Bennie Jolink “oerendtrots” dialect rock makes heritage list

Rock music sung in local dialects has become a candidate for inclusion on the inventory of Dutch immaterial heritage put together by heritage organisation KIEN.

The style is best exemplified by Normaal, a band from the Achterhoek in Drenthe, whose fans, or Anhangerschap, asked for its inclusion in the list.

Lead singer Bennie Jolink (79) told local media he was “oerendtrots” about the listing, in a reference to Normaal’s first and biggest hit Oerend Hard – horrendously fast – about two motorcyclists who bike too fast.

“It is an honour that something that originated spontaneously but very fanatically on our part 50years ago is now officially part of our cultural heritage. And it’s nice to be recognised as a bit more than that band that had a bit of success,” he told local broadcaster Omroep Gelderland.

Normaal are generally regarded as the inventors of “dialect rock”. The band also played a part in the emancipation of the countryside and, according to the fan club, made “boer”, which is often used in the derogatory sense as meaning lout, into something to be proud of.

“Normaal has always tried to be the voice of the countryside by singing about more than I love you stuff,” Jolink said earlier.

Singer René Siertema of Groningen dialect band Trap Aan! said he was pleased because dialects matter. “It is important they are passed on to new generations. They are part of people’s identity,” he told RTV Noord.

Dialect Rock is one of 60 candidates for the list, along with the pear auction in Burgh-Haamstede in Zeeland, Indonesian snack rujak, the Oerol festival in Terschelling and brown cafes.

If the band is added to the Dutch list, it will find itself in the company of the Indonesian rijsttafel, flower parades, the Rotterdam summer carnival and Gouda cheese.