to our dearest Klaus - we know you were with us

Here are few photos from 11th of October at Via De La Pacce . I am so happy everybody turned out and celebrated and remembered our Klaus the way Klaus would want to celebrate.
Klaus, I know you were there with us.

To my Klaus

You were my son and my best friend. You was my happines and my pride. You were my sunshine.
Now you are our angel. And you stay all the time with us.

Mama - Manula

Via Della Pace > October 11th

Dear Friends of Klaus,

It was the wish of Klaus' mother Anastacia to visit New York during his birthday to celebrate and remember him with his friends. She told me being there on that day with his friends gives her strength and hope. As you know Klaus used to celebrate his birthday at Via Della Pace with many of his friends every year. He really loved this place and felt at home because he could be as free spirited as we all remember him. He loved to perform and play his music there. It was important to him as many of his friend as possible join him during this day. I don't know too many people who are able to sing a romantic Greek song followed by a Austrian punk rock song, followed by a song from Billy Idol.

Therefore, I encourage all of you to join us for his birthday celebration.

Looking forward to see you there.

Via Della Pace

48 East 7th Street

Best,

Michael

for Klaus

I've been unable to shake the feeling that I needed to say something on Klaus' behalf to those expressing frustration at the manner of his death: that Klaus Niedermeyer died young not because of recklessness but because of fearlessness. Because of his pursuit of an epic vision of life. Because he was a kind of hero.

When we're told that heroes are fighting wars on CNN or edited into Hollywood reels it's not in keeping with the times to say this warm-hearted marketing director was a hero because of his riding.

But in the Greek world a hero is someone who overcomes his fears to achieve some epic end, always involving great risk for glory, and usually treading defiantly on the edge of gods' domains.

Klaus chose to live by these Homeric proportions in a realm few have experienced, one that transforms the ordinary into the epic.

In this realm life and death hang by split second decisions simultaneous to action, by the piloting of enormous relative power, acceleration and maneuvering potentialities--speed, sweat and adrenaline their byproducts. It is a surreal place, a time machine, where perception of movement 'outside' slows down while one's own experience remains constant.

The wind and the fury are deafening here.

This demigod-like flight is what Klaus experienced as a road warrior. It's a place where man was not supposed to be but where intrepids like Klaus dared to venture.

The most important thing I feel I need to say is that Klaus was no squid, not some kid on his new bike who got in over his head. Klaus was a seasoned and highly experienced rider. He had been riding for years with thousands of miles under his belt. He had club racing experience on the track. To have made it so long given his riding style in NYC without a prior serious incident is a testament to his riding skills and judgment.

As a road warrior Klaus rode close to limits. He was well aware of the risks, not only hypothetically but experientially. He had been in accidents before and knew firsthand the unforgiving and brutal force speed can wreak on your ragdoll body.

As with rock climbers, fighter pilots, skydivers, extreme skiers or commandos, Klaus knew these risks but legitimately decided to persevere despite of them.

I understand for many the reality of death or injury dispells any romanticized notions of high-performance street riding. I also understand that most avoid placing themselves in harm's way, often based on an illusion of immortality or a misunderstanding of the ephemeral nature of life. But this personal choice of safety over risk should not be projected onto, or used to judge, the few who have chosen to live their lives otherwise.

It was Klaus' life, Klaus' decision to live it fearlessly, and Klaus who must now be honored.

One of the things Klaus has reminded is that Achilles' spirit still lives among us. It is for this bravery in the face of danger and in pursuit of an epic purpose that I honor him as a fallen hero and fellow rider.

When someone pushes limits, he or she does so for all of us.

I believe that Klaus is telling us to value courage and not to succumb to fear. To ride the Aeolian wind like an ancient hero in the face of today's anomie, cowardice and banality. Klaus did pay the ultimate price for encroaching on Hermes' domain. But it is his sacrifice that gives meaning to the brave.

I hope I have not disturbed anyone, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to speak for him on this.

My condolences extend to Klaus' family and friends. I learned of his death after the service and I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend.

