Blond angel

Thiem’s bankruptcies, motherly love and his lottery winner

Why the tumor was a kind of "stroke of luck" and why Dominic Thiem shouldn't let off steam about it. Singer and cabaret artist Felix Schobesberger, alias "Blond Angel", is touring the country again and spoke to the "Krone" about Heinz-Christian Strache, his panic attacks and why his mom is the best.

Gargling salt water, drinking tea, wrapping socks around the neck "is an old family recipe and is supposed to help", croaks Felix Schobesberger at the meeting with the "Krone". Well, this ridiculous cold can't harm the Blond Angel. Having just performed at the Kulturhof in Linz, he will be giving "Liederabende" in Vienna next week. Things are going well for the Linz native, who had his big breakthrough in 2011 with his Nespresso song "What else?", which garnered almost 500,000 clicks.

"You don't always have to be provocative"
 "That was my biggest number. It was my first time in a store like that, I thought it was crazy and it was a hit. The song shows the bizarre nature of the situation. After that, I kept making YouTube stories. Like with 'Da Vizi from Ibizi'," Felix has to smile. He was just hung up too.

Heinz-Christian Strache also got enough grease with this "number". Even if he got off lightly with the 35-year-old.

 "My brain just works"
 "You don't have to be provocative or biting to be successful, it's the bizarre that attracts me. The ideas come from everyday life. Like the SPÖ/Excel story. My brain just works, I can't explain it any better," laughs Schobesberger. And adds: "A lot of my irony is directed at myself. I have no problem making a fool of myself." And then promptly turns serious when the subject of his illness comes up.

Cancer, crises and panic attacks
The singer was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 27, followed by surgery and chemotherapy. "It was 31 degrees outside and I waited five hours in the hospital outpatient clinic. The doctor came in and said: 'Your tumor markers are elevated. That could be testicular cancer. But that's like winning the lottery. The fact is that testicular tumors are very well researched and usually have a mild outcome," says the singing cabaret artist.

Which is also why he addresses many serious topics in his new program. "The last few years have seen the pandemic, followed by private crises and panic attacks. The panic attacks started three weeks ago in front of a sold-out audience at the Posthof. My therapist helped me a lot back then. I now talk about my attacks and also write songs about them. And after the show, people regularly come up and thank me for the act. It's also healing for me to show on stage that not everything is funny."

Sharp tongue about Thiem's tennis performances
Although the tennis lesson together certainly deserves this title. What would Dominic Thiem say if he saw you on the court? "Great outfit. Probably nothing else. Although, if I can be a bit of a joker now, I'll say: the way he's 'emptying' at the moment, he doesn't need to say anything about me," jokes the blonde angel.

"If your mom doesn't do it for you, she doesn't love you"
 He can currently be seen on stage not only with his trademark golden leggings and angel wings, but also in a dazzling red cowboy costume. All made by his mom. "I always say to my audience: 'If your mom doesn't do this for you, she doesn't love you. Because my mom sewed the 600 fringes onto my shirt by hand herself."