Alfred Hilsberg

Biography

The “ZickZack Principle”, of not letting yourself be put in a shoebox, has been realized by Alfred Hilsberg, from Elmshorn according to Wikipedia, with his work in film clubs, his nightly bar visits, his film experiences, “Fahnenflucht” and his journalism training at newspapers in Lower Saxony. In 1968, then a fascinated observer of the student movement, he was named director the Filmmakers Cooperative in Hamburg. With like-minded people he founded the leftist split-off, the Socialist Film Coop, then afterwards the Central Film Distribution, which he left above all due to his sympathy for ideas from the Sponti scene. Following this he was guest lecturer in documentary film at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg and other schools. Starting in 1976 he attended the first punk concerts in London, wrote his first articles, interviews and a monthly column in the magazine “Sounds”. At the same time he was organizing legendary festivals at the Markthalle and tours of English and American post-punk and new wave bands. At the end of ’79 he started the ZickZack label with bands like F.S.K., Einstürzende Neubauten, Abwärts, Die Tödliche Doris, Palais Schaumburg. Starting in the mid ‘80s he ran the What´s So Funny About label with Cpt.Kirk &., The Gun Club, Test Department, Kastrierte Philosophen, and then also the label for Blumfeld, Mutter, Knarf Rellöm on up to Jens Friebe. He also worked with the Hamburg version of the exhibition “Geniale Dilletanten”.