Heinz Strunk

Heinz Strunk, legal name Mathias Halfpape (born 17 May 1962) is a German novelist, humorist musician, actor and member of Hamburg-based comedy trio Studio Braun. Strunk’s comedy ranges from goofy prank calls to biting political and cultural satire, often involving music. Strunk plays woodwind and keyboard instruments.

Career Strunk was born in Bevensen and grew up in Hamburg. Performing in the pop duo Dis Noir under his real name Mathias Halfpape, he released the album Paradise is Far Away in 1989, produced by Dirk Steffens. He has released three audio albums with Studio Braun containing prank phone calls. An example of such calls include Strunk calling a coal merchant to order coke, where he means cocaine but the coal merchant understands coke fuel. In another call, Strunk phones a resident of rural Saxony, an area known for a strong regional accent, to offer him free elocution lessons to “correct” his Saxon accent. Strunk claims to represent a fictional charity for Hamburg residents to “help” Saxony.

In 2003 Studio Braun released the song Komputerfreak, which takes a serious look at the washed-up lives and addictive/compulsive personalities of those who spend large amounts of time using computers.

In 2004 Strunk’s comic novel Fleisch ist mein Gemüse (Meat is my vegetable) was published, based on his own youth as a musician in various small-time bands in the 1980s. A movie based on the book was released in 2008, directed by Christian Görlitz and filmed in and around Hamburg. In 2010 the novel was adapted into a stage play.

The writer and actor has an alter ego called Jürgen Dose. His works often deal with social outcasts and the bleakness of everyday life.

Strunk is a member of the German satirical political party Die PARTEI (“The PARTY”).

In 2016 Strunk’s highly praised novel Der goldene Handschuh (The Golden Glove) was published. The bestseller tells the story of the German serial killer Fritz Honka. Strunk won the Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize and was nominated for the Leipzig Book Fair Prize. German director Fatih Akin acquired the film rights to make a movie based on Der goldene Handschuh. The eponymous film was released in 2019 and received mixed critical reviews.

In 2024 Strunk published Zauberberg 2 (“Magic Mountain 2”) to mark the 100th anniversary of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. The novel is a free adaptation of the original and set in the present day.

Works

Books 2004: Fleisch ist mein Gemüse 2008: Die Zunge Europas 2009: Fleckenteufel 2011: Heinz Strunk in Afrika 2013: Junge rettet Freund aus Teich 2014: Das Strunk-Prinzip 2016: Der goldene Handschuh 2017: Jürgen 2018: Das Teemännchen 2019: Nach Notat zu Bett: Heinz Strunks Intimschatulle 2021: Es ist immer so schön mit dir 2022: Ein Sommer in Niendorf 2023: Der gelbe Elefant 2023: Die Käsis (storybook) 2024: Zauberberg 2

Filmography 1999: Derby – Fußball ist kein Wunschkonzert (short film) 2007: Immer nie am Meer 2007: Zeit (short film) 2008: Krauts, Doubts & Rock ’n’ Roll (Fleisch ist mein Gemüse) 2011: Trittschall im Kriechkeller – Die neue Schwester (short film) 2012: 2013: 2014: Mord mit Aussicht (TV, 1 episode) 2015: Drei Eier im Glas 2017: Jürgen – Heute wird gelebt (TV film) 2019: Der goldene Handschuh (cameo) 2023: Last Exit Schinkenstraße 2023: Die Discounter (1 episode)

TV shows 2003–2004: Fleischmann TV (host) 2013–2021: extra 3 (commentator) 2016: Herr Strunk, Herr Schulz und das Jahr 2016 (host)

Solo albums 1993: Spaß mit Heinz 1994: Der Mettwurstpapst 1999: Der Schlagoberst kommt 2003: Einz 2005: Trittschall im Kriechkeller 2006: Mit Hass gekocht 2007: Der Schorfopa 2015: Sie nannten ihn Dreirad 2017: Die gläserne Milf 2019: Aufstand der dünnen Hipsterärmchen

Albums with Studio Braun 1999: Gespräche 1 2000: Gespräche 2 2001: Jeans Gags 2002: Fear of a Gag Planet 2004: Ein Kessel Braunes 2012: Braunes Gold

Albums with Fraktus 2012: Millenium Edition 2015: Welcome to the Internet

Stage plays 2005: Phoenix – Wem gehört das Licht 2010: Fleisch ist mein Gemüse: Eine Landjugend mit Musik 2017: Der goldene Handschuh