OK, we don't normally do requests, but...: Me and Der Oberst Part Two

Part One is here.

So, if you recall, I'd just spent the last hour and change sitting well within farting range of Colonel Klink

Alright, technically it was Werner Klemperer.

Now, just for perspective, if you know anything at all about Herr Klemperer, you will know that his father, Otto, was a world famous conductor.

If you know a little more about Werner, you'll know that he himself was an accomplished violinist and vocalist, in both classical and Broadway performances. Later he was a popular guest conductor with symphony orchestras the world over.

But that Friday, he was just Klink.

Even though he was wearing civilian clothes, like a shirt and blazer or something.

No monocle, either.

But here's the weird part.

As you all know, his character in the show was a bumbling, ineffectual buffoon, right?

Legend has it that he insisted that the character be that way so there was no chance of the audience developing any meaningful level of anti-Kraut sentiment as a result of his performance.

I guess he didn't have any problems with every household in North America seeing the Rhine Monkeys portrayed as utter fucking halfwits who could barely cross a room without falling down, getting lost, or breaking something.

The weird thing was, sitting there in my drama class, he was scary as fuck.

Like, fuckin Raiders scary.

Fucking Mengele scary.

I don't really know what his trip was, but I imagine, it only being 3 or 4 years since Hogan's Heroes went off the air, and it having been insanely popular, he might have been trying desperately to shake the whole Klink thing, and put it behind him so he could go on with his career.

Sort of like the Alan Rickman Mr Spock guy in Galaxy Quest.

Oh, and speaking of Galaxy Quest, I still don't know how they got Siggy's fuckin schmeebs to do that, but

I'd like to buy a pack of smokes for whomever was responsible.

Or, rather, I will after I get back from the bathroom, because...damn.

Anyways, you certainly got a sense that Werney Baby had a kind of chip on his shoulder. He was most definitely not emanating Approachability vibes.

Any fuckin ways, class finished and I went on about me day with a story to tell.

Raj