I'll leave you Klaus wherever you are with my favorite futurist sculpture, one that represents the heroic vision of speed and machine that you embodied every time you fired your engine up--"a rushing motor car is more beautiful than the Nike of Samothrace" (Filippo Marinetti, 1909)--

and with my fav adapted quote about speed that I know you'll appreciate:

You need to ride. You need speed. You need to go out there, and you need to rev your engine. You need to fire it up. You need to grab ahold of that line between speed and chaos, and you need to wrestle it to the ground like a demon cobra. And then, when the fear rises up in your belly, you use it. And you know that fear is powerful, because it has been there for billions of years. And it is good. And you use it. And you ride it; you ride it like a skeleton horse through the gates of Hell (TN: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby)

R.I.P. Klaus 2-12-08

P.D. Spy

Friends of Klaus Network - New York meets Berlin

Alexandra, Mean Fairy and Sweet Dragon reunion in Berlin

Via Della Pace Last Night

Thank you to everyone who stopped by last night and special thanks to our Bruschetta Sponsors, Paul, aka Master Paul and Jelena aka the Mean Fairy.  

Paul - I just had some of those carefully packed bruschettas.  Never smiled so much while eating a bruschetta in my life.  My favorite is the one with yellow cheese and pruschutto.  We should go back and have some more. This one is on me.....really. No, no.....really.  

Jochen hope you are enjoying your bruschetta packet while Katinka is not there to cook her elaborate meals for you.  And yes....I thought of one word that you don't know how to say in Russian for sure.  

  

For the record everyone, there are two Pauls - there is Master Paul, who now also proudly carries his second nickname, which life imposed on him last night, Bruschetta Sponsor, and Cousin Paul, who I thought for months was Master Paul.  Yes... it got confusing last night. Right, Hector?  

Thank you again to everyone who stopped by last night to Klaus' favorite place.  And hope to see everyone who couldn't make it some other time....maybe at Via delle Zoccolette, which DJ Zenon Marko tells us is another of Klaus' favorite spots, just down from Via della Pace. 

Ciao.

Tanja

 

Die Road Kings Athens und Purq

Hey Klaus!

Ich habe lange mit mir gerungen, ob ich das hier schreiben soll, denn dieser Blog war mir eigentlich zu exhibitionistisch, aber unsere gemeinsame Zeit war doch mehr, als ich selbst dachte... Mit schnürt es immer noch die Kehle zu, wenn ich daran denke, daß Du nicht mehr hier bist, ich wundere mich schon selbst, denn sonst heule ich nicht so schnell.

Wir haben schon wirklich einiges zusammen erlebt, gemacht und viel gelacht - die "Road Kings Athens" waren unser Werk, zusammen mit Alexander Tsolakidis, Jannis Angritharakis, Manuel Petranzan und Ben Reimer ! Ich habe alles aufbewahrt - wie es eben meine Art ist - die Hefte, die Du im Schulunterricht gezeichnet hast, die VHS-Videoaufnahmen von der Kamera Deines Vaters mitsamt dem daraus selbst geschnittenen "Road Kings Athens Film" - Unvergessen!

Der Wechsel zwischen spontaner Begeisterung und nachdenklicher Melancholie machte Dich aus, und zu einem, wie ich glaube, sehr bewußt denkenden und handelnden Menschen. Letztlich hast Du, so meine ich, immer exakt das getan, was Du wolltest. Oft haben wir unsere sehr unterschiedlichen Lebensweisen diskutiert und neugierig nach den Ansichten des Gegenübers gefragt - Wie fühlt sich das an, Dein Leben?

Basis war die gemeinsame Schulzeit, aber vor allem die gemeinsame Entdeckung des Themas "Motorrad" - WAS FÜR EIN SPASS !!! So emotional und offen warst Du für alles. Viel gelacht haben wir über Drehzahlmesser-Fetischismus und den "einsamen Star Wars-Jägerpiloten" auf der Landstraße... Von der Kawasaki AR 50 über die so heiß ersehnte und NEU gekaufte AR 125 ging`s weiter bis hin zur "AR 1400", Deiner großen Liebe, dem Big Fish.
Ja, Du hast genau das getan, was Dir Dein Leben lebenswert machte ! ! !

Nun ist es zuende.

Meine Trauer ist vermutlich vor allem der Verlust eines guten Freundes für mich und die Anteilnahme an der Trauer Deiner Familie und Freunde - Du würdest schnell wieder nach vorne blicken und wieder lachen wollen !

