EXBERLINER Issue 153, October 2016
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Berlin in English since 2002<br />
<strong>153</strong><br />
€3.90 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.exberliner.com<br />
TRUMP<br />
Yes, there are Republicans here<br />
– and they’re thinking about<br />
choosing the “lesser evil”. pg.8<br />
SECRETS<br />
A Floridian comes to Berlin and<br />
finds out the truth about why his<br />
grandpa fl ed Nazi Germany. pg.20<br />
BLUES<br />
Singer Eb Davis on what it was<br />
like being a “blues ambassador”<br />
behind the Wall. pg.26<br />
Election<br />
Quiz <strong>2016</strong><br />
How well do you know<br />
the US presidential<br />
candidates? pg.6<br />
The Amis left 22 years<br />
ago... but thanks to army<br />
brats, redneck bars and<br />
expat burger flippers, US<br />
presence is alive and kicking.<br />
And with the election<br />
looming, Berliners have<br />
America on the brain.
Martin-Gropius-Bau Berliner Festspiele<br />
16 September <strong>2016</strong> – 9 January 2017<br />
Pina Bausch and<br />
the Dance Theatre<br />
Organizer: An exhibition of the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik<br />
Deutschland, Bonn. In cooperation with the Pina Bausch Foundation, Wuppertal.<br />
# PinaBausch<br />
Pina Bausch tanzt ein Solo in Danzón (Ausschnitt), Fotografie © Jochen Viehoff<br />
30 September <strong>2016</strong> – 8 January 2017<br />
+ultra.<br />
knowledge & gestaltung<br />
Organizer: Cluster of Excellence »Image Knowledge Gestaltung. An Interdisciplinary<br />
Laboratory«. Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft<br />
(DFG) and the foundation Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin (DKLB).<br />
Curator: Nikola Doll in collaboration with Katharina Lee Chichester<br />
# plusultraMGB<br />
David Georges Emmerich: Structure autotendante © Collection FRAC Centre, Orlé ans /<br />
Photographie: Franç ois Lauginie<br />
8 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong> – 9 January 2017<br />
The British View:<br />
Germany –<br />
Memories of a Nation<br />
Organizer: Berliner Festspiele / Martin-Gropius-Bau. An exhibition of the<br />
British Museum accompanied by a book of Neil MacGregor. Made possible<br />
by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media. With kind<br />
support of the The German Historical Museum. Curator: Barrie Cook<br />
# ErinnerungenEinerNation<br />
Gerhard Richter, Betty (Edition 23/25), 1991, Offsetdruck auf Karton, 97,1 × 66,2 cm. Sammlung Olbricht,<br />
© Atelier Gerhard Richter<br />
21 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong> – 15 January 2017<br />
Building with Timber –<br />
Paths into the Future<br />
Organizer: Technische Universität München. An exhibition of the Associate<br />
Professorship of Architectural Design and Timber Construction and the<br />
Architekturmuseum der Technischen Universität München in cooperation<br />
with Deutsches Architektur Zentrum DAZ, supported by the German<br />
Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), the German Wood Council<br />
(DHWR), the German Association of Housing Enterprises and Housing<br />
Cooperatives (GdW) and proHolz Bavaria.<br />
# BauenmitHolzMGB<br />
© Gassner Redolfi KG<br />
Berliner Festspiele<br />
Martin-Gropius-Bau<br />
Niederkirchnerstraße 7, 10963 Berlin<br />
T +49 30 254 86 0<br />
Wed – Mon 10am – 7pm, closed Tue<br />
Online-tickets: www.gropiusbau.de<br />
www.gropiusbau.de
CONTENTS<br />
Exberliner <strong>153</strong> – <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Special: America<br />
06<br />
Quiz: Test your US election smarts!<br />
Which candidate said what?<br />
The answers may surprise you!<br />
08<br />
Berliners for Trump?<br />
Yes, there are real, live Republicans<br />
in Berlin, and they’ve got mixed<br />
opinions about The Donald<br />
10<br />
The angry Americans<br />
Two generations of expats voice<br />
their dissidence<br />
12<br />
The new old guard<br />
Burgers, TV and rock ‘n’ roll:<br />
The Amis who’ve changed Berlin’s<br />
cultural landscape<br />
14<br />
An American atlas<br />
From the old American sector<br />
to New York bagels, mapping<br />
US influence in Berlin<br />
16<br />
Berlin’s army brats<br />
Meet the soldiers’ kids who grew up<br />
in a West Berlin American bubble<br />
18<br />
The last cowboy in Reinickendorf<br />
Where have all the German<br />
Americana fanatics gone? A line<br />
dancing cultural expedition<br />
20<br />
Grandpa’s secret history<br />
An American comes to Berlin<br />
to discover the real reason his<br />
grandfather left<br />
Regulars<br />
03<br />
Werner’s political notebook<br />
Populism isn’t that popular<br />
04<br />
Best of Berlin A planetarium<br />
makeover, a Deutschrap bar,<br />
cheap operas and Kotti coffee<br />
23<br />
NEW! Page 23 Girl<br />
Activist Kimberly Emerson on<br />
blue skies, books and Berghain<br />
50<br />
Start-ups Apps that help you work<br />
differently and N26’s growing pains<br />
53<br />
The gay Berliner Walter Crasshole<br />
writes a letter to queer Touris<br />
54<br />
Berlin bites American meat<br />
and Dandy Diner’s vegan grub<br />
56<br />
Comic Ulli Lust:<br />
Friends of Germany<br />
57<br />
Ask Hans-Torsten<br />
Voting and the Bürgeramt<br />
58<br />
Ask Dr. Dot Your Berlin<br />
sex questions answered<br />
59<br />
Save Berlin When private<br />
art bunkers go public<br />
What’s on<br />
26 Interview EB Davis of<br />
How Berlin Got the Blues<br />
28 .............................. Film<br />
32 ........................... Music<br />
36 ................................. Art<br />
40 ............................ Stage<br />
44 Events calendar<br />
46 The Berlin Guide<br />
LOFT.DE<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/LOFTCONCERTS<br />
DUB FX<br />
19.10. HUXLEYS<br />
WARHAUS<br />
19.10. PBHFCLUB<br />
OH PEP!<br />
19.10. PRIVATCLUB<br />
OKTA LOGUE<br />
24.10. LIDO<br />
BIFFY CLYRO<br />
24.10. MAX-SCHMELING-HALLE<br />
BREATHE ATLANTIS<br />
25.10. MUSIK & FRIEDEN<br />
THE CAT EMPIRE<br />
27.10. COLUMBIAHALLE<br />
LLOYD COLE<br />
27.10. HEIMATHAFEN<br />
DIGITALISM<br />
29.10. GRETCHEN<br />
THE LION & THE WOLF<br />
30.10. MONARCH<br />
WARPAINT<br />
1.11. ASTRA<br />
JOHN MORELAND<br />
3.11. KANTINE AM BERGHAIN<br />
TICKETS: KOKA36(.DE)<br />
BOOKA SHADE<br />
4.11. HEIMATHAFEN<br />
MARIAN HILL<br />
5.11. KANTINE AM BERGHAIN<br />
BLAUDZUN<br />
6.11. MUSIK & FRIEDEN<br />
QUILT<br />
9.11. AUSTER-CLUB<br />
HANNAH GEORGAS<br />
9.11. MUSIK & FRIEDEN<br />
JPNSGRLS<br />
9.11. BADEHAUS<br />
MUTUAL BENEFIT<br />
12.11. BADEHAUS<br />
HOW TO DRESS WELL<br />
16.11 GRETCHEN<br />
ROYAL REPUBLIC<br />
25.11. COLUMBIAHALLE<br />
DANIEL LIONEYE<br />
2.12. MUSIK & FRIEDEN<br />
ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES<br />
17.1. COLUMBIA THEATER<br />
THE FLAMING LIPS<br />
24.1. COLUMBIAHALLE<br />
Exhibition<br />
23.09.<strong>2016</strong> – 29.01.2017<br />
JUNE <strong>2016</strong> 1<br />
Daily 10am – 8pm, Mondays 10am – 10pm jmberlin.de/golem/en<br />
Design: Cee Cee Creative / Bild: Courtesy Joachim Seinfeld / Jewish Museum in Prague
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Berlin in English since 2002<br />
TRUMP<br />
Yes, there are Republicans here<br />
– and they’re thinking about<br />
choosing the “lesser evil”. pg.8<br />
SECRETS<br />
A Floridian comes to Berlin and<br />
finds out the truth about why his<br />
grandpa fl ed Nazi Germany. pg.20<br />
€3.90 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.exberliner.com<br />
BLUES<br />
Singer Eb Davis on what it was<br />
like being a “blues ambassador”<br />
behind the Wall. pg.26<br />
COLUMN— Political Notebook<br />
Election<br />
Quiz <strong>2016</strong><br />
<strong>153</strong><br />
How we l do you know<br />
the US presidential<br />
candidates? pg.6<br />
Populism isn’t that popular<br />
Konrad Werner explains German politics.<br />
This month: Why is the AfD winning?<br />
The Amis left 22 years<br />
ago... but thanks to army<br />
brats, redneck bars and<br />
expat burger flippers, US<br />
presence is alive and kicking.<br />
And with the election<br />
looming, Berliners have<br />
America on the brain.<br />
Editor-in-chief<br />
Nadja Vancauwenberghe<br />
Deputy editor<br />
Rachel Glassberg<br />
Web editor<br />
Walter Crasshole<br />
Film<br />
Paul O’Callaghan<br />
Music<br />
Michael Hoh<br />
Art director<br />
Stuart Bell<br />
U1 Cover <strong>153</strong>.indd 3 23/09/16 00:14<br />
Cover illustration by<br />
Agata Juszczak<br />
Publishers<br />
Maurice Frank<br />
Nadja Vancauwenberghe<br />
Ioana Veleanu<br />
Editorial<br />
Design<br />
Art<br />
Amanda Ribas Tugwell<br />
Stage<br />
Lily Kelting<br />
Food<br />
Françoise Poilâne<br />
Start-ups<br />
Sophie Atkinson<br />
Feature / Politics<br />
Ruth Schneider<br />
Graphic design<br />
Maria Runarsdottir<br />
This month’s contributors<br />
Dani Arbid, Victoria Barnes, Tom Cox, Dyllan<br />
Furness, Anna Gyulai Gaal, Jean-Michel Hauteville,<br />
Ava Johnson, Julyssa Lopez, Kaya Payseno, Kate<br />
Richards. Photography: Karolina Spolniewski, Maria<br />
Runarsdottir, Erica Löfman. Illustration: Catherine<br />
Franck, Ulli Lust, Agata Sasiuk.<br />
Ad sales / Marketing<br />
Maurice Frank (business manager)<br />
Bettina Hajanti (sales)<br />
To discuss advertising please contact us:<br />
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Icons from flaticon.com<br />
Germany has had five state elections<br />
this year and, since our media is a fevered<br />
gaggle of click-merchants, each<br />
one has been reported as a catastrophe for<br />
Angela Merkel: the German people’s angry<br />
verdict on the chancellor’s refugee policy.<br />
The reason why reporters reported this is<br />
mainly because the losing candidates fielded<br />
by her party, the Christian Democratic<br />
Union (CDU), went round to<br />
any hack that would listen and<br />
told them that this was why<br />
they lost.<br />
Lorenz Caffier in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,<br />
Julia<br />
Klöckner in Rheinland-Palatine,<br />
and then Frank Henkel in Berlin<br />
all ran “we’re-not-Merkel”<br />
campaigns that featured talk of<br />
burqa bans and “upper limits”<br />
on asylum seekers and ended up STILL<br />
losing voters to the far-right Alternative<br />
für Deutschland party. A moderate exception<br />
was Reiner Haseloff, the state premier<br />
of Sachsen-Anhalt, who led the CDU to a<br />
smaller loss of votes and was re-elected.<br />
Even though the AfD is deciding what politics<br />
is in Germany at the moment (helped<br />
by the media’s obsession with one particular<br />
minority group), when the big government<br />
parties pretend they’re protest parties –<br />
banging and blaming and coming up with<br />
pointless policies like banning burqas – it<br />
only helps the AfD. No voter wants Diet<br />
Coke when they can get Fat Coke.<br />
The truth is, though, that Germany’s “refugee<br />
policy” is actually the most restrictive<br />
it could be under the constitution, whose<br />
Article 16a guarantees the right of asylum<br />
to anyone under political persecution. The<br />
populist-right talk about imposing an “upper<br />
limit” on asylum seekers is – as every single<br />
one of the politicians who keep demanding<br />
it knows – unconstitutional. So the next<br />
best thing, which Merkel has already done, is<br />
extend the list of “safe countries of origin”.<br />
That legal amendment, made in 1993, made<br />
it easier to speed up asylum applications and<br />
keep large groups of people out, and thanks<br />
to Merkel’s supposedly pro-refugee government,<br />
it’s a list that is now longer<br />
than ever – including all of<br />
the Balkan countries and soon<br />
Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.<br />
Meanwhile, the government<br />
continues to bring in regulations<br />
that will hinder integration – it<br />
is now almost impossible to<br />
bring spouses and children here,<br />
refugees have to help pay for<br />
their own integration courses<br />
and cash allowances have been replaced<br />
by food tokens. You think finding a flat in<br />
Berlin is hard? Try finding a flat, then telling<br />
the landlord they will have to wait four to<br />
six weeks while a local authority processes<br />
your application to move from your statedesignated<br />
home.<br />
In other words, even if the AfD won a<br />
massive 40-percent-plus victory in all the<br />
states in Germany and then went on to<br />
take over the federal government in next<br />
year’s general election, they would find<br />
that Merkel has already imposed most of<br />
the changes they would. The rest is noise,<br />
because what “populist” voters are actually<br />
voting for is a political “fuck you”. It’s a<br />
good feeling for isolated, riled-up people in<br />
Meck-Pom or Sachsen-Anhalt, but it doesn’t<br />
have much to do with making laws to administer<br />
problems more easily. Or running the<br />
country, as it’s also known. n<br />
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BEST OF BERLIN — <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
BY THE <strong>EXBERLINER</strong><br />
EDITORIAL TEAM<br />
Cafés<br />
BEST KOTTI<br />
COFFEE<br />
Kottbusser Tor – yes, Berlin’s<br />
most hyped crime hotspot – is<br />
now gaining an improbable<br />
rep as a coffee hub. Just in the past<br />
several months, two shiny new cafés<br />
have opened in courtyards off the scuzzy<br />
main drag of Adalbertstraße. First, a<br />
second branch of decade-old Penzlauer<br />
Berg caffeine scene staple BONANZA.<br />
It’s a bigger, grander location: less neighbourhood<br />
hang, more coffee temple.<br />
Here, refurbished vintage roasters lightly<br />
toast the (ethically sourced) beans for<br />
both cafés (and all the other businesses<br />
around town that sell Bonanza coffee),<br />
giving them that acidic, fruity flavour<br />
profile we’ve come to expect, like in the<br />
€5 bottomless drip. But Bonanza looks<br />
positively antiquated next to THE VISIT<br />
(photo), a newbie roaster down the<br />
street opened by Berliner Cihan Kocak<br />
(also of Mitte coffee shop The Refinery)<br />
and Polish Bonanza alumnus Damian<br />
Durda. Picture an Apple store dedicated<br />
to coffee: polished, white, filled with<br />
futuristic gizmos that gauge the colour<br />
of each roast and help conduct water<br />
through grounds in a million different<br />
ways. The speciality here is “nitro coffee”:<br />
cold-brew coffee treated with nitrogen<br />
and served out of a tap. The result is a<br />
Guinness-like concoction, refreshing and<br />
creamy whether served black or white.<br />
At €3.50 it isn’t exactly cheap, but then<br />
again, caffeine’s still the least expensive<br />
drug sold in the area. — KP<br />
Bonanza Kreuzberg Adalbertstr. 70,<br />
Kreuzberg, Mon-Fri 9-17, Sat-Sun 10-17<br />
The Visit Adalbertstr. 9, Kreuzberg,<br />
Mon-Sun 8-20<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
Frank-Michael Arndt<br />
Science<br />
BEST TREK TO THE STARS<br />
At the newly renovated ZEISS<br />
PLANETARIUM, every show<br />
begins with a rousing overture<br />
of classical music as the moon rises<br />
and sets in a field of 3500 stars. These<br />
stars are really just small streams of<br />
light projected onto a giant, 23-metre<br />
dome, but as you recline your seat and<br />
stare at the simulated sky, you start<br />
wondering: Why are we here? Are we<br />
alone in the universe? And, if you don’t<br />
speak German: What the hell are they<br />
saying? Yes, the two-year, €12.8 million<br />
makeover of the futuristic, GDR-era<br />
sphere on Prenzlauer Allee included a<br />
metal screen laser-perforated to form<br />
a perfect dome and a state-of-the-art<br />
HD projector to display the stars that<br />
were previously poked out by hand,<br />
but no English subtitles. An app with<br />
simultaneous translation should be<br />
available this month, so bring your cell<br />
fully charged and a pair of headphones.<br />
Or skip the comprehensive galaxy tour<br />
(€8/6 reduced) for the rockin’ laser<br />
show “Queen Heaven” (€9.50/7.50).<br />
With a movie theatre and restaurant<br />
(menu by “star chef” Tim Raue) to<br />
open this winter, the latest incarnation<br />
of the planetarium hopes to be more<br />
of a cultural centre than a grade school<br />
field trip destination – maybe even a<br />
place you’d bring a date. Which might<br />
be why the new credo is “to teach AND<br />
entertain”, although we’re still unsure<br />
of how Queen fulfils either. — KP<br />
Zeiss-Großplanetarium<br />
Prenzlauer Allee 80, Prenzlauer Berg,<br />
programme at stdb.de<br />
4 <strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
BEST OF BERLIN — <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Teen fun<br />
BEST DEUTSCH-<br />
RAP BAR<br />
If you’re a German aged 16-20 looking to<br />
piss off your parents, you’ll be happy to<br />
hear TRAILERPARK has their own bar in<br />
Berlin. The six-year-old rap label and supergroup<br />
has made a name for itself through<br />
profanity (last single: “Dicks Sucken”),<br />
misogyny and bodily-fluid-filled live shows.<br />
Surprisingly, though, you won’t experience<br />
much of this at the Friedrichshain hangout<br />
and merch shop opened in August at the<br />
behest of Berlin-based member Sebastian<br />
“Basti” Krug. The crowd on our visit was<br />
half female and hardly the types you’d<br />
imagine singing along to lyrics like “If your<br />
girlfriend wants to fuck me, I’ll buy her.”<br />
The vibe might be different when the band<br />
and their labelmates visit for autograph<br />
signings or listening parties, but on most<br />
other nights it’s a chill enough space where<br />
you can drink Warsteiner (€2.60/0.3L)<br />
under blown-up portraits of the band on a<br />
boat, or smoke in a cosy back room boasting<br />
a video projector and bass-heavy sound<br />
system. No fancy drinks here, though they<br />
make a pretty great Moscow Mule for €5.50<br />
(as unhesitatingly proffered when we asked<br />
about the Deutschrap equivalent of “gin and<br />
juice”). But let’s face it, if you’re old enough<br />
to be discerning about your alcohol, you’ve<br />
already aged out of Trailerpark’s target<br />
audience. — AJ<br />
Trailerpark Bar and Shop<br />
Boxhagener Str. 19-20, Friedrichshain,<br />
Tue-Sat 19-close (bar), Mon-Sat 14-19 (shop)<br />
Erica Löfman<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Culture<br />
BEST TWENTY-<br />
SOMETHING<br />
PERK<br />
Okay, maybe it wasn’t your first<br />
criteria for settling in, but Berlin is<br />
a capital of high culture with more<br />
concert halls and opera houses than the<br />
city can even sustain thanks to the Mauerera<br />
insistence that there be two of everything.<br />
And those greying institutions want<br />
to get kids hooked with the CLASSIC CARD,<br />
a €15/year pass that enables under-30s to go<br />
to the Staatsballett, the Konzerthaus, performances<br />
by Berlin’s Rundfunk ensembles<br />
and all three operas for dirt-cheap. Just<br />
show up an hour before doors open and,<br />
provided the show isn’t sold out, you’ll only<br />
have to pay €8-10 for seats that normally<br />
cost an arm and a leg. If you’re really lucky,<br />
you’ll get a box or front row seat reserved<br />
by a season ticket holder who couldn’t<br />
make it. So take advantage of your youth,<br />
order a card online or at Dussmann and<br />
check out The Nutcracker at the Deutsche<br />
Oper for just €10. Or, hey, we hear that<br />
Berghain qualifies as high culture now (at<br />
least for tax purposes), so maybe you’ll be<br />
able to use the card there? — VB<br />
ClassicCard<br />
See details at www.classiccard.de<br />
Above: The Nutcracker, playing at the Deutsche Oper on<br />
Oct 8, costs €10 with a ClassicCard.<br />
Fernando Marcos<br />
proudly presents:<br />
Wed, Oct 12, 20:00<br />
Two films directed by<br />
Alice Diop<br />
Vers la tendresse<br />
36 min., French with English subtitles<br />
La Permanence<br />
97 min., French with English subtitles<br />
Starts <strong>October</strong> 13:<br />
American Honey<br />
163 min., English with German subtitles<br />
tip Preview every first<br />
Wednesday of the month,<br />
OV with German subtitles<br />
Since 20 years Berlin’s<br />
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Original language versions<br />
with German subtitles,<br />
German movies<br />
with English subtitles<br />
Programme, info, tickets:<br />
www.hoefekino.de<br />
5
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
TEST<br />
YOUR USA<br />
ELECTION<br />
SMARTS!<br />
They’re running to be the<br />
58th President of the US.<br />
They talk a lot. But do you<br />
know who said what?<br />
Research by Kaya Payseno<br />
It doesn’t matter whether you can vote<br />
on November 8 or not: America’s policies<br />
impact everyone, even us Berliners.<br />
With that in mind, we chose the top<br />
four candidates – not only Democrat Hillary<br />
Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, but<br />
also Green Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary<br />
Johnson – and screened their speeches,<br />
interviews and platforms to find out their<br />
thoughts on the issues we care about.* It’s up<br />
to you to guess who said what! (A tip: sometimes,<br />
the same candidates have more than<br />
one opinion.) See next page for answers.<br />
1. Marijuana is still illegal on a federal level,<br />
although medical weed is legal in 24 US<br />
states. Where to go from here?<br />
A — “Legalisation... in some ways I think<br />
it’s good and in other ways it’s bad. Medical<br />
marijuana? I’m in favour of it a hundred<br />
percent.”<br />
B — “Marijuana is dangerous – because it’s<br />
illegal. It’s not inherently dangerous. It’s certainly<br />
less harmful than alcohol and tobacco,<br />
which are perfectly legal.”<br />
C — “Marijuana is still used as a gateway drug<br />
and the drug cartels from Latin America use<br />
marijuana to get footholds in states, so there<br />
can’t be a total absence of law enforcement.”<br />
D — “The parallels between drug policy today<br />
and Prohibition in the 1920s are obvious, as<br />
are the lessons our nation learned. Prohibition<br />
was repealed because it made matters worse.”<br />
2. What do they think about us and our<br />
leader over here in Germany... if anything?<br />
A — Germany is moving to a 100 percent<br />
renewable energy economy. The German<br />
Green Party is the reason why Germany is<br />
ahead of America.”<br />
B — “I think Merkel is the greatest leader in<br />
Europe; I think she is a great leader globally,<br />
I think she carried Europe on her shoulders<br />
and it wasn’t easy.”<br />
C — “Merkel is probably the greatest leader<br />
in the world today. She’s fantastic...”<br />
D — “You know what a disaster this massive<br />
immigration has been to Germany. Crime<br />
has risen to levels that no one thought they<br />
would ever see.”<br />
3. We all love LGBTQ voters...<br />
but what about gay marriage?<br />
A — “We should commit to building an<br />
America where every lesbian, gay, bisexual,<br />
and transgender person can live, work, learn,<br />
raise a family, and marry free from discrimination<br />
or prejudice.”<br />
B — “Marriage has got historic, religious and<br />
moral content that goes back to the beginning<br />
of time, and I think a marriage is, as a<br />
marriage has always been, between a man<br />
and a woman.”<br />
C — “As your president, I will do everything<br />
in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens.”<br />
D — “The government ought to get out of the<br />
marriage business.”<br />
4. Ed Snowden is longing to get back home.<br />
What kind of welcome should we give him?<br />
A — “I’d pardon Snowden. Not only pardon<br />
him, but welcome him home as a hero... and<br />
I’d bring him into my administration as a<br />
member of the Cabinet...”<br />
B — “Snowden is a spy who has caused great<br />
damage to the US. A spy in the old days,<br />
when our country was respected and strong,<br />
would be executed.”<br />
C — “This is someone who has divulged<br />
information – that the United States government<br />
is spying on all of us as US citizens. I<br />
don’t want to see him in prison.”<br />
D — “He stole very important information<br />
that has unfortunately fallen into a lot<br />
of the wrong hands. So I don’t think he<br />
should be brought home without facing<br />
the music.”<br />
5. From Iraq and Afghanistan to Libya to Syria...<br />
how productive is America’s war on terror?<br />
A — “Iraq was a mistake”... but “Military action<br />
is critical, in fact I would say essential,<br />
to try to prevent [ISIS’] further advance and<br />
their holding of more territory.”<br />
B — “All this has done is create failed states.<br />
Whether you look at the Taliban, the globalisation<br />
of Al-Qaeda or the creation of ISIS,<br />
this has been an utter, unmitigated disaster.”<br />
C — “I was against the war in Iraq. I thought<br />
it would destabilise the Middle East, and it<br />
did. All of this tremendous death, destruction...<br />
is just incredible. We’re far worse off<br />
today than we were 15 years ago or 10 years<br />
ago in the Middle East.”<br />
D — “I initially thought the intervention<br />
in Afghanistan was warranted – we were<br />
attacked and we attacked back – but we’ve<br />
wiped out Al-Qaeda and here we are; we’re<br />
still there.”<br />
6. How relevant is NATO in today’s world?<br />
A — “NATO is obsolete. When NATO was<br />
formed many decades ago, there was a different<br />
threat, the Soviet Union. But terror today<br />
is the big threat.”<br />
B — “Putin already hopes to divide Europe,<br />
so the US needs to strengthen its alliances.”<br />
C — “We’ve got treaties with apparently 69<br />
countries where we are obligated to defend<br />
their borders?”<br />
D — “Who exactly is NATO fighting? … Other<br />
than enemies we invent to give the weapons<br />
industry a reason to sell more stuff.”<br />
7. Everyone agrees ISIS is the enemy – but<br />
who’s responsible?<br />
A — “ISIS was primarily the result of the<br />
vacuum in Syria caused by Assad, aided and<br />
abetted by Iran and Russia. Let’s put responsibility<br />
where it belongs.”<br />
B — “Obama is the founder of ISIS. I would<br />
say the co-founder would be crooked Hillary<br />
Clinton.”<br />
C — “Terrorism is a response to drones that<br />
sneak up on you in the night. This is where<br />
6<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
we recruit and enable ISIS and al-Qaeda to<br />
continue expanding...”<br />
D — “The rise of ISIS can actually be traced<br />
back to instability created by our meddling<br />
in the affairs of others. We need to build a<br />
strong military. But we should not use our<br />
military strength to try to solve the world’s<br />
problems.”<br />
8. The US needs to create jobs. How?<br />
A — “A ‘New Deal’ which creates an emergency<br />
programme, establishing 20 million livingwage<br />
jobs to green the economy, our energy,<br />
food, and transportation, building critical<br />
infrastructure, restoring ecosystems, etc.”<br />
B — “If I could wave a magic wand I would<br />
eliminate corporate tax… If there was a zero<br />
percent corporate tax rate, tens of millions<br />
of jobs would be created.”<br />
C — “Put an end to China’s illegal export<br />
subsidies and lax labour and environmental<br />
standards. No more sweatshops or pollution<br />
havens stealing jobs from American workers.”<br />
D — “We will put Americans to work, building<br />
and modernising our roads, our bridges, our<br />
tunnels, our railways, our ports, our airports.<br />
We are way overdue for this, my friends.”<br />
9. Who stands where with Israel and Palestine?<br />
A — “If we’re going to negotiate a peace<br />
settlement, which every Israeli wants... I<br />
would like to have the other side think I’m<br />
somewhat neutral to them. It’s probably the<br />
toughest negotiation of all time, but maybe<br />
we can get a deal done.”<br />
B — “We have encouraged the worst tendencies<br />
of the Israeli government as it pursues<br />
policies of occupation, apartheid, assassination,<br />
illegal settlements... and defiance of<br />
international law.”<br />
C — “The United States and Israel must be<br />
closer than ever, stronger than ever... We<br />
must take our alliance to the next level.”<br />
D — “You truly have a great prime minister<br />
in Benjamin Netanyahu. Vote for Benjamin –<br />
terrific guy, terrific leader, great for Israel.”<br />
10. What about the crisis in Ukraine?<br />
A — “We helped foment a coup where ultranationalists<br />
and ex-Nazis came to power. So<br />
we should be leading the way in establishing<br />
a neutral Ukraine that would allow Russia to<br />
not feel under attack.”<br />
B — “We need a tougher response to Russia.<br />
I remain convinced that we need a concerted<br />
effort to really up the costs on Russia, and in<br />
particular on Putin. I think we have not done<br />
enough.”<br />
C — “It’s a mess. But you know, the people of<br />
Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather<br />
be with Russia than where they were. And<br />
you have to look at that...“<br />
D — “When you look at Ukraine right now, I<br />
think that would be analogous to Russia getting<br />
involved in Puerto Rico. We shouldn’t<br />
get involved in Ukraine.”<br />
11. Fighting terrorism on US soil: How?<br />
A — “You know, in Israel, they’ve done an<br />
unbelievable job… They see somebody that’s<br />
suspicious, they will profile. They will take<br />
that person in.”<br />
B — “Create stricter screenings for visa applicants<br />
who have been to a country in Islamic<br />
State-controlled areas in the last five years.”<br />
C — “Share intelligence and information.<br />
That now includes the internet... That means<br />
we have to work more closely with our great<br />
tech companies.”<br />
D — “I have a plan. If I win, I don’t want to broadcast<br />
to the enemy exactly what my plan is...”<br />
12. We’re all involved in Syria. Who are our<br />
foes and allies?<br />
A — “You know, Putin, our arch-enemy Putin,<br />
