From Ralf

 

Hallo John,
ich hoffe, Du kannst so gut Deutsch lesen, wie Du es sprichst.
Wir kennen uns aus Essen und zu dieser Zeit hast Du noch in Düsseldorf gewohnt.
Jetzt wohne ich in Düsseldorf und wie ich sehe, wohnst Du jetzt im schönen Haltern.
Weil ich Dich in den letzten zweieinhalb Jahren gar nicht mehr gesehen habe,
habe ich Deine Website besucht und wurde natürlich fündig.
Ich hoffe, daß es Dir gut geht und Du gesund bist.
Deine Musik auf der Straße vermisse ich, kein Straßenmusiker
ist so gut wie Du. Ebenso Deine Songs auf : ,,Streets Apart" mag ich nach wie vor.

Liebe Grüße,
Ralf

 

 

From Vinzenz

 

Hello John,

we joined your great performance at Martini Markt in Bad Honnef a few days ago and couldn´t leave without taking along 3 of your CD´s. So we remember you all the time while listening. Really one of the most faboulus voices I ever heard. If you like to, send me an e-mail if your new CD is ready for selling and also if you are back again in our region, in Hannover or Berlin or in Frankfurt, because I would like to tell some of my friends to join you too.

Have a nice day.

Greatings
Vinzenz 

 

From Sabine & Thorsten

 

Hallo John,


in den 90er Jahren haben wir dir sehr oft in der Essener Fußgängerzone zugehört und haben auch eine CD von dir.
Heute Morgen haben wir unseren Kindern von dir erzählt und daraufhin im Internet nach dir gesucht - und dich gefunden :-) Wir hoffen, dass du bald wieder in der Nähe bist (Lüdinghausen haben wir nun leider verpasst), denn wir freuen uns darauf, dich mal wieder live singen zu hören!!!
Deine (immer noch ganzen großen) Fans,

 

Sabine & Thorsten

 

 

From Detlef

 

Thanks for your Musik
I am living on the street since 1990 and you have made me happy with your Songs.

 

 

From Ingo

 

Hi John,

 

thanks for the CD, I enjoyed them so much!

Last week I was looking through my old MCs and found your "Yellow" one.

I bought it from you about 15 years ago in the old town of Düsseldorf where I grew up, and my first thought was: Let's google John.. and there he was!

No doubt I had to order some CDs from you.

Listening to your music immediately brought me back in earlier times, and your voice is still the same. The first time I've seen you in Düsseldorf I couldn't believe you had no amplifier because your voice was so loud!

Thanks for all the good music,

 

Best wishes,

Ingo 

 

 

From Georgi

 

Hello Mr Spendelow!

I ask myself whether to write in english or german...but as a bilingual student who normally speaks german almost all the time, if not at home (I am bulgarian, so I speak my actual mothertongue with my family), I think it would be appropriate to do this little message in english!

I am a 17-year-old student, I live in Essen, a city, which has a rather attractive city centre,a place, where I saw and heard someone sing, playing a 12-string. I consider myself as an insider talking about music. that definitely comes from the generation above me in my family, for my father is a violin professor, my brother on the way become one, and that is just a minor part of it. As to myself, I play the piano, but have always had a certain weakness for the guitar, an instrument I can play, but unfortunately just a little bit...

well, back to my thought! clearly understandable, the guy playing the 12-string was you! And I am definitely sure you'd know who I am if you saw me, because my enthousiasm and euphoria when listening to your music was not to be overseen!

I must admit that I amuse myself while watching "deutschland sucht den superstar" or other casting-shows on TV! and often i ask myself if this is some kind of circus, or whether they really aim at making all this look that funny! my thought is, and in the same time my actual reason for writing you, that you fascinated me a whole lot more than all those people becoming so famous and loved as they win these casting shows! They do it for financial or business reasons! they would never be standing there in a city centre, just playing and singing, NOT for business, but for pleasure, and the love for music...just for touching the people passing by. I just want to tell you that I really appreciate your attitude, and that you, although I am flanked by professional musicians, really touched my soul with your songs.

maybe this is just because we already got used to "singers" like Alexander Knavs or Daniel Küblböck,and have forgotten what real music performance is...but maybe it was just that awesome as I felt it!

