Erich Honecker makes a connection

A few years ago, I was invited on to a news discussion programme. Having a tendency towards media-whoredom, I leapt at the opportunity. This rarely happens, especially to one in my profession – and given that it was being broadcast on an Albanian cable channel, I figured that no one who really mattered would see it.

There was a very strange guest list for the show. There was a third rate reporter from a Polish financial magazine, a news anchorman from a local channel, and me – tagging along with an interpreter (my Albanian is a little poor, I am afraid). Joining the show halfway through was an East German glamour model, who wore an obscenely low-cut dress. I initially suspected that she had been wheeled out to keep the viewers, as the debate was flagging a little.

As much as the delightful woman appeared as thick as a post, she certainly did kick-start the debate. Apparently, the anchorman had dated the lady some months previously and they had not parted on good terms. Furthermore, the Polish reporter was unable to keep his eyes off the model’s cleavage, and this clearly caused the anchorman some additional discomfort.

My part in this discussion was hardly central. To be honest, I was struggling to keep up, as my interpreter had to convey every minor nuance. We would probably have done better if we had tried playing Pictionary. But that aside, it did allow me to settle back and watch the dynamics as these three attempted to discuss the news of the day, while acting out their respective foibles.

To cut a long story short, the model clearly enjoyed the attention, but at the same time found the reporter repulsive. (He was a short stocky man, with breath that could kill fish.) The anchorman meanwhile argued with anything either the model or reporter said, and in doing so, sweated outrageously. Even the host of the show, who was really struggling to keep the discussion from falling apart, could not help from commenting on the growing stains on the man’s shirt – using them as an illustration of the allegations currently being made against the European Union in regards the CAP.

After an hour and a half, the show ended and we were each led to the Green Room. I felt a little lacklustre, as my inability to properly converse had meant that my talents had not really shone through. Both the reporter and the anchorman quickly departed, leaving the model and myself, and we decided to nip to a nearby restaurant to grab a bite to eat.

We both ate shrimp, and the model, it turned out, was the daughter of the old East-German Foreign Affairs Attaché who had spent a number of years in Albania during the Cold War. He, in turn, was the nephew of Erich Honecker. The model told a number of delightful stories about her great-uncle, who would often make time to attend family gatherings regardless of the demands of being Head of State.

One of the stories she told – and this is why I tell you all this – revolved around Honecker’s journey to London in 1975, in order to establish a trade deal with Denis Healey, who was Chancellor at the time and Peter Shore (Secretary of State for Trade). Healey was well known for playing hard-ball in such negotiations, and after a couple of days of awkward debate, Honecker insisted on a half-day adjournment, agreeing to meet the following morning. Leaving Whitehall early in the afternoon, Honecker and his team headed into the centre of London, looking for a quiet place to eat and discuss the negotiations. Taking a wrong turn, they found themselves heading towards Chelsea, and getting fussy and eager to eat and rest, Honecker insisted that they stop at the first place that served food.

What they found was a smallish pub, but it offered hot food and a range of ales, so the team entered and settled down. They had ordered their drinks and food when another small group entered and sat at a table nearby. A short while afterwards, Honecker overheard a little of the adjacent table’s conversation. They were discussing the development of the Krautrock scene in Germany in the wake of Neu!’s latest LP. Now what, apparently, is little known about Honecker is that he had always had an ear for music and was also very keen to know what was current in popular culture. So while Neu! and their contemporaries were not really his cup of tea, he was very familiar with them. Further, he was boring of the endless detail of the trade negotiations and wanted to think about something else for a little while.



The conversation that ensued became quite animated, as the East German Chancellor and his long-haired neighbours discussed the comparative aesthetics of German and American styles in rock. Many rounds passed by and evening drew near and the two tables found themselves staring at the local paper, looking for a concert to go to. The long-hairs were quite drunk and evidently unable to hold their beer as well as the East Germans, but the East Germans not knowing the local music scene were equally mystified by the array of talent before them. Honecker took the initiative and grabbing his pint glass laid it down on the paper for a moment before lifting it again. He left behind a wet circle in the print that highlighted a concert nearby headed by a band called the 101ers.

The two groups headed off to this small venue and found themselves making up half of the audience. Honecker was feeling loud and gregarious and once the show was over, he shouted to the lead singer and guitarist to come over and share a drink. The singer did – he was quite penniless at the time – and Honnecker introduced him to his new friends, especially the ringleader of this group, the broadcaster and famous Radio One DJ, John Peel, who hit it off with the singer very well. The singer, of course, was Joe Strummer, who would later be a significant part of the punk group, The Clash.

Now it would be rash of me, at this point, to suggest what might or might not have happened had Honecker not tired so easily of Healey’s endless quibbles, but what we can certainly say is that if we should ask how John Peel came to embrace punk quite so readily, we should look to none other than East Germany’s most famous Chancellor.



John Peel - Rest in Peace (Say Hello to Erich for us!)