does not shatter the mythology surrounding them, but celebrates it in ways only an insider could ever observe. When Flür's initial accounts of his life with Kraftwerk were published, current band members swiftly served Flür with various injunctions to cease publication. Accounts of the legal actions against him fill a newly added second section of this book, along with letters from readers of the first edition and fans of Flür's new musical project Yamo. Given Flür's innocuous and reverent recollections of his Kraftwerk years, these seemingly unjustified legal actions speak volumes more about the current Kraftwerk members than anyone need ever print.

Fans of Kraftwerk or Yamo and electronic or pop music in general should find this to be a must read. But artists of all types and citizens of the world should learn a lesson from Flür and always remember that public image can never be valued over human existence. For this lesson, and the joy brought to this reader, I would recommend this as the highest form of Self Improvement book.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars the text contributes little to the Kraftwerk story, February 2, 2004

By	Nate Goyer (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

I've been a fan of Kraftwerk for decades now, and part of the allure of the band was always the mystery that surrounded them. Their consistency with putting forth a mannequin-like appearance and robotic rhythms told such a great story on its own. Wolfgang Flur was a member of the quartet during their most exciting and creative period, so his I looked forward to hearing his story.

What I got was a child-like biography, poorly written and revealing in all the wrong ways. He talked little of the equipment and the song-writing procedure, however he was extremely open with information on his love-history and even (I swear this is true) bodily fluids. His narration comes off like a crybaby who in hindsight, thought he deserved more. To be truthful, Flur rarely wrote songs, handed the creative mantle to other members and contributed little aside from filling the 4th Kraftwerk suit and making sure the drum machines fired on time.

This book is less about Kraftwerk and more about Wolfgang Flur. His story *should* be exciting, but it falls flat. Although this book contains some personal photos of Kraftwerk's most interesting period, the text contributes little to the Kraftwerk story.