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Bas Böttcher has been at the forefront of Germany's spoken-word poetry scene for more than a decade, and has gained worldwide popularity and critical acclaim. By way of an unusual metaphor, I show in this article how elements of a pluralistic postmodern aesthetic have held the key to Böttcher's significant commercial and literary success. Like the plays of his literary role model, Shakespeare, Böttcher's poetry represents what one critic has called a ''head-on collision between art and entertainment.'' He reduces the distance between artist and audience by means of a multilayered (double-coded) poetry that appeals on a variety of levels to a variety of audiences. Yet Böttcher seeks not only to close the gap between high and popular art, but also to dissolve any literary boundaries between perceived binary oppositions. Particularly in his recent Textbox project, Böttcher presents hybrid juxtapositions between word and image, sight and sound. His literary frame of reference crosses cultural and historical boundaries, while he neither adheres to the formal constraints of traditional lyric or the 4/4 rhythm of pop music nor does he resort to vers libre.Keywords Böttcher Á Double-coding Á Spoken-word poetry Á Pluralism verletzte Grenzen um Freiheit zu feiern (Böttcher 2006a, 23) In vieler Hinsicht verdankt der Bremer Bühnenpoet Bas Böttcher den sowohl kommerziellen als auch kritischen Erfolg seiner Texte Elementen einer postmodernen Ä sthetik. In Ü bereinstimmung mit dem pluralistischen Programm der Postmoderne strebt Böttcher in seiner lyrischen Produktion die Aufhebung von Unterscheidungen

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Willkommen im großen Karaoke, das wir Leben nennen": Bas Böttcher und die Kulissen des GlücksBas Böttcher is one of Germany's most popular and respected spoken-word poets. In 2010 alone, he combined numerous performances in German-speaking countries with international appearances in India, Namibia, Italy, Greece, France, Luxembourg, and Canada. Yet, ever since the advent of poetry slams in the late 1980s and the subsequent resurgence and commercialization of spoken-word poetry, opinion has been divided about this entertaining rediscovery of the inherent orality of poetry. One of the most frequently quoted assessments of performance poetry is Jonathan Galassi's description of it as a "kind of karaoke of the written word." One of Böttcher's own texts, entitled "Popopfer," welcomes the reader/listener into a space that is identified as the "groß[e] Karaoke, das wir Leben nennen." An analysis of other poems by Böttcher reveals a similar concern with themes of imitation and illusion. In "Alles in allem," Böttcher locates the individual in a cinema-like world reminiscent of Plato's cave, where the concept of illusion is central. Similarly, in "Dran glauben," illusion is identified as not only a key characteristic of our consumer-driven society, but also a factor necessary for the maintenance of happiness. This article traces Böttcher's exploration of the related themes of imitation, authenticity, illusion, and happiness and thus provides a response to Galassi's criticism of performance poetry.