Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. They have enjoyed decades-long mass appeal in Germany.
The band's name literally means "The Dead Trousers" in English, although the phrase "tote Hose" is a German expression meaning "impotent", "lifeless", "boring", or "nothing going on". A more idiomatic translation of the band's name might therefore be The Deadbeats.
The members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephen 'Vom' Ritchie), Andi (Andreas Meurer) and Breiti (Michael Breitkopf). Although most of the members are German, drummer Vom is actually from England and replaced Wölli as the drummer in 1999; Wölli's untimely departure from the band was due to injuries caused by a car accident. Wölli himself had replaced Trini in 1985, and is still an honorary member of the band; Trini became the band's manager when Wölli joined.
The band has existed for over 20 years, and their songs' focus gradually shifted from funny and nonsensical to serious; the songs from their first LP were mostly about having fun, but by the end of the 1980s they were focusing more on political and social issues such as racism.
Part of the folklore surrounding the band is the story that in their early days they played for free at private birthday parties or similar events. However, this was only under the condition that the host provided an unlimited beer supply and paid for all damages caused by the band.
Originally formed in: Germany / Düsseldorf / 1982
Current line-up:
Campino (Andreas Frege)
Andi (Andreas Meurer)
Breiti (Michael Breitkopf)
Kuddel (Andreas von Holst)
Vom (Stephen George Ritchie)