From The Court To The Stage
Claudio Hassler didn’t start playing squash until he was 35, but went on to become a multiple Masters champion. Late starts are something of a speciality for him, as his pop music career didn’t start until he hit his 70s!
Claudio, who hails from Chur in Switzerland, still competes on the European Masters circuit at the age of 77. He is a five-time Swiss Masters champion and former gold medal winner at the European Masters Games.
Earlier this year, he finished runner-up in the Swedish Masters but chuckles that there’s sometimes “not enough players my age still around to give me a game!”
It’s fair to say that Claudio is enjoying something of an Indian summer off the squash court too. In 2019, his brother Hans and his nephews Aurel and Moritz formed a band, Stubete Gäng, that played a somewhat unique blend of folk and hip hop, with humorous lyrics full of cheeky double entendres.
Aurel and Moritz asked their uncle Claudio to play the accordion during a couple of recording sessions. Later, they were performing at an open air concert and their regular accordion player was ill. Claudio was again asked to step in.
“It was like when you throw a child into the water, they either sink or they swim,” said Claudio. “But I was over 70, and this concert was to 8000 people!
“I said to my brother, ‘If they whistle when I come on stage, I’ll just walk off, no problem.’ But they didn’t. I found that I absolutely loved it.”
Quite unexpectedly, the band hit the big time, soaring to fame in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and beyond.
Stubete Gäng (which roughly translates as ‘living room group’) have played over 400 concerts in four countries, have achieved three gold and one platinum-selling records, have won two prizes at the Swiss Music Awards and two prestigious Prix Walos.
Swiss hard rock band Gotthard covered one of their songs, which Claudio says acted like ‘an explosion’ for Stubete Gäng’s popularity. “In our audience we have children, adults and older people like me, so it’s a real mixture of people — that’s quite a wonderful thing,” he says.
“People love our music because the words are funny. One of our most popular songs is called ‘Oben Ohne’ which has a double meaning, but basically means ‘topless’. We don’t do love songs. People laugh as well as dance.
“The last few years have been quite amazing. I never would have believed I would have this experience at my age. Normally people’s careers end at 70, but mine started!”
His squash career is still going too, even if he is running out of opponents! For the last 10 years, he has been director of the European Squash Federation’s Masters committee and helps organise the calendar and age-group rankings.
Claudio, who was a gymnastics, athletics and floorball coach (and former national trainer for track & field in Columbia), discovered squash aged 35 in 1974.
“We only had two courts in Switzerland back then, but I was fascinated,” he says. “Most of the players were ex-pats from the UK, Pakistan, Egypt and Australia.” But the locals joined the scene during the squash explosion of that era and Claudio soon became immersed in leagues and Masters tournaments.
“I loved it very much and still do,” he says. “The European Masters circuit is just fantastic. The players meet, have a good time, play squash and see some amazing cities. I thought I would spend a gentle retirement doing this… then my other career started!”
