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Wolfgang Flür

Kraftwerk: I Was A Robot Paperback – June 12, 2017

by Wolfgang Flur (Author)

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Language

English
Publisher

OMNIBUS PRESS
Publication date

June 12, 2017
Dimensions

9.21 x 1.06 x 6.3 inches
ISBN-10

1785585800
ISBN-13

978-1785585807
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ OMNIBUS PRESS; Revised edition (June 12, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1785585800
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1785585807
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.21 x 1.06 x 6.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,184,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #787 in Punk Music (Books)

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2 star		3%
1 star		6%

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Timothy K.

Very interesting autobiography. One man's perspective of Kraftwerk.

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2019

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Very much a personal autobiography. Flur writes in detail about everything from his childhood, through his formative years, to his time with Kraftwerk, & into the present (at time of publication).
I was most interested in hearing about Kraftwerk, & the book doesn't disappoint, though it should be emphasized, this is Flur's perspective. I recommend also reading Pascal Bussy's "Kraftwerk: Man, Machine and Music" for an external examination of Kraftwerk. I will tell you, Flur is barely mentioned in Bussy's book.

One person found this helpful

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Miranda Wise

Most Compassionate Kraftwerker

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2012

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Wolfgang's story offers so much insight into Kraftwerk, and I respect him for not giving away confidential information. I believe he delivered his experience with the band quite well. Sounds like he and Karl were the most compassionate of the group, although I did not get the impression that Ralf and Florian were cold or heartless. In fact, his testimony gives me the impression that Ralf and Florian might even be misunderstood by the public. He paints a picture of the compassion, feelings of all 4 members. I really enjoyed this, and understand quite well where he was coming from, how his childhood affected his feelings of security once becoming an adult. The impact Kraftwerk had on his life, all the positive experiences of touring and being part of the pioneers of Electro pop. And even some not-so-positive experiences. But hey, that's life anyway.

I believe he likely gives the most realistic view of things, though from his own point of view. Some things that he's mentioned have been backed up by other sources (although bits and pieces) and even Ralf Hutter's own words from time to time.

I actually enjoyed taking this journey with him. His words provided the warmth as if you'd been sitting across from him in his living room and him telling you the story. He took me to places around the world that I hadn't even imagined at one time. I would strongly suggest fans of his and Kraftwerk's to read this. I give it 4 stars ONLY because I would have wanted to know more about Karl Bartos. I hope to be able to read a book by all 4 one day. They're not getting any younger!!!

6 people found this helpful

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H. K.

Interesting book but one-sided

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2009

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I'm a big Kraftwerk fan. The band is famous for being very tight with personal info. So I was very curious to read the "tell-all" by ex-drummer Wolfgang Flur. First you have to accept that everything in the book is from his own point of view. That said it has some facinating insights to what goes on inside Kling Klang studios. It also has some hilarious backstage pics. Wolfgang definitely feels like Ralph Hutter screwed him over and that the rest of the band defers (maybe cowers) to his authority. Wolfgang definitely comes off a little bit like a drama queen but I think most of what he writes is true. I recommend this book to any Kraftwerk fans looking inside info. There certainly isn't much else like this book available.

4 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

the reason why the drummer left...

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018

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I enjoyed how it explain the band's emerge and origin and also things that Crossfire between the band members use this product in most of my music in samples Etc such a great band I enjoyed them very much...

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another satisfied customer

This is a cool book. TEK NO POP.

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2013

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Kraftwerk, to me, shaped my life and I would be a liar if I didn't say I am their biggest fan. Buy computer world. Buy the man machine, autobahn, trans Europe express, and ELECTRIC CAFE. Really listen to the richness of tones and the layers and meticulous timing in the drum patterns and the sounds themselves. Computer world, and Electric Cafe are my favorites but really they all RULE!

So reading this book was a real shock to find out that there was a level of disharmony in the band between the 'born wealthy' and the 'no quite so'. Having been to Berlin, I can see that people of lesser means are definitely looked down upon but maybe not as extremely as elsewhere (I'll admit I might be quite wrong because when I was there, I don't think I saw one homeless person so?? ). Thing is, some of the most talented musicians I've EVER jammed with have had issues. Either homeless, wasted, mental, or a number of other things. But THEY ARE AND WILL ALWAYS BE IRREPLACEABLE AND I always was grateful for opportunity with them.
Although I said I was Kraftwerk's biggest fan, I don't know all there is to know, by any stretch, about them. I meant that the music, to me, was heaven sent, it had emotion, it lifted me up, it reminded me of good times, and it still brings good times. The author's little known YAMO (Time Pie - right here amazon get it) band was stellar to me too.

