Drs. P facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Drs. P
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Drs. P in 1969
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| Born | Heinz Hermann Polzer 24 August 1919 Thun, Switzerland |
| Died | 13 June 2015 (aged 95) Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Pen name | Drs. P |
| Occupation | Poet, Singer-songwriter |
| Language | Dutch |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Relatives | Nellie van Kol (grandmother) |
Heinz Hermann Polzer (born August 24, 1919 – died June 13, 2015) was a famous Swiss artist. Most people knew him by his stage name, Drs. P. He was a talented singer-songwriter, poet, and writer who created his works in the Dutch language.
Drs. P was known for his unique style. His songs and poems often featured clever, dry humor and unexpected twists. He had a very large vocabulary, which helped him create these surprising effects. When he performed, he sang in a distinct, shaky voice while playing the piano. He also used other names like Geo Staad and Coos Neetebeem.
Contents
Life and Career
Heinz Hermann Polzer was born in Thun, Switzerland, on August 24, 1919. His mother was Dutch, and his father was Austrian. Even though his father became a Dutch citizen, Heinz kept his Swiss nationality throughout his life.
When he was three years old, his parents divorced. He and his mother then moved to the Netherlands, where he grew up. Dutch became his first language. He studied economics at the Economische Hogeschool Rotterdam, which is now known as Erasmus University Rotterdam. After finishing his studies, he earned the academic title of doctorandus (drs.), which he later used in his stage name.
In 1942, during World War II, the Germans occupied the Netherlands. Heinz wrote a children's story for a student magazine. This story got him into trouble, and he was held for a few months. After his release, he went to Switzerland and served in the military there from 1942 to 1944. In 1945, he worked for the Red Cross in Paris. When the war ended, he returned to the Netherlands.
In 1954, Polzer traveled to Indonesia. There, he worked for an advertising company and started writing songs. He became widely known in 1965 after appearing on a TV show hosted by Willem Duys. Duys was the one who started calling him Drs. P, and the name stuck. He wrote songs and scripts for many famous performers, including Hetty Blok, Gerard Cox, and Albert Mol.
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Drs. P also wrote stories for a comic strip called Dan Teal. He used the name "Geo Staad" for these comic strip scripts.
His last concert was in 1998. On that day, a book containing all his song lyrics was released. Throughout his life, Drs. P wrote hundreds of songs, thousands of poems, and many prose stories. Some of his most famous funny songs include "Veerpont," "Dodenrit," and "De Zusters Karamazov." He was also known for creating special types of poems. He wrote a collection of poems in a style called double dactyls, known in Dutch as ollekebolleke. He also invented other poetry forms like the balladet and the triolet.
Drs. P even wrote a series of songs about vegetables! These included songs about broccoli and traditional Dutch vegetables like "Knolraap en lof, schorseneren en prei." These songs were put together in a special songbook for gardeners called Tuindersliedboek.
Discography
Drs. P released many recordings during his career. His discography includes at least 40 different LPs, EPs, and singles.
Death
Drs. P passed away peacefully from old age on June 13, 2015, in Amsterdam. He was 95 years old. He even wrote his own obituary as a double dactyl poem. After he passed away, a new double CD called Drs. P Retrouvé was released in November 2016. This CD featured 31 songs that were recorded in 1972 and 1973 for a radio show. Twelve of these songs had never been released before.
Prizes
Drs. P received many awards for his work:
- De Nieuwe Clercke-Pico Bello-prijs (1979)
- Cestoda-prijs (1986)
- Kees Stip-prijs (1986)
- Golden Harp (1991)
- Edison Award (1992)
- Tollens Prize (2000)
- Special charter of the Dutch Language Union (2009)
