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Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung

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Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung

The EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung, German for "First Public/General Uncertainty/Un-Insurance") is an Austrian band that got together in 1977. They initially faced legal difficulty in Austria due to the (obviously intended) similarity of their band name to that of the corporation "Erste Allgemeine Versicherung" ("First Public Insurance").

Their songs are mostly jovial in nature, but the lyrics contain hints of social criticism as well. For example, "Cinderella" (1994) is one of their "fun" songs, in which they tell the tale of Cinderella in a funny way: "Sie schlief im Kohlenkeller, trotzdem war sie bettelarm, weil sie von der vielen Kohle, die da lag, zu wenig nahm" ("She slept in the coal cellar, but she was dirt-poor, because she didn't take much of the plentiful coal that lay there"). The word "Kohle" ("coal") is a colloquial word for money in German.

More critical lyrics can be seen in the song "Burli" (1987), which tells the story of a boy born shortly after the Chernobyl accident in an exaggerated and humorous way: "Herr Anton hat ein Häuschen mit einem Gartenzwerg und davor, da steht ein Kernkraftwerk. Da gab es eines Tages eine kleine Havarie, die Tomaten war'n so groß wie nie…" ("Mr. Anton has a small house with a garden gnome, and nearby there's a nuclear power plant. One day there was a small accident - the tomatoes were bigger than ever before…"). Both "Burli" and the song "Afrika" led radio stations to boycott the band.

The band is known for open statements against political extremism especially on the right ("bacillus nationalis") and was sued by prominent politicians of the political right like Kurt Waldheim for drawing attention to his past in the 3rd Reich and Jörg Haider then head of the right-leaning FPÖ. Songs on this topic include e.g. "Eierkopf-Rudi" or "Wir marschieren".

The stage shows are known for lavishness in both backdrop and costumes, the latter often selected and changed for specific songs that are then acted out by either the vocalist or other members.

In February 1981, vocalist Walter Hammerl committed suicide after attempting once before. He was a close friend of Klaus Eberhartinger, who took over his duties. Band-mate Thomas Spitzer commented that it was worrying how the band got on and felt so close to Walter Hammerl, but without actually knowing him. Hammerl had also done some managing and stage directing work for the band.

The EAV often changed their members. Their members as of today are Klaus Eberhartinger (Vocals), Thomas Spitzer (Guitar, backing vocals), Kurt Keinrath (Guitar, bass guitar), Leo Bei (Bass guitar), Franz Kreimer (Keyboard) and Robert Baumgartner (Drums).

Despite the band's failed attempt to gain international fame, they still remain quite popular in Germany and Austria.

Discography

Main article: Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung discography
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