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🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Reinhold Heil: “I’ve Been Making My Favorite Muesli Since 1984”

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Musician Reinhold Heil discusses his career, the origin of Spliff’s 1981 hit “Carbonara” and his unpublished 1996 album, released in summer 2026.
  • He says the song’s chorus originally featured the words “Hot sausages and a Coca-Cola” before becoming “Carbonara.”
  • Heil, who now lives in Barcelona, describes his weekend routine, favorite places and the year 1984, which he considers probably the most important year of his life.

Reinhold Heil says the chorus of “Carbonara,” the 1981 pop classic by his band Spliff, originally had nothing to do with Italian food. It began as “Hot sausages and a Coca-Cola,” he recalls, before taking on the words that became famous. “I still don't speak Italian,” he admits.

The musician appears on the weekend podcast “Und was machst du am Wochenende?” to discuss the song’s real story, his career and a muesli recipe he has kept for decades. Heil played in Nina Hagen’s band, produced major hits by Nena and composed the soundtrack for “Run Lola Run.” In summer 2026, he also released “The Electric Heidiland,” an album recorded in 1996 that had never previously appeared.

Born in Schlüchtern, Hesse, in 1954, Heil moved to West Berlin in the 1970s. He emigrated to California in 1997 and later lived in Hawaii and Florence. He now lives in Barcelona, although his American wife says she has had enough of moving.

Hot sausages and a Coca-Cola.

· Reinhold HeilHe says these were the original words of the chorus later known as “Carbonara.”

His weekend begins at 9 a.m. with coffee for his wife and his favorite homemade muesli, made with oats, almonds, hazelnuts, raisins, dried and fresh plums, plant milk and skyr. Later, he buys sourdough bread from Baluard Barceloneta. His favorite places include the Ohl gorge chicken farm near Schlüchtern, Café Espresso36 and the Devil’s Cave in Steinau.

Heil also recommends music, films, series, books and places to visit, including the soundtracks of “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” the Netflix series “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” and several novels. During the podcast, he explains why 1984 was probably the most important year of his life.

I still don't speak Italian.

· Reinhold HeilHe jokes about the Italian title and lyrics associated with the song.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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