Music needs people like you,and your attitude to it!

All the best for the future!

 

my deepest respect,

georgi

 

From Alexander

 

hallo john

there is a brief story i want to tell: when i was a teenager, between 14 and 16 years old, i first saw you playing live on the streets in düsseldorf, where my grandparents lived. i can say that i was very impressed by the sound and clearness of your voice. soon i became a fan of yours. when i was at the altstadt, mostly with my grandma, i allways looked for you and for the oppurtunity to listen to you as long as possible, while she was shopping. i startet talking to you and you told me about your plans of going to india and only returning for the christmas time, for earning your money here. to take some of your music home i bought one tape after the other, till i had them all. some of my friends and especially my mother liked them very well. i grew up and older but whenever i came to the altstadt i went looking for that piece of stone you used to sit on and sing. and this has not changed till today. but the times i got to see you turned realy rare. maybe it was the last time i found you there, singing, when i bought two cd`s of your cover songs. and i think it was seven or eight years ago. i missed you since then and i allways hoped to see you again or at least get to know where you are and if you are doing fine. so you can imagine how happy i was, when i found your homepage on the internet. there was no doubt i had to order the two cd`s i did not know and i am very very happy to have them in addition to the others.

 

if you are still singing out on the streets, which i believe, please let me know where and when, even if it is in düsseldorf or in cologne, where i live today, or even elsewhere. i will come and see you there and i am sure it will be the same pleasure to me as it was when i was a teenager. from now on i am looking foreward to see you perform `the sounds of silence` which has always been my favourite of your interpretations.

 

all the best for you and the people who mean to you...

 

alexander

 

 

von Dirk

  

Hallo John,

ich habe mal in Düsseldorf ein gelbes Tape von dir gekauft.

Damals war ich 15 oder 17 y.o.  die meisten Songs kannte ich damals noch nicht.

Your music saved my mortal soul.

Heute bin ich 32 y.o. und das Tape ist schon lange verloren.

Zum Glück war ich in Düsseldorf und habe dich wieder getroffen und mir gleich zwei CD's gekauft.

GREAT!

Ich hab deine Musik nämlich wirklich vermisst.

Damals als mein Tape schon leider verloren war, kam Madonna mit American Pie ums Eck....damals hab ich gedacht wieso finden die Leute das so Toll, warum kaufen die

der Madonna die ganzen Platten ab?!

Ganz einfach: Die hatten alle kein gelbes Tape

Andernfalls wäre das von Madonna nämlich kein Hit geworden.

 

Auf jeden Fall musste ich die Zeit zwischen Yellowtape und CD überbrücken und habe selber Gitarre geübt!

Wenn meine Freundin zu mir sagt, du hast so schön gesungen und so schön gespielt ;-) dann ist das meistens dann der Fall, wenn ich dem John Spendelow am ähnlichsten klinge.

Keiner sonst interpretiert American Pie so. Ich hab den Song aus Peter Burschs Gitarren Buch da kann das sogar ich spielen.

 

So, da musste ich meinem Musik-Idol nach so langer Zeit  einfach mal ein paar Zeilen schreiben.

 

Hast du eigentlich keine Song-Literatur für Leute wie mich, die keine Noten können? Texte und Akkorde von deinen CD's ausarbeiten bring ich nicht zusammen.

 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Dirk               

 

 

From Wiebke

 

Dear John,

 

I don't know if you remember, I bought two CD's from you on Saturday (in Düsseldorf). (The girl, whose father bought a cassette from you many many years ago) Well, I hope you don't remember, because this would mean that I was not the only one who bought your CD's. :-) You wanted me to give you a feedback. Here it is: GREAT!! Your voice is amazing. But as I told you, I am listening to your music for about ten years. And my friends are getting "fans" of you, too. :-)

 

Go on like this, please!!