I have not finished the book because the particular passage about life and relationships and how :
Paraphrased... Life is horrifying to most people and they just want someone to hold onto while trying to make it through ... HIT ME like a ton of bricks and made so much sense I bawled like a child for a minute. So even though this "revelation" did not make the love of my life come back to me, It made a lot of sense. Buy this book.

One person found this helpful

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Brian Collins

(Hu)man Machine

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2016

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nice behind-the-scenes look at a legendary band.

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Jesper Valgreen

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2015

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A delightful, candid, personal account of the making of Kraftwerk

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Nic

Robotic ramble

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2013

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If you are looking for insight into the Kraftwerk story, you may not get it here. It reads poorly, and really doesn't say much except that Ralf Hutter is a dictator.

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Top reviews from other countries

Kraftwerker

Ghosts in the machine (review of 2017 edition)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2017

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I'd long put off buying this book, expecting it to be a rather uninformative read given Kraftwerk's notorious secrecy and the injunctions taken out against Flur when the book was first published nearly 20 years ago. I was surprised, then, to find I enjoyed quite a lot of it. Sure, it's an autobiography, so we get taken through Flur's childhood in some detail and read of his time spent in early rock bands, where Ralf and Florian first spotted him and were impressed with his crisp sense of timing. As he says himself, he was no synthesizer wizard, so there's precious little on how Kraftwerk came up with their extraordinary sounds, but we learn that Ralf was a straightforward player and that Florian was, like Flur, the one who liked tinkering and building things. An apprenticeship as a cabinet maker came in useful when Flur first visited what would become the famous Kling Klang Studio Mk 1 and built the first synthdrum pads after taking an old beat box of Florian's to pieces (drums at that time seemed to consist of an old chil's kit!). Subsequently, and particularly as the need for drumming became less and less as the quartet relied more heavily on sequencers to make rhythms, he overhauled and designed the famous 80s studio so that they could take it out on the Computer World tour in 1981. He left in 1987 after having had very little to do during the tedious gestation of the Electric Cafe album, and having been invited by Ralf to re-design and update the studio instead, a role he likens to being the janitor, not the drummer. Since then, he has formed his own band Yamo, who unsurprisingly get quite a mention in the post-KW part of the book, and, of course, released this book in 1999.

Flur is pretty straightforward and honest in his writing and comes across as a man who, despite his good looks, was remarkably self-conscious and plagued by low esteem. Right at the start he rants against the post-war "weak" fathers (like his own) whom his generation had to put up with, never getting a word of encouragement from them. He comes across as over-sensitive at times to what he sees as slights from Ralf and Florian, and naive at others, particulary with regard to money, contracts etc, but at times you feel there really is something to gripe about, as when Florian turns up in a brand new expensive sports car and takes the two "employees" (Flur and Karl Bartos, who were both employed on a wage, and given extra money when on tour) out for a spin in it. A bit too much of the book is taken up with his sexual adventures and he is forever praising women's faces, legs or breasts like some lascivious character from a 70s Carry On film. However, the extended reports of the US tour to promote Autobahn as well as the global 1981 tour to promote Computer World shed fascinating light on the group. They could let their hair down and party when they wanted to, dispelling the increasingly staid image they would come to project as die mensch maschine, yet the dichotomy between the tightly-knit upper class unit of Ralf and Florian and the two employees is always there. Ralf and Florian liked the good life, and would always stay in a more expensive hotel than the one Karl and Wolfgang were put in, and the endless meals in good restaurants (Florian is quite the gourmand, it seems) started to make Flur feel the financial pinch. So much so in fact that he secretly went off and did a little nude modelling for a men's magazine in order to earn some more cash: Florian was not amused when he found out.