was actually trying to create a peace process<br />
in Syria... We need to begin talking with Russia<br />
and with other countries.”<br />
B — “The best way to help Israel deal with<br />
Iran’s growing nuclear capability is to help<br />
the people of Syria overthrow the regime of<br />
Bashar Assad.”<br />
C — “The approach of fighting Assad and ISIS<br />
simultaneously was madness, and idiocy.<br />
They’re fighting each other, and yet we’re<br />
fighting both of them. I’m not saying Assad<br />
is a good man, but our far greater problem is<br />
ISIS... and Russia doesn’t like ISIS any better<br />
than we do.”<br />
D — “Remove Assad and bring Syria’s communities<br />
together to fight ISIS”... “We have<br />
to support Arab and Kurdish fighters. They’re<br />
doing the fighting. We’re doing the support<br />
and enabling.”<br />
13. Bonus round: Election campaigns are expensive.<br />
Who’s raised what and where from?<br />
A — About $190 million, 33 percent selffinanced<br />
by the candidate.<br />
B — About $2.6 million with donations averaging<br />
$48 – and no donor allowed to contribute<br />
more than $2700 at a time.<br />
C — About $530 million, including $7 million<br />
from Israeli mogul Haim Saban and $10 million<br />
from Saudi Arabia (via a philanthropic<br />
foundation).<br />
D — About $9 million from individual donors.<br />
*For space reasons, we took the liberty to condense<br />
quotes while remaining loyal to context<br />
and candidates’ overall programmes.<br />
ANSWERS<br />
1. A: Trump B: Stein C: Clinton D: Johnson<br />
2. A: Stein B: Clinton C: Trump (2015) D: Trump (<strong>2016</strong>)<br />
3. A: Clinton (2015) B: Clinton (1997) C: Trump D: Johnson<br />
4. A: Stein B: Trump C: Johnson D: Clinton<br />
5. A: Clinton B: Stein C: Trump D: Johnson<br />
6. A: Trump B: Clinton C: Johnson D: Stein<br />
7. A: Clinton B: Stein C: Johnson D: Trump<br />
8. A: Stein B: Johnson C: Trump D: Clinton<br />
9. A: Trump (<strong>2016</strong>) B: Stein C: Clinton (<strong>2016</strong>) D: Trump (2013)<br />
10. A: Stein B: Clinton C: Trump D: Johnson<br />
11. A: Trump (<strong>2016</strong>) B: Clinton (2015) C: Clintton (2015) D: Trump (<strong>2016</strong>)<br />
12. A: Stein B: Clinton C: Trump (<strong>2016</strong>) D: Trump (2015)<br />
13. A: Trump B: Stein C: Clinton D: Johnson<br />
Illustrations by<br />
Catherine Franck<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong> 7
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
Yes, there are Republicans in Berlin. But like many American rightwingers,<br />
they’re finding their loyalties tested by the most divisive candidate<br />
in US presidential history. Will they choose the “lesser evil”?<br />
By Tom Cox<br />
At first, trying to find an American<br />
Berliner who’s willing to admit<br />
they’re voting for Donald Trump<br />
seems like an exercise in futility. For one, it’s<br />
a bit tricky to find any outspoken right-wing<br />
expats at all in this liberal city. While the<br />
group Democrats Abroad is thriving, there<br />
is no active Republican branch in Berlin.<br />
Frankfurt-based group Republicans Overseas<br />
Germany claim to have 1500–2000 members<br />
nationwide, but rare meetings in the capital<br />
gather six or seven attendees, at best.<br />
And even the most outspoken right-wingers<br />
are torn on whether to cast their vote for<br />
the ex-reality TV host. Mirroring the dilemma<br />
experienced by their left-wing, Sanders-supporting<br />
counterparts, they’re contemplating<br />
whether to choose the “lesser evil”, go for a<br />
third party or just refuse to vote altogether.<br />
One of them is Ned Wiley, who came to<br />
Germany to work as a marketing executive<br />
and has lived in Prenzlauer Berg for 15<br />
years. A lifelong Republican, he was vicechair<br />
of Republicans Overseas when Trump<br />
announced his candidacy, and watched as<br />
divisions started to form within the group.<br />
“There were three groups,” he says, referring<br />
to the Republican Overseas Whatsapp chat<br />
he took part in. “The Trumpists, which were<br />
very small. On the other side there were the<br />
never-Trumpers. And in the middle were<br />
the people who evolved over the course:<br />
anything-but-Hilary. They gradually came<br />
up with a justification for or came to terms<br />
with the candidate: ‘So he’s not perfect, but<br />
Hilary is the devil incarnate.’ The discussions<br />
started to get really personal and vicious.”<br />
Trump becoming the party’s official presidential<br />
candidate on July 19 was too extreme<br />
a step for Wiley. “At that point, I said, ‘It’s<br />
over, I can’t possibly play any role in this.’<br />
Just taking out my Republicans Overseas<br />
card was a real embarrassment. Trump’s<br />
like a little kid who started playing a game<br />
and then got out of control, and there he is,<br />
running around. The wall is nonsense, he’s<br />
not gonna do that. Sending away immigrants<br />
who were responsible for the revolution in<br />
Silicon Valley, like Syrian heads of computer<br />
science companies – these guys are not dangerous<br />
immigrants! We should be encouraging<br />
them to come.” A Romney voter in 2012,<br />
Wiley switched to the Libertarians, who hold<br />
no seats in the Senate but are the thirdlargest<br />
party in America, polling at about 10<br />
percent. “I guess I was a closet libertarian<br />
and didn’t know it, so I decided to come out<br />
of the closet!” As the chair of new group Libertarians<br />
Abroad, he now speaks in favour of<br />
candidate Gary Johnson and gives interviews<br />
with the local and US press. “Though it’s<br />
probably too little, too late,” he admits.<br />
“I SAID, ‘IT’S OVER.’<br />
JUST TAKING OUT MY<br />
REPUBLICANS OVER-<br />
SEAS CARD WAS A REAL<br />
EMBARRASSMENT.”<br />
Chris Roberts, a 27-year-old customer<br />
care agent who came to Berlin a year ago<br />
with his German wife, initially sympathised<br />
with some of Trump’s policies, even though<br />
that made him something of a “lone ranger”<br />
here. “My American friends think it’s a total<br />
outrage,” he admits. His wife still makes him<br />
watch Trump skits on American comedy<br />
shows. He’s hesitant about making himself<br />
publicly known as a right-winger in Berlin,<br />
and requested to be called by his middle<br />
name for this article.<br />
Though born in Canada, he moved to San<br />
Diego when he was 14 and has American<br />
citizenship. He says: “With the Mexico wall... I<br />
lived in Texas for a year, so I know of the stories.<br />
A lot of Mexicans die on the way. Coyotes<br />
[smugglers] lead them through the routes,<br />
but a lot of them end up raping them or they<br />
die from exhaustion. The amount of them<br />
coming in and working can cause a problem<br />
– they bring wages down. They’ve also caught<br />
Middle Eastern people coming in... if a terrorist<br />
wanted to come into the country that way,<br />
they could. Trump wants Mexicans to come<br />
the right way.” Roberts believes the candidate<br />
has been unfairly maligned. “When people<br />
hate on Donald Trump, they don’t know<br />
what they’re talking about. He’s never said<br />
anything that I can think of where it’s hate<br />
against a particular race.” He also relates to<br />
the Republican candidate’s anti-establishment<br />
discourse. “Trump breaks the political norm.<br />
People really relate to that. He doesn’t feel he<br />
has to be politically correct. People are sick of<br />
scripted politics.”<br />
But Roberts became disillusioned by a<br />
series of campaign excesses in July and August,<br />
starting with Trump’s criticism of the<br />
parents of a dead Muslim-American soldier<br />
during the Democratic National Convention.<br />
Now, neither option appeals to him. “I don’t<br />
like Clinton because I think America has<br />
better candidates than the same old families.<br />
The email scandal is enough. She’s too much<br />
part of the establishment.” He’s still unsure<br />
how he’ll cast his vote.<br />
At least one Berlin-based Republican will<br />
stick to his party. Sixty-nine-year-old Hans<br />
Theerman fits into the never-Hillary category.<br />
An American citzen born in Germany but<br />
raised in Missouri, he travelled to east Berlin<br />
in 1993 to open a branch of a Pentecostal<br />
institution offering BAs in Bible studies and<br />
theology, then called ICI University. In 2011<br />
he retired and spent three summers motorcycling<br />
around America; he currently lives a<br />
more sedentary life in Zehlendorf.<br />
Though liberal in his 1960s youth, Theerman<br />
has voted Republican since finishing<br />
college. He claims the party stands for freedom<br />
and individual opportunity – that it was<br />
“anti-slavery” while “the Democratic party<br />
was the party of the Klu Klux Klan”. Like<br />
Roberts, he’s in favour of stricter immigra-<br />
8<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
“I’M NOT DOING<br />
THIS SO I CAN<br />
BE A PURIST.<br />
I’M DOING THIS<br />
SO SOMETHING<br />
CAN BE DONE<br />
FOR THE COUN-<br />
TRY. WOULD I<br />
VOTE FOR TRUMP<br />
IN ANY OTHER<br />
SITUATION? I<br />
WOULDN’T VOTE<br />
FOR HIM AS A<br />
DOG CATCHER!”<br />
Hans Theerman is<br />
planning on voting<br />
for Trump in November,<br />
if only to vote<br />
against Clinton.<br />
tion control. “Every country has a right<br />
to say who gets in. When somebody<br />
wants to come in to eat your lunch,<br />
kill your kids and rape your wife, I’m<br />
sorry, but a guy’s gotta do something,”<br />
he says in a congenial Missouri twang<br />
over a steaming glass of red fruit tea.<br />
His discourse – “Muslims are synonymous<br />
with terrorism” – clashes rather<br />
colourfully with his choice to meet at a<br />
Kreuzberg Turkish café. But Theerman<br />
sees no contradiction, and he’s eager<br />
to stress that he knows many Muslims<br />
in Berlin and has no problem socialising<br />
with them.<br />
This year, he plans to vote Republican<br />
again, albeit unenthusiastically.<br />
“I’m sorry to say I will vote for Trump,<br />
if only to vote against Hillary. Clinton<br />
says absolutely nothing. She has never<br />
accomplished anything successfully.<br />
Look at her record, it’s like a failed<br />
state. At least Trump is out there defining<br />
some policy issues and saying what<br />
he would do. He’s a buffoon, and we<br />
had 10 other people that would have<br />
been better. But he’s what we’ve got<br />
right now. He’s the best of a bad couple,<br />
the least worst. And he’s open to influence.<br />
He will accept a lot of help.”<br />
Tom Cox<br />
He’s virtually the only outspoken<br />
Trump voter in Berlin, but Theerman<br />
has no qualms about speaking his mind<br />
to Germans. He says: “I find among<br />
educated Germans a willingness to<br />
exercise the give and take of vibrant<br />
disputation. Generally speaking, most<br />
seem to really want to know a different<br />
and foreign viewpoint, and are willing<br />
to defer to someone more intimately<br />
connected than themselves.”<br />
Like many, Theerman believes that<br />
Trump has successfully brought up<br />
issues that nobody else would touch.<br />
“He’s saying what a lot of other people<br />
weren’t saying. When you’re at rock<br />
bottom, almost anything could be up,”<br />
continues the Berlin reverend. “I’m not<br />
doing this so I can be a purist. I’m doing<br />
this so something can be done for the<br />
country. Would I vote for Trump in any<br />
other situation? I wouldn’t vote for him<br />
as a dog catcher!” n<br />
Photo © Claudia Bühler<br />
Gianni Versace’s life depicted as a voguing-ball<br />
With Brandt Brauer Frick, Amber Vineyard, Alexander Geist, Claron McFadden, Seth Carico<br />
Director: Martin Butler. World premiere: 1 <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Tischlerei der Deutschen Oper Berlin<br />
Richard-Wagner-Straße / Zillestr., 10585 Berlin<br />
Tickets and Information: +49 [30]-343 84 343<br />
www.deutscheoperberlin.de<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
9
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
THE<br />
ANGRY<br />
AMERICANS<br />
Disillusioned by the politics<br />
in their home country, more<br />
and more expats from the US<br />
are voicing their dissidence<br />
here in Berlin. We spoke with<br />
two different generations to<br />
see how they were coping.<br />
By Julyssa Lopez<br />
“<br />
In America, we have this weird superiority<br />
complex. We’re in a country built<br />
by genocide and slavery – that’s not<br />
just some black militant screaming in Times<br />
Square; this is literally how we were built.<br />
And we think we’re superior.”<br />
The words sound eerily grave coming from<br />
32-year-old David Hailey, a good-natured comedian<br />
and start-up employee with a billowing<br />
Afro who was cracking jokes and grinning<br />
just moments ago while sitting on the banks<br />
of Kreuzberg’s Landwehrkanal. He is usually<br />
upbeat and buoyant, but the California-born<br />
Black Lives Matter activist gets serious when<br />
anyone brings up American politics.<br />
He’s unabashed when it comes to reciting<br />
the failings of his home country: an idolisation<br />
of consumer culture, economic disparities<br />
and, most important of all, a violent tradition<br />
of gaping racial inequalities. The political<br />
dissonance he feels has become the main<br />
reason Hailey, who came to Europe at age 19<br />
for college, has decided to make a life abroad.<br />
As an African-American, Hailey has spent a<br />
lot of time thinking about America’s troublesome<br />
relationship with race, and that’s only<br />
intensified since coming here. He admits that<br />
European countries have their own issues<br />
with race, but he still feels the approach is<br />
more progressive – especially in Berlin. “In<br />
your day-to-day, you don’t feel different as a<br />
black person here. And it’s a luxury as a black<br />
person living in the West to feel like you can<br />
be you – in the US, you’re not seen as an individual,”<br />
he explains. He also adds that police<br />
aggression doesn’t exist in Berlin the way it<br />
does in America: “I feel safer here. The cops<br />
aren’t going to shoot me in Germany,” he says.<br />
Though he’s been settled in Berlin since<br />
2013, when he took a job at recruiting startup<br />
Webcrowd, he always keeps close tabs<br />
on what’s happening back home. He began<br />
paying special attention around 2013, when<br />
reports of police brutality began reverberating<br />
in news cycles. Hailey observed quietly at<br />
first, thinking that violence against African-<br />
Americans was “nothing new” in the United<br />
States. Still, in 2014, after a jury failed to<br />
indict police officer Darren Wilson for the<br />
shooting of black teenager Michael Brown,<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
“I FEEL SAFER<br />
HERE. THE COPS<br />
AREN’T GOING<br />
TO SHOOT ME IN<br />
GERMANY.”<br />
Hailey remembers feeling outraged. On Facebook,<br />
he noticed a few friends were organising<br />
a Black Lives Matter protest outside<br />
Berlin’s US embassy. He arrived excitedly,<br />
only to find a meek crew of about five people<br />
gathered awkwardly. One woman held a<br />
small picture of Michael Brown. Someone lit<br />
a candle, then blew it out. It felt pathetic. But<br />
at least he’d made an effort.<br />
The urge to increase those efforts grew<br />
more intense as the names of dead black<br />
people piled up in headlines from the US:<br />
Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Alton<br />
Sterling. Hailey started emailing friends,<br />
angrier each time, and organising Black<br />
Lives Matter rallies in Berlin. He helped<br />
corral more than 200 people for a protest<br />
on Hermannplatz on July 10, where he<br />
was moved to find that supporters weren’t<br />
just American; many were from Germany<br />
and other parts of Europe. The Black Lives<br />
Matter message seems to resonate in Berlin<br />
especially, and he says that it helps raise the<br />
profile of the movement. Here, he can wear<br />
his disillusionment on his sleeve and engage<br />
anyone he meets in conversation about the<br />
pitfalls of the United States.<br />
And he’s not the only one. In an era of<br />
growing poverty, police brutality, and wars<br />
abroad, combined with Obama disillusionment<br />
and less-than-ideal candidates on both<br />
sides of the two-party electoral spectrum,<br />
many Americans living in Berlin feel ill at<br />
ease with their country. Some, like Hailey,<br />
organise demonstrations. Others, like Richard<br />
and Ellen Rosen, turn to a quieter but no<br />
less effective form of resistance.<br />
Both Jewish and in their seventies, the<br />
Rosens lived and worked in Boston before<br />
their progressive politics brought them to<br />
Berlin in 2009. They had wanted to retire<br />
in a more “socialist-leaning country”, and<br />
Richard wanted to be closer to the continent<br />
because he was curious about how the European<br />
Union was evolving. He also wanted to<br />
examine how Germany’s attitudes toward the<br />
Jewish community had changed since WWII.<br />
After considering language barriers in Europe,<br />
the Rosens felt that Berlin had a mix of<br />
history and culture they could settle comfortably<br />
into and purchased a home in Prenzlauer<br />
Berg’s Husemannstraße.<br />
Don’t let the beautiful, massive flat fool you:<br />
“We’ve been radical through and through,”<br />
Richard jokes. The couple met at Camp<br />
10<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
Above: Ellen and<br />
Richard Rosen in<br />
their Prenzlauer<br />
Berg home.<br />
Left: Black Lives<br />
Matter activist<br />
David Hailey.<br />
Webatuck, a left-leaning retreat founded<br />
to promote liberal values in kids. Before<br />
working as a professor of sociology<br />
at Massachusetts’ Nichols College,<br />
Ellen was an activist who marched on<br />
Washington in 1963 and joined women’s<br />
conciousness groups. Richard was a<br />
member of the civil rights group SNCP<br />
as a student at MIT and dedicated his<br />
career to energy policy.<br />
But their optimism began waning in<br />
the 1980s under Reagan, and they’ve<br />
only grown more frustrated with America<br />
since then. “When we were younger,<br />
we were hopeful things would change,<br />
but it seems like things are neglected,”<br />
Ellen says. “The US is an empire that’s<br />
reached its limit. It’s gone down and<br />
keeps going slowly downward. The<br />
army is much too big, And more money<br />
just keeps being spent on it.”<br />
The couple reads the International<br />
New York Times every morning, and<br />
they find themselves disappointed<br />
with what they see. They question<br />
President Barack Obama’s foreign<br />
policy and ability to work with Republicans.<br />
Ellen blames political gridlock,<br />
but Richard is far more critical: “When<br />
he first came in office, he said he would<br />
try to work with Republicans and get<br />
more moderate things through. He<br />
was completely unrealistic... he was<br />
naïve,” he says. And with the upcoming<br />
election, the pair, who supported<br />
Bernie Sanders’ campaign, has gotten<br />
increasingly disillusioned. “If you vote<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
for Trump or Hillary, it’s not much of a<br />
difference,” Ellen says. They talk about<br />
Trump being an embarrassment, but<br />
they’re not happy with Clinton either.<br />
Whether with Iraq, Libya or Syria, and<br />
in her approach to the Ukraine crisis,<br />
“she just seems to be gung-ho on war<br />
– she’s too confrontational,” Richard<br />
says, pointing out that both he and Ellen<br />
were active in the anti-war movement<br />
in their student days. “We’ve<br />
been on the left since we were born,<br />
certainly since the Civil Rights movement<br />
and the Vietnam War.”<br />
Their radical ways have mellowed<br />
with age, but not their convictions:<br />
“Now we have more money and less<br />
energy,” Richard says. Although they<br />
do make it out to the occasional demo<br />
(like the one against the EU-US TTIP<br />
trade deal in September), they mostly<br />
try to provoke change directly from<br />
their sunny Prenzlauer Berg apartment.<br />
Their approach is to lend both financial<br />
and volunteer support to organisations<br />
that align with their beliefs, like climate<br />
change research, worker’s rights and<br />
social equality. Ellen has been an active<br />
member of the Massachusetts Bail Fund,<br />
designed to help post bail for people who<br />
can’t afford it themselves, and is working<br />
on a biography about Frances Perkins<br />
Wilson, the US Secretary of Labor who<br />
established the first minimum wage and<br />
overtime laws for American workers.<br />
Richard, meanwhile, continues to lecture<br />
on energy policy and is involved with<br />
the leftist group Science For the People.<br />
Berlin is an especially good place to be,<br />
he says. “German culture seems far more<br />
interested in energy alternatives”.<br />
The couple has also found community<br />
here. They are involved with<br />
American Voices Abroad, a group of<br />
Berlin expats who came together during<br />
the Iraq War to “promote peace,<br />
oppose wars of aggression by the<br />
United States, and take action toward<br />
these ends in relation to US policy.”<br />
These days, their demographic skews<br />
older, and they function primarily as<br />
a discussion group. They’re currently<br />
making efforts to attract the attention<br />
of younger Americans living in Berlin.<br />
The Rosens return home to Boston<br />
frequently, but Richard says it<br />
hasn’t made their views on the US<br />
any less critical. In fact, his forecast is<br />
bleak – but that’s nothing new. “Our<br />
opposition has spanned over 50 years,<br />
so Trump and this election is just another<br />
little wrinkle,” he says. “To me,<br />
being pessimistic about the United<br />
States is being realistic.” n<br />
Uniting<br />
Backgrounds<br />
THEATRE<br />
ON DEMOCRACY<br />
festival<br />
8–23/<strong>October</strong>/<strong>2016</strong><br />
ALL PLAYS WITH<br />
ENGLISH SURTITLES<br />
MAXIM GORKI THEATER<br />
Am Festungsgraben 2, 10117 Berlin<br />
Box Office: 0049 30/ 20 221 115<br />
11<br />
Tickets online: www.gorki.de
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
THE<br />
NEW OLD<br />
GUARD<br />
After the Wall came down but<br />
before Berlin was the place to<br />
be, these Americans came to<br />
town and helped shape the city’s<br />
cultural landscape – from<br />
burgers to TV to rock ‘n’ roll.<br />
THE BURGER KING:<br />
Wally Potts<br />
The name “White Trash Fast Food” says<br />
it all: the product (burgers, tats and rock<br />
music), the give-no-fucks attitude which has<br />
sustained Walter “Wally” Potts’ enterprise<br />
through four locations and multiple backlashes,<br />
the dash of irony which, given White<br />
Trash’s current incarnation as a sprawling<br />
tourist magnet on the edge of insolvency, has<br />
faded somewhat.<br />
With his huge full beard, handlebar mustache,<br />
tattoos and omnipresent hat, Potts<br />
remains proudly American, although – despite<br />
White Trash’s reputation for Englishonly<br />
waitstaff – his German is actually quite<br />
fließend. He first came here on an exchange<br />
programme in 1990, while he was still in art<br />
school; after his graduation, in 1993, he decided<br />
“Berlin was the most interesting place to<br />
be” and came back to what was then the city’s<br />
premier destination for arty expats: Mitte.<br />
It was there that Potts, raised between<br />
California and Oklahoma, found his niche.<br />
“I was living in a squat on Auguststraße,<br />
doing Volksküche to make money. When<br />
the Germans were cooking, it was a white<br />
plate. Cabbage, rice, potato. No sauce, just<br />
salt and pepper. I started making Mexican.”<br />
In keeping with the DIY spirit of the times,<br />
he opened a pop-up by Hackescher Markt<br />
in 2000. “The DJ played out of a portable<br />
stereo, and we didn’t have a liquor license. I<br />
didn’t even wash my hands!” Potts jokes, taking<br />
it back a second later.<br />
White Trash’s first official location, opened<br />
in 2002 in a former Chinese restaurant on<br />
Torstraße, is the one all the longtime expats<br />
like to reminisce about: an underground,<br />
“members-only” restaurant and club where<br />
Berlin’s bohemian crowd (Peaches was an<br />
early regular) gathered for raucous all-night<br />
parties and what were, back then, the city’s<br />
only proper hamburgers. But by the time<br />
Potts expanded into a multifloor operation<br />
on Schönhauser Allee, the neighbourhood<br />
was already on its way out. “We had 178<br />
noise complaints!” Potts says angrily. By<br />
2014, the landlord had nearly doubled White<br />
Trash’s rent, and that was the last straw.<br />
Rather than simply move house, Potts<br />
created a multiplex shrine to Americana,<br />
located by Badeschiff in Treptow. The latest<br />
White Trash boasts a biergarten, a stateof-the-art<br />
BBQ pit, a 900-capacity concert<br />
hall, a tattoo parlour, a large indoor dining<br />
area and a skateboard ramp. No wonder<br />
Potts had to file for bankruptcy this year.<br />
“It was more like a restructuring,” he<br />
maintains. “The bank was asking for their<br />
money back, but we weren’t finished with<br />
construction yet.”<br />
The underground crowds are long gone,<br />
but the burgers (made from organic Brandenburg<br />
beef), barbecue and Tex-Mex fare<br />
are as satisfying as ever. “If somebody had<br />
once told me that one day I’d be making a<br />
burger restaurant here as an American, I<br />
would’ve been pissed off,” Potts admits. “I’m<br />
not interested in being the best restaurateur<br />
out there. I still feel like I’m faking it. I<br />
guess that’s the charm.” He pauses, catching<br />
himself midway. “I don’t know if it’s still<br />
charming.” — Dani Arbid/Rene Blixer<br />
THE SCENE MUM:<br />
Melissa Perales<br />
To call Melissa Perales a multitasker would<br />
be putting it lightly. As a booker, promoter,<br />
music supervisor, co-organiser of Torstraßenfestival<br />
and co-founder of the musician support<br />
network Music Pool Berlin, the Berliner<br />
of 21 years fosters the city’s indie music scene<br />
while also raising two boys, aged two and 15.<br />
Call it an American thing. “I hated how slow<br />
Berlin was when I first came here,” the 46-yearold<br />
Chicago expat admits. “People were<br />
hanging out in the park. Why are these people<br />
so lazy? I was pissed.” And so, after “three<br />
or four months of partying,” the Columbia<br />
College grad got to work – first organising the<br />
underground film festival Circles of Confusion<br />
at the Volksbühne and Babylon Kino in<br />
1995, then, after a three-year spell back in the<br />
States, joining the collective at the squat and<br />
venue Schokoladen in 1998. Later, in 2002, she<br />
opened the restaurant Urban Comfort Food on<br />
Zionskirchstraße, serving three-course meals<br />
for €7.50. “I like to bring people together,” she<br />
says. “Set a scene. Like making a film.”<br />
The ultimate way to do that, she discovered,<br />
was through music. On leaving her restaurant<br />
in 2004, she began putting on regular shows at<br />
Schokoladen under the name M:Soundtrack, a<br />
mix of international acts (the Canadian band<br />
Great Lake Swimmers was her first concert)<br />
12
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
Anna Winger is<br />
currently working<br />
on Deutschland<br />
83’s follow-up,<br />
Deutschland 86.<br />
I will<br />
be<br />
brief.*<br />
Theatre with English surtitles<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
and underlooked Berlin performers. “Live<br />
music wasn’t as appreciated back then compared<br />
to the clubs, so it was a good time to<br />
start helping local acts out,” she says.<br />
Helping has been her mission from then<br />
on, both at Schokoladen, “where I can do<br />
experiments with bands that have no following”,<br />
and at Music Pool, where she counsels<br />
fledgling musicians on promotion, licensing<br />
and the dreaded GEMA. She was an early<br />
proponent of the band Fenster, who lovingly<br />
refer to her as their “mom”. “With some<br />
bands, it’s like, I’ve seen them grow up,”<br />
Perales says. “Some of them even have their<br />
own kids now – that’s weird.”<br />
She moved out of Schokoladen in 2009<br />
(“My son Elvis asked, ‘Where am I gonna<br />
have my birthday party now?’”) but she still<br />
books around two shows a month there,<br />
and it’s where she feels most at home.<br />
“There, I know I have control. I’ll greet<br />
people at the door, choose what music<br />
plays before or after the show, do the lights<br />
if I can... it’s like setting up a film, and then<br />
the soundtrack starts.” — Rene Blixer<br />
THE AMBASSADOR:<br />
Anna Winger<br />
“My seven-year-old daughter came home<br />
from school one day a few years ago saying,<br />
‘You know there used to be a wall here?’ It<br />
was the science-fiction-like way she described<br />
Berlin’s history that made me realise<br />
I had something to write about.” While other<br />
US expats import American culture into<br />
Berlin, Anna Winger has done something<br />
different: export Berlin history to the States,<br />
in German no less, in the form of Deutschland<br />
83. Written by Winger and produced<br />
and translated by her husband Jörg, the<br />
Cold War-set TV show is the first Germanlanguage<br />
series aired in the US. And her<br />
Berlin spy story proved to be a huge hit there<br />
– more so than in Germany, even. “To me,<br />
writing a history of Berlin from that period is<br />
also writing an American history of the Cold<br />
War. People there forgot how big of a part<br />
the US played in all this.”<br />
It’s hard to believe someone now so<br />
connected to Berlin was ambivalent about<br />
coming here. “I never thought I’d ever live<br />
in Germany!” she says. But after meeting<br />
Jörg, she decided to leave New York, where<br />
