What wasn't allowed to air on ZDF will now take place elsewhere: Danger Dan (43) and Igor Levit (39) are appearing together on stage at Berlin's Columbiatheater this Tuesday evening. The event is titled "Die keine Angstalt" and is a direct response to the last-minute cancellation of their appearance on the satirical show "Die Anstalt". Doors open at 8 pm, the program starts at 9 pm.
Those who didn't manage to get a ticket or don't even live in Berlin don't have to miss out. Starting at 9 pm, the event will be streamed simultaneously on Danger Dan's YouTube channel and Igor Levit's. Tickets were sold exclusively through Danger Dan's online shop. According to the announcement, proceeds will go to Opferperspektive, "the central point of contact in Brandenburg for victims of right-wing, racist and anti-Semitic violence".
Cancellation shortly before recording
Something different was originally planned. In the 100th episode of "Die Anstalt", which deals with radicalization and the resilience of democracy, the rapper and the star pianist were supposed to perform the new song "Keine Angst" together. Shortly before the recording, ZDF removed the number from the program, claiming the lyrics could be understood as a call to violence.
Protests followed promptly. Journalists' unions spoke out, and even the satirical show's team publicly opposed their own network, calling the decision cowardly. On Instagram, Danger Dan and Igor Levit wrote: "But the fact that we have now reached a point where ZDF management authoritarian interferes in programs, bans anti-fascist songs and refuses to provide an explanation shocks us, and that's not called democracy, that's an authoritarian act."
Not the first trouble with the network
They've known friction with ZDF for quite some time. According to their post, they met on Jan Böhmermann's show, where they performed "Das ist alles von der Kunstfreiheit gedeckt" together. Behind the scenes there was major trouble at the time, they write, and the performance was only allowed under conditions. And: "Jan later told on his podcast that it was the only moment in his life when he had to yell at someone."
During their second joint appearance on ZDF, the Opus Klassik awards ceremony, the network cut an AfD-critical passage from the laudation. Because the two had filmed it themselves, the incident became public, ZDF apologized and at least restored the passage in the stream. This time that's not possible, as they dryly note: The door was never even opened to them.
ZDF director defends cancellation
ZDF director Norbert Himmler has since defended the cancellation, though in an interview with "Süddeutsche Zeitung" he admitted to failures in the process. "We must accept criticism for the short notice of the cancellation", he said. "We should have raised the fundamental question earlier, ideally before the actual invitation."
On the substance, Himmler stands by his position. About the lyrics of "Keine Angst" he said: "In my opinion, we are undoubtedly dealing here with instructions for left-wing, violence-ready resistance, which culminates in 'friendly greetings' to left-wing extremists, some of whom have been convicted of violence." He rejected the accusation that his network was caving to right-wing political forces: "We make our programming decisions independently, sovereignly and in accordance with our program and quality guidelines."
While Danger Dan and Igor Levit perform in Berlin tonight, the anniversary edition of "Die Anstalt" will air on television at 10:15 pm. The episode is already available in the ZDF media library.