Ich versuche das auch mal. Ich schiebe jetzt nochmal das Road Kings-Video in den Recorder und lache wieder mit Dir. Dann gehe ich die Garage und kicke meine alte Boxer-BMW an und fahre Motorrad, auch mit Dir.

Klaus, es grüßt Dich Dein Chrizzy Purq und mit mir die verbliebenen Road Kings -

Wir vergessen Dich nie .

Via Della Pace Get Together this Saturday

Hello Friends of Klaus

This Saturday May 3rd Friends of Klaus are getting together at Klaus' favorite place - Via Della Pace in East Village.  Any time after 8pm at 48 E. 7th street.  That's 7th and 2nd avenue. 

Please let me know if you plan on coming at tanja@krug2ke.com.  Via Della Pace would like to know how many of us to expect on Saturday.

Really looking forward to having all of us meet again. 

Tanja

My last video with Klaus - Nov 1st 2007

Hello friends of Klaus,

This video was shot last November. It was in many ways very typical of any night spent at Klaus' place. We listened to him play music, had tremendous conversations from everything from Greek and Turkish culture, martial arts, and of course women. We showed each other Youtube videos, each trying to outdo the other with laughter. I think I won because I made Klaus laugh so hard with these two videos:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wffwg7pA0t8
This video made Klaus laugh pretty damn hard. But this one made Klaus laugh the hardest, probably because he loved Darth Vader so much:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5blbv4WFriM

I hope if you watch those videos you can hear his distinct laughter which was so heartfelt and full of joy

It's been more than two months and it still hurts so much. I can't believe I won't have another night at his place like this.




For those of you who don't speak German, Klaus says something in this video that strikes me as particularly poignant. When Kenan (my best friend and close friend of Klaus' from Berlin) says in German "So, we are all together once again"... Klaus strums his guitar and replies in German "It's just as it should be"... Yes Klaus, us all together is as it should be.

Then Klaus goes on to tell me that the WingTsun stance I taught him helped him when he was on stage, preventing him from bending forward due to his bad posture ;-)

I hope you all enjoy this video. It was filmed on a cell phone so the quality is not that great. Nevertheless, I have not been able to get through this video once without a tear in my eye.

I'm not religious or particularly spiritual, but I think I feel him watching over me. Some amazing things have happened. Du gibst mir die Kraft Klaus...

Ist aber immer noch sehr schwer... (it's still really difficult, nonetheless).

Klaus' photo now hangs in my office and right above the door to my school, the very same door that I first saw him come through when he first walked into my life.

Thanks again for the chance to post here,

Sifu (Alex Richter)

Collected Thoughts

So much time has passed... it almost seems more unreal now that Klaus is gone. In many ways perhaps even more so than before. I think what has made me more aware of it is the glorious spring weather that has finally arrived. Cousin Paul has already been out for a ride, and I am planning to join him soon. Perhaps one Sunday afternoon we can all gather up on top of Bear Mountain for a picnic lunch or some sort. For many of you, it would be a first visit, but I think it would be a great opportunity to see a slice of what Klaus enjoyed about riding, the roads, and the view from above. 

After Klaus sold the Princess Zephyria, he bought THE BANDIT. An interesting champagne color, it was the first generation Suzuki GSF 1200S Bandit, used with some light modifications and low miles. A bit lighter than the Princess, and more powerful also, with a better chassis that was more responsive, Klaus really enjoyed the Bandit. One little problem was the carburetors. For some reason, Suzuki had choked the Bandit with jetting that made it run strangely. No matter how smooth you were, the throttle response was always a bit temperamental. So, Klaus came to me with the idea to rejet the carburetors and make it run more smoothly. He purchased a jet kit, and dropped off the bike. Of course, things were busy, and I didn't start working on the bike immediately. I figured there was no big rush, since the weather was dreary like this past spring. Of course, a week later... the spring sun emerged, and Klaus was now urgently calling me every few hours to see when the bike would be ready. So, finally I invited him to come over and assist me with the process. I figured it might relax him to see how it all worked up close.