she’d been working as a photographer for 10<br />
years, and follow him to his home country<br />
in 2002. “Jörg’s work was based in Leipzig,<br />
and so Berlin was a happy medium for us.”<br />
After settling in on Savignyplatz and giving<br />
birth to two children, Winger could’ve lived<br />
a typical bourgeoise housewife life – instead,<br />
she turned to writing, penning the<br />
2009 Berlin-set novel This Must Be The Place<br />
and rejuvenating the then-stagnant NPR<br />
Berlin radio station by producing some 150<br />
English-language segments for their Berlin<br />
Stories series. “It was a labour of love – everyone<br />
there was a volunteer. It was a mix of<br />
worlds, generations and cultures.”<br />
The one thing Winger’s works have in<br />
common is a decidedly down-to-earth, nonhipster<br />
approach to Berlin. “I didn’t come to<br />
Berlin for the underground scene. I was 32 by<br />
the time I got here – I had all of my young developmental<br />
experiences in New York. Even<br />
though I have been embraced by the city, I<br />
can also view it very objectively.” Also helpful<br />
is that Berlin wasn’t her first international<br />
experience. “Both my parents are anthropologists,<br />
and as a child we lived all over, including<br />
Africa and Mexico. My father is American<br />
and my mother is British – I even met my<br />
husband in Chile! I’ve spent more time living<br />
abroad than I have living in America, but I still<br />
feel very American. I don’t know why, but it’s<br />
such a hard culture to lose.” — Victoria Barnes<br />
»Hedda Gabler«<br />
by Henrik Ibsen<br />
Direction: Thomas Ostermeier<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 1, 8 pm<br />
»Richard III«<br />
by William Shakespeare<br />
Direction: Thomas Ostermeier<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 4, 7.30 pm<br />
*»Hamlet«<br />
by William Shakespeare<br />
Direction: Thomas Ostermeier<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 8, 7.30 pm<br />
»The Invention of the Red Army Faction<br />
by a Manic-Depressive Teenager<br />
in the Summer of 1969«<br />
by Frank Witzel<br />
Direction: Armin Petras<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 10, 8 pm<br />
»Beware of Pity«<br />
by Stefan Zweig<br />
Direction: Simon McBurney<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 15 and 16, 8 pm<br />
»TRUST«<br />
Text: Falk Richter<br />
Direction and Choreography:<br />
Falk Richter and Anouk van Dijk<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 18, 8 pm<br />
»FEAR«<br />
A play by Falk Richter<br />
Text and Direction: Falk Richter<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 28, 29 and 30, 8 pm<br />
»A Piece of Plastic«<br />
by Marius von Mayenburg<br />
Direction: Marius von Mayenburg<br />
On <strong>October</strong> 30, 8 pm<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
13<br />
Tickets: 030 890023 www.schaubuehne.de
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
THE<br />
FRENCH<br />
SECTOR<br />
THE<br />
BRITISH<br />
SECTOR<br />
R E I N I C K E N D O R F<br />
PA N KOW<br />
The United States’ influence is<br />
all over Berlin, if you know where<br />
to look. Here are 14 spots where<br />
the Amis have left their mark.<br />
S PA N DA U<br />
WEDDING<br />
M O A B I T<br />
B R A N D E N B U R G E R T O R<br />
P R E N Z L A U E R<br />
B E R G<br />
By Kaya Payseno and Kate Richards<br />
Z O O L O G I S C H E R<br />
G A R T E N<br />
F R I E D R I C H S -<br />
H A I N<br />
NYU BERLIN<br />
Inside Prenzlauer Berg’s Kulturbrauerei, New<br />
York University’s Berlin campus (one of 14 satellites<br />
around the world) takes in about 120 NYU<br />
students each semester to study everything from<br />
psychology to German cinema to music tech<br />
start-ups – plus mandatory German for everyone.<br />
Perfect for kids who want to expand their horizons<br />
(and, you know, party) while still enjoying a<br />
not-too-exotic, dorms-and-all college experience.<br />
G R U N E WA L D<br />
C H A R L O T T E N B U R G<br />
– W I L M E R S D O R F<br />
S T E G L I T Z – Z E H L E N D O R F<br />
T E M P E L H O F<br />
– S C H Ö N E B E R G<br />
K R E U Z B E R G<br />
T E M P E L H O F E R<br />
F E L D<br />
NEUKÖLLN<br />
HAUS DER KULTUREN<br />
DER WELT<br />
In 1956, mostly to thumb their noses at the<br />
Soviets, the Americans constructed a massive,<br />
oddly shaped conference centre and concert hall<br />
then known as the Kongresshalle, just metres<br />
away from the border with East Berlin, five years<br />
before the Wall divided the city. The money for<br />
this symbol of Western power was finagled by<br />
American stateswoman Eleanor Dulles who,<br />
through hard bargaining and downright tomfoolery,<br />
raised a total of $1 billion for reconstruction<br />
and employment projects in Berlin. Now serving<br />
as a multimedia art forum focussed on global<br />
issues, HKW is currently closed for repairs till<br />
January 2017, when the “Pregnant Oyster” can get<br />
back to indoctrinating the public with an American<br />
agenda – just kidding, they’re funded by the<br />
German government now!<br />
AMERIKA HAUS<br />
Built as an innocuous American reading room<br />
and cultural centre in the 1950s, the building on<br />
Hardenbergstraße found itself a target of anti-<br />
US sentiment around the time of the Vietnam<br />
War, when German students pelted it with eggs<br />
WA N N S E E<br />
and, later, incendiary devices. It was given<br />
over to the German government in 2006<br />
and reopened two years ago as the new<br />
home for C/O (see page 36) after the<br />
prominent photo gallery was gentrified<br />
out of Mitte. It only took 7947 litres of<br />
paint, 27,568 screws, and 241,000 invitations<br />
to make it happen.<br />
US EMBASSY<br />
THE<br />
AMERICAN<br />
SECTOR<br />
As if it weren’t enough that the German<br />
government had to divert Ebertstraße to<br />
pacify America’s rigorous security demands<br />
when their embassy was moved to<br />
Pariser Platz back in 2008, Ed Snowden<br />
revealed to us in 2013 that the NSA had<br />
been using special rooftop panels on this<br />
beige Brillo pad of a building to listen in on<br />
Angela Merkel’s phone calls at the Reichstag<br />
some 600 metres away.<br />
AMERICAN ACADEMY<br />
Today, on the west bank of Wannsee, Rebecca<br />
Boehling from University of Maryland<br />
is investigating the Allies’ approach<br />
to de-Nazification, Tom Franklin from<br />
the University of Mississippi is writing<br />
a novel about rural Alabama, and Ioana<br />
Uricaru is making a film about America’s<br />
recruitment of German academics after<br />
WWII – just to name a few. Since 1994,<br />
24 American fellows have been coming to<br />
14<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
LICHTENBERG<br />
BERLIN<br />
WALL<br />
SOVIET<br />
EAST<br />
BERLIN<br />
M A R Z A H N -<br />
H E L L E R S D O R F<br />
T R E P T OW<br />
Illustration by Josh Young<br />
the American Academy each year to conduct<br />
research projects and learn from each other<br />
(and the Germans). For one semester, these<br />
lucky scholars enjoy a room in the upstairs of<br />
the lakeside villa and a €5000/month stipend<br />
mostly funded by the building’s original owners,<br />
the Arnolds, a prominent Jewish banking<br />
family who had to flee during World War II.<br />
CHECKPOINT CHARLIE<br />
Here’s the only place in town where you can<br />
still have your photo taken with a GI... or an<br />
actor dressed as one, anyway. It’s all so touristy<br />
you forget this was the site of a 16-hour<br />
standoff between US and Soviet tanks in 1961.<br />
Nowadays, the recreated American Sector sign<br />
by the onetime border crossing (the original<br />
is at the Allied Museum, see #13) is more an<br />
indicator that you are entering a busy US-style<br />
business district, with buildings designed by<br />
renowned American architects including postmodernist<br />
star Philip Johnson.<br />
AMERIKA-<br />
GEDENKBIBLIOTHEK<br />
Opened in 1954 with the help of a $5 million<br />
donation from the US, the boxy building by<br />
Hallesches Tor was the first public library<br />
in Europe where bookworms could freely<br />
wander the stacks without having to order<br />
books over the counter from a librarian. It’s<br />
all about “unlimited freedom of the human<br />
mind”, according to the Thomas Jefferson<br />
quote over the entrance. The sign normally<br />
just reads “Gedenkbibliothek”, but though<br />
<strong>October</strong> 13, you can finally see “Amerika”<br />
atop the building courtesy of an artist initiative<br />
co-funded by the US Embassy. Sadly for<br />
American visitors, only a few shelves’ worth<br />
of its 900,000 books are in English.<br />
BARCOMI’S<br />
Ami cuisine is all over Berlin today (see page<br />
52), but even before White Trash, there was<br />
Cynthia Barcomi’s Kreuzberg café. The New<br />
York pioneer started selling her cheesecake<br />
and bagels in Kreuzberg in 1994; a second<br />
location, the more spacious Barcomi’s Deli<br />
in Mitte, followed soon after in 1997. It’s still<br />
one of the only places in town where the<br />
bagels are made by hand.<br />
FREE UNIVERSITY<br />
A mini-city of 28,000 in the middle of placid<br />
Dahlem, the Freie Universität was founded<br />
in 1948 under orders from US military commander<br />
Lucius D. Clay, to provide Berlin<br />
students with a place where they could<br />
study “free” from Soviet influence. These<br />
days lots of expat students, including some<br />
550 from the US, come to FU for the nearlyfree<br />
tuition (€304 per semester, but that<br />
includes a BVG pass) and the freedom to<br />
not learn German – 25 masters programmes<br />
are taught in English. You can even get a<br />
bachelor’s degree in North American Studies<br />
at the university’s JFK Institute, established<br />
in 1963. Germans, for their part, can take<br />
advantage of FU’s longstanding exchange<br />
programme with Stanford and study in<br />
California for nearly nothing. Pro tip: FU’s<br />
library is home to over 1.75 million-plus<br />
English-language books, and you don’t have<br />
to be a student there to check them out.<br />
SILVERWINGS CLUB<br />
Before Tempelhof was a park and refugee<br />
shelter, it was a US military complex. The<br />
only reminder of that time is the 1952-built<br />
Silverwings, now a somewhat cheesy German<br />
nightclub that hosts private parties,<br />
then a place where NCOs went to play<br />
pool, eat a cheeseburger and watch artists<br />
like Johnny Cash. If you had a local<br />
sweetheart, you could bring her by on<br />
weekend “German-American nights”. She’d<br />
have to exchange her deutschmarks for US<br />
dollars at the door, but as a military man<br />
you could pick up the tab with “Tempelhof<br />
Tokens”, currency distributed to soldiers<br />
to encourage them to stay on base. Times<br />
may have changed, but the décor hasn’t –<br />
you can still see the gold lacquered mosaic<br />
from the 1950s, and even the beat-up white<br />
trash can from the 1980s.<br />
ALLIED MUSEUM/<br />
OUTPOST CINEMA<br />
If you want a more legit version of Checkpoint<br />
Charlie, head to this museum in<br />
Dahlem, where you’ll find the original<br />
guardhouse building outdoors alongside<br />
the famous “You are leaving the American<br />
sector” sign and a Hastings TG 503 plane<br />
(which transported coal during the Berlin<br />
Airlift). Go inside the former Nicholson Memorial<br />
garrison library and Outpost armed<br />
forces cinema for exhibitions on the history<br />
of Berlin’s Western occupation, as well as<br />
the sign that used to flash before every Outpost<br />
screening: “National Anthem is playing<br />
now. Please wait.”<br />
TEUFELSBERG<br />
Thank the NSA for the giant, dilapidated<br />
domes protruding above the Berlin skyline<br />
in the west. Built atop a dumping zone for<br />
tens of millions of cubic metres of World<br />
War II rubble, the Teufelsberg spy station<br />
was used by American intelligence to tap<br />
into Soviet, East German, and Warsaw Pact<br />
nations’ military communications from<br />
1961 till the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.<br />
It’s now in the hands of investor Marvin<br />
Schütte, who magnanimously lets you check<br />
out the domes’ still-impressive acoustics on<br />
daily guided tours (€7).<br />
COLUMBIA THEATER<br />
Part of a recreation centre for US troops,<br />
the cinema near Tempelhof opened on<br />
<strong>October</strong> 13, 1951 with a screening of Captain<br />
Horatio Hornblower starring Gregory Peck.<br />
It closed soon after reunification but found<br />
new life in 1998 as a concert hall and event<br />
space; last year it was taken over by a quartet<br />
of Berlin bookers and promoters who<br />
restored its 1950s vibe and classed up the<br />
programme (American indie singer Angel<br />
Olsen hits it this month). n<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong> 15
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
“DON’T YOU SAY MY<br />
MOTHER TONGUE<br />
IS GERMAN. MY<br />
MOTHER TONGUE<br />
IS ENGLISH, AMERI-<br />
CAN ENGLISH!”<br />
BERLIN’S<br />
ARMY<br />
BRATS<br />
While the Wall still stood,<br />
dozens of thousands of US<br />
soldiers were stationed in the<br />
American sector of the divided<br />
capital. Their children lived in<br />
an American bubble, complete<br />
with their own schools, supermarkets<br />
and bowling alleys.<br />
Decades later, many still<br />
call Berlin home.<br />
By Jean-Michel Hauteville<br />
Gardening seems to be all the rage<br />
in Mariendorf. The leafy neighbourhood<br />
just south of Tempelhof<br />
is dotted with over 20 Kleingartenkolonien,<br />
each subdivided into dozens, sometimes<br />
hundreds, of neatly fenced garden allotments<br />
and summer bungalows. Whenever<br />
the weather is good enough, local resident<br />
Gary Planz heads to his own garden plot in<br />
the “Union” colony, a short walk from the<br />
Teltow Canal. But as soon as he gets there,<br />
things take a rather unusual turn.<br />
“The first thing I do every morning is to<br />
raise the flag,” Planz cheerfully explains as he<br />
hoists a large star-spangled banner up a tall<br />
white mast in the morning sun. The rotund<br />
61-year-old matter-of-factly describes himself<br />
as “proudly American and very patriotic”. But<br />
this proud American patriot, dressed casually<br />
in a T-shirt adorned with stars, stripes and<br />
a picture of a large bald eagle taking flight,<br />
actually lived less than a quarter of his life in<br />
the United States. Planz is an army brat. The<br />
New Jersey-born son of a US soldier spent<br />
his childhood moving to a new base every<br />
couple of years with his stepfather, also a<br />
soldier, and his German mother.<br />
Planz started school in Mannheim, in the<br />
former American-occupied zone of West<br />
Germany, before moving to West Berlin,<br />
where he attended the fourth and fifth<br />
grades at the Thomas A. Roberts (TAR)<br />
School, named after the first American to<br />
have lost his life in the Battle of Berlin in<br />
1944. After a spell in the States, his stepfather<br />
was sent back to Berlin in the 1970s, and<br />
the young Planz went to TAR again – now<br />
located in Dahlem and renamed the Berlin<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
American High School (BAHS). He returned<br />
to Georgia to graduate from high school. “All<br />
the traveling was fantastic, but missing my<br />
friends was hard,” Planz recalls. He enjoyed<br />
his teenage years in the German capital so<br />
much that after graduation, he joined the<br />
army himself and gave Berlin as his preferred<br />
stationing place, ahead of Hawaii. The young<br />
private Planz was sent to the McNair army<br />
barracks in Lichterfelde in early 1974 and has<br />
been a Berliner ever since. When the time<br />
came to choose between the army and his<br />
German wife, he chose the latter and stayed<br />
on, working at the now-defunct Reemtsma<br />
tobacco company in Wilmersdorf until he<br />
went into early retirement a few years ago.<br />
He fondly remembers his years as a soldier<br />
as “fantastic!”.<br />
* * *<br />
Tina Holmes spent most of her childhood in<br />
Berlin. Born on the Kaiserslautern Air Force<br />
Base in 1975 to a US air traffic controller and<br />
his German wife, she was six years old when<br />
her father started working – and living – at<br />
Tempelhof airport, which back then was<br />
“full of people and full of shops,” she vividly<br />
remembers. Holmes and her brother grew up<br />
in a sheltered US Army bubble: they’d go to<br />
the Truman Plaza shopping mall on Clayallee,<br />
where she could “choose between a<br />
million cereal flavours” at the PX shop (“for<br />
us, it was like a big Lidl”) and pay for them<br />
in US dollars, then attend a matinee at the<br />
Outpost Theater in Zehlendorf or the Columbia<br />
Theater in Tempelhof. Before the film<br />
started, the American national anthem was<br />
played – and everybody actually stood.<br />
“I thought it was very normal. Only after<br />
the Wall came down did I realize how crazy<br />
it all was,” the short-haired brunette says as<br />
she excitedly recalls her teen memories in<br />
what she today calls an “American Disneyland”.<br />
Today an IT recruiter, she’s thinking<br />
of writing a book about those years. “I<br />
mean, we even had rodeos at the base every<br />
summer, isn’t that crazy? My father’s from<br />
Philadelphia, he probably saw his first rodeo<br />
here in Berlin too,” she laughs.<br />
The number of American soldiers stationed<br />
in Berlin during its 49 years of division<br />
is shrouded in mystery, or possibly a<br />
military secret. There are, however, some<br />
readily accessible records on how many<br />
16<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
Right: American<br />
Berliner Gary<br />
Planz hoists the<br />
flag outside his<br />
allotment garden<br />
in Mariendorf.<br />
BERLIN’S LITTLE<br />
AMERICA (1945-1989)<br />
children of American soldiers spent<br />
time in Berlin. According to the<br />
online Berlin Brats Alumni Association,<br />
exactly 10,485 kids went either<br />
to the TAR school or to the BAHS.<br />
In the 1970s and 1980s, between 500<br />
and 900 boys and girls were schooled<br />
there each year. However, 43 percent<br />
of them spent just one year in Berlin,<br />
while only nine percent stayed for<br />
four years or longer. But the Brats’<br />
scrupulous record-keeping does not<br />
show the full picture, since many<br />
other sons and daughters of US army<br />
personnel, like Holmes, attended the<br />
John F. Kennedy School, a German-<br />
American institution founded in<br />
Zehlendorf in 1960. In the 1980s,<br />
one-quarter of the school’s students<br />
were army brats, its website says.<br />
* * *<br />
Another JFK school alumnus, the<br />
45-year-old Eric Hess, was born at<br />
the US army hospital in Zehlendorf.<br />
His parents, both Americans, had<br />
moved to Berlin where they worked<br />
as linguists for the US Air Force.<br />
Hess remembers his family’s regular<br />
shopping trips to East Berlin. “They<br />
sold excellent dictionaries there,<br />
and better music than in the West,<br />
and everything was dirt cheap.” The<br />
socialist GDR used to promote blues<br />
and jazz music as propaganda tools<br />
to highlight the oppression of black<br />
people in the West (see page 26), “so<br />
indirectly we were kind of supporting<br />
their propaganda,” Hess winks. But<br />
that was nothing serious compared to<br />
one US general’s wife who reportedly<br />
bought a piano out East. “That was a<br />
bit too much for the army. Afterwards<br />
The American sector encompassed the entire south<br />
of West Berlin, from Kreuzberg and Neukölln all the<br />
way to Wannsee. With the British and French sectors,<br />
it was besieged by the Soviets in 1948-49 and<br />
then physically cut off from its surroundings when<br />
they erected the Berlin Wall in 1961, at the height of<br />
the Cold War. The Wall fell 28 years later and all the<br />
foreign troops subsequently left Berlin, restored<br />
to its status as the capital of unified Germany.<br />
The Berlin Brigade of the US Army ceased to exist<br />
when it got officially inactivated by President Bill<br />
Clinton, on July 6, 1994. There are no available official<br />
records of how many American soldiers were<br />
stationed in Berlin during those years – estimates<br />
vary between 30,000 and 100,000.<br />
they slowed things down,” he laughs.<br />
“Of course we knew we were privileged,”<br />
Hess, now a father of three,<br />
explains. “We had these amazing facilities,<br />
the bowling alleys, the movie<br />
clubs, the yacht clubs, tax-exempt<br />
shops and lots of things for free with<br />
a military ID,” all subsidised courtesy<br />
of the German taxpayer. “We were in<br />
denial that it was a very artificial life.”<br />
Sometimes things got more artificial<br />
still, like when a German film<br />
crew came to the BAHS looking for<br />
extras for Just a Gigolo, the 1978 film<br />
starring David Bowie and Marlene<br />
Dietrich. Jesse Greene, an army brat<br />
born on the Fort Benning base in<br />
Columbus, Georgia who’d arrived<br />
in Berlin in 1975, was among the<br />
chosen few. The 11th-grade student<br />
had to spend a very long day wearing<br />
a SA uniform, but had a great<br />
time. “Berlin, as a walled-up city, was<br />
extremely cool,” the IT manager recalls.<br />
Greene went on to occasionally<br />
DJ at his favourite progressive<br />
rock clubs Bowie and Superfly<br />
near Adenauerplatz in Charlottenburg,<br />
a neighbourhood that was then<br />
the epicentre of West Berlin nightlife.<br />
When he turned 18, the army offered<br />
him a trip back to the US, since his<br />
father had retired. But he declined.<br />
* * *<br />
The Wende caught everybody by surprise.<br />
After a few heady days and wild<br />
November nights where the younger<br />
Berlin brats (like Hess) celebrated<br />
with ecstatic Berliners on top of the<br />
Wall while the older ones (like Planz)<br />
gave away packs of cigarettes or<br />
bottles of alcohol, history was set in<br />
motion. Just as the whole city around<br />
them was changing beyond recognition,<br />
the safe bubble of the US army<br />
barracks was irremediably punctured.<br />
“Actually, after the Wall came down,<br />
many Americans left because their<br />
perfect West Berlin world no longer<br />
existed,” Hess says. So did he: feeling<br />
neither German nor American,<br />
he found an escape at the American<br />
University of Paris. After 11 years at<br />
the NATO Headquarters in Brussels<br />
as a translator, he moved back to Berlin<br />
with his family just last summer.<br />
Not all Berlin US army brats are<br />
created equal when it comes to identity,<br />
or even citizenship. Some lucky<br />
ones were able to obtain dual German-American<br />
passports, like Holmes<br />
and Alan Benson, a translator who<br />
came to Berlin as a child in 1965 but<br />
didn’t speak proper German for a long<br />
time. Today a member of both the<br />
German SPD and the Berlin chapter of<br />
Democrats Abroad, he’s actively taking<br />
part in the political debate of his<br />
two countries, Benson explains over a<br />
milkshake in a McDonald’s restaurant<br />
on Ku’damm (where else?). Greene,<br />
however, was never able to obtain<br />
German citizenship without giving up<br />
his US passport, despite having a German<br />
mother. “I’ve been paying taxes<br />
here all my life, so it would be nice<br />
to be able to vote in local elections at<br />
least,” Greene shrugs. As for Berlinborn<br />
Eric Hess, he only has an American<br />
passport, just like his two parents,<br />
although he has been working for the<br />
German Foreign Ministry for over a<br />
decade. As a foreigner, he will never<br />
become a Beamte, a fully-fledged German<br />
civil servant.<br />
Contentedly sitting on his bungalow<br />
porch in Mariendorf next to<br />
his Berliner wife Eveline, Planz says<br />
he is not bothered at all not to have<br />
German citizenship, even though he<br />
grew up speaking only German at<br />
home with his mother and fell behind<br />
at school because his English wasn’t<br />
good enough at first. “Don’t you say<br />
my mother tongue is German. I’m<br />
too proud of my American heritage<br />
for that. My mother tongue is English,<br />
American English,” he says with a<br />
jovial if slightly imperative tone, as he<br />
watches squirrels frolic in the garden.<br />
Planz switches seamlessly to Berliner<br />
dialect with a man who has walked in<br />
unannounced – the head of the local<br />
garden club. “I’m the zweiter Vorsitzende,”<br />
Planz points out in Denglish.<br />
Hey, isn’t being the vice-chairman of<br />
a Kleingartenkolonie the epitome of<br />
German-ness? “Look, I love Berlin.<br />
It’s a fantastic city. But my heart is<br />
and will always stay American.” n<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
17
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
THE LAST<br />
COWBOY IN<br />
REINICKENDORF<br />
Berliners’ fascination with Americana and county<br />
music ain’t what it used to be. But there’s a holdout<br />
of redneck culture in the suburbs: the American<br />
Western Saloon. Rachel Glassberg went for a<br />
visit and gave line dancing a try.<br />
There’s a certain perverse pleasure<br />
we US expats get out of seeing our<br />
culture exoticised, exaggerated and<br />
not-so-accurately simulated by Germans.<br />
Who among us hasn’t gawked at the caramel<br />
popcorn yogurt and barbecue noodles<br />
offered during “America Week” at Lidl, or<br />
contemplated eating burgers and schnitzel<br />
under portraits of Elvis and Marilyn at<br />
Mitte’s Route 66 Diner? But this uncanny<br />
valley of Deutsch-Americana is shrinking, at<br />
least in Berlin. The city’s biggest celebration<br />
of “America”, the kitschy German-American<br />
Volksfest, was called off in <strong>2016</strong> for the first<br />
time in its 55-year history, officially due to<br />
a lack of space. With that off the table, we<br />
decided to journey to the Wild Northwest –<br />
Reinickendorf, to be exact. There, in the halfbarren<br />
Markisches Viertel, Berliner Frank<br />
Lange has been indulging his obsession with<br />
the USA for over two decades, complete<br />
with country music, €4.50 bottles of Coors<br />
Lite and line dancing four nights a week. Say<br />
howdy to the American Western Saloon.<br />
“Franky” is a lifelong Reinickendorfer,<br />
born in 1956 when the neighbourhood was<br />
still governed by France; he speaks French<br />
and English but is most comfortable in his<br />
native Berlinerisch. His fascination with<br />
America sprang mainly from romanticised<br />
European depictions of it, like Bud Spencer’s<br />
spaghetti Westerns and the Wild West tales<br />
of German author Karl May, who famously<br />
never set foot in the States until a few years<br />
before his death.<br />
When he wasn’t vacationing in Florida, Tennessee<br />
or Arizona, Lange spent early adulthood<br />
like any red-blooded American man: working<br />
as a truck driver and playing in a Creedence<br />
Clearwater Revival cover band. In 1994, he<br />
opened the first version of his Western Saloon<br />
in Ollenhauer Straße. Six years later, it moved<br />
to the nearby Fontane Haus cultural centre,<br />
where the bar, restaurant and venue has remained<br />
more or less unchanged since.<br />
A WALL-MOUNTED<br />
LED DISPLAYS THE<br />
BAR’S OFFICIAL<br />
SLOGAN: “OUR<br />
BEERS ARE AS COLD<br />
AS YOUR EX-WIFE!”<br />
There are several homages to the American<br />
West in and around Berlin, like Spandau’s<br />
“Old Texas Town” and the popular El Dorado<br />
theme park in Brandenburg, but Lange’s is<br />
the only one to take an earnest stab at actual<br />
21st-century redneckery. Bras, panties and<br />
stuffed chickens hang from the ceiling alongside<br />
cowboy boots and a mirror-plated 10-gallon<br />
hat. A wall-mounted LED displays the<br />
bar’s official slogan: “Our beers are as cold as<br />
your ex-wife!” 1 The 14-page menu offers 335g<br />
burgers, “Brokeback Mountain” salad and the<br />
aforementioned Coors (the cheap alternative<br />
is the house “Moose Beer”, actually a<br />
bog-standard pilsner brewed by Wolters). It<br />
also serves as an almanac of truly heinous<br />
Denglish humour (“Onion rings = Zwiebel ruft<br />
an”) and advertises t-shirts printed with the<br />
phrase “I pee on toilet seats.”<br />
The only thing missing is a Confederate<br />
flag, and in fact, a giant one used to fly<br />
from the roof of the saloon’s predecessor in<br />
Ollenhauer Straße. “Until a couple of black<br />
guys walked in and asked if I was a Nazi or<br />
something,” Lange recalls. “But here in Germany,<br />
the ‘rebel flag’ doesn’t have anything to<br />
do with Nazism or hating foreigners. It’s just<br />
a lifestyle thing.” Granted, those attracted<br />
to that lifestyle tend to share certain sentiments,<br />
and it’s probably no accident that Berlin’s<br />
“Western” restaurants and attractions<br />
are located in its most conservative neighbourhoods.<br />
Reinickendorf, for example, had<br />
one of the highest proportions of right-wing<br />
voters in last month’s state elections.<br />
Tonight’s short on Confederate flags – or<br />
cowboys at all, for that matter. We’re here<br />
for the line dancing, of course, although if<br />
we’d come on a Saturday we could’ve caught<br />
a show by country-Schlager superstar Larry<br />
Schuba 2 . Tonight’s instructor is Natalie<br />
Redlitz, a 29-year-old radiologist who caught<br />
the line dancing bug at age 11 and boasts several<br />
world championship titles as a member<br />
of the Berlin-based dance club InCahoots.<br />
To our group of seven, she patiently demonstrates<br />
the choreography to “Boot Scootin’<br />
18<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
Boogie”: three steps, 24 bars, repeat<br />
for the song’s duration or until your<br />
last shred of dignity has vanished. As<br />
we stumble over our own feet and<br />
