Halle  - Rolf Becker is a native of the eastern German city of Halle, a tireless organ grinder and no stranger to headlines.

Before the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, he had made headlines on both sides of the Wall for gaining entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for the world's longest non-stop session playing a barrel organ.

But it turns out that he was no stranger to headlines for other reasons as well.

In the fall of 1989, as protests against the East German Communist government swelled in the city of Leipzig, starting on September 4 and growing stronger every succeeding Monday, Becker was one of a score of East Germans who made sure the story got out to the rest of the world.

It's no stretch to say that Becker, now 62 and with a shock of white hair, played a key role in bringing down the country's Communist regime with his energy and resourcefulness.

"After a Monday demo in Leipzig, I'd put my barrel organ in the Trabi, go to a quiet telephone booth and call the East Berlin office of the German Press Agency (dpa)," said Becker, referring to the standard car of East Germany as he reminisced recently at his home.

In the autumn of 1989, many East German dissidents, members of the country's Protestant Church and other courageous citizens informed Western media - via telephone calls, photographs and amateur films - - of the mass "Monday demonstrations" that began in Leipzig and spread to other East German cities.

The demonstrators' demands for democracy and the freedom to travel abroad, and their protests against the Stasi - East Germany's secret police - and Communist leadership, were thus disseminated around the world. This is said to have driven Erich Mielke, who headed East Germany's Ministry for State Security (MfS), to fits of rage.

The Stasi had the power to keep cars carrying Western journalists from reaching Leipzig. It could not, however, cut off all evening rail and road traffic - to say nothing of telephone communication - from Leipzig to Berlin.

Nor could it stop its citizens' talent for improvisation. Those unable to get through on a particular telephone, for example, called friends nearby, who took over as news couriers. And, if necessary, those wanting to film the demonstrations climbed over courtyard walls and went through back doors of adjacent buildings whose front sides were free of Stasi informers.

"No matter if the Stasi eavesdropped on us or tailed us, it didn't do them any good any more. They were overwhelmed," remarked Becker, who previously worked as a traffic engineer in Halle. "They choked on their countless reports and stacks of documents."

With an amused smile, he pulls out a bundle of old Stasi documents.

One, dated February 22, 1985, said, "Fictitious employment of R Becker resident Halle, Wienerstrasse 06." Another quoted the recalcitrant Becker as saying, "I'm an artist but the stupid city council demands that I furnish proof of proper employment."

Becker was interrogated and arrested often by the Stasi. Annette, his daughter, recalled, "The Stasi even searched my satchel when I was 10."

With his bowler, black swallow-tailed coat, red neckerchief and barrel organ, Becker occupied a niche as a humorously critical solo and cabaret artist. He earned popular acclaim - and also distrust from Mielke and his minions. Engineering work did not satisfy him.

"As Rolf the Organ Grinder, it was always a balancing act," he said. "My notoriety, mainly because of my many world records in continuous organ-grinding in the Guinness book, was certainly an advantage."

Becker rummaged some more in the box and pulled out a November 8, 1989 issue of the Main-Post, a newspaper published in the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg.

The wave of East German protests was then at its peak, but no one had an inkling the Berlin Wall would be opened the next day. Two days earlier, Becker had travelled from Saxony to what was then Czechoslovakia and was surprised at how easily he crossed the border into Bavaria.

"Now that something's happening, I can't simply run away," Becker is quoted on Page 1 as saying, explaining he wanted to return quickly to East Germany.

Since the Wall's fall, Becker has made media waves worldwide as a globetrotting performance artist known for his attachment to Trabis. CNN, the BBC, and Hong Kong's The Standard newspaper are among those that have done reports on Becker's tours.

His extensive travels also take him to many poor countries with his barrel organ, Trabis and usually cheques and pledges from sponsors and social organizations.

His encounters with so many people from so many different backgrounds have been personally rewarding, Becker said. They have brought him "respect, education, understanding and friendships."

And with that, he doffed his bowler, climbed into his 26- horsepower Trabi and putt-putted off. (dpa)