And many thanks for making music in the streets.

It is fun, listening to you in the city (and on CD :-) ).

 

Kind regards,

Wiebke

 

 

From Ruth

 

Dear Mr. Spendelow,

 

I saw you a couple times in Düsseldorf and I just wanted to let you know that you have one of the best voices in the world. Somebody with a voice like that must have a golden heart!

Most probably all that sounds a little strange to you but I just wanted to let you know that your music is great it means a lot to me. Keep on!!

 

All the best for you

 

Ruth

 

 

From Markus

 

Hi John,

 

This is Markus from a little village near Essen named Velbert-Langenberg.

 

I have to tell you my personal story about JOHN SPENDELOW. I am now 34 years of age and first time I saw you playing in the Fussgaengerzone in Essen I was a little child. These Saturdays going to Essen with my parents were very special to me. And nearly every time we have been there (just a few times per year) I remember you playing there the greatest 70s songs. I always spent half an hour or more totally fascinated by your unique voice. And I did when I grew up, being a teenager or a young men.

During the last years I haven't seen you and often thought, when walking along Essen's shops, what happened to you. Just a quick thought, but nearly every time.

Last Saturday, you were there again, and I told my girlfriend "When he's singing BRIGHT EYES, it is so marvellous." In this moment you started with BRIGHT EYES, imagine. My girlfriend, who didn't know you, was impressed, as well. So we bought two CDs of you and although we made some bad experiences with those kind of CDs recorded by street musicians, both CDs are wonderful.

 

It was great seeing you again there, for 20 years now. You gave me a little part of my youth back with your great voice and the fantastic songs. Thank you very much for these nostalgic moments and I really hope to see you often there in Essen in future times, too!

 

By the way, do you know how often people of the audience are asking themselves where you have hidden the microphone. Funny, no?

 

All the best from your fan,

 

Markus

 

 

von Annika

 

hi,

ich habe sie in essen gesehen, als sie auf der straße gesungen haben...und ich wollte ihnen sagen, dass ich ihre musik echt cool finde! ich wollte dann nur mal fragen ob und wann sie konzerte geben. außerdem würde mich intressieren ob sie mal gesangsunterricht genommen haben.

ich würde mich freuen wenn sie meine mail beantworten würden!

Annika

 

 

From Birgit

 

Dear Mr Spendelow,

 

for a few people you did save the world today.

Thank you for singing and shining (we were waiting for the sun to break through in good old Münster)!

Though I don't know you, I believe you are one of the characters who are seldom found but who are able to tell the world.

Please do so - and take care of yourself!

With best wishes,

Yours

Birgit

 

 

von Vicky

 

Hallo John,

mein Freund und ich haben Dich heute in der Düsseldorfer Altsatdt gesehen und gehört.

Wir waren sofort begeistert. Ich finde es faszinierend mit wie viel Wärme und Ehrlichkeit du singst und spielst.

Sehr gerne würden wir dich wieder sehen und hören.

Vielleicht kannst du uns mitteilen an welchen Orten du in den nächsten Tagen sein wirst.

Hab vielen Dank und frohe Weinachten.

Vicky

 

 

From Astrid

 

Dear John,

 

in May we met in the Pub "Zwiebel", where I work. I was delighted to see you there, because I am a fan of yours since I saw and heard you for the first time around 1990. You were so kind to send me your latest CD. I had to study very hard the last months, but finally I had the time to listen to it concentrated. It is very, very good music. I am a great fan of your voice. Actually I could listen to you reading the phonenumber-book. I already have two tapes and I like it very much and want to say thanks a lot for the gift.

Hopefully Düsseldorf wakes up soon and treats its street musicians much more friendly!!!

It was very nice to meet you and I hope we meet again one day.

Best regards

 

Astrid