Brooks & Dunn sing “Heel, toe, do-sido”<br />
for what feels like the 50th time,<br />
the lone man in the group flashes us<br />
a helpless “I’ve been dragged here by<br />
my wife” kind of look.<br />
The rest of the participants are 40-<br />
and 50-something nurses, teachers<br />
and business consultants, and when<br />
we ask them why they’re here we keep<br />
getting the same answer: “Because<br />
you don’t need a partner to dance.”<br />
Rather than the anticipated peek into<br />
Germany’s Western subculture, we’re<br />
getting an unvarnished look at life as a<br />
single, middle-aged woman in suburban<br />
Berlin. “Ten years ago, there were<br />
lots of people showing up in cowboy<br />
hats and boots,” Redlitz tells us when<br />
we express our puzzlement. “Now<br />
it’s women who come here on their<br />
own to make friends, have fun... The<br />
music’s getting more modern, too. It’s<br />
not just country anymore.”<br />
Sure enough, as the night progresses<br />
from “beginner” to “advanced”<br />
and the group swells to about 10, the<br />
music switches over to an electro<br />
cover of “Oh, Susanna!”, then to<br />
RedOne’s “Don’t You Need Somebody”.<br />
Unbelievably, we do see one<br />
cowboy-hatted German scooting his<br />
boots to the latter. Michael Künne is a<br />
salesman and recreational horse rider<br />
who also attends country meetups in<br />
Pullman City, the 200,000sqm Westernstadt<br />
in Harz, Bavaria. He started<br />
line dancing here seven years ago and<br />
enjoys it, even though, he says, “I’ve<br />
met real cowboys in America, and<br />
they’ve barely even heard of it.”<br />
Hobbyists like Künne are an exception<br />
at the Western Saloon these<br />
days, Lange sighs. “Ten, 15 years<br />
ago, they were everywhere, but now<br />
when someone like him comes in,<br />
it’s exotic.” He’s on the patio with<br />
his friend Lars Bethke, a country DJ<br />
and longtime regular, discussing the<br />
future of German country music. “It’s<br />
dying out,” Lange says 3 . “The only<br />
ones left are dinosaurs. Larry Schuba<br />
is how old, 65? How many more<br />
years does he have?” Is it because<br />
Americans just aren’t as fascinating<br />
anymore? Bethke, who grew up in<br />
Steglitz, thinks so. “I remember going<br />
out to the GI clubs, the ones where<br />
you could only pay in dollars and they<br />
only served American beer. They were<br />
playing all these country records I’d<br />
never heard before – you couldn’t<br />
buy them anywhere in Germany, but<br />
somehow they were here. It was like<br />
entering another world. But now all<br />
you’ve got to do is go on Youtube...”<br />
The increasing number of Berlin bars<br />
and restaurants owned by actual US<br />
expats hasn’t escaped Lange’s notice,<br />
but he has never been to White Trash<br />
Fast Food (see page 12) or The Bird<br />
(page 52). “They don’t have a parking<br />
lot, and I’m not much of a walker,” he<br />
says. Spoken like a true American.<br />
One reliable highlight of Lange’s<br />
year, at least, remains the Country<br />
Music Meeting, a weekend-long<br />
annual gathering of German and<br />
international country and Western<br />
enthusiasts that takes over the entire<br />
Fontane Haus. The next one is in<br />
February 2017, and he hands us a<br />
flyer for it. On the back are lyrics to<br />
a song Irish musician Padraic “Tiny”<br />
McNeela composed for the occasion:<br />
“You can sip Jack Daniels whisky,<br />
wear a hat like Daniel Boone<br />
And if ya wanna ‘sit a spell’, hit the<br />
Western Saloon<br />
We’re off to get some chicken<br />
wings, and a nice cold big Moose beer<br />
And we’d really like to see you all<br />
back again next year...” n<br />
Above: Participants<br />
in Natalie Redlitz´s<br />
intermediate line<br />
dancing course.<br />
1. Lange’s own ex-wife’s<br />
name is Heike, and he<br />
thanks her quite warmly<br />
in the liner notes to the<br />
<strong>2016</strong> compilation CD<br />
AWeSome 15 Years at<br />
the American Western<br />
Saloon.<br />
2. Larry Schuba’s discography<br />
comprises 20<br />
albums, all in German,<br />
including Barrooms,<br />
Bedrooms and Bad Bad<br />
Boys and Sex-A-Billy.<br />
3. “Like print magazines,”<br />
Lange adds later,<br />
poking the copy of<br />
Exberliner we gave him.<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
ci<br />
<br />
h l<br />
<br />
<br />
die englischen<br />
j a h r e<br />
5.10.<strong>2016</strong> bis<br />
2 7 . 2 . 2 0 1 7<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
19<br />
Lucia Moholy: Porträts von »Charlady« (Mrs. Palmer), Edward Garnett<br />
und Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, 1936 © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn <strong>2016</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
GRANDPA’S<br />
SECRET<br />
HISTORY<br />
David Shield came to Berlin to find<br />
out more about his beloved grandfather’s<br />
life before he fled Nazi<br />
Germany for Florida. He wasn’t<br />
prepared for what he’d discover...<br />
As told to Anna Gyulai Gaal<br />
In 2010, Floridian David Shield moved to<br />
Berlin – not for the usual reasons a 27-yearold<br />
budding film composer might do so, but<br />
to learn more about his beloved grandfather. He<br />
knew that Joseph Shield was born Josef Seidel in<br />
the German capital in 1921 and fled the country for<br />
the US in 1944, where he changed his last name.<br />
But Joseph had always been secretive about his<br />
German past. It wasn’t until David came to Berlin<br />
that he found out why. Now working as a barista<br />
in a hip Kreuzberg café, he told us his story.<br />
“I adored my grandfather as I was growing up. He<br />
would take me on fishing trips all over Florida,<br />
and we’d sit in a boat for hours – sometimes we’d<br />
even stay out all night. He taught me about plants<br />
and animals and told me so many great stories.<br />
I always thought he’d made them up, but now I<br />
know they were German fairytales.<br />
Grandpa was always a very reserved person. He<br />
wouldn’t talk about his difficulties at work or the<br />
fact that he’d been bullied throughout his whole<br />
life because of his very strong accent. He was in<br />
his late twenties when he arrived in the US and<br />
for some reason, he never managed to master the<br />
language. Even my brother would make fun of<br />
him sometimes. I remember really wanting him<br />
to tell me more about his childhood and early life<br />
because all we knew was that he’d come ‘from<br />
Europe’, but we didn’t know why or how.<br />
We often spent weekends at our grandparents’.<br />
One day Grandpa was napping and my<br />
brother and I were sitting in the kitchen drinking<br />
the hot chocolate my grandmother would<br />
always prepare for us – full-fat milk, real dark<br />
cocoa powder, lots of sugar and even marshmallows.<br />
I remember how on that day, after<br />
we nagged her, she finally decided to tell us:<br />
Grandpa was actually a Jew who hid in Germany<br />
until the situation got really bad, and he fled the<br />
country to America. She also said he had lost all<br />
his family in the war. I remember how sorry I<br />
felt for him. My dad knew already, but I think he<br />
just accepted it and didn’t necessarily want to<br />
know more details. Neither did my brother. I, on<br />
the other hand, was extremely curious! I was in<br />
sixth grade at the time, and from that day on, I<br />
would proudly tell people that my Grandpa Joseph<br />
was a hero and a survivor, and I was a Jew!<br />
I kept asking my grandmother, but it seemed<br />
she didn’t know more about her husband’s<br />
previous life either. My grandfather must have experienced<br />
so many terrible things before fleeing,<br />
we thought, that it felt natural that he wouldn’t<br />
want to wake those dark memories. Our family<br />
wasn’t really into opening Pandora’s box, anyway.<br />
Above: A teenage Josef<br />
Seidel (right) and his<br />
cousin, helping out on<br />
his grandfather’s farm<br />
in the mid-1930s.<br />
Right: Joseph Shield and<br />
his wife May honeymooning<br />
in Florida in the early<br />
1950s. May was pregnant<br />
with their first child.<br />
20<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
I remember him sitting on the porch in the<br />
evenings, looking straight into nothing, and<br />
I kept thinking: I’ll take him back to Berlin<br />
one day, we’ll relive all of his bad and good<br />
memories and he’ll open up to me like he’d<br />
never opened up to anyone before! I really<br />
wanted to be that one special grandchild who<br />
had an exceptional connection with him.<br />
But I never got the chance. He died from<br />
cancer in 2008. After that, I gathered the few<br />
documents my grandfather had left. I knew<br />
his original name and I had a few old photos<br />
of him as a kid, surrounded by friends. I<br />
decided to apply for German citizenship – I<br />
knew from friends that as a descendant of<br />
Jews who fled to the US from Germany, I<br />
should have no problem. But they couldn’t<br />
find my grandfather’s name on the official records.<br />
Apparently he’d been presumed dead<br />
during the war. I told myself that he might<br />
not have wanted to talk about his religion<br />
upon his arrival in the US… I was determined<br />
to find all the answers.<br />
Finally, in the fall of 2010, I came to Berlin.<br />
All my hope rested on the one address where<br />
my family had lived before the war, near<br />
Tiergarten in Mitte. I found the house was<br />
miraculously still standing but, of course,<br />
the people who lived there before were long<br />
gone! So I turned to the American Jewish<br />
Committee for help. They were incredible,<br />
they really put so much work and effort into<br />
trying to unveil the identity of that young<br />
boy and his family. But it was fruitless. One<br />
day, I went to their office on Leipziger Platz<br />
to meet with the lady researching my case.<br />
After looking through all the results, she<br />
stood up and closed the door. She sat back in<br />
her chair and asked me very softly: ‘Are you<br />
sure your grandfather was on the victims’<br />
side of this war?’ I laughed at her, got very offended<br />
and left the office. I walked for hours<br />
that afternoon in Tiergarten, feeling disgusted.<br />
I was considering leaving right away,<br />
but eventually I decided to stay and find out<br />
more. Otherwise, I knew it would bother me<br />
for the rest of my life.<br />
I waited in lines from one Amt to the<br />
next, dealing with unsympathetic bureaucrats.<br />
I didn’t speak any German back<br />
then, and they made little effort to speak<br />
English. But then there were all these<br />
old people who’d invite me in for coffee<br />
and start to show me old photos, which<br />
usually just turned out to be of their own<br />
families and children and grandchildren.<br />
Old people love to talk about their lives,<br />
especially if they’re lonely, so I eventually<br />
learned a lot about Berlin during the<br />
war: the bombing, the Nazi concentration<br />
camps in Prenzlauer Berg, how you used to<br />
be able to hear people screaming around<br />
the water tower area… But still nothing<br />
about my own grandfather!<br />
Finally, the Bürgeramt in Prenzlauer<br />
Berg gave me one of my grandfather’s last<br />
addresses, where his family had lived till<br />
about 1935, a building on the northern end of<br />
Prenzlauer Allee all the way on the edge of<br />
Weissensee. It was already spring 2011 when<br />
I rang Elizabeth Stock’s doorbell. And then...<br />
it turned out she knew my family! She was<br />
young at the time, only seven or eight years<br />
old, but she remembered my grandfather,<br />
“SHE STOOD UP,<br />
CLOSED THE DOOR<br />
AND ASKED ME<br />
VERY SOFTLY: ‘ARE<br />
YOU SURE YOUR<br />
GRANDFATHER WAS<br />
ON THE VICTIMS’<br />
SIDE OF THIS WAR?’”<br />
who’d been around 14 then. She befriended<br />
Elke, his sister, who was 10 – they would play<br />
together in the small back garden while their<br />
mothers would share cooking tips. Elizabeth<br />
told me how beautiful my great-grandmother<br />
was, and that my great-grandfather was a very<br />
loud man. They even knew that he was hitting<br />
his kids with his belt – sometimes Joseph<br />
would even show the marks on his side. I<br />
couldn’t believe it! She showed me more<br />
photos of the years they’d all lived there. We<br />
talked for hours, and eventually I asked her<br />
about how it had been possible for these Jews<br />
to hide for so long and finally escape. Elizabeth<br />
looked at me with these big, questioning<br />
eyes and she said, ‘The Seidels were not<br />
Jewish, my dear. The father and the son both<br />
joined the SS. My father often talked about<br />
them later, saying what a shame it was that<br />
they turned so easily.’<br />
I didn’t know what to say. For a moment,<br />
I thought she must be mixing them up with<br />
someone else, or that she had dementia,<br />
or… anything! But she looked so convinced…<br />
After I left her house I called my dad back in<br />
Florida and told him what the lady had said.<br />
He was just as doubtful as I was. Grandpa<br />
was such a gentle, quiet man, he said, donating<br />
to Vietnam War veterans, always giving a<br />
few cents to the homeless in town. He could<br />
have never done anything bad to anyone! It<br />
reassured me, but not for long. The next day<br />
my dad called me crying and said it all made<br />
sense to him somehow. He said Grandpa was<br />
always refusing to watch or read anything<br />
about World War II, especially when it came<br />
to footage of Berlin. He would switch the TV<br />
off. Suddenly, it made sense why he was so<br />
reserved about his past, why he never wanted<br />
to be part of the Jewish community in<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
21
AMERICAN BERLIN<br />
America even though it would have been<br />
more than safe in Florida.<br />
So I continued researching, going through<br />
Elizabeth to other people who used to know<br />
my family. At the Potsdam public library,<br />
I found a lot of data on Nazi followers<br />
and Hitler’s military, notes on attacks and<br />
battles, lists of Jews they rounded up and put<br />
in camps around Berlin and other German<br />
cities and the list of soldiers completing the<br />
orders. From all of these sources and stories<br />
people told, I figured out that Grandpa<br />
Joseph, aka Josef Seidel, had been part of the<br />
Hitler Youth movement. Then, in 1940, he<br />
joined the SS at the age of 19, alongside his<br />
father Hendrik. He took part in several missions<br />
to round up Jews in Germany and force<br />
them into concentration camps. He probably<br />
later fought in Denmark and Norway,<br />
although we couldn’t find out for sure. What<br />
was for certain, was that he was a Nazi.<br />
My father eventually also came to Berlin<br />
to help me fill in the blanks. We learned<br />
Joseph’s father was killed in the British<br />
bombing of Hamburg in 1943. Joseph would<br />
have returned to Berlin and found his old<br />
flat abandoned and looted. With his father<br />
dead and his mother and sister missing, he<br />
probably started fearing for his own life.<br />
Apparently many SS people got scared at the<br />
beginning of 1944 and were trying to hide<br />
and escape. We heard that if you had some<br />
money, it was possible to get fake papers and<br />
get smuggled through the borders, but there<br />
was no exact information on his escape. He<br />
just disappeared, so they put him on the<br />
list of dead. But he was very much alive for<br />
another 64 years!<br />
How could he keep it a secret for so long?<br />
How could we all not have known about this?<br />
I was devastated for a long time. I actually<br />
kept seeing Elizabeth till the day she died<br />
two years ago. I wanted to hear nice stories<br />
about how they played and that Joseph was a<br />
handsome, kind and generous boy, but very<br />
scared of his father. She told me how, as the<br />
situation got worse in Berlin and the war was<br />
about to begin, their families would share<br />
what they had and they’d often have dinner<br />
together. I slowly accepted the truth. The<br />
truth that the grandfather I had idolised had<br />
followed Hitler. That my grandfather was in<br />
the SS. The truth that he was a Nazi.<br />
I felt ashamed, and it took me years till I was<br />
actually able to tell other people. One person<br />
I never told the truth to is my grandmother.<br />
Somehow she must have suspected something,<br />
but she never wanted to know more. Our family<br />
in general wasn’t the curious type, so that’s<br />
what we got used to: not to ask.” n<br />
“THERE WAS NO<br />
INFORMATION ON<br />
HIS ESCAPE. HE<br />
JUST DISAPPEARED,<br />
SO THEY PUT HIM<br />
ON THE LIST OF<br />
DEAD. BUT HE WAS<br />
VERY MUCH ALIVE<br />
FOR ANOTHER 64<br />
YEARS!”<br />
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> for all under 30s
REGULARS<br />
PAGE 23 GIRL<br />
Blue skies, books<br />
and Berghain<br />
Our brand new series spotlights<br />
Berlin’s Powerfrauen. This<br />
month: Kimberly Marteau<br />
Emerson is an American attorney<br />
and human rights activist<br />
(Human Rights Watch), a mum<br />
of three daughters and wife of<br />
US Ambassador to Germany<br />
John B. Emerson.<br />
One sentence that proves you’re a woman!<br />
“It makes me feel more powerful to look<br />
good while doing good.” I don’t agree with<br />
women who think that if you like to dress<br />
stylishly and groom yourself smartly, it<br />
makes you less serious. It’s important not to<br />
be self-conscious about style, but to absolutely<br />
embrace this fun and wonderful tool<br />
of self-expression.<br />
How do you define being a feminist<br />
today? Intuitive, self-possessed,<br />
confident, unhindered by gender<br />
norms. Having a seat at the economic<br />
and/or political power table.<br />
Your most treasured possession? My diary.<br />
I started it two and a half years ago, and I<br />
write a few sentences every day. Hopefully<br />
one day it’ll be a basis for a book on the<br />
many roles I have played here!<br />
What are you afraid of? The lack of empathy<br />
in the world, and arriving at the tennis court<br />
as it begins to rain.<br />
What’s your idea of ultimate freedom? Blue<br />
sky, one metre of fresh powder, tuned skis<br />
and a long, untracked slope in front of me.<br />
Take off!<br />
What superpower would you like to have and<br />
how would you use it? The power to heal<br />
bodies, hearts and minds... and flying would<br />
be cool, too.<br />
What’s currently on your bedside table?<br />
Scott Anderson’s Lawrence in Arabia: War,<br />
Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the<br />
Modern Middle East, Anthony Doerr’s All<br />
the Light We Cannot See, my mobile, iPad, a<br />
bottle of water and earplugs.<br />
Your craziest Berlin adventure: A night<br />
at Berghain with Claire Danes and Hugh<br />
Dancy... That’s all I can say. What happens<br />
at Berghain stays at Berghain! n<br />
Emerson speaks at Women & Leadership:<br />
The Path Ahead on Wed, Oct 12, 7pm at<br />
the Volkswagen Group Forum.<br />
The best/worst thing about<br />
being a woman? Best: high<br />
heels. Worst: high heels.<br />
The most sexist question<br />
you’ve ever been asked?<br />
It’s too outrageous to<br />
repeat here.<br />
Who are you named<br />
after? Kim Novak,<br />
the famous American<br />
actress from the 1950s.<br />
Photo: Karolina Spolniewski<br />
Last time you laughed out<br />
loud? I look for the humour<br />
in life, so my hearty laugh can be<br />
heard frequently. A few days ago at<br />
a cocktail party, my girlfriend asked a<br />
server for a glass of champagne. He shook<br />
his head and said, “No, we don’t have it.”<br />
Then he winked and added: “I want some,<br />
too!” That cracked me up. It’s so very Berlin.<br />
An offer you can’t say no to? An invitation<br />
to talk about Human Rights Watch... and<br />
almost any opportunity to dance!<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong><br />
23
ADVERTORIAL — Shopping in Berlin<br />
Iittala: Timeless Design<br />
In the market for unique, beautiful houseware that will last a lifetime?<br />
Look no further than Iittala, an outpost of Finnish and Nordic design<br />
with three locations here in Berlin.<br />
Upon entering Iittala’s flagship<br />
German store, located on bustling<br />
Friedrichstraße, you are met with<br />
timeless elegance at every angle your curious<br />
head might turn. The home accessories<br />
that garnish the shelves ooze luxury.<br />
They look almost too good to touch. But<br />
be brave – get your fingers on those beautiful<br />
bowls! In fact it’s their hardiness and<br />
durability that’s the other half of the Iittala<br />
charm. Because that’s the company philosophy:<br />
designer home accessories that<br />
will last a lifetime.<br />
The company, named after the small<br />
Finnish town where it was founded back<br />
in 1881, is proud of its design heritage,<br />
and shares this with its customers. With<br />
each collection, you’ll find information<br />
about the designer and the year of conception.<br />
In fact, nearly all of their ranges<br />
herald from the 20th century, proving<br />
that the timelessness of the products continues<br />
to transcend.<br />
Products such as their famous Aalto<br />
vase, this year celebrating its 80th<br />
birthday, establish the company concept<br />
perfectly. First designed in 1936 by architect<br />
Alvar Aalto and inspired by Finnish<br />
lakes, the vase is still mouth-blown in<br />
the company’s factory in Finland. You<br />
can even visit the factory and have a look<br />
for yourself if you fancy the journey! The<br />
vase is now their best-selling item, and<br />
has grown to become a statement piece.<br />
Below: Iittala’s famous<br />
“Aalto” vase celebrates its<br />
80th birthday this year.<br />
24
ADVERTORIAL — Shopping in Berlin<br />
Each year Iittala<br />
re-releases the<br />
vase, using bold,<br />
tasteful colours to<br />
reinvent the Aalto<br />
again and again.<br />
Above: Originally designed<br />
in 1964, the Kastehelmi<br />
Votive is still stylish.<br />
Each year the company re-releases the vase,<br />
using bold, tasteful colours to reinvent the Aalto<br />
again and again.<br />
Iittala’s mindfulness for the ‘right now’ is one<br />
of the reasons why customers still put faith in<br />
their products. Constantly staying true to their<br />
designs while constantly making minimal changes<br />
keeps them up-to-date. From their seasonal<br />
ranges to their Moomin collection (featuring<br />
Finland’s most famous cartoon export), Iittala<br />
adapts to your wants and needs.<br />
Torben Pahl, manager of Iittala’s Friedrichstraße<br />
branch, told us of his own ‘love for the<br />
Finnish work ethic, of creating and delivering a<br />
good quality product that speaks for itself. Other<br />
home accessory stores that have a long heritage<br />
tend to stick to a traditional image.’ But Iittala<br />
is very much aware of the 21st century, demonstrated<br />
most recently through their collaboration<br />
with Issey Miyake. The famed Japanese designer<br />
has created an exclusive range of textiles and ceramics<br />
that blend his own renowned design style<br />
with Iittala eclecticism. The fusion of Japanese<br />
feng shui with Nordic cool is elegance optimised!<br />
Here in Berlin, they’re even having a party to<br />
celebrate on <strong>October</strong> 29 (10am-7pm), with plenty<br />
of Asian food to go around.<br />
With three outlets here in Berlin alone (Friedrichstraße,<br />
Münzstraße and KaDeWe), Iittala has<br />
been promoting Nordic elegance in design since<br />
it first opened doors here in Germany back in<br />
2008. So indulge, and buy yourself something<br />
that is more than just a product, but a concept<br />
that has been building itself since 1881. n<br />
Above: Torben Pahl, store manager, is passionate<br />
about being involved with the Finnish brand.<br />
Right: The flagship<br />
store in Friedrichstraße<br />
is a mecca<br />
of Finnish design.<br />
TEXT: VICTORIA BARNES. PHOTOS: KAROLINA SPOLNIEWSKI<br />
25
WHAT’S ON — How Berlin Got The Blues<br />
HOW BERLIN<br />
GOT THE BLUES<br />
Interview<br />
Film and concert,<br />
Oct 12, 20:00, Babylon<br />
Kino, Mitte<br />
The blues propagandist<br />
Eb Davis in six dates<br />
1943: Born in Elaine,<br />
Arkansas.<br />
1954: Moves to<br />
Memphis and starts<br />
playing music.<br />
1966: Moves to<br />
New York City to<br />
continue his blues<br />
career.<br />
1981: Sent to West<br />
Berlin by the US<br />
military.<br />
1986: Starts playing<br />
music and lecturing<br />
in East Germany.<br />
1994: After leaving<br />
the army, forms the<br />
Eb Davis Superband<br />
in Berlin.<br />
In Cold War Berlin, Arkansas-born musician and<br />
military communications officer Ebylee “Eb” Davis<br />
was sent on special expeditions behind the Wall.<br />
His mission? To bring East Berliners the blues.<br />
By René Blixer. Additional reporting by Dani Arbid.<br />
Davis’ unique story is told in<br />
the new documentary How<br />
Berlin Got The Blues. Victoria<br />
Luther’s film sees its European<br />
premiere at Babylon on <strong>October</strong> 12,<br />
followed by a concert from the man<br />
himself, now 73 and performing<br />
with his “Superband”. The singer sat<br />
down with us at his house in Zehlendorf<br />
where he lives with his German<br />
wife Nina, a blues pianist herself.<br />
How did you get into the blues?<br />
The first time I heard blues, it was<br />
back home in Arkansas. I was maybe<br />
six or seven years old. There was a<br />
guy living next door to us. He was a<br />
guitar player, singer. I’d come home<br />
from school and he’d be sitting out<br />
there playing, singing... I went to the<br />
house and asked my mother what<br />
he was playing because I’d only ever<br />
heard gospel or country music, and<br />
it didn’t touch me like what he was<br />
doing. She said, “Well, that’s blues,<br />
you stay away from that.”<br />
What was it that touched you so<br />
much? The church was singing<br />
about the pie in the sky, and this<br />
guy was singing, you know, the<br />
pie in the sky is good, but I want<br />
a piece of pie now, with some ice<br />
cream on top of it. That got me<br />
more. And then I moved to Memphis,<br />
and there were guys like BB<br />
King just hanging around... There<br />
was another guy who was a preacher,<br />
but a blues singer at night. One<br />
time I told him, “I’ve been taught<br />
that you can’t serve on both sides.”<br />
And he said, “Boy, let me tell you<br />
something. There is no big difference<br />
between gospel and the blues,<br />
only the words.” The preacher gets<br />
up and says “Oh God.” Then when<br />
you’re singing the blues it’s “Oh<br />
baby.” It’s the same thing. It’s the<br />
yearning.<br />
But then you joined the army, at<br />
16, even lying about your age to<br />
get in. How come? Back then you’d<br />
get drafted, and then you had no<br />
choice, they just put you somewhere.<br />
If you volunteered, though,<br />
they gave you some choices. So I<br />
chose New Mexico, and I did music<br />
at the same time – I had a band<br />
in the army. When I finished with<br />
those three years, I went back to<br />
Memphis and went full time with<br />
the music. There was a record producer<br />
who took me to New York. I<br />
put together a band there, The Soul<br />
Groovers – we were the house band<br />
at his club in Brooklyn for quite<br />
a while. But then came the disco<br />
boom, and that put us out of work.<br />
All the people said, “Why should I<br />
pay all this money for a band when<br />
I can pay one guy just to stand<br />
there?” Disco killed live music. So I<br />
went back into the military.<br />
26<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — How Berlin Got The Blues<br />
And that’s when you got sent to West<br />
Berlin... I didn’t want to come to Berlin!<br />
I wanted to go into southern Germany! I<br />
said, it’s a divided city, behind the Wall and<br />
all that stuff. But they said, who asked you?<br />
What did you do here, officially? I got<br />
hired by this unit called the United States<br />
Liaison Mission. It was an interesting unit<br />
because it was the only unit where the<br />
military could cross over the Glienicke<br />
Bridge, now called the Bridge of Spies<br />
[between the American Sector in Wannsee<br />
and Potsdam in East Germany]. We had<br />
what’s called a safe house there in the East<br />
– the Russians had theirs in West Germany.<br />
I was just working as a reports civilian. The<br />
guys would go out and get the information,<br />
and I would be one of the people who would<br />
type it up. We had one guy review it, then it<br />
would be transferred over to Langley, to DC.<br />
What was it like to be an African American<br />
in Berlin at the time? It was fantastic!<br />
When I first came I met a lot of older people,<br />
older Germans, and they would explain<br />
the love that they had for black Americans.<br />
Back when they were kids the city was<br />
totally destroyed and they had nothing, so<br />
they’d go up to the US military compounds<br />
to see if they could get something. They<br />
said only the black guys would give them<br />
food – the white guys would chase them<br />
away, throw rocks at them. But that was<br />
back then. Of course, the younger ones<br />
don’t remember anything like that today.<br />
You started playing music with a German<br />
group called the Bayou Blues Band... Yeah<br />
it was a nine-piece with horns and stuff<br />
like that. The bandleader made yearly trips<br />
to New Orleans... they’d done their homework!<br />
I sat in with them one night, and<br />
after that he said, “We’ve been looking for<br />
someone like you.” So I started doing the<br />
military thing by day and working the West<br />
Berlin club circuit at night. The majority of<br />
the people at the shows were Germans and<br />
for a lot of them it was just curiosity, to see<br />
