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‘There is no business like show business!’
I remember being a very small kid and going along with my parents to performances of comedy shows they organized. At that point I was realizing that the people on stage were entertaining the audience and I immediately wanted to do that myself as well. Besides that during holidays we visited Denmark and I loved the Pantomime Theatre and dreamt of dancing there as a Harlekin or being a drummer in the Tivoli Garden. I started drumming (or more banging drums…) and a little later I even went to Ballet-lessons together with my sister Sarah. Sarah and me used to make little plays, playback shows, even make, organize, direct and play own pantomime’s at our primary school. At the same time I totally fell in love with the music of The Beatles and wanted to play along with their music on the drums. I remember my childhood as being a big fan of the Pantomime Theatre in Tivoli (Especially Harlekin Tommy Edvardsen and Pierrot Morten Eisner who both became dear friends) and being a big fan of The Beatles. Meanwhile my parents were good friends with Bakken’s Pierrot Ib Groth Rasmussen who gave my sister and me the first opportunities to really be on stage. He liked what we did and that made us even more enthusiastic. He even let us play a small part in the movie Pierrot’s Ring. Also we became a part of the Julemandensverdenskongres (Santa Claus World Convention) in Bakken together with Ase Trabini, Mario and Luigi (later hey got a famous Danish band) and Spirerne (later the famous Danish duo SOAP). At the age of 9 I also started getting interested in football and had a few new idols: Marco van Basten, Johan Cruijff, Dennis Bergkamp and later Jari Litmanen and Peter Schmeichel. All the time I realized I wanted to be a football-player and also do something on stage. At some point I was allowed to help during my parents shows: sell tickets, set up the stage and do some of the audio-part. I was really proud to be a part of these shows in that way. Around age 13 or 14 I started playing the guitar (after already had done 2 false starts with the guitar in the years before). I enjoyed it heavily and wanted to play Beatles-songs. As soon as I could play them my father showed me the book ‘Beatles for Classical Guitar’… That was it. Now I had to learn the Classical Guitar as well to learn Beatles songs that way. I enjoyed playing classical guitar and ended up at the Conservatory to study this instrument. Meanwhile my sister and me had a rockband in which we played mostly songs of the sixties and nineties. It was always lots of fun to rehearse and perform. Meanwhile I was around 18 years of age and started to do little parts at my parents shows which I enjoyed heavily. At the conservatory at age 20 I met Sanna who plays the recorder (like Michala Petri). We fell in love and also started playing duo guitar-recorder together. Meanwhile I decided not to want to take part in the Julemandensverdenskongres in Bakken anymore. Lot’s had changed and since Ib Groth Rasmussen was not at Bakken anymore for me all the fun and good atmosphere which were there in the early years had left with him. Some of the ‘Santa’s’ took themselves way to serious and were not there to have fun and entertain children but mainly to promote themselves. It did not feel nice anymore to be a part of that changed atmosphere.
Sanna and me started to perform more and more: classical concerts in different countries, children shows, Jewish music etc. I love to do all these kids of concerts and performances. It is truly great to perform for children and see the enthusiastic reactions on their faces. Nowadays Sanna and me (we call ourselves Duo NIHZ) together perform about 70 times a year and even performed in famous concert halls and beautiful countries like India and Bhutan. We played beautiful venues like the Rundetaarn in Denmark, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, beautiful Synagogues and Churches throughout Europe and even received an award at the International Jewish Music Festival. We are happily married, living in Germany and recently opened Kulturhaus NIHZ. A small concert hall + teaching rooms + dormitory where we organize festivals and concerts. I love organizing festivals like for example Guitar Festival Nordhorn, Recorder Festival Nordhorn and the Valais Guitar Week. In the past I also used to be a founding member and chairman of the Twents Guitar Festival. Meanwhile I still perform with my parents and sister in the comedy shows. My parts got bigger and bigger and I really love being on stage alone as a stand up comedian during those shows. I also love the ‘pantomime parts’ in the show which are lots of fun to do. I also started creating things for the shows: lyrics for my stand up comedy parts and together with my sister blacklight acts etc. It is extreme fun to do. My intention is to never ever give up these shows. Meanwhile I am also composing for Sanna and me and also for other ensembles/musicians. I also like the organization-part of show business. I like making promotion through e-mail, internet, telephone, newspapers etc. and getting reply’s, reaction’s and feedback. In ‘showbusiness’ every day is totally different and lots of unexpected things can happen. I’ve seen half of Europe and a part of Asia because I perform and enjoy performing all over the world. I even saw the Himalaya’s! I hope to perform until I am at least 150 years old. I love being on a stage in front of an audience and play music, telling jokes, doing pantomime or whatever. Every day is a new adventure! And I am happy to share that adventure with my wife, parents and sister.
One of my favourite dutch comedians is the late Wim Sonneveld, he had a song in which he sang a lyric I often think about: ‘There is no business like show business!’