Profile of Farin Urlaub on Famous Like Me

Jan Vetter, better known as Farin Urlaub (like German "Fahr in Urlaub!" ("Go on vacation!"), after his love of travelling) was born on October 27, 1963 in what was then West Berlin, Germany. He is best known as the guitarist/vocalist for the German band Die Ärzte.

At the age of 16, Urlaub travelled to London. He returned home as a punk with dyed blonde hair. Urlaub is vegetarian, a non-smoker and a pacifist. He speaks six languages: German, English, French, Portuguese, Latin and Japanese, and often works for Greenpeace and "Menschen gegen Minen". For the last few years he has been living in a village near Hamburg, where he has his own recording studio.

In 1980 he joined Dirk Felsenheimer's band Soilent Grün on guitar. When the band broke up in 1982 Urlaub, Felsenheimer and Hans Runge (Sahnie) formed Die Ärzte, one of the most successful German punk rock bands of the 1980s. In 1988, in the midst of their heyday, Die Ärzte disbanded after Urlaub left.

Urlaub then formed King Køng, which remained unsuccessful, even for an indie band. Die Ärzte reunited in 1993 and have had continued success ever since. In 2001, Urlaub started his solo career with the album "Endlich Urlaub" ("Vacation at Last", which can also be read as pun on his name, "Urlaub" meaning "vacation", as in, "Urlaub at Last"). His newest solo album, "Am Ende der Sonne" ("At the End of the Sun") was released in 2005.

Discography

• Endlich Urlaub! (2001)
• Am Ende der Sonne (2005)

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