The kids don’t run, they float in chairs,
With VR pets and pixel stares.
Recess now is ranked online,
And hopscotch got replaced by "Grind XP+9".

It’s so easy to die,
When you stop being alive.
When your thoughts are streamed and pre-approved,
And every word is auto-moved.
Why read a book or draw a line,
When AI paints and plots just fine?
It’s so easy to die—
Just lean back and comply.

No more guitars, no dancing feet,
The bots perform, and always beat.
Diabetes hums like static buzz,
And no one asks the reason—just because.

It’s so easy to die,
When you stop being alive.
The mind’s outsourced, the body's still,
Fed by pills and Dopamine will.
Why make, or move, or feel, or try,
When machines just do it better, their way?
It’s so easy to die!

We built the future not to dream,
But to avoid one single scream—
The sound of effort, fear, or pain,
Now gently silenced in the rain.
And in this padded, glowing cage,
We scroll ourselves out of the age.

It’s so easy to die,
When you stop being alive.
No thoughts to think, no hills to climb,
No messy love, no loss, no time.
It’s so easy to die—
So sweet, so soft, so sly.
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye…

We let the machine decide!

—
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Ozone 11, Sound Studio, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

So Easy To Die (When You Stop Being Alive)

To make your music go viral among audiences, you need to combine great music with smart, audience-focused strategy

"Redder" is a palindrome. Like "racecar" or "level". These pieces of music ain't.

My name is Volker Redder, online I go by "docredder." It all came about because I studied biology and computer science for a long time and received my doctorate as the crowning achievement of my academic career.
As a child, I sang Bach in the church's „Knabenchor Unser Lieben Frauen“ because my mother thought it was good for my soul. And it was, until, thanks to an excellent teacher, I realized that music is like mathematics. After that, I loved not only music but also mathematics and all sciences based on mathematics: physics, biology, chemistry, computer science. So, I went straight into the natural sciences and engineering. Yes, I studied a lot. However, a university career wasn't for me. I wanted to monetize the findings of the various sciences (you can't live on air and love alone) and founded over a dozen companies. Because who wants life to follow a clear formula? I certainly didn't. In addition to adventurous entrepreneurship, the subsequent career in politics (German Bundestag), and a growing family, I was constantly picking up the guitar or keyboard, which is what you do when you want to escape the chaos of everyday life.
Should I say I'm a virtuoso? No. That would be a lie. I'm just too lazy for that. Laziness, or in modern parlance, "efficiency," is a principle for me. And so I founded my "own studio," consisting of a lot of electronics and software. The hipsters call it DIY. I call it "not wanting to act like a big shot and book expensive recording studios." I'm a one-man orchestra, a chef-d'oeuvre who spends all day producing pop, rock, indie, and ambient mishmash until he finally finds it he likes. My menu? Pink Floyd, Genesis, Supertramp, Muse, Zappa, Miles Davis, and many more. Yes, all at once. I told you: mishmash.
There are guys who write music to become famous. Then there's me. I write music to keep myself from going crazy. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes there's melancholy in it, sometimes it's stories from literature or something sci-fi. Or from Tinder dates my daughters have told me. I mean, who hasn't wondered what "being in Tinder light" is? Exactly. I wrote it down. I use everything I can get my hands on: GarageBand, samples, my voice, AI voices, Udio, VirtualDJ, everything! I don't care if purists say it's no longer art. It doesn't matter, the main thing is that my music feels like a window you can look out of and discover something new again and again.
Every song becomes a little adventure. Sometimes I start with a line, sometimes with a feeling I can't shake. It's like an escape from reality, except in the end, there's no escape. And that's a good thing. This is how I stay grounded. Okay, grounded isn't the right word either. Let me put it this way: I've stayed true to myself. And I'm grateful for everyone who listens, shares, or comments.
It makes me feel like I'm not completely alone in this madness. So if you also like songs that don't follow the rules, I'd be happy if you joined in. After all, the world is crazy enough.
You have to fight that with music. I mean, that's logical, right?

Ein- bis zweimal pro Monat reden hier zwei Klugscheißer (und manchmal auch alleine mit der KI oder mit Gästen), über Bremer und bundesrepublikanische Politik, und dokumentieren, wie wir unseren Alltag durch vermehrte Nutzung künstlicher Intelligenz versuchen zu verbessern. Und „was macht eigentlich die Politik?“ ist einer der roten Fäden, die sich durch diesen, nicht immer politisch-korrekten, Podcast durchziehen.