Text "He was a Rolling Stone" (Michael Kuhn)

In Chantilly Lace nr. 8 you could read about Mick Jagger-imitator Claude O'Brecht and his show at the Tenne in Wien. Gregor Semrad had asked me before if I'd know something about Claude. Well, I wanted to write a short report for Gregor - but suddenly Chantilly Lace nr. 8 came out and it was too late for me! So I've decided to write Claude's story (as far as I know it) for Charlie is Good Tonight. Therefore I called him up and made a short telephone "interview" (Claude was just baking a cake for Polo Hofer's birthday party - Polo's the most popular Swiss rock singer!) and - great! He even knew Charlie from Chantilly Lace nr. 7 that Gregor had given him in Wien! OK - a concert review we already have from Gregor. Me, I've compiled the most important dates in Claude's career as a Jagger lookalike.

• 1956 (or 59 or what?) - Claude Obrecht is born in Bern (Switzerland)
• 1976 - Claude attends his first Stones concert in Zürich (Switzerland) and really likes the show. "I'd have made the same movements in the same situation", he says.
• 1977 - For the first time Claude imitates Mick Jagger in a nightclub in Bern - just for fun. The years pass by and in the early 1980s he leads some Stones cover bands like the Strange Cats or the Midnight Ramblers.
• 1981 - Claude lives in a Kibbuz in Israel.
• 1983 - Early in the year Claude founds Claude and the Famous Originals together with Remo Kessler (ex-Trampolin). The line-up of the band at the time is as follows: Claude (vocals), Eddy Engeler (guitar - "a man like Keith Richards", Remo says), Remo (guitar), Felix Müller (bass guitar), Rainer Schnyder (keyboards) and Ernie Seiffert (drums; ex-Trampolin). In May the band has its first concert in Bern. On May 24 they even appear on Swiss TV's Ten o'clock rock. Soon their first single He was a rolling stone / I need you [] is released and on September 5 the band starts a short tour through South Africa - they are quite successful there. In Johannesburg for example they even play a concert on a driving truck!
• 1984 - In April 1984 the Originals split up because of money problems. Since then Claude plays solo and with playback tapes in diverse clubs all over Europe. He now calls himself Claude O'Brecht.
• 1985 - From January to February 1985 Claude tours Germany and Austria, but also appears in Italy and in Switzerland. "One time it'll be just my show with some songs from the Stones!" he believes. For May 1985 a new record of Claude was planned - his 12" single Midnight hour.
• Later the guy called himself Claude O'Brien... in the early 1990s he played in the "Honky Tonk Stoneskneipe" in Berlin.

If you want to write to Claude, here is his address:

Claude Obrecht

Neubrück 97

3012 Bern

Switzerland

Tel. 031 / 23 07 75

If you enclose return-postage he will surely send you an autographed photo!

Publication

1985.04.16

Charlie is good tonight nr. 2

The article was reworked in 1997 and 2009.