We began the procedure in the cozy confines of my garage (at my Mother's house). Simply accessing the carburetors was a bit difficult on the Bandit, as on my ZRX. Something about the design of a naked/standard that precludes easy carburetor access I suppose. After several hours and a few skinned knuckles, we had removed the carburetors. I am fairly sure they had never been removed from the bike. We drained the fuel from the float bowls (bottom of the carburetors), and then made our attempts to remove some of the vacuum hoses so we could remove the slide covers (top of the carburetors) and access the slides and needles. This is where we ran into an bit of a glitch... Since the covers were plastic, and the hoses rubber, they were fairly well stuck on each other. 

Three of the hoses came off easily, but the forth.... well, it broke it's mount. Now we needed to order a new cover, or else the bike would run like utter crap with a vacuum leak on the cover. Klaus was so so disappointed... you could see the sadness come over his face, and then his whole body. Well, there had to be another way for Klaus to ride. A bit of tinkering, and I managed to plug the vacuum port and seal the slide cover. As it dried we installed the various brass jets. Each of them were crusted over with mung from years of neglect (before Klaus took possession). We had to tap and prod and coax each jet to break it free and replace it with the new larger jet. Again, great care was taken to avoid damage to the carburetors. 

Klaus was fascinated with the entire process. The selection of tools and chemicals, the ports and passages inside the carburetors, the slide diaphragm and it's vacuum operation. None of it escaped his curiosity and wonder. As the Uncle, I had to explain each detail, each movement so he would understand why we were doing what, when.... And WHEN would it be DONE! For Klaus to sit still for so long (perhaps 5 hours that afternoon), while so close to his bike that he could not ride, was perhaps just torturous to him. 

When it was all done, I suggested that perhaps I should be the first to ride it... Just to see his reaction. At first, he was stunned, almost speechless. Then he realized I was sitting on the bike in shorts and sandals and a t shirt with no helmet, and he knew I would never ride without the gear. And he knew I was teasing him and he gave me the big smile as he pronounced himself the Test Pilot! When he returned from a brief ride, he was ecstatic. The bike was "totally transformed, it's AAAAMMMAAAZZIIING, so FANTASTIC!"

A week or so later we replaced the broken cover with a new one (I had installed it on the left most carburetor body so we would be able to change it without completely disassembling the bike). By now Klaus had put some time into riding with the revised carburetor settings, and it was still not quite perfect. So we began scouring the internet for more information. We tried removing the inlet snorkle from the airbox. We tried fitting a full exhaust from Yoshimura. Nothing seemed to work. Finally, we brought the bike to Hudson Valley Motorcycles, and let them work on tuning the carburetors. We got close, but in the end, the Bandit was never quite perfectly sweet running. 

Some of you wonder why... why this obsession with making the bike run better. Well, for Klaus especially, the entire experience on the bike(s) transported him through many dimensions. Any small distraction (like the carburetors not working perfectly) were magnified, and became even greater during this ethereal shift of reality. Klaus was always searching for THE RIDE. Where he could exist in "the zone", experiencing the world around him in a manner only the bike(s) could provide. For many of us, this is what makes riding so special, and so important. For many, it is hard to understand just how deeply passionate Klaus was about riding. A good saying among motorcyclists is "It's not the risk that makes the motorcycling experience worthwhile. Its the experience that makes the risk worthwhile." - And for Klaus, life was meant to be experienced in big chunks, with deep passion, and tremendous excitement.

 

As I gaze upon the open road, ahead are stars to light the way and signs to choose between. And behind, in the shadows, follow memories of those who shared my travels for a time. Even now as I sleep, and the roar of the wind whispers in my ears, I can see you beckoning me forward, motor warmed, magical transport awaiting.

Uncle Steve

Vermisse dich so oft!!!

Und werd dich nie vergessen....

Merl

Ein Gedicht fuer Klaus

Animula, vagula, blandula
Hospes comesque corporis
Quae nunc abibis in loca
Pallidula, rigida, nudula,
Nec, ut soles, dabis iocos...

-P. Aelius Hadrianus Imp.

Kleine Seele, schweifende, zärtliche,
Gast und Gefährtin des Leibs,
Die du nun entschwinden wirst dahin,
Wo es bleich ist, starr und bloß,
Und nicht wie gewohnt mehr scherzen wirst...

