Comedian Marco Rima: "Not everyone has to find me funny"

Insa new program "Just for Fun", comedian Marco Rima (55) will be presenting the best of his 37-year comedy career from next week.Time for a look back.

You first appeared on stage as a comedian 37 years ago. What's different today?
MarcoRima:Entertainment is no longer a disgrace today. It was different in the socially critical environment of the early eighties. When I performed with Marcello Weber as the Marcocello duo, we were seen as fools who had founded "suckerism". Back then, people only knew about political cabaret, so we didn't necessarily have the feuilleton on our side and didn't win prizes like the Salzburger Stier. Today, comedy is recognized as an integral part of the cultural scene.

But you also have more comedy competition today. Is the bar higher today? Do you have to reinvent yourself to stay in the business?
Trying to perform like my younger colleagues would be the stupidest thing I could do. People only buy comedy, humor and acting if you are truthful, honest and authentic. Of course, my audience is getting smaller because my topics are also changing. The older you get, the more you talk about things that are perhaps less entertaining, but which contain more observations and experiences - footnotes from life. I don't want to reinvent myself, but show what's on my mind at the moment.