A multimedia jack-of-all-trades

He was born in Innsbruck, lived for decades in Neu-Götzens in the low mountain range and recently moved his residence to the neighboring Allgäu for love: Werner Schuchter. The trained lithographer and graphic artist is known in Tyrol as a kind of music-making 'Heimatdichter'. For 25 years he has been publishing the 'Dorfzeitung für das westliche Mittelgebirge und das Sellrain', which appears six times a year. He can therefore justifiably be called a multimedia jack-of-all-trades.

Even as a child, he says, drawing and music were his declared hobbies, and the guitar was always within reach. Artistic skills were to determine his future. Werner Schuchter learned the trade of a lithographer and graphic artist, worked in an advertising agency and managed a printing company for 15 years. He sang second bass in the male choir for 30 years. Variety and diversity are what characterize the life of the now 66-year-old.

Village newspaper and unemployment counselor

Two events shaped Werner Schuchter's life. When his wife succumbed to cancer in 1997, he sought an activity that could distract him. He founded the 'Dorfzeitung für das westliche Mittelgebirge und das Sellrain'. And when, at the age of 55, he was virtually 'rationalized away' as head of the printing department, he made a virtue out of necessity. During his six years of unemployment, Schuchter completed training as a breathing and relaxation coach, attended seminars in the energetic and shamanic fields, and attended healing seminars. Training as a recovery companion, caring for people with mental illness, followed.

With so much enthusiasm for learning, it was hardly surprising that the AMS offered him a job as a counselor for the long-term unemployed at the age of 61. "I was probably the only counselor in Austria who could show concrete personal experience of long-term unemployment," he says today with a laugh.

150 short stories put into rhyme

But Schuchter set himself a lasting 'monument' with the founding of the 'Dorfzeitung für das westliche Mittelgebirge und das Sellrain'. The newspaper, which is published six times a year, not only informs about village events, but also promotes them. "I had founded this newspaper more or less as a hobby. It sees itself less as a pure news organ, but as a newspaper that offers information in small stories," he explains. There's no murder and manslaughter, by the way; that would be far too negative for him.

The fact that he never saw himself as an editor soon made a new talent in him shine. At the time, many readers would have asked why he didn't write a book. So he sat down and wrote his first book, "Nur ein bisschen gelogen"(Just a Little Lie). While writing another book, he discovered by chance his ability to rhyme. And he did so in Tyrolean dialect. As a result, he wrote about 150 short stories in rhyme. Most of them inspire laughter and smiles, "since I want to please people," says Schuchter modestly.

Here is a small example:

Die Lesung im Weinkeller

A reading in the wine cellar! Who just thought of that?

What do you read when everyone is open and talking?

From all the tasting and tasting

some people are already quite dopey in the brain.

They talk nonsense, shout and sing,

hey, why should I tell them a story?

No one is listening.

"Fix Teifl noamol! Is there finally a peace?!

It was a stupid idea from the beginning

Here's my book, you can read the stories yourself."

And because he wanted to combine his various hobbies, Schuchter set his Tyrolean poems to music. He now recites them in a firm voice at his extremely popular events. "That's where my years of activity in the men's choir came in handy," he says today.

His start as a 'music-making and singing solo entertainer in Tyrolean dialect' was actually a folk music program on Radio Tirol, to which he had recited his poems. "That's when the idea came up to also perform my own music on my guitar during my readings." Storytelling alone now takes more of a back seat. He also combines the musical with various relaxation exercises and texts for reflection. He likes to garnish his evenings with relaxing fantasy journeys. "Which goes down very well with my guests," as he says.

Incidentally, such an evening will take place on March 16 from 5:30 p.m. in the Café 'Schauplats' in Axams with free admission.

About a year ago, love brought Werner Schuchter to the Allgäu. There he is now trying to gain a foothold as a musical author and storyteller, but above all as a relaxation coach and in the spiritual field.

He also enjoys a lot of time with his husky dog Akela, who came into his life almost three years ago, and he travels with her by sled or scooter. "It's not really working out yet," he says, "but it will."