Experiencing Germany

In Mannheim, the second-largest city in Baden-Wurttemberg with 315,000 inhabitants, musicians enjoy a virtually unmatched level of creative freedom, claims Xavier Naidoo. We interviewed the singer and co-founder of the Söhne Mannheims to find out why.

Mr. Naidoo, if I were to visit Mannheim, what would be the must-see attractions?

That depends on your interests, of course. We have a bunch of museums, like the Kunsthalle Mannheim or the Technomuseum, and we have a fantastic castle. But don’t forget that much of the city was destroyed in the later years of the war, so it doesn’t look quite as nice now as it did 150 years ago. There is a lot to see in and around Mannheim as well, including the Pfalz (Palatinate), and especially Bad Dürkheim and Heidelberg, which are nearby.

What building has the best ambience in your opinion?

The castle has a nice ambience, but the water tower is probably the main icon here. I think most locals would identify that as the most recognizable building.

Do you have a favorite spot in Mannheim?

My favorite spot is our studio. It’s a place that keeps me in the mix as far as what’s happening in the city, especially when we are actively creating music. Mannheim is a good place to come create. That has not only been proven by inventors here over decades and centuries, but also by musicians. The bicycle and automobile were invented here along with the rocket plane and the crown cork, to mention just a few. You can do things in Mannheim that you might often only think possible in a big metropolis. You can be very creative here.

Even “Duden” comes from Mannheim and the Institute for the German Language is here. Do the people of Mannheim somehow have a special relationship with language?

With the dialect we have here, it is pretty astounding that “the authority on German language” is located here! But yeah, I would say we have a special relationship with language. Our strong dialect was always a reason to stick around, actually. There is a certain sense of humor that comes with it, but it is important to be able to speak both dialect and High German. As a Mannheimer with a dialect you sort of get laughed at by the rest of Germany, but even that is getting better!

Where is the creative spirit strongest in Mannheim these days?

In the music park, a creative center for young entrepreneurs in the music business, and in the University of Popular Music and Business in Baden-Württemberg, where models for the future of music are developed. The Pop Academy has nationwide influence. If you’re on tour, you always meet someone who studied there, regardless of whether they work in radio or at an MP3 manufacturer now.

In your song “Meine Stadt”, you say, “I learned from you the things I really needed”. What would that be, for example?

I was able to comfortably get what I needed from this city. I played in musicals, was on local TV shows and learned a lot from old music industry veterans. I had everything in my little Mannheim microcosm that I would later need for the rest of Germany.

You are part of the band Söhne Mannheims. What are the ties that bind these sons of the city?

Actually, we’re not all from Mannheim. There are folks from Jamaica and Zimbabwe involved too, for example. But you need to have a bit of patriotism for the city. Other than that, a great love for music and the drive to live through our music brings us together.

And that works particularly well in the university town of Mannheim?

In my opinion, it’s easier here than anywhere else in the world, or at least in the rest of Germany. In Mannheim, perhaps because of this underdog position, we are sort of forced to take on challenges together. In the music scene here we work together not against one another.

Is that type of collaboration common for people here?

Yeah, I think so. Maybe it’s because of the dialect. It gives people a bond.

The former royal city of Mannheim was characterized by a grid of streets and today we still live on a grid with street names like A1 and S8. It sounds very orderly and strict.

It’s good, though, when there is a bit of order to a place. It allows for a bit of selective chaos, which provides impetus for the creativity that combats the sense of stasis. Maybe that comes from the grid shape of the city and the artistic touch of the electors who once reigned here. Either way, the ideas brought here by people from all over the world seem to have mutually inspired each other. That’s a good thing.

What culinary delights would you recommend?

There is one thing that only exists here in Mannheim, but I don’t like it. It’s called Mannheimer Dreck (muck), a pastry that looks like dog poo. I can’t recommend it. Otherwise, we have a good range of delicacies here with the Kurpfälzer specialties like yeast dumplings and pig’s stomach. The Bergstrasse (mountain road) and the Weinstrasse (wine road) are nearby with all of the vineyard specialties. Anything that is cooked or roasted here is generally very tasty.

Is there anything missing in Mannheim?

What I really don’t like about it is this provincial attitude that “We are just little Mannheim”. The name “Metropolis region” is for me the most obvious expression of a lack of self-confidence. We also need more music venues and clubs in order to better feature the amazing variety of music we have here as a result of the Pop Academy and the Music Park. There should be more options for playing at a higher standard so we can then attract more attention from the rest of Germany.