Volker Bertelmann quotes:

I also remember riding home from a wonderful day with only my bathing shorts, losing the chain of my bicycle, having no hand breaks, and slipping high speed on a street covered with stones. I had to go to the hospital.

I am a big fan of the Coen Brothers; I like their kind of absurd, dark approach.

I still visit my village quite often, as my parents and one of my sisters live there, but also I feel the village is more of an isolated, unreal part of me.

During Christmas time, on German television they show films with three or four episodes, and I quite like the feeling of waiting for the next episode.

I always felt strongly connected to the region where I was born. But after leaving school, the only clear thought I had about my life was to leave this provincial area and go to places where real life was happening.

I always liked stories that carry on and have a different format from the normal music video.

I had a record deal with Sony in the beginning of the 90s, and I was rapping and singing in my band.

I like to express true emotions under the cover of melancholy: It includes fulfilment and pain, which describes human existence.

I really like stories, so in a way it doesn't matter for me if they are real or fiction.

I was always interested in finding the elegance of each style and understanding why it influences so many people.

Even films without music are inspiring, as I think a good story is full of changes, different paces, and ideas.

I am inspired by the films of Pedro Almodóvar, as they are funny, sad, and extremely weird.

I am still happy to be close to the city, [to be] connected to the intellectual source in Ferndorf. In this area, [I feel] connected with nature and unimportant in a postitive way.

I am surprising myself [at] each show, and the delivered piano often surprises me. Sometimes the piano is so old that I don't have to prepare it, and sometimes I have a concert grand!

I can't really say that film music inspired me; it is more the films themselves, in connection with the music.

I can't say that electronic gear is restrictive. I think it is a challenge to play with electronic gear, and I regularly [perform] concerts with guys who are processing sound.

I get a lot of emails where people are writing me their experiences, how they discovered my music, what they feel... they motivate me to carry on with what I am doing.

I like the influence of pictures on music and the other way around.

I think there is a big question in how much music a film needs - a lot of films are overloaded for my taste, so that the story can't carry its own weight.

I was actually very surprised after using some plastic necklaces on the strings, as the sound was very bright. Sometimes I just put something inside that lies next to me...

I was bored to death and thinking more about the minibar and the after-show party than the performance.

In a way, I pick out the films that have a same attitude as music that I like.

Memories were in my mind during nearly all the concerts I've done, and I realized the deep connection to my childhood, when I went out in the morning and the only thing my mom said was, "Come back before dark." What trust and what freedom!

My music is also one part of my inner process, and people also seem to connect with me on that - especially the ones who have the same questions for their own lives.

The opportunity to use a computer is great when it is used as one component, or when someone is working on his or her own sounds and approaches. I think it actually has the same restrictions as using the piano or any other instrument in [a traditional] way.

When I read a script, I am already in the movie with my music, and I can dive into a world that I haven't seen before.

When I'm walking with my father through the woods, and we reach a place where you see so far that your ego suddenly shrinks because you are so touched by the dimension of your surroundings.