Trivia / Die Ärzte

• Banned in China: The albums "Die Ärzte", "Debil" and "Ab 18" were quasi-banned in Germany because of more-or-less graphic songs about incest, bestiality, sadomasochism and violence. The ban of "Debil" was revoked 2004, the other albums are however, as of 2014, still "banned". To clarify: You can buy them (if you are over 18) but they may not be displayed, advertised or in any way mentioned in any situation that could involve minors seeing them. Considering that their first album ever was among the so banned and this was before the days of the internet, it becomes clear how it at one point acutely threatened the survival of the band. In the end they took to playing the instrumental version and ironically telling their fans not to sing the song (here is one example). In the end it helped the band more than it hurt them and they cultivated a "bad boy image" that still fuels their careers two decades later.
• Black Sheep Hit: "Nur einen Kuss" ("Just One Kiss")^note For those who don't speak German, this guy is in love with a girl, who in turn falls in love with a traveler. The traveler leaves, promising to return, but he never does, and she eventually dies of heartbreak. The protagonist goes searching for the traveler, and when he finally finds him, he kills him by cutting out his heart. Yeah. is a surprisingly depressing ballad, especially coming from the band that brought us "Lasse redn".^note Again, for those who don't speak German, the lyrics are about gossipy neighbours in their usual style, but the instrumental is more polished than most of their stuff Lampshaded on their spoof album "We don't want the song, Farin. (...) I've talked to Rod and he doesn't think it's funny either"
• The Pete Best: Their first bass player Sahnie. To an extent his temporary replacement, The Incredible Hagen. Hagen got a choice between being a full member of the being (sharing profits) or being a hired bass player (receiving a salary) and opted for the second option because he was still at university.
• Troubled Production: The production of "Auch" was this. After a break of four years, Bela reached out to his band members and they reconciled.

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