a black American doing blues.<br />
Whose idea was it to send you to East<br />
Germany? I was approached by the State<br />
Department, but who exactly invited me,<br />
I don’t know. They just said, we notice<br />
you speak pretty good, so we would like<br />
you to go to some of the universities and<br />
give speeches about American culture and<br />
stuff like that, and then you play a little<br />
bit of music after. The first one I did was<br />
at a university in Halle. Did something at<br />
Humboldt, in Leipzig as well. Days before<br />
the Wall came down, I was playing at Palast<br />
der Republik.<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
“I knew why I was sent<br />
there. They were all told,<br />
‘America is this, America<br />
is that, black people are<br />
still slaves.’ I was used to<br />
counteract that.”<br />
Did you know you were being used as a<br />
political tool? I knew why I was sent there.<br />
They were all told, “America is this, America<br />
is that, black people are still slaves.” I was<br />
used to counteract that. I told my boss, “Sir,<br />
if you think that I’m smart enough that you<br />
put me in this job, don’t you think I’m also<br />
smart enough to figure out why y’all sending<br />
me all over the East?” He said, “Well, you<br />
know, my orders come from above, too.” But<br />
for me it was okay. It was exciting.<br />
So was it okay with the East Germans<br />
for you to cross over to play? I couldn’t<br />
just say “I’m going over.” It had to be approved,<br />
of course. When I went over to a<br />
gig I always had to have one American and<br />
two Russian escorts. They would stay there<br />
the whole time, and when the gig was over<br />
they would escort me back to the border to<br />
make sure I stepped over the line without<br />
speaking to anybody.<br />
Did they like the music? Some of them did.<br />
But you couldn’t really tell because there<br />
would be some head sergeant or something<br />
standing in front, and when you finished<br />
a song the guy would go like this [lifts up<br />
hands] and then like this [brings hands<br />
down]. Then you’d play the next song. They<br />
were told when to applaud. The guy would<br />
give the applause signal.<br />
What happened to your unit after the<br />
Wall came down? Well, they didn’t have any<br />
use for us anymore, so they were giving people<br />
money to leave. They called me into the<br />
office and asked me, “Do you want to take<br />
your chance and stay in, or take the money<br />
and run? If you stay in, we might throw you<br />
out anyway.” I said, “Okay, I like money.”<br />
Why did you decide to stay in Berlin? I<br />
was quite established in the music scene<br />
here. Plus, I was getting a lot of offers from<br />
Switzerland, Sweden, France, Spain... I<br />
thought I could always go back once a year<br />
for a gig in the US, and that’s what we normally<br />
do now. But Berlin is the home base.<br />
In the United States they don’t see blues as<br />
an art form; here, they do. n<br />
From Sep. 15th<br />
to <strong>October</strong> 16th<br />
office<br />
for postidentical<br />
living<br />
(Büro für postidentisches Leben)<br />
A Speculation about Freedom<br />
A German-Spanish-Catalan<br />
team under the direction of<br />
Matthias Rebstock is opening<br />
an OFFICE FOR POST-<br />
IDENTICAL LIVING: here,<br />
seven young creative people<br />
will develop surprising<br />
questions and answers to<br />
what keeps us together at<br />
our core: freedom, borders<br />
and identity.<br />
In English, German and<br />
Spanish – with German<br />
surtitles<br />
neukoellneroper.de<br />
Karl-Marx-Str. 131–133<br />
D-12043 Berlin<br />
Tel.: 030 / 68 89 07 77<br />
tickets@neukoellneroper.de
WHAT’S ON — Film<br />
Editor’s Choice<br />
Secrets and lies<br />
A trio of this month’s releases are built around fiercely<br />
guarded truths and acts of deception. By Paul O’Callaghan<br />
Frantz<br />
Greats by Garrel<br />
All month, Arsenal<br />
presents the first<br />
German retrospective<br />
of work by the French<br />
master Philippe<br />
Garrel, including<br />
collaborations with<br />
Warhol superstar<br />
Nico, his muse and<br />
former partner.<br />
Cult Kung Fu<br />
Fresh from his appearance<br />
at Comic<br />
Con Berlin, legendary<br />
martial artist Taimak<br />
will introduce the film<br />
that made his name,<br />
1985 cult classic The<br />
Last Dragon. Oct 21,<br />
Babylon Kino<br />
A visit from Wenders<br />
On Oct 11, none other<br />
than Wim Wenders<br />
will head to Lichtblick<br />
Kino to introduce<br />
a newly restored<br />
version of his sublime<br />
1977 neo-noir The<br />
American Friend.<br />
European Art Cinema Day<br />
On Oct 9, over 1000<br />
cinemas across Europe<br />
will celebrate the<br />
diversity of European<br />
film with a programme<br />
of previews, old<br />
favourites and kids’<br />
films. Participating<br />
Berlin venues include<br />
every member of the<br />
Yorck group.<br />
Adrien (Pierre Niney), the<br />
mysterious stranger at the<br />
heart of François Ozon’s<br />
lavish period melodrama Frantz,<br />
harbours an all-consuming secret.<br />
The young Frenchman’s arrival in a<br />
small German town arouses intrigue<br />
and hostility among residents still<br />
processing the fallout of World War<br />
I. The plot thickens when local girl<br />
Anna (Paula Beer) spots Adrien<br />
leaving flowers on the grave of her<br />
late fiancé. Those familiar with<br />
Ozon’s back catalogue might think<br />
they know exactly where this is<br />
heading, but after a spot of wilful<br />
misdirection, it becomes apparent<br />
that this is an instance of the<br />
queer auteur playing it straight. By<br />
confiding in Anna, Adrien partially<br />
alleviates his own guilt, but makes<br />
his secret her cross to bear.<br />
Loosely based on Ernst Lubitsch’s<br />
Broken Lullaby, the film<br />
does a fine job of evoking the stiff<br />
formality and repressed emotion of<br />
a bygone era. But despite a nuanced<br />
central performance from Beer,<br />
the filmmaking is too mannered<br />
and meticulous to allow much of<br />
an emotional connection. Heavyhanded<br />
visual motifs and a syrupy<br />
string score push things further<br />
towards middlebrow mediocrity.<br />
Perhaps most damaging of all, it’s<br />
nigh-on impossible to watch this<br />
monochrome portrait of early-20thcentury<br />
Germany without thinking<br />
back to Michael Haneke’s infinitely<br />
more daring The White Ribbon.<br />
While Adrien’s motives for<br />
guarding his secret are understandable,<br />
the same can’t be said for Edward<br />
Ruscha, the enigmatic subject<br />
of Where is Rocky II? In 1979, the<br />
revered American artist created a<br />
sculpture of a boulder – the “Rocky<br />
II” of the title – and hid it in the<br />
Mojave Desert, where it would be<br />
impossible to spot among real rock<br />
formations. Fellow artist Pierre<br />
Bismuth (see page 30) was fascinated<br />
to find that, decades later,<br />
Ruscha was completely unwilling<br />
to discuss the project. That discovery<br />
planted the seed for this deviously<br />
slippery quasi-documentary,<br />
which sees Bismuth hire a cleancut<br />
private detective to locate the<br />
rock, and a pair of screenwriters<br />
to speculate wildly about what<br />
Ruscha might have to hide.<br />
Bismuth is best known as the<br />
Oscar-winning co-writer of Michel<br />
Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless<br />
Mind, and Gondry’s influence<br />
can be felt all over the relentlessly<br />
idiosyncratic Swiss Army Man. The<br />
striking feature debut by Dan Kwan<br />
and Daniel Scheinert has become<br />
one of the year’s most-discussed<br />
indie films thanks to its outlandish<br />
premise – a man named Hank<br />
(Paul Dano) stranded on a desert<br />
island discovers a flatulent corpse<br />
(Daniel Radcliffe), rides it like a jetski<br />
to safety, and befriends it once<br />
it magically stirs back to life. The<br />
big narrative-driving secret here is<br />
Hank’s back story: for the majority<br />
of the time, we’re offered no explanation<br />
as to how he ended up in<br />
such dire circumstances. The film's<br />
flashes of inspired originality are too<br />
often outweighed by an irritating<br />
tendency towards whimsy, but once<br />
Hank is forced to confront his own<br />
past, the darker final scenes pack an<br />
unexpected punch. For once, that<br />
hoary critic’s cliché bears some truth<br />
– you’ve never seen something quite<br />
like this before. n<br />
Starts Sep 29 Frantz HH D: François Ozon (France, Germany <strong>2016</strong>)<br />
with Paula Beer, Pierre Niney | Starts Oct 13 Swiss Army Man HHH D:<br />
Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (USA <strong>2016</strong>) with Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe |<br />
Starts Oct 20 Where is Rocky II? HHHH D: Pierre Bismuth (France, Germany,<br />
Belgium, Italy <strong>2016</strong>) documentary<br />
28<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Film<br />
Review<br />
Notes On Blindness<br />
Worth a thousand words<br />
Documentary festival Doku.Arts returns<br />
with a focus on game-changing essay films.<br />
One of the most reliably compelling shindigs in the Berlin<br />
film calendar is back for a landmark 10th instalment, under<br />
the moniker “Essaydox” and with video essays on the<br />
mind. The fest opens strong with the acclaimed Note on Blindness,<br />
a compassionate, formally daring work which takes the personal<br />
audio recordings of the late Australian theologian John Hull, who<br />
went blind at the age of 45, and brings them to the screen via lipsynched<br />
actors and evocative cinematography. Also screening Oct<br />
7 and 11, it’ll be accompanied by English-language narration for<br />
blind audience members and even its own VR app. Closing night<br />
selection Beyond Zero: 1914-1918, the latest by film archaeologist<br />
Bill Morrison, arranges damaged footage from WWI to Aleksandra<br />
Vrebalov’s disjointed string compositions, using the degradation<br />
of celluloid to remind us of the otherworldly trauma of war. In<br />
between these tentpole screenings, check out an examination of<br />
Samuel Beckett’s foray into filmmaking (Notfilm: a Kino-Essay by<br />
Ross Lipman); a riveting account of ethnographer Ella Maillart’s<br />
1939 journey to Afghanistan (Ella Maillart – Double Journey); and a<br />
master class with late American auteur Sidney Lumet (By Sidney<br />
Lumet)... and so much more! — Rory O'Connor<br />
Doku.Arts Oct 6-23 Zeughauskino, Mitte<br />
Peter Middleton/James Spinney<br />
Preview<br />
Tear jerkers<br />
The PornFilmFestival is back, and it's<br />
time to get out the tissues.<br />
Not like that, you perv – you'll need the Kleenex for the<br />
touching, troubling features on offer this year, from the<br />
explicit yet heartwarming Berlinale fave Théo & Hugo to Todd<br />
Verow’s heartbreaking tale of artists, gentrification and<br />
loneliness (co-starring Penny Arcade!), This Side of Heaven,<br />
to Europe, She Loves, a take on intimacy during economic<br />
hardship. Documentaries also tug at the soft spots, even for<br />
terrifying reasons, like the excellent Chemsex, about gay sex<br />
and hard drugs. For long-term hope, gay old-age docs Sex and<br />
the Silver Gays and Desert Migration will do the trick. What of<br />
“porn” porn? The feminists are in your face with opening film<br />
The Bedroom and Michelle Flynn’s Momentum Vol. 4. Three<br />
focusses take centre stage: AIDS, racial politics and, uh, virtual<br />
reality! A host of lectures, workshops and a party are all there<br />
to stimulate hearts, minds and crotches, so don’t miss out.<br />
Full preview at exberliner.com. — Walter Crasshole<br />
PornFilmFestival Oct 26-30 Kino Moviemento, Kreuzberg<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong>
Brussels-based artist Pierre Bismuth on his playful<br />
and confounding quasi-documentary Where is Rocky II?<br />
By Paul O’Callaghan<br />
WHAT’S ON — Film<br />
“It was not my intention to<br />
do something this weird!”<br />
Saint Amour<br />
D: Benoît Delépine,<br />
Gustave de Kervern<br />
(France, Belgium, <strong>2016</strong>)<br />
HHH<br />
The directors of<br />
Mammuth return with<br />
this broad, silly and<br />
surprisingly touching<br />
riff on Alexander<br />
Payne’s Sideways,<br />
featuring Gérard Depardieu's<br />
strongest<br />
performance in years<br />
as an ageing farmer<br />
trying to reconnect<br />
with his feckless son.<br />
Starts Oct 13.<br />
Sausage Party<br />
D: Conrad Vernon, Greg<br />
Tiernan (USA, <strong>2016</strong>)<br />
HH<br />
This outlandish<br />
animated tale of sentient<br />
edibles realising<br />
their grim fate offers<br />
a few surprisingly<br />
smart laughs, but<br />
soon gets stuck in a<br />
profanity cul-de-sac.<br />
Starts Oct 6.<br />
What happened to Edward<br />
Ruscha’s 1979 sculpture<br />
of a boulder hidden in<br />
California's Mojave Desert, and why<br />
is Ruscha so secretive about the<br />
project now? Bismuth attempts to<br />
find out in a film that deftly explores<br />
the way secrets and intangible truths<br />
stoke the fires of creativity.<br />
When did you first learn about<br />
“Rocky II”? I first read about it in<br />
2006, and I soon realised that no<br />
one in the art world knew about the<br />
piece. I persuaded a friend of mine<br />
to ask Ed Ruscha about it, but Ed<br />
really didn’t want to discuss it. So I<br />
thought that was extremely weird. In<br />
2009 I went to London to confront<br />
Ed directly during a press conference.<br />
I felt that if I made the film<br />
without evidence, nobody would<br />
believe the piece existed. The confrontation<br />
was perfect, because you<br />
can see the surprise in his eyes – he’s<br />
taken aback by the fact that I know<br />
about it. That was exactly what I<br />
needed to start the movie.<br />
How did you envisage your film at<br />
that point? The initial project was<br />
an art movie, a slow journey into<br />
the desert to look for something<br />
that was impossible to find. Then I<br />
moved towards the idea of a documentary,<br />
but I found myself simultaneously<br />
moving away from the conventions<br />
of the form. The finished<br />
film is really about the different<br />
regime of reality we’re confronted<br />
with in TV and film. I’d noticed<br />
that filmmakers often have to add<br />
signs of reality to make the audience<br />
believe that something‘s genuine. I<br />
decided to respect the documentary<br />
methology of unscripted events, but<br />
hide the signs of reality where possible.<br />
Would the audience still perceive<br />
it as true, or would we destroy<br />
the feeling of authenticity? That was<br />
the game I wanted to play.<br />
And why decide to depict screenwriters<br />
creating fiction based on<br />
the story? There were two questions<br />
I wanted answers to – where is the<br />
piece, and why did this artist decide<br />
to create something that was totally<br />
invisible? When I started casting for<br />
the detective, I found people who’d<br />
be able to find the piece, but wouldn’t<br />
necessarily be able to answer the question<br />
of meaning. Because the private<br />
detective is such a common cinematic<br />
element, I realised I already had one<br />
foot in the film world. That led me to<br />
think that the best people to explore<br />
the meaning would be screenwriters.<br />
What was it about Michael Scott<br />
that won him the private detective<br />
role? The main reason is that he was<br />
very square! He’s an ex-army officer<br />
and ex-policeman, totally overqualified<br />
for the job. I liked the fact that<br />
he made no judgement about the<br />
case – he didn’t think it was stupid.<br />
Did you know in advance that<br />
you’d be pairing him up with Jim<br />
Ganzer, the founder of skate brand<br />
Jimmy’z and inspiration for The<br />
Dude in The Big Lebowski? The<br />
way it appears in the film is exactly<br />
how it was. Michael really wanted<br />
to find Jim after flying to London<br />
and watching him in an old BBC<br />
documentary about Ruscha. And Jim<br />
turned out to be this totally amazing<br />
character. What I didn’t expect is<br />
that Michael would somehow fall in<br />
love with him – it was great to watch.<br />
Was it always your goal to make<br />
something this unusual? To be<br />
honest, I just thought I was making<br />
a documentary with a little twist. It<br />
was not my intention to do something<br />
this weird! The strange thing<br />
is if you try and explain the film,<br />
it sounds like something that not<br />
many people would be interested in.<br />
But the reaction we’ve seen at festivals<br />
is that audiences find it very<br />
entertaining and easy to follow. n<br />
Welcome to Norway!<br />
D: Rune Denstad Langlo<br />
(Norway, <strong>2016</strong>)<br />
HHHH<br />
This wonderfully wry<br />
migrant crisis comedy<br />
follows the exploits<br />
of a casually racist<br />
wannabe entrepreneur<br />
as he attempts<br />
to convert his family’s<br />
hotel into a refugee<br />
centre. Starts Oct 13.<br />
30<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Film<br />
Reviews<br />
his motley crew on a road trip through the<br />
backwaters of the Midwest, with a 16-seater<br />
van as their vessel, and a soundtrack<br />
that spans country, rock, hip-hop and<br />
Rihanna to carry them along. Working once<br />
again with masterly cinematographer Robbie<br />
Ryan, Arnold forges her own raw brand<br />
of Americana and, in the process, delivers<br />
perhaps the freshest film about young<br />
people in America since Larry Clark’s Kids<br />
in 1995. A triumph. — ROC<br />
Starts Oct 20<br />
Parched<br />
Starts Sep 29<br />
War Dogs<br />
D: Todd Phillips (USA <strong>2016</strong>) with Jonah Hill,<br />
Miles Teller<br />
HHH<br />
Based on a true story first published in<br />
Rolling Stone, War Dogs tells the tale of<br />
two bros who lie, scam and skew their<br />
moral compasses to become big-money<br />
arms dealers for troops in post-9/11 Iraq<br />
and Afghanistan. Phillips (The Hangover)<br />
breaks new ground by helming an amorality<br />
tale that nakedly yearns to be this<br />
generation’s Goodfellas: a crime drama<br />
about the warped pursuit of the American<br />
Dream, laced with slick comedic beats<br />
and voiceover narration. He emulates but<br />
fails to equal Scorsese’s significantly more<br />
ambitious efforts – the film frequently feels<br />
devoid of substance, and lacks insight<br />
into how governments and corporations<br />
benefit from conflict. Thankfully, Jonah<br />
Hill justifies the price of admission, stealing<br />
the show with his larger-than-life, scenerychewing<br />
turn as a progressively sinister<br />
antihero. — David Mouriquand<br />
Starts Oct 13<br />
American Honey<br />
D: Andrea Arnold (USA <strong>2016</strong>) with Sasha Lane,<br />
Shia LaBeouf<br />
HHHHH<br />
Arnold wrestles with the American Dream<br />
in this seductive head-rush of a road<br />
movie, her first film set Stateside. Star<br />
(newcomer Sasha Lane) is a young woman<br />
stuck in a bad relationship and a nowhere<br />
town, until she meets Jake (Shia LaBeouf),<br />
the enigmatic, Bill Sikes-esque ringleader<br />
of a gang of teenage outcasts who sell<br />
dodgy magazine subscriptions. Star joins<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Théo & Hugo<br />
D: Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau<br />
(France 2015) with Geoffrey Couët, François<br />
Nambot<br />
HHH<br />
You don’t even realise how deep-rooted<br />
our Disney-enforced notions of romance<br />
are until you see the titular heroes of this<br />
sizzling film d’amour lock eyes for the first<br />
time. The connection is unmistakable, but<br />
the context seems all wrong. Kudos to the<br />
director duo for opening their 90-minute<br />
movie with a near 20-minute orgy in the<br />
basement of a gay sex club, where reason<br />
is drowned out by lust and no names are<br />
involved. Can there be love? Thanks to<br />
skilled, candid writing addressing the proud<br />
but lonely post-AIDS generation, the affirmative<br />
answer doesn’t feel lazy or sugarcoated.<br />
If anything, it’s characterised by a<br />
tenaciously uncynical tone of voice which,<br />
despite recognising the elusive quest for<br />
happily-ever-afters, wouldn’t trade anything<br />
for the ride. — Zhuo-Ning Su<br />
Starts Oct 27<br />
Parched<br />
D: Leena Yadav (India, UK, USA 2015) with<br />
Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Surveen<br />
Chawla, Lehar Khan<br />
HHH<br />
Filmed on location in the dust-swept<br />
deserts of Rajasthan, Parched is a powerful<br />
portrait of four women – mother and<br />
widow Rani (Chatterjee), childless Lajjo<br />
(Apte), dancer and prostitute Bijli (Chawla)<br />
and Rani’s new daughter-in-law Janaki<br />
(Khan) – taking on patriarchy in rural India.<br />
Set against the (male) village elders, drunk<br />
abusive husbands and a new generation<br />
of angry young men, Leena Yadav’s film<br />
puts female emancipation firmly in the<br />
hands of women as, through the character<br />
of Rani, the endless cycle of loveless<br />
marriages and conjugal rape is called into<br />
question. It’s brash in its schemata of<br />
abuse and exploitation, and sometimes<br />
clumsy in its broad-stroke storytelling.<br />
Nevertheless, Parched packs a punch with<br />
its superb performances, moments of<br />
intimacy and life-affirming league of ladies<br />
defying convention. — Mark Wilshin<br />
Intro, ByteFM & KulturNews präsentieren:<br />
SEKUOIA<br />
Di. 18.10. Einlass 19:00 Prince Charles<br />
virtualnights.com präsentiert:<br />
twocolors<br />
Do. 17.11. Einlass 20:00 Prince Charles<br />
CON BRIO<br />
Mo. 05.12. Einlass 19:00 Maschinenhaus<br />
NICOLAS JAAR<br />
Fr. 09.12. Einlass 19:00 Columbiahalle<br />
Faze, KulturNews & ByteFM präsentieren:<br />
SHOBALEADER ONE<br />
Do. 30.03.2017 Einlass 19:00 Berghain<br />
Infos unter www.mct-agentur.com<br />
tickets > www.tickets.de und 030-6110 1313<br />
verlegt auf<br />
Thu Sep 29 // Maschinenhaus // 8 pm<br />
PATRICIA VONNE<br />
sin city actress & sister of director Robert Rodriguez<br />
with her own mix of tex mex and desert roots rock<br />
Wed Oct 12 // Kesselhaus // 8 pm<br />
MAGMA<br />
the French prog rock pioneers<br />
Fri Oct 14 // Kesselhaus // 8 pm<br />
FEUERENGEL<br />
a tribute to Rammstein<br />
Thu Oct 27 // Maschinenhaus // 8 pm<br />
BÊ IGNACIO<br />
with brand new album “Tropical Soul”<br />
Sun Nov 13 // Kesselhaus // 8 pm<br />
BILLY COBHAM<br />
the drumming jazz icon in concert<br />
Sat Nov 26 // Kesselhaus // 8 pm<br />
SCALA & KOLACNY BROTHERS<br />
20 years SCALA – the stage anniversary<br />
TICKETS 030 44 31 51 00 // WWW.KESSELHAUS.NET
WHAT’S ON — Music<br />
Editor’s Choice<br />
Scheiß auf deutsche Texte!<br />
Don’t know your der from your das? Time to brush up<br />
on Germany’s top native-tongue talents. By Michael Hoh<br />
Doctorella<br />
Music news<br />
Reenacting Fichte<br />
From his ethnopoetic<br />
travelogues to his infamous<br />
book reading at<br />
Hamburg’s Star Club,<br />
HKW celebrates literary<br />
pop star Hubert<br />
Fichte’s work with a<br />
series of films, talks<br />
and performances at<br />
ACUD. Oct 1, 17:00<br />
Better than selfies<br />
Between Oct 9 and<br />
Dec 31, Harald Weiss’<br />
composition Vor dem<br />
Verstummen (“Before<br />
Silence Falls”), which<br />
premiered inside the<br />
Holocaust Memorial in<br />
2008, will be available<br />
again via smartphone<br />
app for visitors to<br />
listen to on-site.<br />
Ode to Joy<br />
On their fourth album<br />
Joy, Berlin’s multigenre<br />
wizards Brandt<br />
Brauer Frick once<br />
again infuse their<br />
analogue roots with<br />
digital concoctions<br />
mutually suited for<br />
concert halls and club<br />
venues. Out Oct 28.<br />
You’ve been attending the<br />
odd Stereo Total gig and you<br />
know an entire verse of “99<br />
Luftballons”, but you’re still hesitant<br />
to go see some local acts because of<br />
possible language barriers? Disregarding<br />
Die Sterne’s advice “Scheiß<br />
auf deutsche Texte” (“Don’t give a shit<br />
about German lyrics”), you’re missing<br />
out on a world of good music if<br />
you limit yourself to lyrics auf Englisch.<br />
Worry not: with these bands,<br />
you won’t need a B2 certificate to<br />
enjoy the show.<br />
Starting out as Die Kleingeldprinzessin<br />
(“small change princess”)<br />
playing solo gigs in the streets in<br />
the early 2000s, Berlin-based singer<br />
Dota has been spreading her highly<br />
dense poetics for the past decade.<br />
Even if you don’t understand what<br />
her lyrics mean, you’ll surely notice<br />
her expressive and rhythmic rhyme<br />
patterns, whether coated with<br />
electro pop, folk, bossa nova or, as at<br />
her Volksbühne gig, backed up with a<br />
band and a string ensemble.<br />
Also from Berlin, Sandra and Kerstin<br />
Grether have been leaving their<br />
mark on the German pop discourse<br />
since the 1990s, as avid advocates of<br />
(pop) feminism with riot grrrl influences<br />
aplenty. Apart from their pro-<br />
LGBTQ rights single “Testosteron,<br />
Get It On!”, their joint music project<br />
Doctorella concentrates more on the<br />
lighter side of things (compared to,<br />
let’s say, Sandra’s former band Parole<br />
Trixi), which will make it easier<br />
for you to let lyrics be lyrics. The<br />
attitude alone is worth checking out.<br />
Trickier to get for non-Germans<br />
will be PeterLicht, taking the stage<br />
at Theater am Ku’damm the same<br />
day. No less political than the<br />
Grethers, he appeared on screen<br />
with his existential, synth-heavy debut<br />
single “Sonnendeck” in 2001, and<br />
turned from indie pop sensation<br />
to Feuilleton darling in a heartbeat.<br />
Known for his penchant for poetics,<br />
he conquered the literary world by<br />
winning the Ingeborg Bachmann<br />
Prize in 2007 for his novella The<br />
History of My Assessment at the<br />
Beginning of the Third Millennium.<br />
Between that and albums like Lieder<br />
vom Ende des Kapitalismus (“Songs<br />
about the end of capitalism”), he<br />
skilfully bridges the gaps between<br />
übercool, high culture and political<br />
statement – which you might not<br />
guess from his sometimes cheesy<br />
arrangements. Lyrics vary from<br />
deliberately simplistic to cunningly<br />
complex, so there’s something for<br />
every skill level.<br />
So much for the old school. Let’s<br />
take a look at some of Germany’s<br />
up-and-coming talents whose albums<br />
are fresh off the printing press.<br />
When he’s not manically strumming<br />
his guitar on stage with the Stuttgart<br />
noise-rock combo Die Nerven, Max<br />
Rieger certainly seems to enjoy a<br />
bit of gloomy introspection. After<br />
three successful Nerven albums, he<br />
decided to go solo under the moniker<br />
of All diese Gewalt, boasting a<br />
dense and droning post-punk palette<br />
with brooding vocals. Catch him<br />
live on his first ever-tour with his<br />
debut Welt in Klammern (“World in<br />
Braces”) at Roter Salon.<br />
Meanwhile, fellow noise-rockers<br />
Friends of Gas have been doing the<br />
toilet tours for about two years<br />
now. With their debut album Fatal<br />
Schwach (“Fatally weak”) out on Staat-sakt<br />
on Oct 28, they’re due to skyrocket<br />
in no time. And if you need<br />
a little break from all the Deutsche<br />
Texte but aren’t ready to toss out<br />
your textbook yet, this might be<br />
your best choice: frontwoman Nina<br />
Walser sings almost half the band’s<br />
songs in English. ■<br />
Dota Sun, Oct 9, 20:00 Volksbühne, Mitte | Doctorella Fri, Oct 21, 20:00 Monarch,<br />
Kreuzberg | PeterLicht Fri, Oct 21, 20:00 Theater am Kufürstendamm,<br />
Charlottenburg | All diese Gewalt Mon, Oct 24, 20:00 Roter Salon, Mitte |<br />
Friends of Gas Sat, Oct 29, 20:00 West Germany, Kreuzberg<br />
32<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Music<br />
Preview<br />
Bringing buzuk back<br />
Radwan Ghazi Moumneh of Montreal audiovisual<br />
duo Jerusalem In My Heart on his love<br />
affair with the Middle Eastern instrument.<br />
The root of everything we do is something I composed on the<br />
buzuk, even the crazy electronic stuff. The buzuk’s pretty<br />
much been our source of inspiration – and frustration,<br />
because of my sometimes limited ability to translate ideas properly<br />
onto the instrument. Music is not a thing in our family. I didn’t play<br />
instruments; I knew nothing about it. So, the buzuk seemed like the<br />
one Middle Eastern instrument that I could pick up, compared to say<br />
an oud or a violin or a ney where you have to have formal training.<br />
The instrument itself isn’t really common. It’s very much a<br />
shepherd’s instrument; very basic and lute-like. People always<br />
play it in informal settings. In a typical Middle Eastern orchestra,<br />
you’d never see a buzuk. The Rahbani Brothers, both very accomplished<br />
composers [and playwrights], brought the buzuk back<br />
into popular culture in the 1960s. I remember seeing one of their<br />
plays on TV. The sound was so thin and wiry, and the guy was just<br />
improvising on it. It sounded so beautiful to me.<br />
On stage, I have my buzuk that I got custom-made here in Montreal,<br />
this crazy pedal board with granular delays, pedals that cut<br />
up the sound and a device that converts pitch to midi. Basically<br />
I’m playing all these electronic synthesizers with my buzuk. The<br />
instrument becomes like a tool more than a musical instrument.<br />
So, my relationship with it is constantly changing. — MH<br />
Jerusalem in My Heart Thu, Oct 20, 19:00<br />
Ehemaliges Stummfilmkino Delphi, Weißensee<br />
Clubbing<br />
Black Lives Matter Soli-Party<br />
Berlin’s queer, feminist and sex-positive clubbing collectives,<br />
from Mint to Berries, come together to raise money<br />
for Berlin black initiatives at Schwuz. Oct 2, 23:00<br />
Trade<br />
Seeking some mid-week club action? Merge on the<br />