The post-split Yamo sections are rather uninteresting by comparison, and there's a couple of chapters which document his anaesthetic-induced delusions featuring "Mother Kraftwerk" during an hours minor investigation at the hospital which I skipped. The oft-mentioned solo CD "Time Pie" hardly merits much attention (it has no Wikipedia entry, I notice) other than some strange reluctance upon the part of EMI to promote it, but the final part of the book cataloguing Ralf and Florians' attempts to ban this book brings it to life again. Given he can't say much, no doubt, due to injunctions, what does come across is that the initial objections seemed to centre on some early and unflattering band photos that Flur had used, and possibly references to his wages and money. Kraftwerk as a band on a major label must have made a huge amount of money (Autobahn was a big worldwide hit single and album, after all) yet Flur says he was told often that money was tight, and that studio equipment was expensive, swallowing all the costs. Flur views finding that Ralf and Florien has lodged a US patent in the late 70s claiming to have invented the Kraftwerk electronic drum pads a major betrayal, arguing that he in fact designed it. (Interestingly, later reissues of Autobahn credit Ralf and Florien with playing electronic drums, and Flur with playing electronic drums on the Komemelodies only). Finally, an interview he conducted with the widow of legendary producer Conrad Plank, in whose Cologne studio the very first three Kraftwerk albums as well as the "year zero" Autobahn were recorded and produced, casts a further shadow over the reputation of Ralf and Florien. She reveals Plank got a single 5000 DM payment for Autobahn from the pair, and was credited with engineering and not much more, despite the closeness of their relationship since the late sixties and the effective production apprenticeship they got from working with Conny. Subsequently, Ralf and Florien would retire to Dusseldorf and equip themselves with the tools needed to never be dependent on another's studio again, and the Kling Klang legend was born.

As for new material in the book, bearing in mind I've never read any earlier versions, I'm sure that the epilogue is new, based on a review of one of the first 3D concerts in 2013 that Wolfgang wrote for The Quietus. Ralf no longer looks the toned athlete he had become in the 90s, when his passion for cycling had replaced his passion for music-making (it's a pity Flur doesn't share his views on Tour de France Soundtracks with us; he has a fair bit to say on the moneymaking Expo2000 jingle after all). There is some ridiculing of the band's "middle aged man in lycra" stage look. But Florian, who of course departed some years earlier, is mentioned with some warmth and affection when it comes to describing a couple of chance encounters Flur has had with his former bandmate in recent years, which goes some way to dispelling the sour notes that build up in the last few chapters.

23 people found this helpful

DJFunkman

A genuine account from a genuine guy, well worth a read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2014

Verified Purchase

Despite this being a revised version, post lawsuits, I still found this book to be a very good read. Wolfgang is clearly someone who has been part of a revolutionary musical movement, which should be acknowledged. Despite his ex-bandmembers efforts to maintain the mechanical, artistic silence - Wolfgang gives us his recollections, and describes to us his insiprations. In some places, it's a little TOO HONEST I think, but that's his style of writing I guess? But despite that, you get the feeling that he is a nice guy, and his views and opinions could not be more different to the robotic facade that has been portrayed previously. I can understand why he would want to correct this!

There are other reviews which state that he keeps plugging his new band YAMO, which he does to some degree, but it is in context, and describes his inspiration for doing something different, despite adversity, and goes into detail as to what his motives for some of the songs were, which are quite sweet. I couldn't put it down - and was gutted I finished it!

3 people found this helpful

Cathie Mcinally

I thoroughly enjoyed reading up about Kraftwerk

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2015

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading up about Kraftwerk, who were one of my all time favourite bands. They were always a very private band and therefore this was an exclusive peek into the lives of the people behind the image. Wolfgang Flur seemed to be very open and honest about himself and his life with this band, giving me an even stronger respect for himself and Karl Bartos as spiritual and emotional musicians living a life as emotionless robots. If I had one complaint it would be that I ended up flicking through the letters at the end as I felt they were too much of a muchness. However I really enjoyed the book and found it interesting enough to want to read other peoples lives with the band.

4 people found this helpful

Mr. E. Dickson

Great insight

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great insight to the running's of Kraftwerk where the two main songwriters as per usual call all the shots and the rest of band are on a weekly wage even though they contribute to the songs how many times has this happened

Aquavision Music Ltd

An enjoyable read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is quite an informative book, not exactly what I was expecting but an honest insight to the life of one of the original members of Kraftwerk. If you are expecting a book just about the band you will be disappointed, this is more of an insight into the individual and makes for interesting reading

One person found this helpful

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