Interview with Claus-Dieter Rotthoff – Hamburg Special
Where did Paul McCartney get his first Höfner bass?
As we promised in part 2 of our Beatles in Hamburg series, here is the full interview we did with Claus-Dieter Rotthoff, the owner of a music store with a history as rich as it gets.
We were filming around town, checking out different music related spots for our little “Beatles in Hamburg” documentary, and so we also visited the “Rotthoff Musikladen”. We planned do a bit of talking outside the store, explaining the Beatles connections and how they got some of their earliest instruments in that very store. And if we’re lucky, we thought, we might get to shoot a few scenes inside, too.
And indeed, we quickly got talking with the owner’s son who was working in the store too, who then introduced us to his dad, Claus-Dieter, Mr. Rotthoff. The father happily agreed to do an interview with us, and we were instantly catapulted back to the early 1960s when he was a 15 year old teenager and apprentice in his father’s shop …
In case you ever get to visit Hamburg (once this current madness is over) or happen to live in the area, please give them a visit. Great instruments, lovely people! They don’t have a website but here is their Facebook Page.
We hope you too enjoy the stories he shared with us and wish you all a great weekend!
Mona & Lisa
Wow, what a fascinating interview. He only touched on his experiences and to be there at the time! What an interesting man. An invaluable insight. Thank you
Wow, that was really interesting. Thank you so much for sharing it. What a time that must have been to grow up in Hamburg and particularly in that shop. I’ve loved discovering your Hamburg visit and it’s now firmly on my list of places to visit.
Incidentally, Christine Perfect who Claus-Dieter mentioned, who was part of Chicken Shack, later married John McVie and became Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac.
I went to Hambug four years ago and I had no idea about that musical shop.
Even I didn’t know, four years ago, that Mona Lisa twins band existed!
Anyway, very interesting Interviú. Thank you one more time.
Enjoyed your conversation with Mr. Rotthoff. Listening to him must have been like visiting a time when rock and roll was new and bands were everywhere. I know it was some of the best times of my life. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for sharing this fascinating first hand conversation with Mr. Rotthoff. A perfect adjunct to your 60’s history tour through Hamburg. He seemed to sincerely enjoy sharing his experiences during those times with you. I also really enjoy seeing the two of you in casual circumstances like this because it reveals what down-to-earth, interesting and charming people you both are. After all, its your warm and joyful personalities that contribute so much to your appeal and colors everything else you do.
What an interesting man!! Being with all the greats before they were great must have been fascinating. Great stuff Mona and Lisa.
How interesting!!!
A thrilling interview! I don’t speak any German, but I got the jest of the conversation.
I loved listening to everyone speaking your native language. So very interesting.
Wow! You really did some editing on this one. You all are so very kind for putting English subtitles in for those of us that don’t speak German.
Again this is one of the most interesting Interviews I have ever heard.
Would love to hear the story of Paul buying his first Hofner bass sometime. ??
You both asked the perfect questions. And the store owner seemed so happy to talk about the music scene explosion in the 60’s.
Thanks Ladies and Team MLT for an excellent. And informative field trip to Hamburg.?❤?
So much interesting information in this interview, and yet the one thing I’ll remember for the rest of my life is that “flipped out” in German is “ausgeflippt”.
This conversation brings a question to mind: are there any systematic differences in pronunciation or usage between “Austrian German” and “German German” that a native speaker from either country would immediately pick up on?
Whoa, most fascinating, thoroughly enjoyed that…. (Thankyou for English subtitles…)… Indeed, he’s a human musical history book,, and so pleased you were able to do the interview as you had, and learned much, and perhaps, bought a souvenir of sorts from thee or will buying from there in future…. Thankyou for sharing the entirety of that awesome interview. He was able to still recall in much detail, and I agree with your sentiment made to him, regarding keeping the store within the family generations, I feel that is important and proves the longevity of a business when kept in good standing and generational that you don’t have with other businesses that aren’t family owned…. I was impressed with the plethora of guitars mostly and other instruments I noticed all around within the store, yourselves. Indeed a worthwhile stop along your city travels within Hamburg. ???
Absolutely FASCINATING! What a amazing man! Thank you girls for that great interview!
What an informative and priceless interview! First-hand accounts like this from someone like Claus-Dieter Rotthoff who got to know many of the great 60’s artists on a personal level like that give invaluable insight you can’t get anywhere. He even got to tour with the Kinks, wow! The Rotthoff Musikladen is definitely a must visit place for anyone into music visiting Hamburg. Maybe stay at that Pacific Hotel over the store!
Thanks for that, really enjoyed the interview! 🙂 🙂
Excellent, thanks MLT.