dance floor on Wednesdays at Ohm. Turning from zero to<br />
cutting-edge in a year, Trade presents Jay Boogie, Rasuul<br />
and Luke Isaac this month. Oct 5, 21:00<br />
BeatGeeks WKND SPCL<br />
The fifth edition of this producer-focussed hip hop shindig<br />
at Gretchen sees performances by Dexter, KevBeats<br />
(K.I.Z. producer) and a first: up-and-comer Bluestaeb<br />
complete with band. Oct 14-16, 20:00<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
ryan sheridan<br />
very special guest: mrs. greenbird<br />
08.10.16 · Columbia Theater<br />
red fang<br />
+ torche<br />
12.10.16 · Huxleys<br />
watsky<br />
+ jez dior<br />
14.10.16 · Bi Nuu<br />
soja<br />
Jospeh Yarmush<br />
14.10.16 · PBHFCLUB<br />
daughter<br />
+ dan croll<br />
14.10.16 · Columbiahalle<br />
all them witches<br />
+ the great machine<br />
15.10.16 · White Trash<br />
søren juul<br />
16.10.16 · Grüner Salon<br />
toseland<br />
17.10.16 · Musik & Frieden<br />
jaimi faulkner + band<br />
+ belle roscoe<br />
17.10.16 · Auster Club<br />
the mahones<br />
23.10.16 · Musik & Frieden<br />
jamie lidell and<br />
the royal pharaohs<br />
23.10.16 · Astra Kulturhaus<br />
seasick steve<br />
24.10.16 · PBHFCLUB<br />
julia jacklin<br />
24.10.16 · Maze<br />
jay brannan<br />
25.10.16 · Privatclub<br />
drowners<br />
+ the esprits<br />
25.10.16 · Maze<br />
bear‘s den<br />
+ matthew & the atlas<br />
26.10.16 · Huxleys<br />
the album leaf<br />
27.10.16 · Bi Nuu<br />
the low anthem<br />
+ christopher paul stelling<br />
30.10.16 · Lido<br />
white lies<br />
+ the ramona flowers<br />
31.10.16 · Huxleys<br />
loyle carner<br />
31.10.16 · Lido<br />
silversun pickups<br />
+ pærish<br />
01.11.16 · Columbia Theater<br />
adam green<br />
01.11.16 · Musik & Frieden<br />
lucky chops<br />
02.11.16 · Huxleys<br />
allah-las<br />
02.11.16 · PBHCLUB<br />
doug seegers<br />
03.11.16 · Privatclub<br />
john grant<br />
+ arc iris<br />
03.11.16 · Berghain<br />
slaves<br />
06.11.16 · Frannz<br />
jeremy loops<br />
07.11.16 · PBHFCLUB<br />
jamie t<br />
07.11.16 · Astra Kulturhaus<br />
donavon<br />
frankenreiter<br />
08.11.16 · White Trash<br />
la pegatina<br />
09.11.16 · Lido<br />
iamx<br />
09.11.16 · Heimathafen Neukölln<br />
banks & steelz<br />
14.11.16 · PBHFCLUB<br />
www.trinitymusic.de<br />
the lumineers<br />
+ bahamas<br />
15.11.16 · Tempodrom<br />
the cadillac three<br />
+ tyler bryant & the shakedown<br />
15.11.16 · Frannz<br />
katie melua<br />
16.11.16 · Admiralspalast<br />
archive<br />
+ dr(dr)one<br />
21.11.16 · Admiralspalast<br />
saxon<br />
+ last in line + girlschool<br />
22.11.16 · Huxleys<br />
bizarre ride ii<br />
the pharcyde live<br />
25.11.16 · Cassiopeia<br />
kari bremnes<br />
25.11.16 · Columbia Theater<br />
bastille<br />
+ rationale<br />
25.11.16 · Max-Schmeling-Halle<br />
outlandish<br />
30.11.16 · Bi Nuu<br />
abc<br />
14.12.16 · Huxleys<br />
lindsey stirling<br />
09.03.17 · Max-Schmeling-Halle
WHAT’S ON — Music<br />
Interview<br />
“We had trouble removing a ‘cunt’.”<br />
Hyper-literate Norwegian musician Jenny Hval brings her mix<br />
of experimental pop, performance art and feminist body horror<br />
to Berghain Kantine on <strong>October</strong> 26. By Rachel Glassberg<br />
Don’t miss<br />
DAT Festival<br />
Noise DJs, experimental<br />
beatmakers<br />
and other electroacoustic<br />
weirdos get<br />
together at Kesselhaus<br />
for workshops<br />
and general merriment.<br />
Expect sets<br />
from T.Raumschmiere,<br />
Peter Knoll, Xing and<br />
more. Oct 7-9, 19:00<br />
Angel Olsen<br />
The indie-folker’s<br />
latest release My<br />
Woman is a peppier<br />
follow-up to 2014’s<br />
excellent countrytinged<br />
Burn Your<br />
Fire for No Witness.<br />
She’ll bring her more<br />
upbeat effort to Columbia<br />
Theater. Oct<br />
25, 20:00<br />
Noura Mint Seymali<br />
Hailed as the voice<br />
to bring Mauritania to<br />
the musical forefront,<br />
Noura Mint Seymali<br />
draws on Moorish<br />
tradition and psychedelic<br />
rock. She stops<br />
by Lido to tour her<br />
new album Arbina.<br />
Oct 27, 20:00<br />
Kelly Lee Owens<br />
Coming to Kantine<br />
am Berghain, the<br />
London-based<br />
singer-songwriter/<br />
producer is preparing<br />
to release her new<br />
EP Oleic, an eclectic<br />
collection of dreamy,<br />
ambient-inspired<br />
gems. Oct 30, 20:00<br />
Latest album Blood Bitch (Sacred<br />
Bones) takes on menstruation<br />
and vampirism to<br />
a soundtrack of Gothic organ lines,<br />
motorik beats and spoken-word<br />
collages. Like any Hval record, it<br />
requires careful lyrical unpacking,<br />
so much so that to prepare for our<br />
interview, we made a word map<br />
connecting Blood Bitch’s themes<br />
and references: “vagina”, “desire”,<br />
“Adam Curtis”, “Tilda Swinton”. We<br />
showed it to her.<br />
Be honest: is any of this on point?<br />
“Dogs”! “Cake”, nice. Well, this<br />
looks like what I do. I make these<br />
when I write an album, or when we<br />
record. I have walls filled with this<br />
stuff. Let me show you... [pulls up a<br />
smartphone photo] Ah, it’s mostly<br />
in Norwegian. But there’s “Europe”.<br />
“Jess Franco”. “Antonioni”. I wrote<br />
this for the press release, probably,<br />
but some of these were there early,<br />
as a sort of conceptual framework<br />
before we started recording. “Club”<br />
would’ve been there. “No social<br />
commentary”. “Getting lost”. “Eternal<br />
life” – I’m interested in eternal<br />
life as a club rhythm, something that<br />
feels like it comes out of forever and<br />
goes on forever.<br />
So you interpret your lyrics after<br />
you’ve written them? A lot of the<br />
more clear themes came after the<br />
album was finished. While I was<br />
writing and recording it, it was more<br />
about just wanting to explore things,<br />
seeing what the word “blood” would<br />
do in a lyric that otherwise would’ve<br />
seemed like social commentary. Put<br />
in drips of the supernatural. Take<br />
“Female Vampire”. The title, the fact<br />
that it’s about a mysterious vampire<br />
world, allowed me to write the lyric<br />
“I’m so tired of subjectivity”. It’s not<br />
just me in my regular clothes, saying,<br />
“I’m so tired of subjectivity, guys!”<br />
Is [co-producer] Lasse Marhaug<br />
involved in your writing process?<br />
Yeah, we decide things like: Should<br />
I say “blood” here? How do we<br />
remove the “cunt” from this lyric?<br />
We had one song, “Conceptual<br />
Romance”, where we had trouble<br />
removing a “cunt”. It was where<br />
“blood bitch” is now. We were trying<br />
to move out of the more explicit<br />
language and into a more mysterious<br />
investigation.<br />
It’s like the opposite of your last<br />
album, Apocalypse Girl, which gets<br />
quite explicit – “soft dick rock”<br />
and all that. It is. That time we<br />
wanted to work with something raw,<br />
and dry. There are several songs on<br />
that album with no reverb, which is<br />
quite unusual for a recorded piece. It<br />
doesn’t sound very natural.<br />
If that one’s dry, this one’s... wet?<br />
It’s very wet.<br />
How will you capture that onstage?<br />
Fake blood? No, I’ve already<br />
done that a lot. I think that was actually<br />
an inspiration for the album, the<br />
fact that I’ve been covered in blood<br />
paint so much. Lasse and I kept discussing<br />
Carrie. It’s a wonderful and<br />
“That was actually<br />
an inspiration for the<br />
album, the fact that<br />
I’ve been covered in<br />
blood paint so much.”<br />
34<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Music<br />
terrible way to embody what’s inside on<br />
the outside: what if you were menstruating<br />
all over yourself?<br />
Festival<br />
Inga Copeland<br />
You didn’t want to be photographed<br />
during this interview. Why not? Casual<br />
photo shoots – I understand why they’re<br />
necessary, but I find it very hard to give<br />
something that’s meant to be “natural”<br />
and “me”, when I don’t know what<br />
“natural” and “me” is. Photography, to<br />
me, is a medium that’s lying. I kind of<br />
agree with the Australian aborigines...<br />
That we’re stealing your soul? Exactly!<br />
Except you’re not, because you’re<br />
capturing what you think is the soul,<br />
but it’s just the surface. So I’m critical<br />
of the overuse of photos. I’m a media<br />
critic, and that’s very hard to combine<br />
with being an artist. I’m a media critic<br />
when I can have distance, sit at home<br />
and be like, “Grr!” [imitates pounding<br />
on computer keyboard]. We call it<br />
“thunder speech” in Norwegian. But<br />
then when I actually meet a journalist, I<br />
want to be that nice person... I think the<br />
best way for me to handle the situation<br />
is to see it as surrendering, as a ritual.<br />
You and I are having a ritual. I don’t<br />
want to try to control your piece – I’d<br />
rather go work on my songs and say<br />
something with music.<br />
Jenny Hval Oct 26, 20:00<br />
Berghain Kantine, Friedrichshain<br />
Tips<br />
Classical<br />
Internationales Klangkunstfest<br />
Get a healthy dose of contemporary<br />
classical with exhibitions, sound walks<br />
and interactive performances at<br />
Bibliothek am Luisenbad in Wedding.<br />
Oct 6-8, 19:00<br />
Arnold Dreyblatt Ensemble<br />
With Dreyblatt, the second generation<br />
of New York minimal composers<br />
makes an appearance at the BKA Theater’s<br />
club concert series together<br />
with The Orchestra of Excited Strings.<br />
Oct 21, 23:30<br />
Trio Mondrian<br />
Trio Mondrian juxtaposes Piano Trio Op.<br />
87 by Johannes Brahms with Diverging<br />
Roads, a new piece by Gilad Hochman,<br />
as part of the ID Festival at Radialsystem<br />
V (see page 42). Oct 22, 18:30<br />
Creamcake’s crop<br />
Looking for some arty<br />
with your party? The 3hd<br />
festival won’t disappoint.<br />
Always leaning toward the abstract<br />
when they’re not bumping Beyonce,<br />
Berlin party organisers Creamcake<br />
launched the first-ever 3hd Festival last year,<br />
an explosion of music, visual art and talks<br />
billed as a “new breed” of festival. This year<br />
seems even more spacey and philosophical:<br />
From Oct 11-15, performances at venues<br />
throughout the city (HAU, OHM and Vierte<br />
Welt, to name a few) will “offer potential<br />
solutions for fixing the problems of the present”.<br />
The question mark deployed at the end<br />
of the title “There is nothing but the future?”<br />
strikes up just the right amount of confusion.<br />
Even when their goals are ambiguous, the<br />
Creamcake gang excels when it comes to<br />
solid, multi-faceted music lineups. Former<br />
Hype Williams member and name-changer<br />
extraordinaire Inga Copeland fits into 3hd’s<br />
experimental bent with her amorphous,<br />
deconstructed beats. She’ll be at HAU2 on<br />
Oct 14 as part of a concert showcasing talent<br />
scoured from the internet, which will also<br />
feature dreamy soundscapes from AGF. A<br />
second performance at HAU2 will include<br />
Berlin’s moody synth-pop duo Easter and<br />
meditative sounds from Swiss-born, Nepalese-Tibetan<br />
electronic artist Aïsha Dev.<br />
Music aside, the program boasts other<br />
artsy events, advertised with lots of cryptic<br />
buzzwords like “violent”, “oppression”,<br />
“boundaries” and “healing”. The creative<br />
team DIY Church is working on an abstract<br />
symposium on social sculpture through sound<br />
and silence, whatever that means. If you leave<br />
feeling more uncertain than when you got<br />
there, just dance your anxieties away on the<br />
last night – Uniiqu3, DJ NJ Drone and Geng<br />
will be spinning during the closing bash at<br />
OHM. — Julyssa Lopez<br />
3hd Festival Oct 11-15 Various venues, see<br />
3hd-festival.com for details<br />
Luci Lux / Electronic Beats<br />
WILD BEASTS<br />
20.10. Berlin, Kesselhaus<br />
THE PARLOTONES<br />
Support: KYLES TOLONE<br />
06.10. Berlin, Bi Nuu<br />
BEATY HEART<br />
Credit?<br />
Support: BAYONNE<br />
11.10. Berlin, Berghain Kantine<br />
PARQUET COURTS<br />
Support: PILL<br />
18.10. Berlin, SO36<br />
CALIBRO 35<br />
03.11. Berlin, Lido<br />
MILD HIGH CLUB<br />
28.10. Berlin, Badehaus Szimpla<br />
C DUNCAN<br />
02.11. Berlin, Grüner Salon<br />
ROOSEVELT<br />
30.11. Berlin, Lido<br />
meltbooking.com<br />
facebook.com/wearemeltbooking<br />
KELLY LEE OWENS<br />
Support: HOPE<br />
30.10. Berlin, Berghain Kantine<br />
MURA MASA<br />
Support: BONZAI<br />
06.11. Berlin, Postbahnhof<br />
GLASS ANIMALS<br />
Support: PUMAROSA<br />
07.11. Berlin, Columbia Theater<br />
65 DAYS OF STATIC<br />
Support: THOUGHT FORMS<br />
09.11. Berlin, Columbia Theater<br />
BEAK><br />
Support: MARIO BATKOVIC<br />
14.11. Berlin, Columbiatheater<br />
PEACHES<br />
plus SPECIAL GUESTS<br />
24.11. Berlin, Columbiahalle<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Art<br />
EUROPEAN<br />
MONTH OF<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
BERLIN<br />
Oct 1-31<br />
Editor’s Choice<br />
Picture windows<br />
This month, 129 photo exhibitions invite you into<br />
other worlds and times. By Amanda Ribas Tugwell<br />
Art news<br />
Art’s a-brewing<br />
<strong>October</strong> 22 is the<br />
opening of the KINDL<br />
Centre for Contemporary<br />
Art, adding<br />
1200sqm of art space<br />
to Berlin. The exbrewery’s<br />
first exhibitions:<br />
contemporary<br />
group show How Long<br />
Is Now? and a solo of<br />
Berlin-based painter<br />
Eberhard Havekost.<br />
A never-ending<br />
Manifesto<br />
Julien Rosefeldt’s<br />
video installation at<br />
the Hamburger Bahnhof,<br />
featuring Cate<br />
Blanchett reading a<br />
variety of manifestos,<br />
has been extended<br />
for a second time,<br />
from September 18 to<br />
November 11. By which<br />
time it’ll have been<br />
on for 10 months, so<br />
there’s no excuse not<br />
to’ve seen it.<br />
Money in the scene<br />
At the ABC art fair, the<br />
brand-new OUTSET<br />
museum benefit fund<br />
bought works by GCC<br />
and Dirk Skreber<br />
and donated them<br />
to the Neue Nationalgalerie.<br />
The latter<br />
pictures Skreber’s<br />
(non-Muslim) girlfriend<br />
topless in what looks<br />
like a niqab – a bit of a<br />
controversial choice.<br />
Part of a Europe-wide initiative<br />
between photo institutions<br />
in eight cities, locally organised<br />
by Kulturprojekte Berlin (the<br />
same folks behind Long Night of the<br />
Museums and Berlin Art Week), the<br />
biannual European Month of Photography<br />
Berlin feels more like a marketing<br />
angle than a thoughtfully curated<br />
festival. Which doesn’t mean there’s<br />
nothing to see. The 129 exhibitions<br />
going on from <strong>October</strong> 1-31 cover<br />
a huge range of venues, places and<br />
times: from photography giant C/O<br />
Berlin to tiny pop-up galleries; from<br />
modern-day Romania to 1900s Mitte.<br />
By now it might be too late to<br />
catch the official kick-off at C/O<br />
(Sep 29-Oct 2). But it’s still worth<br />
a trip out west to see the institution’s<br />
headlining exhibition of work<br />
by American photographer, filmmaker,<br />
writer and activist Gordon<br />
Parks, titled I am You. His powerful<br />
photos capturing the US civil rights<br />
movement haven’t lost any of their<br />
resonance today; they’ll be displayed<br />
along with Parks’ other work from<br />
the 1940s-70s, including fashion<br />
spreads for Condé Nast and clips<br />
from his cinematic oeuvre (Shaft!).<br />
The Bauhaus Archiv also reaches<br />
into the past to spotlight the unsung<br />
hero of Bauhaus photography, Lucia<br />
Moholy, and the works she made<br />
after fleeing from Berlin to London<br />
at the start of the Nazi era. Another<br />
prolific and historically important<br />
female photographer, Berenice Abbott,<br />
will show her famous large-format<br />
masterpieces of 1930s New York<br />
City at Martin-Gropius-Bau.<br />
Berlin’s own history won’t be<br />
neglected. Berlinische Galerie is<br />
digging into its collection to present<br />
photos of the city and its inhabitants<br />
from 1900-1980, ranging from Heinz<br />
Hajek-Halke’s playful experiments<br />
to Fritz Brill’s advertisements, even<br />
to Nazi propaganda from their Volk<br />
und Welt conservative newspaper<br />
archive. Many smaller institutions<br />
have followed suit: the Museum for<br />
Fotografie is showing lesser-known<br />
Mauer-era journalistic street shots<br />
by Bernard Larsson, and architecture<br />
buffs won’t want to miss Otto Hagemann’s<br />
documentation of Berlin’s<br />
iconic buildings from the 1920s-60s<br />
at the Landesarchiv. For those who<br />
want a glimpse into a very different<br />
Prenzlauer Berg, East Berliner Bernd<br />
Heyden’s bleak 1960s-era shots are<br />
up at the Willy-Brandt-Haus, alongside<br />
“Berlin Fragments” captured by<br />
architect Rainer König.<br />
Stefan Moses’ work at Johanna<br />
Breede Photokunst will offer up<br />
portraits of artists and thinkers who<br />
were influential here, like Hannah<br />
Höch, Otto Dix and Theodor W.<br />
Adorno. Zwitschermaschine’s Wild<br />
Wild Berlin brings together three<br />
different artists’ takes on Berlin<br />
over three decades, up to Mitte<br />
nightlife circa 2000. Even IMAGO,<br />
housed in Moritzplatz’s Aufbau-<br />
Above: Bernard<br />
Larsson, Straßenszene<br />
in Paris (1961)<br />
© Bernard Larsson<br />
Left: Gordon Parks<br />
Homeless Couple,<br />
Harlem, New York,<br />
(1948) © The Gordon<br />
Parks Foundation<br />
36<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Art<br />
haus, will open its doors to show life-size<br />
images taken with the 1970s predecessor of<br />
its massive 1:1 camera.<br />
With all that travelling back, what about<br />
going forward? Sprüth Magers has invited<br />
German photo art star Andreas Gursky to<br />
curate work by his MFA students at the<br />
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, who frame the<br />
world in bizarre, cold landscapes – one even<br />
shooting with an iPhone 5. Swedish artist<br />
Martina Hoogland Ivanow also abstracts<br />
her surroundings in her solo at Grundemark<br />
Nilsson Gallery, and Abigail Reynolds and<br />
Lilly Lulay both independently challenge the<br />
two-dimensionality of the medium in their<br />
solos at Kuckei + Kuckei.<br />
All told, EMoP Berlin’s varied shows reaffirm<br />
photography’s tenuous position between<br />
document and art object, reality and fiction,<br />
past and present. One thing is for sure –<br />
photographs still offer us some of our best<br />
opportunities to be transported to worlds<br />
that have since vanished, and see through the<br />
eyes of artists long gone. n<br />
European Month of Photography Berlin<br />
Through Oct 31 citywide, see<br />
www.emop-berlin.eu for details<br />
Through Nov 12<br />
Chiharu Shiota:<br />
Uncertain Journey<br />
Blain|Southern, Schöneberg<br />
HHHHH<br />
The Berlin-based Shiota was<br />
dubbed the “most Instagrammed<br />
artist” by Sleek at last month’s<br />
Art Week for a reason. Uncertain<br />
Journey, which picks up where<br />
her showstopping Japanese<br />
Pavillion installation at last year’s<br />
Venice Biennale left off, is profoundly<br />
complex, utterly beautiful<br />
and a total must-see. Bright<br />
red thread interlocks hundreds<br />
of thousands of times in 3D triangulation,<br />
arching down to the<br />
hollow iron frames of what could<br />
be sunken ships. Awe, confusion,<br />
sadness and connectedness<br />
are woven into the random yet<br />
sophisticated structure, which<br />
brings form to everything from<br />
neural synapses to the circulatory<br />
system, the internet to infinity.<br />
In eight pieces upstairs, the<br />
same threaded triangles find their<br />
way onto canvases and houseshaped<br />
metal frames. At this smaller<br />
scale, lines and density can be<br />
more tangibly contemplated. But<br />
ever-lingering is the subconscious<br />
terrain of the consuming installation,<br />
which, when seen from above<br />
on the first floor, is so dense it’s<br />
pure red. A video of the installation<br />
process, which took 10 people<br />
three weeks to complete, will<br />
make its way onto Blain|Southern’s<br />
website soon. — ART<br />
Uncertain Journey,<br />
courtesy of<br />
the artist and<br />
Blain|Southern<br />
Christian Glaeser<br />
Berliner Festspiele<br />
Matana Roberts<br />
Michael Schiefel + Wood & Steel Trio<br />
Julia Hülsmann Quartet + Anna-Lena Schnabel<br />
Mette Henriette<br />
Wadada Leo Smith’s Great Lakes Quartet<br />
Mary Halvorson + Ingrid Laubrock<br />
Oddarrang<br />
Joshua Redman / Brad Mehldau duo<br />
Globe Unity Orchestra<br />
Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret<br />
Ingrid Laubrock + Aki Takase<br />
Yazz Ahmed’s Family Hafla<br />
Achim Kaufmann + SKEIN Extended<br />
Angelika Niescier / Florian Weber Quintet<br />
Nik Bärtsch / hr-Bigband<br />
DeJohnette / Coltrane / Garrison<br />
Aki Takase + Charlotte Greve<br />
Lucia Cadotsch Trio<br />
Wadada Leo Smith + Alexander Hawkins<br />
Julia Holter + strings<br />
Steve Lehman Octet<br />
Eve Risser’s White Desert Orchestra<br />
In cooperation with radio broadcasters ARD and Deutschlandradio<br />
www.berlinerfestspiele.de
WHAT’S ON — Art<br />
Interview<br />
“It’s like the future suddenly started”<br />
High-profile digital detective Constant Dullaart wages war with<br />
Facebook in Synthesising the Preferred Inputs. By Amanda Ribas Tugwell<br />
Don’t miss<br />
Hicham Berrada<br />
The beauty is in the<br />
details in abstract HD<br />
shots of magnetised<br />
iron particles at WN-<br />
TRP. Through Oct 30.<br />
Yves Scherer<br />
Found objects, paintings<br />
and taxidermy<br />
make a “space collage”<br />
in this rumination on<br />
being single at Galerie<br />
Guido Baudach.<br />
Through Oct 31.<br />
Sinta Werner<br />
See 3D photographs<br />
and the mindblowing<br />
illusion of pixels in<br />
real space at Alexander<br />
Levy. Through<br />
Oct 30.<br />
The British View<br />
Six hundred years’<br />
worth of German<br />
history come to the<br />
Martin-Gropius-Bau<br />
via 200 pieces from<br />
the British Museum’s<br />
collection. Through<br />
Jan 9.<br />
Up now at Future Gallery, two<br />
of the Dutch-born, Berlinbased<br />
artist’s new bodies<br />
of work delve into hidden systems<br />
within the ever-more corporatised<br />
spaces of the internet. In one,<br />
pattern-seeking AI convolutional<br />
networks “draw” images using data<br />
from the photos we post on Facebook<br />
and Instagram, which are then outsourced<br />
to China to be painted. In the<br />
second, Dullaart incorporates the<br />
third-world-country SIM cards used<br />
to generate the Facebook bot army<br />
he created in his studio last year.<br />
Why make art that involves<br />
Facebook and Instagram? A lot of<br />
people don’t know about the whole<br />
business of fake Facebook identities,<br />
but they’re huge in politics, and<br />
in quantifying cultural validity. I’m<br />
saying: hey, this is a huge market,<br />
look at how construed and weird<br />
this social validation system is. Even<br />
when I bought 2.5 million Instagram<br />
followers as part of a piece, I actually<br />
thought I was a better<br />
person because more people<br />
“liked” me. It’s so easy<br />
to make yourself believe<br />
in this kind of competitive<br />
social validation system.<br />
Of course I see big dangers,<br />
and I think everyone has<br />
to keep their minds open,<br />
educate themselves as<br />
much as they can, and take<br />
a position. I think a lot of<br />
these issues are political,<br />
and yet they are not reflected<br />
in the political debate.<br />
Is your work a warning<br />
to us all? I do see it as<br />
a warning, but I’m not a<br />
preacher or a teacher or<br />
anything. I don’t want to be<br />
too didactic, or mansplain.<br />
I sometimes make the<br />
analogy that now there are<br />
more people looking at a<br />
screen than looking out the<br />
window. This contemporary<br />
landscape is so incredibly<br />
complex, and we need comparably<br />
complex reflections on it. We need<br />
to make new contemporary paintings<br />
– we can’t just make the same<br />
old paintings of this new landscape.<br />
The iPhone came out in 2007. That’s<br />
only nine years ago, not even a generation,<br />
and we all think it’s normal.<br />
And there were enormous cultural<br />
shifts, like now everyone can wander<br />
around a strange city and find their<br />
way. That’s huge! It’s like the future<br />
suddenly started.<br />
Art about digital technology tends<br />
to be relegated to niche categories<br />
– net art, post-internet art,<br />
etc. Why do you think that is?<br />
With every new medium there are<br />
complexities that not everyone understands.<br />
When I started out in the<br />
early 2000s, there were people who<br />
said, “We don’t know the dialect<br />
that you’re speaking,” and I had to<br />
validate my work by saying, “Well,<br />
I’ve read this Dutch book and I<br />
think it’s the best book ever but it’s<br />
not translated. I can’t ignore that<br />
I think it’s one of the best books.”<br />
Now even my mom understands<br />
that maybe there’s some cultural<br />
relevance to talking about the decisions<br />
that are made within software<br />
and on the internet.<br />
So you’re not discouraged by the<br />
categories? I’m just really happy<br />
that I’m a part of the conversation.<br />
It’s interesting to speculate about<br />
the potential of how all this technology<br />
is being used, and I think<br />
this is what art should be doing.<br />
We should ask, “What would happen<br />
if somebody used this tool in<br />
that way? That would be weird, or<br />
that would be fucked up.” I think<br />
it’s a responsibility of artists to<br />
misuse the tools.<br />
Synthesising the Preferred Inputs<br />
Through Oct 15 Future Gallery,<br />
Schöneberg<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
38<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Art<br />
Through Oct 22<br />
Roger Ballen and<br />
Asger Carlsen: No Joke<br />
Dittrich & Schlechtriem, Mitte<br />
HHHII<br />
Ballen and Carlsen are showing the results<br />
of their artistic exchange over email and<br />
Skype for the last few years – and they’re<br />
pretty disturbing. Black and white, primarily<br />
nude photographs have been drawn on and<br />
digitally collaged, disfiguring body parts and<br />
infusing American Apparel-esque shots with<br />
McCarthy, Basquiat, Kentridge and Sherman.<br />
The works confront the dark corners of the<br />
mind, where alien forms, creepy masks, giant<br />
spiders and dead animals lurk. Drawn figures<br />
loom voyeuristically around young, classically<br />
beautiful female bodies combined with the<br />
ageing bodies of the artists. Due to the flawless<br />
digital collage characteristic of Carlsen’s<br />
work everything feels “real” even after it has<br />
met Ballen’s charcoal-smudged dark spaces,<br />
which went big with his 2012 Die Antwoord<br />
video “I Fink You Freeky”.<br />
The horrifically captivating series of 37 images<br />
is being shown in full for the first time,<br />
and mark the perfect fusion of the two artist’s<br />
terribly individual ways of imagining the<br />
intangible world around them. You’ll wish you<br />
could un-see them, but you won’t be able to<br />
look away. — ART<br />
Right: Roger Ballen<br />
and Asger Carlsen,<br />
courtesy of Dittrich<br />
& Schlechtriem<br />
Top centre: Trisha<br />
Baga, LOAF, Société<br />
Far right: Florian<br />
Misenberg, courtesy<br />
of the artist<br />
and Wentrup<br />
Through Nov 5<br />
Trisha Baga: LOAF<br />
Société, Schöneberg<br />
HHHHI<br />
The NYC artist’s solo is visual free association<br />
in high form. Both of her 3D video installations<br />
suck you into her deep curiosity with<br />
subjects and objects. Home-video-style<br />
footage of people, bizarre everyday scenes<br />
of mannequin legs hanging above a clothing<br />
store and taxidermied animals are equally<br />
intriguing through her lens.<br />
Light and darkness vie for screen time, and<br />
in 3D, flashlight beams elevate the leaves of<br />
a bush to a psychedelic vision. In another<br />
darkened room, small spots and black lights<br />
illuminate the surface of an IRL cat scratching<br />
tower turned shelf, holding everything<br />
from hand sanitiser to a rough ceramic<br />
sculpture of a cat. Another bright room with<br />
white carpet covered pedestals showcases<br />
more ceramics, of a printer, a painting and<br />
Wonder Bread. Baga’s scattered universe<br />
confidently walks the line between art made<br />
post-internet, and the aesthetics of the material<br />
world. Ultimately it reads as a development<br />
in age old questions: what is real? What<br />
can we truly know? — ART<br />
Through Oct 19<br />
Florian Meisenberg:<br />
“Um, nice guy, good hospitality,<br />
but.. y’know (...)”<br />
Wentrup, Kreuzberg<br />
HHHII<br />
Meisenberg’s third solo at Wentrup covers<br />
the walls of a large bright room with<br />
canvases of different shapes – circles,<br />
arches and teardrops – each evoking a<br />
window or an icon from afar. Lines on the<br />
beige-backgrounded paintings create vague<br />
spaces within them, and in the foreground<br />
are abstracted symbols, cartoonish clouds<br />
and figures and even planetary forms.<br />
A 30-minute video shows banal tennis<br />
court scenes, and scrolling on top of it in<br />
large white letters is a meandering monologue<br />
from a secret recording of a banker<br />
complaining on the phone as he commutes<br />
from New Jersey to Wall Street. In front of<br />
the video is a white carpet, and more words<br />
are projected onto it, detailing confidential<br />
content including Hillary’s leaked emails.<br />
The exhibition text reveals that the font was<br />
extracted from WikiLeaks docs.<br />
The problem here is that the connecting<br />
points between all these intriguing elements<br />
seem just out of reach. We recommend you<br />
try and decrypt it, but you might leave with<br />
more questions than answers. — ART<br />
Trevor Good<br />
Schloss<br />
Neuhardenberg<br />