The party the night before...

Michael also asked that I post these photos, which are from the night prior to the accident. Klaus had been out in SOHO with Michael and his wife, Oliver and perhaps Oliver's wife (? unsure ?) for dinner at Felix, and then some drinks, and finally a few hours of jazz, until about 2am. Michael was able to recover these photos from the memory card of Klaus' camera.
From Michael "As you can see, he was so happy that night and we had lot's of fun and making funny faces.... although the camera was destroyed during the accident, luckily the chip survived. My wife and I left right before midnight, and Klaus went on to a jazz club with our mutual good friend Oliver till around 2am..." - Much Love, Uncle Steve & Michael.

More Photos From Greece

Hello to all... Michael Monheim received these photos from Georg, one of Klaus' cousin's, and asked me to post them on the blog for all to see. I also have some other pictures I am sorting through currently, and will post more later. I hope you are all well, and slowly finding a path towards the sunshine and happiness. I know for myself, it has been very difficult to accept much of this. The photo of the flowers outside the stairs to the church shows an arrangement that I sent. It was supposed to read "From Uncle Steve and Cousin Paul, and everyone in NY - with love." A good friend of mine asked her aunt in Athens to send the flowers, and the note was cut short, I apologize... Much love to you all - Uncle Steve.

Remembering you

Thank you Alex for your post. As much as it hurts to read it, it helps to process the reality of something so hard to grasp. We learned about Klausn's passing three weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, after all was said and done. We share your pain and devastation. We had just seen him a month earlier when he stopped by in Death Valley on his way to L.A.

It had been the weirdest thing, looking back. The day before he came out, I had this strong feeling to give him a call and I'm so glad I did. I had no idea he was in Las Vegas, only 3 hours away from our home. I am so grateful for this little visit we got to have.

I had one of his one-on-one friendships with him, which turned into a one-on-two friendship after I met my husband Daren and Klaus met him, too. He had actually predicted that with a grand piano in my living room instead of a couch, I would never find a guy. I'm glad I proved him wrong, although he tried hard to convince me to move that huge piano into another room :) He also thought that my cat Silver (or Silva, as he called her, insisting that a female cat needed a name ending in an "A") didn't help matters. He had his thing with cats, as you may know...

As a matter of fact, he sent me this recording in March 06 with the comment "Wunderbar!":
http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/Wd6ZpQ6Q

One of my favorite Klaus stories is Halloween 2003. We had agreed to go watch the parade and wear some kind of costume. I went as a cat (surprise, surprise!), Klaus wore a tuxedo and... a cardboard box over his head. That's right, he couldn't see a thing. I led him through the Village and we laughed and laughed and laughed. He took the box off to see a little of the parade and put it right back on. KlausN at his best!


Klaus with our baby Catherine January 10, 2008 in Death Valley

February 2005, The Gates, NYC

We miss you, Klaus, more than we can say. We felt your presence very strongly that Sunday when we found out. It was as if you had come to say goodbye and let us know that where you are now is... well... fantastic! We'll see you there when our time has come.

Nathalie (Nataklein) & Daren & Catherine

Last Goodbyes

Hello everybody,

Michael asked me if I would write some words about the funeral for all of you who haven’t had the chance to be there. I wasn’t sure if I were able to do so because it was the worst trip of my life and emotionally very exhausting. I don’t even think this can reflect what I am feeling right now.
However, I hope this helps some of you and maybe it helps me as well to deal with this for me still unbelievable situation.

I flew to Athens on Tuesday afternoon, the day before the funeral. Already on the plane I was barely able to distract myself from the memories of my last trip to Athens and the great moments Klaus and I shared, not only there. Some of you might know that Klaus and I just took a trip to Athens. He was already there to see his family and I flew over to see him after Christmas. That time, he picked me up from the airport with a tiny little red rental car, about which he told me was already the upgraded version. We both were so excited to see each other again. Arriving in Athens this time I knew there would be no Klaus to hold me, kiss me and tell me how much he had missed me when I arrive but somehow I was still hoping. Of course there was no Klaus and I made my way alone to the center to meet his father.

The night before the funeral I was barely able to sleep and wrote a 4-page letter to Klaus that I wanted to give him for his last journey.

