DR Motte: Initiator of Love Parade seeks love and happiness
Author: Marcus Streichert
Tuesday, July 24, 2001
"The meaning of life is life itself. It's that simple!" Dr. Motte, a practicing Buddhist, ought to know - there are thousands who follow him. In the past years, his creation - the Love Parade - has lured over a million ravers to Berlin every time, making him an advertisement for this particular musical style. For this reason, Dr. Motte even received a culture award in January of this year. Due to his popularity, he meanwhile earns an estimated 11,000 DM per set. The business-minded strategists of the promoting agency planetcom and the Love Parade GmbH support him with the marketing of the Love Parade. An own mineral water that is sold by the name of "Licht und Liebe" ("Light and Love") has even been put on the market. With it, Dr. Motte wants to bring love and happiness to the people - which is very much in line with his Buddhist philosophy. The profits from the sales of the mineral water even go to charitable organizations. The fact that he failed with his attempt to push through a sole catering right of the organization for the Love Parade in Tiergarten district has done no harm to his commitment. He has but one goal: the success of his dance and music festival.
Dr. Motte, who in private life goes by the respectable name of Matthias Roeingh, was born in Berlin in 1960. In the early 80's he appeared on the scene as the singer of the punk band "Die Toten Piloten" ("The Dead Pilots") and celebrated Berlin's first Acid-House party - long before the first Love Parade.
In 1985 he started working on the side as a DJ at various Berlin clubs, such as the "Reflex Club". A year later he opened his own club in Schöneberg district - the "Turbine Rosenheim".
In 1989 he registered his first parade on Berlin's Ku'damm avenue as a political demonstration. Despite the drizzle, 150 fans danced bravely behind Dr. Motte's VW-van. The motto of the first parade: "Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen" - "Peace, Happiness and Pancakes" - which roughly translates into something like "Everything is rosy". Tags