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The Eunuchs of Munich originally formed in 1969, as Der Osten Ist Rot, in the East German city of Magdeburg. The lineup began as Jurgen Bartsch-lead drums, Alex von Humboldt-baritone, Ernst Roehm-guitar, Havelock Ellis-bass, and Gunther Czukay-sax. All were under 12 years old, with the exception of Czukay who was 29 at the time.

After their parents were arrested and and their entire extended families jailed, or sent to the Gulags, for their having formed a band, the boys escaped to the west by mailing themselves inside boxes labeled "cuckoo clocks" to a department store in Munich. Gunther Czukay remained behind, having been fired for stealing Jurgen's collection of Nazi porn. He later became a guard on the Berlin Wall.

Once in Munich, they survived by living amongst the dumpsters behind Klimpt’s department store. They made spare change busking on street corners, and in the Metro, singing Mowtown hits in German,. Alex found work as an apprentice piano tuner. Ernst found employment performing abortions in a brothel near the airport, where he was soon joined by Ellis, whose special talents at pickpocketing came in handy. Here they met up with Dr. Otto Lederhosen, who mentored the boys, buying them musical equipment in exchange for their participation in medical research, concerning sleep deprivation and massive doses of LSD. They managed to find time to rehearse, putting together a set which would become their first album, "Schtupkoff". A big break came in 1971 with their inclusion at the Schadenfreude festival, however, tragedy struck as a printing error on a bill that included Can, Neu!, and Amon Duul changed their name to The Eunuchs From Munich, which although they despised, stuck.

It has been rumored that the "error" was a prank perpetrated by Holger Czukay*, co-founder of Can, and older brother of Gunther, who was bitter about his sacking and the fact that the porn had been so boring. That show, at the Ratskeller, was to go down in history as one of the most important in Rock history, and the night that "Kraut Rock" was born. Music journalist Helmut Polisher, writing for Der Spiegel, and trying not to compare it to Hitler's rally at Nuremburg, wrote, “ The odd mix of hippies and anarchists stood up, fists raised, and cheering, as The Eunuchs form Munich proved they really have balls. Kraut Rock is destined for world domination”. And the rest, as they say, is History. The Eunuchs From Munich have gone on to be one of the best loved bands in Germany, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia with their rich blend of stoner metal, free Jazz, and more recently illbient noisescapes.

* Der Osten Ist Rot is the title of a Holger Czukay album released, German import only, in 1984. Obviously he was making reference to the Eunuchs from Munich and the “printing error” of 1971. Also, by 1975, Can’s best work began to resemble The Eunuch’s in more ways than one.