We arrived at the church at 11am in the morning. Even though it was mostly overcast in the early morning, the sun made it and was shining for our beloved Klaus. He would have enjoyed this. The white church was decorated with lots of wreaths, which I think were traditional Greek funeral wreaths. More than 100 people, family and friends, came from all over the world to say their last goodbye’s to Klaus. It was overwhelming to see them all and meet more people that Klaus had touched in his very special way.

The ceremony was held in German and Greek. The church was also decorated on the inside with lots of flowers. In front of the altar was Klaus in a shiny wooden coffin and more flowers on top. It was very hard for me to see the coffin there knowing it was his.

After the ceremony we walked with Klaus to the cemetery. To get there you have to walk down a tree-lined street, a little uphill. The cemetery is very small and quite with a lot of trees and bushes. All the graves are decorated with marble and being in Athens the sun will mostly shine.
After they dropped the coffin into the grave everyone was able to say their final goodbyes to Klaus. I was also able to give him my last present, the letter I wrote for him the night before with a bouquet of flowers that I chose to be similar to a bouquet he gave me the first time I came back to see him in New York.

I stayed while most of the others made their way back to the church where, in Greek tradition, the family and friends get together for Greek coffee and cognac.
Raschad, Zaid, Paolo and Philip waited for me to walk me back to the church. Halfway there I saw a kiosk. During our Athens trip Klaus and I used to stop on the street with warning lights turned on (apparently the Greek way of doing this) to get some sweets and drinks from a kiosk. That time he also introduced me to his favorite Greek chocolate bar “sokofreta”.
Seeing the kiosk I had to go there to get sokofreta in Klaus’ memory and honor. The others went with me and we bought all sokofretas that were left and ate them walking back to the church. I know that Klaus was happily laughing seeing us.
On our trip he took a picture of me eating sokofreta with the comment “ Die Suess isst was Suesse” (The sweetie eats something sweet) and was so happy that I also enjoyed eating sokofreta as much as he did!
It felt great to do something he enjoyed that is so connected to the moments we shared especially on this day. For a moment it felt like the happiness and joy of doing something very special just for him swiped away the sadness and grief. I know he would have loved seeing us there eating his sokofreta for him. I almost saw him with a big smile on his face.

After the funeral his father organized a lunch for his closest family and friends. It was lovely to share memories of Klaus with the people that love him and not to be alone in a time like this.

I miss you so much, my love!
Alexandra

Funeral - Athen 05. March 2008

Einige Bilder für all die Freunde und Weggefährten die nicht in Athen dabei sein konnten.
"Gute Reise Klaus!"

Joi Gin - Letter to Klaus

Dear Klaus,

Today was the day you were buried in Athens. Such a big part of me wishes that I could have been there today to so say a final goodbye. But I know you wouldn’t be happy to see your poor Sifu sobbing away like an old widow. It should be more like in the movies where the student comes to his Sifu’s funeral crying and screaming for revenge (like in Bruce Lee’s Chinese Connection, right?). The Sifu (kung –fu father) should not be the one saying goodbye to his son (todai). But what does that mean to say “goodbye”? There is certainly no way you will ever leave my heart - I feel have felt your influence in me more since you have passed on my friend. Perhaps your memory or spirit will haunt me for the rest of my days prodding me to be a sweeter gentler person trying my best to follow your tremendous example. I wouldn’t be upset if that were the case!

There can never be a final goodbye from me as you seemed to have left behind far too many reminders. I found another photo of you today, which made me quite happy. They feel like precious gold to me whenever I find a new one. Of course you gave me your great bicycle too. Only you Klaus could have been so generous, so considerate. You knew I would be moving into Manhattan and leaving the good old Audi back with the parents in CT. You wanted to make sure that I had “proper transportation” around the city when your numerous efforts to get me on a motorcycle failed ;-). Hey, I did sign up for the motorcycle course because of you! Unfortunately it was cancelled and never came to be for me. Then you tried to convince Kenan I should be on a motorbike. He told you that my body was my money and I couldn’t wreck it. You nodded only in half-agreement. Well Klaus I know you would love for me to get on a motorcycle and experience the thrill that brought you so much joy. You also know about my love for auto-sports and my penchant for taking my hobbies so seriously. You knew if you could just tip me in that direction I would be your greatest riding partner. But I hope you understand why I can’t, ever get on a motorcycle again as long as I live. If I ever see you again in some other life I won’t hesitate to hop on the back of your bike with you though. But those are my conditions – only with you my dear Klaus.

