In 1977, he earned his doctorate with his thesis "Rolling Words – The Poetry of Rock: Texts of Anglo-American Popular Music."

[1] Additionally, he has realized various music projects as a rock musician and composer, including his band Bad News Reunion and the LP "Götz George Reads Charles Bukowski" (1978).

From 1995 to 1998, alongside his role as a music editor and presenter, Urban also served as the station voice of NDR 2.

[4] From 1997 to 2023, he provided commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest on German television, with the exception of 2009 for health reasons.

In 2011, he was a member of the jury for the Live Entertainment Award, and in 2012, he served as a juror at the Jewrovision in Munich.