in concert<br />
PHOTOS: © ROBERT DAY,<br />
JOHANNES LOVUND, ULRIKE MÖNNIG<br />
Silver Tour<br />
Friend’n Fellow<br />
Saturday, 08. 10. <strong>2016</strong><br />
Switch<br />
Nils Petter Molvær & Band<br />
Saturday, 29. 10. <strong>2016</strong><br />
Only Yule<br />
Flying Pickets<br />
Saturday, 12. 11. <strong>2016</strong><br />
Bookings<br />
schlossneuhardenberg.de<br />
033476 600-750
WHAT’S ON — Stage<br />
Editor’s Choice<br />
Hexes and history<br />
Sophiensaele’s Witch Dance Project unearths and<br />
updates a spooky choreographic classic. By Lily Kelting<br />
Jocelen Janon<br />
Stage news<br />
Waltzing into the ballet<br />
Spanish choreographer<br />
Nacho Duato is<br />
ending his supershort<br />
leadership<br />
of the Staatsballet<br />
Berlin in 2019, to be<br />
replaced by freescene<br />
Berliner Sasha<br />
Waltz. A bit of a<br />
controversial choice,<br />
but we’re into it.<br />
Berlin stages on top<br />
In case you needed<br />
proof that Berlin has<br />
the best theatre in<br />
the world: Germany’s<br />
Theater heute<br />
magazine calls a tie<br />
between the Maxim<br />
Gorki and the Volksbühne<br />
for “stage of<br />
the year.”<br />
Free-scene networking<br />
Looking to crack<br />
into the industry?<br />
Talk shop at the<br />
Branchentreff, the<br />
annual meeting of<br />
Berlin’s independent<br />
theatre scene. This<br />
year’s conference<br />
will be held <strong>October</strong><br />
6-8 at Heimathafen<br />
Neukölln.<br />
Weimar Germany, 1926.<br />
Mary Wigman sits with<br />
her knees bent on a bare<br />
stage, no music. She spreads her fingers<br />
wide and pumps her bent arms<br />
through the air, as if she’s swimming,<br />
then opens her knees to a straddle<br />
and stomps forward in a squat, as<br />
though charging the audience. This<br />
dance, Hexentanz II (Witch Dance II),<br />
was the nail in the coffin of classical<br />
ballet. At the time, Wigman was a<br />
fresh young artist who dared to dance<br />
without pointe shoes and move in<br />
angular, expressionist ways. In <strong>2016</strong>,<br />
she is known as one of the most important<br />
figures in dance, ever.<br />
Hexentanz II is about two minutes<br />
long – you can watch it on You-<br />
Tube (and I recommend that you<br />
do!). But the short piece’s impact is<br />
larger than ever. From <strong>October</strong> 6-9,<br />
Sophiensaele is hosting the four-day<br />
symposium Witch Dance Project.<br />
It’s produced by a group called<br />
Tanzfonds Heritage, a production<br />
company that funds projects bringing<br />
dance history to life. Since 2014,<br />
they’ve produced both restagings of<br />
and riffs on dance classics so they<br />
don’t die out of popular consciousness.<br />
Take Oskar Schlemmer’s Bauhaus-era<br />
Triadic Ballet: you could go<br />
your whole life not recognising the<br />
distinctive, geometric costumes – or<br />
you could see the piece and then begin<br />
to see his influence everywhere.<br />
Or Anita Berber – she’s known more<br />
for her scandalous biography than<br />
for her gender-blurring dance moves,<br />
which another Tanzfonds Heritage<br />
project attempted to correct.<br />
Even though they’re all about heritage,<br />
these projects are ultimately<br />
concerned with the future of these<br />
canonical performances. Even a<br />
relatively straightforward attempt to<br />
stage a historically important piece<br />
runs into a fundamental problem<br />
with dance history: it’s kind of an<br />
oxymoron. Dance is ephemeral,<br />
there’s no script, no good notation<br />
for movement. Even minor film buffs<br />
can tell their Tarantino from their<br />
Tarkovsky, but only real die-hards<br />
know about someone like Mary Wigman<br />
– which makes events like Witch<br />
Dance Project so important. In the<br />
second half of Hexentanz II, Wigman<br />
lept from her concave crouch into<br />
the air: huge, expansive. But since it<br />
wasn’t caught on film, nobody really<br />
knows how it goes. And so much<br />
is lost on film, anyway – her heavy<br />
breathing, the smell of sweat.<br />
All of which is to say: it is so, so<br />
hard to talk about dance. It’s easier,<br />
though, to dance about dance, which<br />
is why inviting 10 choreographers to<br />
riff on Hexentanz is a pretty brilliant<br />
way to keep Wigman’s impulse alive<br />
and the conversation going. These<br />
10 pieces might not look like the<br />
original, but they’re asking the same<br />
question: how does the figure of the<br />
witch disturb ideas about what it<br />
means to move like a woman?<br />
Then there’s another question: can<br />
you divorce historical dances from<br />
their historical contexts? What about<br />
the fact that the “natural movement”<br />
that became so important for German<br />
expressionist dance sounds an<br />
awful lot like Nazi descriptions of<br />
the “natural body” that bubbled up<br />
around the same time? Or Wigman’s<br />
uneasy appropriation of “primitive”<br />
movements based on a problematicat-best<br />
understanding of non-Western<br />
dance? Here, the Witch Dance<br />
Project team intervenes via its invited<br />
choreographers, many of whom are<br />
queer, feminist and/or non-white. It<br />
makes sense – feminist reclaiming of<br />
witchiness is nothing new. Layer this<br />
on top of a non-European perspective<br />
and you can kind of see where<br />
the Witch Dance Project is coming<br />
from. If the lectures and film screenings<br />
aren’t your thing, maybe a modern<br />
wicca workshop by someone who<br />
goes by Warbear might be more your<br />
speed? Understanding the impact of<br />
Hexentanz means looking at dance<br />
history in new ways – maybe even<br />
looking beyond dance itself. ■<br />
Witch Dance Project Oct 6-9<br />
Sophiensaele, Mitte<br />
40<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON — Stage<br />
Preview<br />
AT MARTIN-GROPIUS-BAU<br />
Roma TV<br />
Playing at the Delphi this month,<br />
The Journey/Drom turns the Balkan<br />
migration crisis into a live talk show.<br />
A<br />
story<br />
about the plight of the Roma people, caught between<br />
discrimination in the Western Balkans and rejection in<br />
Germany, has the potential to get pretty bleak. Since Germany<br />
added more Balkan countries to its “safe list” last year, the<br />
chance the community has at gaining asylum here has become<br />
virtually nonexistent. Sounds like the perfect fodder for a serious<br />
documentary or overly sentimental dramatisation, but leave it<br />
to the team at Delphi, the former silent film house turned alt<br />
performance venue, to turn it into something totally unexpected.<br />
An international collaboration helmed by Delphi artistic director<br />
Brina Stinehelfer, The Journey/Drom, illustrates the struggles of<br />
the Roma by assuming the format of an absurdist television talk<br />
show – think “the worst made-for-TV version of the OJ Simpson<br />
trial, combined with Dr. Phil,” Stinehelfer says.<br />
The style is a wink at the sensationalised depiction of Roma<br />
people in the media, but an absurd approach might also be one of<br />
the only ways to depict some of the struggles they face. Through<br />
a partnership with Berlin’s Roma Trial, Serbia’s Kulturanova and<br />
Budapest’s Pro Progressione, Stinehelfer and her artistic team<br />
produced the show, making sure they travelled along the Balkan<br />
route themselves to get a first-hand look at the dead ends Roma<br />
people face no matter what direction they go. Germany is a closed<br />
door, and southeastern Europe is almost horrifically hopeless.<br />
“People are living in shacks that they’ve made themselves out<br />
of scrap metal and cardboard. They have no electricity, they have<br />
no running water, babies get bitten by rats...” Stinehelfer says.<br />
“This is Europe in <strong>2016</strong>, and there are people dying of dysentery<br />
because they’re eating from the garbage.”<br />
The Gorki presented a sneak peek of the show back in April as a<br />
work-in-progress, coinciding with the International Day of the Roma.<br />
Stinehelfer now brings a fully realised version to the Delphi’s singular<br />
space, in which theatregoers will double as a live studio audience.<br />
The script, which came directly out of actual experiences with<br />
people in the Balkans, plays with stereotypes and prejudices in<br />
a way Stinehelfer says doesn’t fall into the “refugee victim” trap<br />
and brings new depth to trite gypsy images and stories. “Everything<br />
onstage happened to a real person – and everything we’re<br />
saying is a theatrical version of the truth,” she says. Sounds like<br />
the talk show ideal. — Julyssa Lopez<br />
Nihad Nino Pušija<br />
PINA BAUSCH<br />
and the Tanztheater<br />
until 9 January 2017 in Berlin<br />
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin<br />
Niederkirchnerstraße 7 • D-10963 Berlin<br />
www.pina-bausch-ausstellung.de<br />
21-23 Oct <strong>2016</strong><br />
RADIALSYSTEM V<br />
In Kooperation mit<br />
der Pina Bausch<br />
Foundatioan, Wuppertal<br />
Media partner<br />
www.idfestival.de<br />
Laurent Philippe, performance of the Pina Bausch piece Vollmond © Laurent Philippe<br />
The Journey/Drom Oct 27, 29, 20:00<br />
Ehemaliges Stummfilmkino Delphi, Weißensee<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Migration told through<br />
Israeli-German art
WHAT’S ON — Stage<br />
Don’t miss<br />
Berlin Burlesque<br />
Festival<br />
Not to be confused<br />
with Burlesque Week,<br />
the fest’s expanded<br />
programme brings<br />
together neo-burlesque<br />
and cirque<br />
with old-school<br />
glamorous disrobing.<br />
Oct 20-23, various<br />
venues<br />
Clap.<br />
This piece begins<br />
where most<br />
performances end<br />
– it’s an exploration<br />
of applause by the<br />
free-scene group<br />
Objective Spectacle.<br />
Oct 21-23, 20:00,<br />
Ballhaus Ost<br />
Schaubühne for a fiver<br />
Berlin theatre tickets<br />
are always pretty<br />
cheap, but <strong>October</strong><br />
10 is “Theatre day”,<br />
which means half-off<br />
even the €10 tickets<br />
at the Schaubühne’s<br />
English-surtitled<br />
production of The<br />
Invention of the RAF.<br />
No excuses!<br />
Interview<br />
“ Where is my family?”<br />
Portland, Oregon-based playwright Andrea Stolowitz<br />
searches for answers about her family in Berlin Diary<br />
– Schlüterstraße 27.<br />
The play is a conversation<br />
between a character named<br />
“Andrea Stolowitz” and her<br />
great-grandfather, Max, as she tracks<br />
down her family members in archives<br />
and graveyards.<br />
Can you tell us a bit about Berlin<br />
Diary? The play is an epic odyssey<br />
that starts in my real life, when I am<br />
handed this diary. My great-grandfather<br />
fled Berlin in 1936 and left a<br />
diary for his grandchildren. Which<br />
I didn’t read for a very long time,<br />
because it’s half in German with very<br />
small script. After a shooting in my<br />
house when I lived in North Carolina,<br />
I turned back to this question of<br />
“Who is my family, and why is it so<br />
Preview<br />
Jerusalem in our hearts<br />
On Oct 22, the<br />
ensemble Sferraina<br />
will be performing<br />
a combination<br />
of 17th-century<br />
Baroque music<br />
and the Yemenite<br />
music of the same<br />
period.<br />
small?” How is the past the present<br />
and the present the past? So I came<br />
to Berlin and used this diary to track<br />
down the mysteries of the past so I<br />
can solve them.<br />
This feels like a very Berlin story.<br />
There’s so much history upon<br />
history upon history – and it’s<br />
all labelled. Everything. I mean,<br />
when you think of everything that<br />
has happened in any one spot for<br />
the last 900 years... but then, it’s<br />
another level when it’s just personal<br />
and there are no signs at the<br />
addresses that you find.<br />
Why base the play on your own<br />
life? I really don’t like one-person<br />
shows or confessional memoirs. All<br />
that stuff is really dangerous terrain,<br />
because it’s mostly, in my view,<br />
bad. And then the Holocaust itself<br />
is a whole other thing. It feels like<br />
there is nothing you can say about it.<br />
And so that’s another writing trap.<br />
“Semi-autobiographical”, “one-person<br />
show”, “the Holocaust” – these<br />
are all “ugh, not that topic” topics.<br />
So this is a play about now, and what<br />
this historical event means in my<br />
life right now: Where is my family? I<br />
want a family. — LK<br />
Berlin Diary – Schlüterstraße 27<br />
Oct 6-9, 12-15, 20:00 English Theater<br />
Berlin, Kreuzberg<br />
There are parts of Neukölln where the patois of<br />
Hebrew and Arabic might make you think you’re in<br />
Tel Aviv. Delve in at the ID Festival at Radialsystem<br />
V: the annual festival showcasing German artists<br />
with an Israeli background. Of which there are<br />
many. The word on everyone’s lips: migration! Still,<br />
it seems more than a little tone-deaf to make this<br />
the theme of a festival by and about Israelis. One of<br />
the few pieces which tackles the theme explicitly is<br />
Makembo!, an adaptation of the Joseph story “drawing<br />
on classical rabbinic exegesis” not only featuring<br />
a bunch of Nazi references but with an abused<br />
African refugee as the lead character. We’d say it’s<br />
a little on the nose, except that it sounds like an<br />
absolute mess. The more abstract end of the program<br />
looks better, like the visual-art-inspired dance<br />
theatre piece Dancing to the End by the group Total<br />
Brutal. Or No Mad, which places a trombonist and a<br />
dancer into surreal situations both in film projections<br />
and on stage. The chamber music performances,<br />
at the very least, won’t offend. — LK<br />
ID Festival Oct 21-23<br />
Radialsystem V, Friedrichshain<br />
Grrr. I’m dancing.<br />
This performance, in<br />
which Mathis Kleinschnittger<br />
wears a fur<br />
coat and becomes a<br />
dancing bear, looks<br />
about as weird and<br />
wonderful as you<br />
would expect. Oct<br />
1-2, 19:00, Dock 11<br />
Neda Navaee<br />
42<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
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OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong> 43
WHAT’S ON<br />
Calendar<br />
<strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Picks, highlights and can’t-miss events<br />
for this month in Berlin.<br />
Left: The Kills. Above: German Comic Con,<br />
photo by Tobias-Droigk. Right: Pornfilmfestival:<br />
The Bedroom.<br />
SAT<br />
1<br />
Sophie Calle Artist Talk<br />
— Photography At C/O,<br />
the European Month of<br />
Photography (see page 36)<br />
opening continues with the cult<br />
French conceptual artist on her<br />
intimate and sometimes<br />
voyeuristic work. Starts 18:00.<br />
SUN<br />
2<br />
Black Lives Matter<br />
Soli-Party — Party<br />
Dance against racism!<br />
Berlin’s queer/feminist/<br />
non-white party scene comes<br />
together to present this all-night<br />
fundraiser for local black<br />
initiatives. Schwuz. Starts 23:00.<br />
MON<br />
3<br />
Day of German Unity<br />
— Holiday Enjoy your<br />
day off to celebrate the<br />
26th anniversary of German<br />
reunification – there’ll even be a<br />
funfair at the Brandenburg<br />
Gate! Just don’t forget to stock<br />
up at Lidl the Saturday before.<br />
TUE<br />
4<br />
Lucia Moholy: The English<br />
Years — Photography<br />
The European Month of<br />
Photography gives the underappreciated<br />
Bauhaus photographer<br />
the spotlight with an exhibition<br />
showcasing the work she made<br />
after fleeing Nazi Germany for<br />
London. Through Feb 27.<br />
Bauhaus Archiv. Opens 19:00.<br />
WED<br />
5<br />
Gold Panda — Music<br />
With his loud yet<br />
relaxed indie electronica,<br />
British producer/musician<br />
Derwin Schleckers is a perfect<br />
fit for Berghain, even if it is<br />
only Wednesday. Starts 20:00<br />
THU<br />
6<br />
Doku.Arts — Film<br />
The 10th edition of the<br />
international art film<br />
festival (see page 29) delves<br />
into essay cinema. This year<br />
features a great lineup with<br />
many directors present, like at<br />
striking opener Notes on<br />
Blindness. Through Oct 23.<br />
Zeughauskino. Starts 20:00.<br />
Italian Film Festival — Film<br />
The four-day celebration of<br />
cinema Italiano includes a retrospective<br />
on director Paolo<br />
Virzì, who’ll be present at the<br />
opening screening of his 1997<br />
comedy Ovosodo. Babylon.<br />
Starts 20:00.<br />
Witch Dance Project — Dance<br />
Discover your inner queer<br />
shaman over four days of<br />
performances, films, readings<br />
and interactive rituals based on<br />
Mary Wigman’s groundbreaking<br />
Hexentanz (see page 40).<br />
Through Oct 9. Sophiensaele.<br />
Starts 18:30.<br />
FRI<br />
7<br />
Festival of Lights<br />
— Installation<br />
An upside of it getting<br />
dark earlier: 10 nights of fantastical<br />
light projections illuminating<br />
Berlin’s most famous<br />
monuments and landmarks,<br />
plus live music and art events.<br />
Through Oct 16. Starts 19:00.<br />
SAT<br />
8<br />
Lichtspiele Youth Film<br />
Festival — Film Let’s<br />
hear it for the kids at<br />
this showcase of shorts made<br />
by children, teens and young<br />
adults. City Kino Wedding.<br />
Starts 11:30.<br />
The British View — Exhibition<br />
How do the Brits see Germany?<br />
Curated by the British Museum,<br />
this show displays 200 objects<br />
that retell German history<br />
through a British lens, from<br />
Albrecht Dürer’s Rhinocerus to<br />
Napoleon’s hat. Through Jan 9.<br />
Martin-Gropius-Bau.<br />
SUN<br />
9<br />
Easterndaze — Film/Music<br />
Eastern Europe’s<br />
fertile, noisy DIY scene<br />
comes to Berlin for 10 days of<br />
concerts and documentaries.<br />
It all wraps up tonight with a<br />
screening of Belgrade music<br />
doc Beograd Underground.<br />
Lichtblick. Starts 20:00.<br />
MON<br />
10<br />
EXBlicks: Rebirth of a<br />
Nation — Film/Party Join<br />
Exberliner and American<br />
Voices Abroad for a pre-election<br />
warm-up with voter registration,<br />
drinks and snacks, then catch the<br />
DJ Spooky remix of one of the<br />
most notorious American films in<br />
history. Lichtblick. Starts 20:00.<br />
TUE<br />
11<br />
3hd Festival — M usic/Art<br />
Screw the future, let’s<br />
focus on the present at<br />
the Creamcake collective’s music,<br />
performance and visual art fest.<br />
Through Oct 15. Various locations.<br />
Starts 18:00. (see page 35)<br />
WED<br />
12<br />
How Berlin Got the<br />
Blues — Film/Music<br />
A soldier by day and<br />
bluesman by night, Eb Davis<br />
changed the city’s musical<br />
landscape pre-Mauerfall. Catch<br />
the European premiere of the<br />
documentary on his life, followed<br />
by a live concert by the<br />
man himself. Babylon Kino.<br />
Starts 20:00. (See page 26)<br />
Women & Leadership: The Path<br />
Ahead — Discussion Panel The spirited<br />
ladies of The American Women’s<br />
Club of Berlin have invited<br />
four female executives (from<br />
IBM to Siemens) to share their<br />
experiences. Kimberly Emerson of<br />
44<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
WHAT’S ON<br />
Human Rights Watch (see page 23)<br />
will open the evening. Volkswagen<br />
Group Forum. Starts 19:00.<br />
FRI<br />
14<br />
Uncertain States — Art<br />
This group exhibition<br />
matches objects from the<br />
likes of Walter Benjamin and<br />
Bertolt Brecht with 25 contemporary<br />
works reflecting crisis, flight,<br />
instability, violence and loss.<br />
Through Jan 15. AdK. Starts 19:00.<br />
SAT<br />
15<br />
German Comic Con<br />
— Conference Get your<br />
cosplay gear ready for<br />
Berlin’s first-ever Comic Con,<br />
featuring an impressive guestlist<br />
of nerd-approved names like<br />
Christopher Lloyd, James<br />
Marsters and Robert Englund (aka<br />
Doc, Spike and Freddy). Through<br />
Oct 16. Messe Berlin. Starts 10:00.<br />
TUE<br />
18<br />
The Cure — Music<br />
Who doesn’t want to<br />
re-experience those angsty,<br />
dramatic teenaged days when The<br />
Cure was your perfect medicine?<br />
Mercedes Benz Arena. Starts 19:30.<br />
THU Berlin Burlesque Festival<br />
20 — Cabaret Acts from all<br />
over the world spin fire,<br />
do flips and get naked. Whether<br />
you’re watching people take their<br />
clothes off or twirling those nipple<br />
tassels yourself, it’ll be a blast.<br />
Through Oct 23. Various venues.<br />
FRI<br />
21<br />
ID Festival — Stage<br />
This year’s German-Israeli<br />
arts and culture festival<br />
bears the timely theme of “migration”<br />
and “refuge”, as explored<br />
through three days of performance.<br />
Through Oct 23. Radialsystem V.<br />
Starts 17:00. (See page 42)<br />
SAT<br />
22<br />
The Kills — Music<br />
Get your post-punk<br />
grunge on with chainsmoking<br />
badass Alison Mosshart<br />
(also of The Dead Weather),<br />
touring latest album Ash & Ice.<br />
Tempodrom. Starts 20:00.<br />
TUE<br />
25<br />
Angel Olsen — Music<br />
Whether backed up by a<br />
rock cacophony or<br />
shockingly sparse folk arrangements,<br />
the indie darling’s voice<br />
is always centre stage. She hits<br />
Berlin with her brand-spankingnew<br />
album My Woman. Columbia<br />
Theater. Starts 19:00.<br />
WED<br />
26<br />
Pornfilmfestival — Film<br />
Berlin’s raunchiest underground<br />
film festival<br />
returns to Germany’s oldest<br />
cinema for the 11th time. Bring<br />
your mom! (Seriously – it’s<br />
not all hardcore). Through<br />
Oct 30. Moviemento. (See<br />
page 29)<br />
THU<br />
27<br />
Scores — Art/Music<br />
Toss out your sheet<br />
music at this<br />
audiovisual exhibition, for<br />
which artists like Saâdane<br />
Afif and Ari Benjamin Meyers<br />
created far-out interpretations<br />
of the musical score.<br />
Through Nov 13. Hamburger<br />
Bahnhof. Starts 19:00.<br />
Tacit Futures — Conference<br />
Can movement and borders<br />
be controlled through<br />
democratic processes? The<br />
Berliner Gazette investigates<br />
this question through workshops,<br />
performances, talks<br />
and... cooking! Through Oct<br />
29. Volksbühne.<br />
MON<br />
31<br />
Adia Victoria — Music<br />
Celebrate Halloween<br />
with ghostly Southern<br />
gothic blues courtesy of the<br />
up-and-coming Nashvillebased<br />
singer-songwriter.<br />
Privatclub. Starts 20:00.<br />
<strong>October</strong> Programme in English<br />
28.9.–8.10. / HAU1, HAU2, HAU3 FESTIVAL<br />
The Aesthetics of<br />
Resistance –<br />
Peter Weiss 100<br />
Festival with Judica Albrecht, Alexand<br />
Liane, Halil Altındere, Mareike Bernien,<br />
Boris Buden, Guillermo Calderón,<br />
Volkan Cidam, Phil Collins, Ekaterina<br />
Degot, T**lin, Ion Dumitrescu, Nicoleta<br />
Esinencu, Liz Fekete, Oliver Frljić, Bogdan<br />
Georgescu, Alex Gerbaulet, Enna<br />
Gerin, Fabian Hinrichs, Sandra Hüller,<br />
Serhat Karakayali, Jana König, Tomasz<br />
Konicz, Nina Kronjäger, Anja Lemke,<br />
Hannah Lichtenberger, Doris Liebscher,<br />
Agnes Julia Mann, Rabih Mroué, Grigoris<br />
Panoutsopoulos, Mira Partecke,<br />
Miquel Ramos, Raze de Soare, La Resentida,<br />
Stefanie SchülerSpringorum,<br />
Mima Simić, DJ Sohrab, Andreas Spechtl,<br />
Robert Stadlober, Valery Tscheplanowa,<br />
Joseph Vogl, Mark Waschke, Zeev<br />
Sternhell a.o.<br />
11.10. / HAU2 / Concert MUSIC<br />
Mark Ernestus’<br />
Ndagga Rhythm<br />
Force / afterwards: DJ Mark Ernestus<br />
My Perfect Berlin Weekend<br />
New York native and Neuköllner<br />
Brina Stinehelfer is a theatre/performance<br />
artist and the artistic<br />
director of Ehemaliges Stummfilmkino<br />
Delphi, a former silent<br />
film theatre hosting two of this<br />
month’s must-sees: musicians<br />
Jerusalem In My Heart (see page<br />
33) and play The Journey/Drom<br />
(see page 41).<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
FRIDAY<br />
19:00 Dinner at my fave sushi spot Tabibito<br />
(Karl-Marx-Str. 56, Neukölln), a really tiny,<br />
cute and delicious family-owned place. 21:00<br />
See my friends at Engels (Herrfurthstr. 21,<br />
Neukölln) for the Friday drag show. 23:00<br />
Some serious dancing at Schwuz (Rollbergstr.<br />
26, Neukölln) or Sameheads (Richardstr. 10,<br />
Neukölln) – I like to keep it local when I have<br />
work the next day.<br />
SATURDAY<br />
13:00 I go to Ehemaliges Stummfilmkino<br />
Delphi (Gustav-Adolf-Str. 2, Weißensee) to prepare<br />
for the event that night. No matter if it’s<br />
theatre, music, dance or a film, it’s always a joy<br />
to be in this beautiful space. 20:00 Showtime! I<br />
stay till the bitter end to lock up.<br />
SUNDAY<br />
14:00 If the weather is nice I love grilling in<br />
Hasenheide (Neukölln). 20:00 Either see a<br />
show at HAU (Stresemannstr. 29, Kreuzberg)<br />
or a film at Rollberg Kino (Rollbergstr. 70,<br />
Neukölln).<br />
14.+15.10. / HAU2 MUSIC PERFORMANCE<br />
Creamcake<br />
3hd Festival: There is nothing left<br />
but the Future?<br />
With AGF, Inga Copeland, Soda Plains ft.<br />
Negroma, COOL FOR YOU, Nile Koetting,<br />
Aïsha Devi & Emile Barret, Easter, HVAD,<br />
KaraLis Coverdale<br />
16.10. / HAU3 DIALOGUE<br />
Violence of<br />
Inscriptions #0<br />
Sandra Noeth & Arkadi Zaides<br />
21.–23.10. / HAU1 THEATRE<br />
She She Pop<br />
50 Grades of Shame<br />
Ein Bilderbogen nach Wedekinds “Frühlings Erwachen”<br />
German with English surtitles<br />
21.–23.10. / HAU3 DANCE<br />
Adam Linder<br />
Kein Paradiso / English (language no problem)<br />
28.–30.10. / HAU2 THEATRE<br />
Kornél Mundruczó /<br />
Proton Theatre<br />
Látszatélet / Imitation of Life<br />
Hungarian with German and English surtitles<br />
www.hebbel-am-ufer.de
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GODSHOT — Prenzlauer Berg<br />
Godshot belongs to the top of the<br />
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BARETTINO — Neukölln<br />
The name means “small bar”, and<br />
this is a unique combination of great<br />
food and good coffee from Italy and<br />
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and made with love: The huge breakfast<br />
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Reuterstr. 59, U-Bhf Hermannplatz,<br />
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9-22, www.barettinoberlin.com<br />
NAPOLJONSKA — Mitte<br />
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this vegetarian café offers organic<br />
and homemade delicacies. Enjoy a<br />
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43, U-Bhf Rosenthaler Platz, Tel<br />
030 3117 0965, Mon, Fri 08.30 -18.00,<br />
Tue-Thu 8.30-16:00 Sat- Sun 09-<br />
19.00, www.napoljonska.de<br />
CAFÉ IM LITERATURHAUS<br />
— Charlottenburg Enjoy a coffee in<br />
one of Berlin’s finest cafés, known<br />
for its courteous staff and pleasant<br />
atmosphere in the elegant and<br />
much-loved Literaturhaus villa. The<br />
perfect stop during a shopping trip<br />
on nearby Ku’damm. Fasanenstr.<br />
23, U-Bhf Uhlandstr., Tel 030<br />
8825 414, Mon-Sun 9:30-24, www.<br />
literaturhaus-berlin.de<br />
PRACHTWERK — Neukölln One of<br />
a kind in Neukölln, Prachtwerk is a<br />
spacious café, music venue and gallery.<br />
With a wide variety of local and<br />
organic items, Prachtwerk serves<br />
up Five Elephant Coffee, beer from<br />
Neukölln’s Rollberg Brauerei, housemade<br />
baked goods, tasty cocktails<br />
SPLUFFIN STORE — Friedrichshain<br />
Spluffin Store is a new kind of small<br />
bakery specialising in hybrid pastries,<br />
mainly Spluffins, which cross<br />
muffins with Berlin’s very own Splitterbrötchen.<br />
The store offers more<br />
than 20 different sweet and savoury<br />
Spluffin variations, and even some<br />
vegan options. Best enjoyed with<br />
a great cup of coffee. Revaler Str.<br />
12, U-Bhf, S-Bhf Warschauer Straße,<br />
Thu-Fri 9-18, Sat-Sun 10-20, www.<br />
spluffin.berlin<br />
KREMANSKI — Kreuzberg<br />
Kremanski offers tasty breakfast,<br />
high-quality coffee, lunch (Mon to<br />
Fri), homemade cakes and icecream,<br />
special beers, drinks, good<br />
music and cultural events. The<br />
friendly and talented staff will make<br />
you feel welcome, inspired and<br />
relaxed. The perfect hangout right<br />
at Kotti, all day long! Adalbertstr.<br />
96, U-Bhf Kottbusser Tor, Mon-Thu<br />
8.30-23, Fri 8.30-2, Sat 12-2, Sun 12-<br />
23, www.kremanski.de<br />
RESTAURANTS<br />
CHUTNIFY — Prenzlauer Berg, Neukölln<br />
Desperate for an alternative to the<br />
usual over-sauced curry? Get set<br />
to rejoice! Boasting a lip-smacking<br />
selection of South Indian fare,<br />
Chutnify is the go-to spot if you’re<br />
hunting for authenticity. Be it crispy<br />
dosas, tantalising thalis or zinging<br />
salads, there’s a dish for everyone to<br />
CHUPENGA — Mitte<br />
When the lunchtime queue for a<br />
burrito looks like Berghain, you<br />
know there’s got to be something<br />
good waiting. Luckily, it moves<br />
quickly, thanks to Chupenga’s<br />
efficient production line. You can<br />
pick and choose the ingredients for<br />
your burrito, naked burrito, salad or<br />
tacos for a fixed price. Mohrenstr.<br />
42, Tel 030 239 369 61, U-Bhf<br />
Hausvogteiplatz, Mon-Fri, 11:30-20,<br />
www.chupenga.com<br />
BASTARD — Kreuzberg From Bastard<br />
with love: whether it’s breakfast,<br />
lunch or dinner, this restaurant is<br />
not just for those who were born out<br />
of wedlock. Choose from the changing<br />
seasonal menu created with love<br />
for fresh ingredients and fine food.<br />
Our tip: try the homemade stoneoven<br />
bread! Reichen berger Str. 122,<br />
U-Bhf Görlitzer Bahnhof, Tel 030<br />
5482 1866, Mon, Wed-Sun 9-16.30,<br />
www.bastard-berlin.de<br />
AUSTERNBANK — Mitte<br />
Fresh oysters, premium fish and<br />
exceptional meat dishes are served<br />
at Austernbank. Culinary splendor<br />
as well as the extraordinary<br />
architecture make this a must-go-torestaurant.<br />
The former bank vault is<br />
located inside the Humboldt Carré,<br />
one of Berlin’s most beautiful buildings.<br />
For gourmets: lobster cocktail<br />
“à la Rosso” is prepared in front of<br />
the guests. Behrenstr. 42, U-Bhf<br />