The bike you gave me still hangs on my wall. I haven’t ridden it this year yet but as soon as the weather gets better I’ll be riding it to the school again. I rode it a lot last year as you know making the commute from my apartment to the school in around 8 minutes. When I ride it for the first time this year it will be bittersweet. But thank you Klaus for giving me such a generous reminder of your incredible memory.

You were always so generous. How many times did I use your apartment while you were out of town before Evita and I secured our Manhattan apartment? You just gave me the keys and said “take the apartment”. Only you could be so kind and considerate…

I also wanted to let you know that you made it in Grandmaster Leung Ting’s biography! He put a group photo from one of the seminars and you are in it (the one above). Can you believe it Klaus? You left your mark everywhere! You are even in a Chinese kung fu book. And not just any book, the book is actually in Chinese! Only you man! In 38 years you made your mark, your legacy is everywhere in the incredible amounts of friends, stories and legends you made. Certainly in my heart you will always hold a special place.

I’m going to Berlin on Sunday to go see Kenan. It will be hard because he has the video we shot in your apartment last October of you singing and playing guitar. I know it will be tough for me to see because every time I see you on video it makes me miss you so much that I cry. Why do all the great ones have to leave us? I hope on day you can give me that answer my dear Klaus. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me right now.

Few people know this too, but I have been quite unable to sleep regularly since you passed away. I’ve gone from a solid eight hours a night to five broken hours if I’m lucky. Many nights I have managed just four hours. I hope now that you are in a final resting place, I can rest too. Maybe I was feeling sympathy pains for your lack of rest. Now that you are in your beautiful home country of Greece I hope you can find peace. You always wanted to take me to Greece and show me around and expose me to the great culture. Now I will have to go alone. If I see you in the afterlife Klaus I will give you a WingTsun lesson you will never forget for all the suffering you put me through! Making your poor Sifu lose sleep, are you crazy?

It’s late and I must try my best to sleep. I hope if you are there watching over me you will help me to do that.

As the sun as already set on your finally resting place in Athens, I bow to you Klaus, my Todai, three times as per Chinese custom. Not to say goodbye Klaus, but to say as the Chinese do “Joi Gin” – see you again.

Because I will see you again.

Don’t let your WingTsun get rusty,

Sifu

A suggestion

Dear All,

My name is Raschad. I am one of Klaus' friends from university days back in Vienna.

Some of you I might have met during my stays with Klaus in NYC (the last one was late december 07).

After talking with Klaus' mother (and her suggesting that instead of sending flowers to his funeral a donation to some charity would be better) I remebered that Klaus and I had this idea of helping blind people. Unfortunately we never worked on this idea. Well, if I start talking about all the plans we had for the future.........this would become a long posting.

I believe that it is not too late! And that wherever Klaus is right now, he will enjoy seeing that his generous, positive and cheerful attitude is remembered!

I am therefore attaching the link to a an Austrian, non-governmental development organisation committed to helping people who have eye diseases, are blind or otherwise disabled in underprivileged regions of our world, irrespective of gender, origin, ethnicity or religion:

http://www.light-for-the-world.org/en_index.php

If you feel like donating anything to them, please add "Klaus Niedermeyer" under Additional Information.

A month from now, we will receive a statement with the total that was transferred in Klaus' memory to this great cause.

I am, of course, available for any additional information you might need!

Raschad

My Love

Der Rockende

Mir fehlen die Worte um Ihn zu beschreiben, aber wer den Klausen

kennen lernen durfte, darf sich glücklich schätzen! Gröszen forever!

Ich werde dich nie vergessen, dich immer im Herzen tragen und meine

Erinnerungen an unsere gemeinsame Zeit in Hamburg werden mich

ein Leben lang begleiten!

Und wer weiß, vielleicht sehen wir uns eines Tages wieder.........Dein Moik

Gröszen, mein Freund