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“Congratulations”: Wolfgang Krebs as Edmund Stoiber and the Bavarian Lions at the Irschenberg fire department’s anniversary. © THOMAS PLETTENBERG
At the start of the second festival weekend of the fire brigade in Irschenberg, cabaret artist Wolfgang Krebs brilliantly mimed political celebrities in the festival tent – and congratulated the jubilees.
Irschenberg – With cabaret artist Wolfgang Krebs and the “Bavarian Lions”, the Irschenberg fire brigade has invited the country’s leading speakers as laudators for its anniversary: As Stoiber, Aiwanger, Merkel and Söder, Krebs brought laughter to the festival tent.
Wolfgang Krebs welcomes the patron as Hubert Aiwanger
The patron was the one who laughed first. Ilse Aigner had come to the 150th anniversary of the Irschenberg Volunteer Fire Department with her sister. The President of the State Parliament always had to act as a contact person for Wolfgang Krebs in his various roles and laughed until she cried. Aigner was greeted by “Hubert Aiwanger”, whose name comes from Germanic and means “who shines with his intellect”, but who is also often called “G’schafftelhubert” by his party friends and who likes to deal with philosophy and the important questions of life.
(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Miesbach newsletter.)
Krebs did just that in his role as Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs. He explained to the audience the principle of gaining followers through provocative posts and speeches in the beer tent and gave a crash course in “Populism for Beginners”: “If you speak in the beer tent, you have to be properly criticized.” You have to shout, complain about the traffic lights, open up accounts, all according to the motto: “Make Bavaria great again”.
Krebs reads the Irschenberger Festschrift as Edmund Stoiber
As Edmund Stoiber, Krebs took on the Irschenberg fire brigade’s commemorative publication and stumbled over half-sentences and alleged slip-ups in a congenial manner – including clearly ambiguous gestures and facial expressions: “You still have the syringe in your hand… ah…, well, that was still real manual work… ah…, so today Magirus does that…” In Stoiber style, he explained the world, candidates for chancellor (“Armin Laschet stands for poor and lax.”) and current politics. For example, the idea that in future tradesmen should load washing machines, tiles and rolls of carpet onto cargo bikes and then cycle them to customers in Munich city centre, in front of whose houses they would also find parking spaces.
Hosts and well-wishers (from left): Fire brigade chairman Max Simbeck, commander Josef Erhart, deputy mayor Marinus Eyrainer, state parliament president Ilse Aigner, Wolfgang Krebs and third mayor Tom Niggl. © ak
“Prime Minister Markus Söder” took up the question of who could be the candidate for chancellor and said that this would clear the way for Ilse to take up his current position. He explained his social media strategy and how you can let the algorithm push you and your career if you proclaim Bavaria to be the number one state in all categories at every meeting. As “Angela Merkel”, Krebs explained the culture of Bavarian insults and how people treat each other in this country, such as the Italian-inspired farewell greeting “Di-fegl-i-aa-no!” And as local politician, election officer and club chairman Schorsch Schaberl, he explained how to keep young people in the countryside and how important social cohesion and, in particular, membership of the fire brigade is.
Bavarian Lions accompany cabaret with world hits
Each of Krebs’ characters congratulated the Irschenberg fire department on its anniversary in their own unmistakable way, peppered with the usual platitudes – which was always commented on by the Bavarian Lions, four congenial brass players and a gifted zither player, with Bavarian-style world hits.
In the second part after the break, Krebs turned away from the parodistic platitudes and, on behalf of Edmund Stoiber, made a passionate, serious but still hilarious plea for the democratic, combative, constructive, creative, cohesive Bavarian society that can make the world and our coexistence better. Ilse Aigner toasted the artist and the audience broke into thunderous applause and cheers, which was repeated again after the encore, an Aiwanger hit medley.
