Heinz Strunk, legal name Mathias Halfpape (born 17 May 1962) is a German
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...
,
humorist
A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business ...
musician,
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...
and member of Hamburg-based comedy trio
Studio Braun
Studio Braun is a Hamburg, Germany comedy ensemble consisting of Rocko Schamoni, Heinz Strunk
Heinz Strunk, legal name Mathias Halfpape (born 17 May 1962) is a German novelist, humorist musician, actor and member of Hamburg-based comedy trio ...
. Strunk’s comedy ranges from goofy prank calls to biting political and cultural satire, often involving music. Strunk plays
woodwind
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and ...
and
keyboard instruments.
Career
Strunk was born in
Bevensen and grew up in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
. He has released three audio albums with Studio Braun containing prank phone calls. An example of such calls include Strunk calling a coal merchant to order coke, where he means cocaine but the coal merchant understands
coke fuel. In another call, Strunk phones a resident of rural Saxony, an area known for a strong regional accent, to offer him free elocution lessons to “correct” his
Saxon accent. Strunk claims to represent a fictional charity for Hamburg residents to “help” Saxony.
In 2003 Studio Braun released the song ''Komputerfreak'', which takes a serious look at the washed-up lives and addictive/compulsive personalities of those who spend large amounts of time using computers.
In 2004 Strunk’s comic novel ''Fleisch ist mein Gemüse'' (''Meat is my vegetable'') was published, based on his own youth as a musician in various small-time bands in the 1980s. The film of the book was released in 2008, directed by Christian Görlitz and filmed in and around Hamburg. In 2010 the novel was adapted into a stage play.
The writer and actor has an
alter ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differe ...
called Jürgen Dose. His works often deal with social outcasts and the bleakness of everyday life.
Strunk is a member of the German satirical political party
Die PARTEI (“The PARTY”).
In 2016 Strunk’s highly praised novel ''Der goldene Handschuh'' (''The Golden Glove'') was published. The bestseller tells the story of the German serial killer
Fritz Honka. Strunk won the
Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize and was nominated for the
Leipzig Book Fair Prize. German director
Fatih Akin
Fatih Akin (Turkish: Fatih Akın, born 25 August 1973) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer of Turkish descent. He has won numerous awards for his films, including the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for his film '' Hea ...
acquired the film rights to make a movie based on ''Der goldene Handschuh''. The
eponymous film was released in 2019 and received mixed critical reviews.
Works
Books
*2004: ''Fleisch ist mein Gemüse''
*2008: ''Die Zunge Europas''
*2009: ''Fleckenteufel''
*2011: ''Heinz Strunk in Afrika''
*2013: ''Junge rettet Freund aus Teich''
*2014: ''Das Strunk-Prinzip''
*2016: ''Der goldene Handschuh''
*2017: ''Jürgen''
*2018: ''Das Teemännchen''
*2019: ''Nach Notat zu Bett: Heinz Strunks Intimschatulle''
*2021: ''Es ist immer so schön mit dir''
Filmography
*1999: ''Derby – Fußball ist kein Wunschkonzert'' (short film)
*2007: ''Immer nie am Meer''
*2007: ''Zeit'' (short film)
*2008: ''Krauts, Doubts & Rock ’n’ Roll'' (''Fleisch ist mein Gemüse'')
*2011: ''Trittschall im Kriechkeller – Die neue Schwester'' (short film)
*2012: '
*2013: '
*2014: ''
Mord mit Aussicht'' (TV, 1 episode)
*2015: ''Drei Eier im Glas''
*2017: ''Jürgen – Heute wird gelebt'' (TV film)
*2019: ''
Der goldene Handschuh
''The Golden Glove'' (german: Der Goldene Handschuh) is a 2019 internationally co-produced horror drama film directed by Fatih Akin. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The film is a ...
'' (cameo)
TV shows
* 2003–04: ''Fleischmann TV'' (host)
* Since 2013: ''
extra 3'' (commentator)
* 2016: ''Herr Strunk, Herr Schulz und das Jahr 2016'' (host)
Solo albums
* 1993: ''Spaß mit Heinz''
* 1994: ''Der Mettwurstpapst''
* 1999: ''Der Schlagoberst kommt''
* 2003: ''Einz''
* 2005: ''Trittschall im Kriechkeller''
* 2006: ''Mit Hass gekocht''
* 2007: ''Der Schorfopa''
* 2015: ''Sie nannten ihn Dreirad''
* 2017: ''Die gläserne Milf''
* 2019: ''Aufstand der dünnen Hipsterärmchen''
Albums with Studio Braun
*1999: ''Gespräche 1''
*2000: ''Gespräche 2''
*2001: ''Jeans Gags''
*2002: ''Fear of a Gag Planet''
*2004: ''Ein Kessel Braunes''
*2012: ''Braunes Gold''
Albums with Fraktus
*2012: ''Millenium Edition''
*2015: ''Welcome to the Internet''
Stage plays
*2005: ''Phoenix – Wem gehört das Licht''
*2010: ''Fleisch ist mein Gemüse: Eine Landjugend mit Musik''
*2017: ''Der goldene Handschuh''
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strunk, Heinz
1962 births
German male musicians
Living people