At the beginning there is a strange noise, reminiscent of a circling helicopter. But soon the drums come in, followed by guitar chords that immediately make the famous musical reminiscence clear: Pink Floyd, “Another Brick in the Wall”. And later, a no less well-known song will be added, namely “Eye of the Tiger” by survivor. But the whole thing is by no means just a tribute to the rock heroes, not just a gimmick, but an independent concoction with a message: a protest song against Russia, against the war in Ukraine. Sung in English and Russian.
Two musicians from the district wrote and recorded the song: “Wild Willy Westbahn”, aka Willy Mertl from Grafing, and Peter Kuhn, “der Kühne”, from Zorneding. They call this project “The wall against the war” and it started with a text idea by Kuhn. He wrote about the Pink Floyd classic: “we don’t need your propaganda / we don’t need your bloody war / no dark sarcasm in the Kremlin /Putin, leave this world alone!” The band’s management left an inquiry unanswered, says Kuhn – and Westbahn explains that in its industry this is equivalent to approval.
The song is intended to show that not all Russians agree with the war against their neighbors
So the two guitarists got to work – and immediately had another idea: what if the lyrics had not only an English part, but also a Russian part?! Because that would show “that not all Russians agree with what is happening right now.” In addition, Kuhn explains, the song is also intended for the people of Ukraine, many of whom understand the language of the neighboring country. “In this way we can show them that they are not alone!”, says Westbahn.
So it’s a good thing that Grafinger knows a Russian who was willing to take part in the song. Now fiddles, or rather he sings the opinion of the Kremlin chief: “We’re fed up with the propaganda / stop the lies / stop the war, damn it / Putin! Go away! / Hey Putin, get out!” However, such a commitment to the family at home can have bad consequences, which is why the Russian singer remains anonymous. Kuhn and Westbahn call him “Marc Question?”, his singing was distorted and double-recorded to thwart any digital voice recognition.
“We’re not so presumptuous as to say that you can fundamentally change something with music, but hasn’t that worked before? In the Bible with the trumpets of Jericho, for example?” Westbahn asks and laughs. In any case, one thing is certain: the project was worth trying for the two musicians. And that, although they don’t want to earn a cent from it: “The wall against the war” is a non-profit song and can therefore not be found on payment platforms, but only on YouTube. “And if the project goes viral and this results in financial donations, all proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross in Ukraine,” promises Westbahn.
In any case, initiator Kuhn is very enthusiastic about the finished result. As an arranger and producer, Westbahn is simply a professional, enthuses the 64-year-old. “It’s so great what he made of this little idea!” The song is a classic piece of rock, the well-known melodies were re-recorded in Westbahn’s studio, completely analog, with a tape machine. That’s the only way to get the bass that you can feel in your stomach,” says the 61-year-old with a grin.
According to Westbahn, there have already been inquiries from various international radio stations
And the first comments on the Internet also herald some applause. “Brilliant, great, well done!” It says. However, the calls are still limited, just 700 users have listened to the song so far. Various inquiries from international radio stations are promising, says Westbahn, and he has been asked several times for an uncompressed version of the song – “from England, France, Italy and America”.
However, “The wall against the war” should not remain alone, Westbahn and Kuhn plan to release a whole blues rock album together in the coming year. There should be songs on it, but also covers like “The wall” or a slightly heavier version of “Stand by me”.
The burning car in the video is not from the war zone – quite the opposite
By the way, in the video for “The Wall” you can see a completely burning car, a symbol of the terrible war in Ukraine. However, the picture was taken in Westbahn’s neighborhood in tranquil Dichau – “yes, fake, we can do that too!” But the message to Russian rulers is more than clear anyway, the last line of the song is: “all in all you’re just another fascist old bone”. That’s a clear statement.