By now, surely you’ve watched, and rewatched, David Hasselhoff’s fabulously retro, absolutely epic “True Survivor” music video, a video that out-‘80s every actual video from the ‘80s. From Warriors-style gang fights and Mad Max apocalyptic cityscapes to TRON-tastic time travel, from electric-eyed “Maneater” wolves to neon keytars to upright arcade games that morph into four-limbed robots, this video (Stefon voice) has EVERYTHING. No wonder (Norm Macdonald voice) Germans love David Hasselhoff!
The video for “True Survivor” — the theme song to the ’80s-inspired action flick Kung Fury, one of the biggest Kickstarter projects of all time — has already racked up almost 9 million YouTube videos in less than two weeks, drumming up even more excitement for the movie and soundtrack, which both come out May 28.
The Hoff, as he is often lovingly known, is indeed a true survivor of the 1980s, and he’s got the all-leather wardrobe, record collection, and colorful anecdotes to prove it. Yahoo Music recently caught up with the man, the myth, the legend to talk Queen, Steely Dan, Kit, Norm Macdonald, and those Germans fans who still love him decades later.
YAHOO MUSIC: Hello, Mr. Hoff! Where are you calling me from?
THE HOFF: I’m in the car [Editor’s note: Sadly, it was not the Kit car], heading to the knee doctor to limber me up, so I can continue on my journey. I went back in time in “True Survivor,” and I just got back from the ’80s, so I’m feeling a little bit stiff.
It happens. You have certainly had quite a journey! You always seem excited to embrace your ’80s past, whether it’s in the “True Survivor” video or singing a new wave medley on American Idol. What is it about that era you’re so fond of?
The music was fantastic. Everyone had passion and everyone was creative. Not that we don’t have passion and creativity now, but back then, it was really fun. I think everybody did it with a little bit of tongue-and-cheek, with little bit of a smirk at times. We all were having so much fun. It was about humor, passion, fun, and creativity. I think the music world was really exploding with Queen, Prince, A-ha, Duran Duran, Madonna, everybody was just coming out: bam, bam, bam! It was just crazy. Nobody was taking themselves seriously. We had the crazy hair and the fans. It was just funny. It was a fun, fun time. I think that’s what we captured in his video.
Yes, “True Survivor” is amazing. It’s totally ’80s!
[Kung Fury director] David Sandberg is a real hero with this video. I just put on some hair, made myself look a couple of years younger, and sang my heart out, because the song was so good. Those who don’t embrace the ’80s, I think they should sit back and kind of remember. I remember the ’80s. I’m still smiling about every single day about going to work on Knight Rider. It was a joke, it was freaking unbelievable. A talking car! I’m laughing every single day.
Tell me more about the inspiration behind “True Survivor.” It really captures the high energy of movie themes of the era, like “Eye of the Tiger” or “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion).”
It was written by Mitch Murder — yes, that’s his name — and Jorgen Elofsson. I went into his studio after hearing the song and went, “Oh my God, this guy is an unbelievable writer.” He’s worked with everybody. His track record is unbelievable. He had like 30 gold records on the wall, at least. I looked around and there [on the wall] was Blue Swede, who did “Hooked on a Feeling.” He wrote one of the greatest rock songs, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” and I went, “Wow, who is this guy?” When we got in to sing it, it was magic. Working with such a cool professional, I was honored to be in there with this guy. He was no-nonsense and so was I. We really wanted to make a great song.
Well, since you’re such an ’80s fan and we’re talking about songs, what is your favorite song of the 1980s? Besides your own, of course.
There’s so many! Kenny Loggins, Journey, Queen… it’s got be Queen, “We Will Rock You.” [Editor’s note: That song is from 1977, but we’ll let that slide.] Or Phil Collins, “Against All Odds.” That’s just a magnificent song.
What about your favorite ’80s album?
It’s probably Steely Dan. I can’t think of the name of the album, but Steely Dan was my favorite group of the ’70s and ’80s. Of course, also Michael Jackson; I actually got a chance to meet Michael Jackson several times. I was big fan of his music, but really, Steely Dan was my favorite. And also Queen. Queen, for me, was the greatest group ever, because of their musical talent and the way they performed. They made everything like an event. Whether it was a symphony orchestra or Freddie Mercury in drag cleaning a house, it was unbelievably great.
I’m pretty sure you never did drag, but on the subject of clothes, and the ’80s, what was your favorite fashion trend that you personally rocked during that decade?
