Roman Sörgel

Roman Sörgel, born in Nuremberg in 1966, performed as Bembers, a stage name taken from the Franconian word for Pampers. The broad Franconian dialect was the heart of the act, paired with a humour that did not mind being crude. He had played guitar since his youth and studied graphic design, and in 1998 he co-founded the Nuremberg dialect-comedy band Wassd scho? Bassd scho!, singing on its records and playing mostly regional dates.

The solo character took off online around 2011, when his videos drew a large YouTube following. Offers for solo shows came after that, first in small rooms and halls, then at big festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Summer Breeze, and on the Full Metal Cruise. He also fronted a band under the Bembers name, which put out a single and an album.

Bavarian public television gave him regular airtime. Between 2012 and 2017 he appeared on Kabarett aus Franken, and in August 2016 BR launched his own programme, Bembers Rock-and-Roll-Garage. He had a part in the film Macho Man 2 and turned up in an episode of Tatort. He withdrew from public life in September 2022, before the planned premiere of his programme Voll unterwegs, and died in January 2023.