Peter Licht on the Utopian Potential of Pop Songs

In the latest episode of the Fantasiemuskel podcast, musician and author Peter Licht discusses his view of the world as a sound phenomenon. He argues that language resonates before it signifies, with terms like 'heat' or 'fascism' creating vibrations that connect people. Licht's work—spanning pop songs, theater pieces, and novels—condenses the sound of capitalism, blending comedy and melancholy. His 2006 song 'Lied vom Ende des Kapitalismus' preceded the 2008 financial crisis, which he dryly notes is more than one can ask of a pop song. His latest book, 'Wir werden alle ganz schön viel ausgehalten haben müssen,' explores endurance as a stance against fear. Licht suggests that Donald Trump's overt cynicism might accelerate capitalism's end. He advocates collective singing as resistance, exemplified by a problem-solving show at Schauspiel Köln where audiences submit issues to be sung together. For Licht, utopia is not a final state but a three-minute-twenty pop song—a momentary glimpse of a different world.