I remember coming to L.A., believe it or not, and wearing platform shoes. At 6’4″, I was wearing platform shoes. What an idiot. I was just like this giant man. That was in the late ’70s as well as the ’80s. And also all the big hair.
Do you remember a certain favorite outfit you rocked while performing music in the ’80s?
I basically had a lot of leather. You had to have leather back in those days. I had a leather shirt, leather pants. I had leather suits. A lot of leather. The ’80s was kind of anything goes. Everybody would just be themselves. You would just wear whatever. I still have all my suits from the ’80s; I took them on tour just recently. I toured Germany and I brought out all these suits that I had made for my first tour, which was in the late ’80s, early ’90s. My daughter says, “God, what is that stuff? That’s incredible. It’s so cool, so retro!” I brought out all the oversized jackets that were kind of like zoot suits and everyone is going, “Wow, you have the coolest stuff!” They had no idea that it was in my closet for the last 20 years and I just brought it out.
So, is it true what Norm MacDonald always said: Germans love David Hasselhoff?
I’m not sure Norm MacDonald is fully with us… That was just his one little gag… That was the whole gag that got me on Saturday Night Live. They would have never had me on Saturday Night Live; I was not cool enough. But I was cool enough to make the jokes about the Germans. I’m glad he made the jokes, because people to this day say, “You’re famous in Germany,” and that’s how it started. It’s a little different story over in Germany. I would have like to have had [Norm] there when I did the New Year’s Eve concert this year and there was a million people in the audience. I appeared with my jacket after 25 years with the lights on because they asked me to. I have it all on film because it just blew me away. You can see it on YouTube.
Well, back in the day, Knight Rider was not considered cool in the industry. Now it’s considered supercool. Back in those days it was a show about a talking car and David Hasselhoff. It was a smash hit with the people, but it was not like E.R. or Hill Street Blues or anything that got an amazing amount of respect. It’s getting an amazing amount of respect now, 30 years later, because the show is still out there. It influenced so many kids. I have so many celebrities, everybody all around the world, coming up to me and saying, “You were a part of my childhood.” They want to tell me their Knight Rider story. You know, “I used to watch it with my brother. I had a scanner on my bicycle. I used to watch this in South Africa during apartheid in Soweto.” Or 200 people would gather around the TV in Pakistan like in the movie Slumdog Millionaire watching it. But back in the day, it wasn’t an industry hit. So those guys on Saturday Night Live, they’re like, “Oh, let’s make fun of Hasselhoff and his talking car, him being famous in Germany.” David Letterman did the same thing. I didn’t care. I went off to Germany and made $75,000 for the weekend. I played to 10 to 16 thousand people a night. I had the No. 1 song in 1989 for eight weeks. I didn’t think of it in terms of that. I said, “I’m having a blast!” That’s what the ’80s were about. I just kept going.
I imagine your favorite ’80s memory has to be when you played at the Berlin Wall on New Year’s Eve 1989. Tell me about that historical experience.
My No. 1 song was “Looking for Freedom.” On New Year’s Eve I happened to be invited to sing, and I said, “Only if I can sing on the Wall,” figuring they would say no. Well, they said yes! It was documented as the first guy that sang to East and West Germany since the Berlin Wall came down. Everybody made fun of it over here. Over there [in Germany] the song became their anthem, because they were basically imprisoned. They were holding up signs at my concert, and I didn’t know whether they were making fun of me or not. I really didn’t. And then I found out they weren’t. It was a song about hope… Till this day it’s still going on; they’re still singing the song. Twenty-five years later, I’m probably going back for the reunification celebration in October.
Actually, I have a theory about the ’80s. Do you want to hear it?
Of course!
Well, we’re living in a time that’s incredibly different from the ’80s, a time that’s more brutal. It’s more visual. It’s more horrible. That wasn’t what TV was about back then. It was about saving lives, heroes, morals, and doing something right. The Kit car was the perfect parent to all these kids. They could sit down and watch it. It was like when my dad was growing up or when I was growing up: We saw westerns where your favorite buddy was your horse. “Hi-ho Silver! Away!” So I treated the car like a horse. I would say, “How you doing, pal? How you doing, buddy?” — treating Kit like a partner. That’s what the kids are responding to: “This is what the ’80s was like? Wow!” They’re downloading it and watching it again and again, because it was a time they didn’t live through. They didn’t see when Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” came out, and then “Beat It,” and Prince coming out with Purple Rain. “Wow! How cool is this?” I think that’s what everyone is responding to in this “True Survivor” video.