Französische Str. Tel 030 7677 52724<br />
46<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
ADVERTORIAL — The Berlin Guide<br />
NO HABLO ESPAÑOL<br />
— Friedrichshain The best Californiastyle<br />
Mexican street food joint in<br />
Friedrichshain. Delicious freshly<br />
made burritos and quesadillas<br />
served by a collection of fun-loving<br />
international people. Once a week,<br />
challenge the NHE team in a game<br />
of rock-paper-scissors and win a<br />
half-price meal! Kopernikusstr. 22,<br />
S+U-Bhf Warschauer Str., Mon-Sun<br />
from 12, www.nohabloespanol.de<br />
CRUNCH KANTINE — Moabit<br />
Crunch Kantine is about quick,<br />
simple, affordable food made from<br />
fresh and cooked with love. Our<br />
philosophy on vegetarian cooking:<br />
everything fresh and delicious and<br />
we hope that meat eaters won‘t<br />
notice that there is NO meat. 12<br />
dishes on the buffet each day with<br />
80% of them vegan. Siemensstr.<br />
16, S-Beusselstr., Tue-Sat 12-20, Sun<br />
12-17, www.crunchkantine.com<br />
MANI IN PASTA — Kreuzberg<br />
Many restaurants claim to offer<br />
hand-made tagliatelle, but at Mani<br />
in Pasta you can actually see it happening!<br />
The Italian trio prepares and<br />
sells fresh pasta at Markthalle IX.<br />
They also offer daily traditional or<br />
experimental dishes to enjoy on the<br />
spot. Some meaty, some vegetarian,<br />
all delicious! Eisenbahnstr. 42-43,<br />
U-Bhf Görlitzer Bahnhof, Mon, Wed,<br />
Sat 10-18, Tue, Fri, 10-20, Thu 10-22,<br />
www.maniinpasta.de<br />
3 SCHWESTERN — Kreuzberg<br />
Housed in a former hospital<br />
turned art centre, this spacious<br />
restaurant with big windows<br />
overlooking a lovely garden serves<br />
fresh, seasonal German and<br />
continental dishes at reasonable<br />
prices. Breakfast on weekends and<br />
holidays. Live music and parties<br />
start after dessert. Mariannenplatz<br />
2 (Bethanien), U-Bhf Kottbusser<br />
Tor, Tel 030 6003 18600,<br />
Mon-Sat from 11, Sun from 10,<br />
www.3schwestern-berlin.de<br />
DABBAWALLA — Schöneberg<br />
Dabbawalla’s tasty vegan lunch<br />
offerings are freshly made and<br />
inspired by the ayurvedic cuisine.<br />
Main dish is the generous Thali<br />
which changes daily; also popular<br />
are the salads, cakes and the sweet<br />
‘Chia-dream’. The cosy deli is also a<br />
small health food store. Hohenstaufenstr.<br />
64, U-Nollendorfplatz or<br />
U-Eisenacher Str.; Mo-Sa 11.30h-16h,<br />
www.dabbawalla.berlin<br />
CAFÉ MORGENLAND — Kreuzberg<br />
On weekends and holidays you’ll<br />
find a great buffet here, complete<br />
with gourmet cheese, fresh fruit and<br />
veg, crêpes and other vegetarian<br />
dishes, cold cuts, shrimp cocktails<br />
and more. Set menus from €5.<br />
During Happy Hour drinks are just<br />
€3.50 after 20:00. Reservations<br />
suggested. Skalitzer Str. 35, U-Bhf<br />
Görlitzer Bahnhof, Tel 030 6113 291,<br />
Mon-Fri 9-1, Sat-Sun from 10,<br />
www.morgenland-berlin.de<br />
English menus and serve organic<br />
meat. Kantstr. 148, S-Bhf Savignyplatz,<br />
Tel 030 3138 038, Mon-Sun all<br />
day, www.schwarzescafeberlin.de<br />
ZEROSTRESS PIZZA<br />
— Friedrichshain All Italian, delicious<br />
handmade pizza to-go or enjoy<br />
with the relaxed and fun crew.<br />
They have been feeding Berliners at<br />
festivals, parties and markets, and<br />
recently opened their own restaurant<br />
in Friedrichshain. One of the<br />
best pizzas in town, made with love<br />
for food. Vegetarians and vegans<br />
are also welcome! Colbestr. 3,<br />
U-Bhf Samariterstraße, Mon-Sat<br />
12-23, Sun 17.30-23, facebook.com/<br />
zerostresspizza<br />
PUNE — Prenzlauer Berg The place to<br />
go to especially on Sundays for a<br />
great Indian buffet after a stroll on<br />
the nearby Mauerpark fleamarket.<br />
They offer a large menu with various<br />
meaty, vegetarian and vegan dishes,<br />
and daily lunch specials. Don’t skip<br />
the cocktail happy hour! Oderberger<br />
Str. 28, U-Bhf Eberswalder Str.,<br />
Tel 030 4404 2762, Mon-Sat 12-24,<br />
Sun 11-24, www.pune-restaurant.de<br />
DOLORES — Mitte & Schöneberg<br />
Founded 10 years ago as a street food pioneer in the German capital,<br />
Dolores serves excellent California-style burritos and quesadillas<br />
– inspired by San Francisco’s Mission district. Recommended by<br />
Time Out, New York Times and Lonely Planet. Voted #1 value for<br />
your money by Exberliner readers. Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 7, S+U-Bhf<br />
Alexanderplatz, Tel 030 2809 9597, Mon-Sat 11:30-22, Sun 13-22.<br />
Bayreuther Str. 36, U-Bhf Wittenbergplatz, Mon-Sun 11-22, www.<br />
dolores-berlin.de<br />
SCHWARZES CAFÉ<br />
— Charlottenburg Since the 1970s,<br />
Schwarzes Café on Savignyplatz has<br />
been a cult favourite among artists,<br />
anarchists, foreigners and Charlottenburgers.<br />
They‘re open 24/7, have<br />
NALU DINER — Prenzlauer Berg<br />
They call themselves the Homeland<br />
of the Freefill, but Nalu is much<br />
more: here you’ll score US-style<br />
breakfasts, comfort food and great<br />
cheeseburgers plus tasty lunch<br />
and dinner specials. Finish your<br />
meal with a malted milkshake or<br />
root beer float! Dunckerstr. 80a,<br />
S-Bhf Prenzlauer Allee, Tel 030<br />
8975 8632, Mon 9-16, Tue-Sun 9-22,<br />
www.nalu-diner.com<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong> 47
ADVERTORIAL — The Berlin Guide<br />
TO PLACE YOUR AD HERE<br />
CONTACT ADS@<strong>EXBERLINER</strong>.COM<br />
SHOPS & SERVICES<br />
BARS & NIGHTLIFE<br />
17-20, S-Bhf Hacke scher Markt,<br />
Mon-Fri from 12, Sat-Sun from 10,<br />
www.kilkenny-pub.de<br />
SOYLENT BAR — Friedrichshain<br />
The bohemian bar with its shabbychic<br />
style, flea-market furniture,<br />
boom boxes and street art collection<br />
is the place to go to knock back a<br />
few cocktails or try the unique selection<br />
of premium vodkas and hear<br />
an eclectic range of music from soul<br />
to electronic in a local and intimate<br />
atmosphere. Gabriel-Max- Str. 3,<br />
S+U-Bhf Warschauer Str. Mon-Sun<br />
18–open end cafesoylent.eu<br />
KUMPELNEST 3000 — Schöneberg<br />
The legendary bar that made the<br />
Berlin nightlife scene what it is<br />
today. This brothel-turned-bar was<br />
Bono’s hangout during his visits to<br />
West Berlin 25 years ago. Kumpelnest<br />
hasn’t lost any of its authenticity<br />
or wild side over the years. Hipsters<br />
beware! Lützowstr. 23, U-Bhf<br />
Kurfürstenstr., Mon-Fri 19-5, Sat-Sun<br />
from 19, www.kumpelnest3000.com<br />
LPG BIOMARKT — Prenzlauer Berg & Kreuzberg<br />
Your all-organic neighbourhood supermarket supplies fruit and veggies,<br />
vegan groceries, meats, cheese and even cosmetics. They offer a<br />
huge selection of local and regional products, preferably from within<br />
200km from Berlin. Fill your basket with freshly baked bread and treat<br />
yourself to a selection of homemade sweet and savoury goodies. Found<br />
already in 8 locations in Berlin to offer you the fairest, cleanest and<br />
most delicious products nearby, from nearby. Reichenberger Str. 37,<br />
U-Bhf Kottbusser Tor, Mon-Sat 8-21, bakery from 7 Kollwitzstr. 17, U-<br />
Bhf Senefelderplatz, Mon-Sat 9-21, bakery from 7 www.lpg-biomarkt.de<br />
unfussy and original approach to<br />
every kind of event. 0179 1877838,<br />
www.marblesauce.com<br />
HOPS & BARLEY — Friedrichshain<br />
Serving home-brewed pilsner and<br />
dark beer, this is the place to go to<br />
get that proper brew-pub vibe in<br />
Friedrichshain. Cider and wheat<br />
beers are also on tap. Part brewery,<br />
part bar, the interior is beautifully<br />
decorated with antique tiles. Wühlischstr.<br />
22-23, S+U-Bhf Warschauer<br />
Str., Tel 030 2616 918 Mon-Sun 17-2,<br />
www.hopsandbarley-berlin.de<br />
SCHILLERBAR — Neukölln<br />
Fantastic breakfast well into the<br />
afternoon, and great cocktails at<br />
night. Behold the authentic red paint<br />
on the outside wall intended to<br />
threaten the bar upon opening, left<br />
there and affectionately responded<br />
to with hearts stating “Schiller loves<br />
you anyway” (in German, of course).<br />
Herrfurthstr. 7, U-Bhf Boddinstr.,<br />
Tel 0172 9824 427, Mon-Sun 9-2,<br />
www.schillerbar.com<br />
DR. POGO VEGANLADEN<br />
KOLLEKTIV — Neukölln A veganonly<br />
grocery store with a tiny café in<br />
cosy Rixdorf. Vegans will find almost<br />
anything they need. Non-vegans<br />
are welcome to discover interesting<br />
plant-based alternatives and organic<br />
products amongst 2000 items, fresh<br />
vegetables and lots of bulk ware for<br />
small portions. Karl-Marx-Platz 24,<br />
S+U-Bhf Neukölln, Mon-Tue, Thu-<br />
Fri 9-20, Wed 12-20, Sat 9-16,<br />
www.veganladen-kollektiv.net<br />
COMPUTER SERVICE JULIEN<br />
KWAN — Schöneberg Julien Kwan’s elegant<br />
store for Apple computers and<br />
other high-tech goodies is the place<br />
for those who want more than just<br />
a shop-and-go experience. Personalised<br />
service makes browsing the<br />
latest technology a true pleasure.<br />
Vorbergstr. 2, U-Bhf Kleistpark,<br />
Tel 030 6170 0510, Mon-Fri 10-14, 16-<br />
19, Sat 12-16, www.deinmac.de<br />
KILKENNY IRISH PUB — Mitte<br />
Natives and visitors alike converge<br />
to drink and party at this pub under<br />
the beautiful Hackescher Markt<br />
station. Enjoy homemade and<br />
international pub grub plus a vast<br />
selection of beers and spirits. Catch<br />
all the international sports on big<br />
screens. Live concerts two to three<br />
nights a week. Easy 24h access to<br />
public transport. Am Zwirngraben<br />
MONSTER RONSON’S ICHIBAN<br />
KARAOKE — Friedrichshain<br />
Monster Ronson’s is the world’s<br />
craziest karaoke club. Make out on<br />
their super-dark dance floor, get<br />
naked in the private karaoke boxes<br />
and sing your favourite songs all<br />
night. Warschauer Str. 34, S+U-Bhf<br />
Warschauer Str., Mon-Sun from 19,<br />
www.karaokemonster.de<br />
MARBLE SAUCE is a vibrant catering<br />
project in Berlin which focuses<br />
on contemporary cross-over food<br />
culture. Started by Caique Tizzi<br />
alongside a team of cooks and artists,<br />
Marble Sauce takes a unique<br />
and creative approach to event<br />
catering and has tailored its fresh,<br />
HOSENANFERTIGUNG NICOLA<br />
GEBHARD — Friedrichshain<br />
The talented master tailor makes<br />
trousers with a perfect fit according<br />
to your wishes and measurements.<br />
Go in, get measured, choose the<br />
48<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
ADVERTORIAL — The Berlin Guide<br />
fabric, and receive the best trousers<br />
of your life at her Berlin workshop.<br />
Her focus on detail guarantees that<br />
you will leave a happy customer.<br />
Schreinerstr.21, U-Bhf Samariterstr,<br />
Tel 030 293 687 37, www.nicola-gebhard-hosenanfertigung.de<br />
comes to life! Expect the unexpected!<br />
Rosenthaler Str. 39, S-Bhf Hackescher<br />
Markt, Thu 18.30-21.30, Fri-Sat 16.30-<br />
21.30, www.monsterkabinett.de<br />
TIB-SPORTZENTRUM — Tempelhof<br />
At Berlin’s oldest sport club you’ll find<br />
sports for young and old. Baseball,<br />
softball, ultimate frisbee, tennis, dance<br />
and more. Their sport centre has a<br />
gym, sport courses, 8 badminton and 2<br />
tennis indoor courts, and a sauna.<br />
Columbiadamm 111, U-Bhf Südstern,<br />
Mon-Fri 8-23:30, Sat 9-20:30, Sun<br />
9-23:30, www.tib1848ev.de<br />
HUMBOLDT-INSTITUT — Mitte Total<br />
beginner or advanced learner: the<br />
Humboldt-Institut has the right course<br />
for everyone. Small classes with intensive<br />
tuition ensure swift and effective<br />
learning. Intensive German courses<br />
are also available with accommodation<br />
on campus. Or choose a part-time<br />
course in the morning, evening or on<br />
Saturdays. Invalidenstr. 19, S-Bhf<br />
Nordbahnhof, Tel 030 5551 3221, www.<br />
humboldt-institut.org<br />
IITTALA SHOPS — Mitte, Schöneberg<br />
The Finnish brand Iittala designs timeless homeware which oozes luxury<br />
and elegance. The company founded in the 19th century is loyal to many<br />
classic and famous designs, but manages to combine them with modern<br />
graphics, bold colours and fresh ideas. The designs are meant for special<br />
moments or for everyday use, and to last a lifetime. Their colourful<br />
bowls, plates and cups let you enjoy your meals on a whole new level,<br />
and those beautiful candle votives will light up your autumn nights.<br />
Münzstr. 7, U-Bhf Weinmeisterstraße Friedrichstr. 158-164, S+U-Bhf<br />
Friedrichstraße KaDeWe Tauentzienstr. 21-24, U-Bhf Wittenbergplatz<br />
MONSTERKABINETT — Mitte<br />
Join us on a trip to Berlin’s underground<br />
art scene! A unique theme park<br />
inhabited by automatic, singing, dancing<br />
monsters. Your guides: our performance<br />
artists from Transylvania. Visitors<br />
of all ages are invited to enjoy an<br />
invaluable art event where technology<br />
AMORE STORE — Kreuzberg<br />
The contemporary mom-and-pop<br />
store offers traditional Italian products<br />
but with a fun touch. Make great<br />
discoveries varying from cheese graters<br />
to freshly baked bread, and from<br />
colourful cotton socks to organic<br />
olive oil. All items sold are picked<br />
specifically to match the concept<br />
of the store: traditional Italian<br />
delicatessen and goods, with a pinch<br />
of pop culture and of course amore!<br />
Sanderstr. 12, U-Bhf Schönleinstr.,<br />
Tue-Fri 12-20, Sat 12-18<br />
ROLLBERG KINO — Neukölln With<br />
five screens, Babylon Kreuzberg’s<br />
bigger but lesser-known sister boasts<br />
one of the largest original language<br />
movie selections in Berlin. Located<br />
on the U8 near Hermannstraße in<br />
the Kindl Boulevard shopping centre.<br />
Rollbergstr. 70, U-Bhf Boddinstr.,<br />
Tel 030 6270 4645, www.yorck.de<br />
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ADS@<strong>EXBERLINER</strong>.COM<br />
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OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong> 49
REGULARS<br />
Start-ups<br />
By Sophie Atkinson<br />
Working<br />
the system<br />
A day of custom<br />
shoemaking is<br />
one of the many<br />
Descapes on offer.<br />
Looking to escape the daily, fulltime<br />
grind? Whether you’re looking<br />
to try on a new career or share your<br />
job with a buddy, Berlin start-ups<br />
Descape and Tandemploy promise<br />
to solve your work woes... how<br />
convincingly, though? By Sophie Atkinson<br />
Descape<br />
If you’re anything like yours truly, the onset<br />
of autumn is giving you some heavy<br />
back-to-school vibes and with them,<br />
renewed focus on all things career-related.<br />
You’re in Berlin, you’re part of the digital native<br />
generation, so there’s every chance you<br />
might look to start-ups for salvation.<br />
Descape offers work placements across the<br />
globe for money. Yup, you heard that right:<br />
you’re paying to work on your holiday. This<br />
is theoretically because the jobs on offer are<br />
dream jobs. This isn’t you fetching coffees<br />
and doing photocopying for a marketing<br />
department, but the opportunity to “try out”<br />
being a chocolatier, a llama breeder, a sailor, a<br />
vintner or even a ranger at a game reserve in<br />
Namibia. Plus, as co-founder Lena Felixberger<br />
clarifies, while the experience is authentic (“If<br />
you do a Descape at a bakery, obviously you<br />
have to get up early”), you shouldn’t be doing<br />
the gruntwork. “The idea is that you get an<br />
insight but you also have a really good experience<br />
because you paid for it.”<br />
Markus Hoffmann is the co-founder of the<br />
Costa Rica-based project Aiko Logi Tours,<br />
which offers Descape guests the chance to<br />
become rainforest rangers: planting trees,<br />
maintaining paths and reintegrating different<br />
kinds of animals. He argues that Descape<br />
works well for both sides: “It helps finance<br />
the rainforest preservation, but Descapers<br />
also show a special interest in our work.<br />
Since many Descapers stay for extended<br />
time periods, we can give them real projects,<br />
which in turn also speeds up our work.”<br />
Still, chasing your bliss doesn’t always<br />
come cheap. The cheapest Descape costs<br />
only €35, but the job’s not exactly thrilling:<br />
you’re paying to squat a cabin and cook for<br />
hikers in France for a day. Compare this<br />
with the most expensive work placement,<br />
which offers Descapers the opportunity to<br />
make their own pair of shoes in Baden-Baden<br />
for €2880 – ouch. But the role that really<br />
induced a spasm of eye-rolling was “barista”.<br />
You can pay the Berlin School of Coffee €260<br />
to learn how to make, well, coffee. Dude,<br />
ask your closest barista friend (it’s Berlin,<br />
This isn’t you doing<br />
photocopying for a marketing<br />
department, but<br />
the opportunity to “try<br />
out” being a chocolatier<br />
or a llama breeder.<br />
we all have one) for tips instead and spend<br />
the money you’ve saved on a trip to Rome to<br />
suck down some really impressive caffeine.<br />
This said, most Descapes seem to be priced<br />
around the €200 mark, which isn’t that big of<br />
a sum to invest towards some Oprah-esque<br />
dream following, or a holiday spent with<br />
exotic animals.<br />
If you’re looking for a longer-term work<br />
solution, Tandemploy might prove a tempting<br />
alternative. The premise: split a full-time job<br />
with another person so that you can do interesting,<br />
fulfilling work while still having time<br />
to do... whatever else it is you do in Berlin.<br />
Co-founder Jana Tepe set up the company after<br />
working in recruitment, and her lightbulb<br />
moment came when two candidates made<br />
a “tandem” application for one role: they<br />
would both work the job part-time, creating<br />
one full-time candidate. Two days later Tepe<br />
and her colleague Anna Kaiser quit their jobs<br />
at the recruitment company to found their<br />
own startup, hoping to popularise a more<br />
flexible form of working.<br />
The free service offers vacancies from<br />
companies across Germany that are open to<br />
tandem workers, and allows people to team<br />
up and apply for jobs with fellow workers<br />
in their industry. Tepe argues this benefits<br />
employers every bit as much as it does<br />
employees, with employers getting “what recruiters<br />
usually look for: someone who can<br />
speak five languages, who’s really creative<br />
but can also be analytical” by filling the one<br />
role with two candidates. It’s also pretty<br />
good for the employees: part-time roles, by<br />
law in Germany, all come with the health<br />
insurance, holiday leave and sick leave you’d<br />
associate with a non-freelance position. The<br />
number of days of paid leave assigned is proportional<br />
to how much you work, so you’d<br />
only get half the normal amount of holiday<br />
if you split the job 50-50, but who needs<br />
holidays if you’re only working half time,<br />
anyway? Plus, 20 of the companies who use<br />
the service are based in Berlin so you won’t<br />
have to relocate for your new part-time<br />
working life. So far, so blissful.<br />
50<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
REGULARS<br />
On the other hand, the interesting jobs<br />
don’t look so interesting: you won’t be<br />
applying for the role of scriptwriter on<br />
Deutschland 86 or something. They’re<br />
mostly office jobs: marketing, sales, HR<br />
and a sprinkling of tech, though Outfittery<br />
does offer Berlin-based fashion roles if<br />
you’re an aspiring stylist.<br />
Count Anna Kollenberg and Jens Landmann<br />
among Tandemploy’s success stories. The<br />
two work together in an account manager<br />
role at Skill Hero, which Kollenberg stresses<br />
is “very well paid by Berlin standards”. Their<br />
job is mostly based around customer service<br />
– training customers to use Skill Hero’s apps<br />
and filling the apps with content – but also<br />
has marketing and sales components and,<br />
given its complexity, Kollenberg believes it<br />
can be helpful to have a second person who<br />
knows exactly what she should be covering.<br />
Kollenberg referred to multiple occasions<br />
when she or Landmann acted to preempt<br />
each other’s mistakes – her failure to book<br />
a restaurant for a coding workshop she was<br />
organising, his idea to stage a workshop at<br />
their stall at a business fair that wasn’t open<br />
to spontaneous presentations. But it’s not all<br />
plain sailing. Kollenberg stresses, “Communication<br />
is a really tough thing in tandem.” She<br />
recalls a day when, thanks to a miscommunication,<br />
she ended up working from the wrong<br />
document, losing a day’s work and riling the<br />
CEO, who couldn’t understand why she was<br />
asking all the same questions Landmann had<br />
asked in a meeting a few days earlier.<br />
However, it sounds like the extra communication<br />
was well worth it for the pair<br />
– Kollenberg has used her spare time to<br />
become a part-time philosopher, offering<br />
“analytic thinking” philosophical seminars<br />
and workshops while Landmann volunteers<br />
at a refugee project where he is mentoring a<br />
young Afghan man and “helping him a bit to<br />
manage his day-to-day life here in Germany.”<br />
While we’d all love to become Lebenskünstler,<br />
with rising costs of living in Berlin, it’s<br />
a lucky few who can find jobs well-compensated<br />
enough to allow for halving working<br />
hours. If you’re really hoping for a working<br />
revolution, maybe the smartest option isn’t<br />
a start-up at all, but campaigning for the<br />
Pirate Party-supported unconditional basic<br />
income. But until that happens, if you need<br />
something to take the edge off the death<br />
throes of late capitalism, Descape or Tandemploy<br />
will have to do for now. ■<br />
AZ_B_Exberliner_Okt.16.indd 1 13.09.16 10:42<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
Jana Tepe and Anna Kaiser of tandem working start-up Tandemploy (left, centre)<br />
and Lena Felixberger of paid work placement company Descape (right).<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong>
REGULARS<br />
Start-ups<br />
By Sophie Atkinson<br />
N26’s growing pains<br />
Berlin’s fintech start-up N26 is now an honest-togoodness<br />
bank – ATM fees included. Is this really the<br />
future of banking? By Dyllan Furness<br />
Located on the top two floors of an old<br />
Stasi spy centre in Mitte, N26’s office<br />
space looks like a successful start-up<br />
starter pack: ergonomic chairs, bald and<br />
bearded product developers, a concrete wall<br />
graffitied by local artists. The custom-made<br />
carpeting is stitched with lines of code.<br />
As newbies in an industry as old as money,<br />
the banking app is on a mission improbable<br />
in Berlin and Europe at large, where<br />
big banks still roam like dinosaurs. Since its<br />
launch in January 2015, the start-up has progressed<br />
inch by inch, grown by tens of users<br />
at a time, and established itself as a digital<br />
alternative to antique institutions.<br />
But, up until two months ago, “Europe’s<br />
most modern bank” wasn’t even a bank.<br />
Number26 customers’ money was handled by<br />
Wirecard Bank, who held the banking license<br />
and eased the regulatory headache for the<br />
Berlin-based startup. Then, in July, with a<br />
customer base of over 200,000 and tens of<br />
millions of euros in investments, Number26<br />
earned its banking license and started batting<br />
in the big leagues. To celebrate the event, it<br />
simplified its name (a reference to the number<br />
of dice in a Rubik’s Cube) to N26.<br />
The banking license came as a metamorphosis<br />
for the start-up. The Wirecard partnership<br />
had limited how quickly N26 could expand<br />
but gave it a sense of security, enabling it<br />
to develop its IT system, infrastructure, user<br />
interface, and – perhaps most importantly –<br />
its relationship with its customers.<br />
“Banks have suffered as brands of trust since<br />
the financial crisis,” co-founder and CEO Valentin<br />
Stalf said. “But today, with all the transparency<br />
on the web, you can create a brand<br />
and create trust quite quickly.” He pointed to<br />
his company’s 4.5-star App Store rating.<br />
N26 builds its relationships in many<br />
ways. For one, it takes just eight minutes to<br />
register for an account online (in English,<br />
if you want) – a godsend for newbie expats<br />
intimidated by the prospect of walking into<br />
a Sparkasse. The mobile app is seamless<br />
and intuitive, and N26’s hip, digital brand<br />
provides a stark contrast to the concrete<br />
aesthetic of traditional banks – never mind<br />
that Trump-supporting German-American<br />
billionaire Peter Thiel is one of its most<br />
prominent investors.<br />
But the start-up’s biggest draw, for Berliners<br />
at least, was its lack of fees. This changed<br />
in July, when N26 started charging for cash<br />
withdrawals in Germany – a feature that<br />
was previously free and unlimited from<br />
any Mastercard ATM. In its Fair Use policy,<br />
customers who have their salary paid directly<br />
into their N26 account, who deposit at least<br />
€1000 into the account per month or who<br />
are younger than 26 are given five free ATM<br />
withdrawals per month; all others are offered<br />
three free withdrawals. After that, users have<br />
to fork up €2 per transaction. With plenty of<br />
traditional German banks offering free cash<br />
withdrawal and banking apps of their own,<br />
N26 no longer looked quite as sexy.<br />
From a business perspective, the move was<br />
necessary. For over a year, N26 swallowed<br />
the costs of its customers’ ATM withdrawals,<br />
as high as €2 per transaction in Germany. But<br />
cash is king in this country, and the constant<br />
withdrawal charges weren’t viable. For many<br />
customers who’d grown accustomed to freebies,<br />
the change felt like betrayal.<br />
As a matter of consequence, the start-up<br />
encourages its customers to pay with their<br />
card as much as possible. “It’s much better<br />
for our society to not use cash in terms of<br />
overall costs and fairness,” Stalf said, citing<br />
the “black money” system commonly used<br />
in Berlin restaurants and cafés. “Anyone<br />
who isn’t a criminal would benefit from<br />
getting rid of cash… And there will be much<br />
more effort from the EU to stop issuing<br />
cash to control issues like taxation and terrorist<br />
financing. The less cash there is, the<br />
more transparency there is.”<br />
Going cashless is a pretty tall order in<br />
Berlin, though. To walk his company’s talk,<br />
N26’s CTO Christian Rebernik decided to<br />
abandon cash and pay only with his bank<br />
card in March. “I like the transparency and<br />
I like the security of cards,” he says, but the<br />
effort came with inconveniences. Rebernik’s<br />
neighbourhood bakery and Späti only accept<br />
cash, so he began to buy his bread and beer<br />
at the supermarket. He had to ask a friend<br />
to cover the tab at a cash-only bar. “I didn’t<br />
know what I was getting into,” he admits.<br />
And N26’s transparency may come at<br />
the cost of security. It’s not always obvious<br />
which online actions are secure and which<br />
may be compromised. When you sign up<br />
for an account online, for example, you’re<br />
directed to a third party webcam chat to<br />
verify ID by snapping a screenshot of their<br />
face and passport – a modern process that<br />
feels somewhat intrusive. N26 also retains<br />
data about spending habits and locations,<br />
which Rebernik insists is kept for the sole<br />
goal of giving customers insight into their<br />
own transaction trends.<br />
Only a week after it earned its banking<br />
license, the start-up began to stretch its<br />
wings, partnering with Frankfurt investment<br />
start-up Vaamo to launch N26 Invest. The intuitive<br />
tool lures users into the stock market<br />
by letting them choose from three portfolio<br />
profiles – “cautious, balanced, or bold” – and<br />
invest with just a few clicks. In the coming<br />
months, N26 plans to introduce savings and<br />
credit features as well. As the app increasingly<br />
begins to resemble established banks,<br />
only time will tell if Berliners stick around<br />
for N26’s vision of the future. ■<br />
52<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
COLUMN— The Gay Berliner<br />
Letter to<br />
gay Touris<br />
Walter Crasshole empties his fag bag and vents<br />
on the issues of the day. This month: queer<br />
tourist do’s and don’ts.<br />
Summer has officially drawn to a close and with it, the end of<br />
tourist hook-up season. In some ways, I’ll be sad. And in a<br />
lot of ways, I’m shitting rainbows of happiness at all the stuff<br />
I won’t have to put up with for at least the next six months. Like<br />
that message on Grindr from “English visitor” I got in early September:<br />
“I want you to breed me,” with an accompanying picture<br />
of his asshole. That’s often a not-so-subtle code for chemsex: fucking<br />
on drugs like crystal meth or GHB without a rubber. “I don’t do<br />
drugs,” I told him – which is a lie, but I knew where this was going.<br />
And subsequent messages proved me right. I’m not the judgmental<br />
type – if that’s your thing, that’s your thing. But the truth is,<br />
I rarely get that kind of message in Berlin unless it’s high tourist<br />
season. Seems that visitors get the wrong impression from reading<br />
too much of the “gay sex mecca” hype! So on that note, here’s an<br />
open letter to next summer’s batch of Touris.<br />
Dear gay tourist: Welcome to our city. You make it brighter and<br />
more diverse, and are the lifeblood of much of our economy. Many<br />
of you don’t remain tourists for very long and decide to stay, contributing<br />
to the colourful shimmery fabric that makes Berlin different.<br />
On a gayer note, you fill up my Grindr grid so it’s not just the<br />
same 12 guys at Kottbusser Tor every night. That said, you’re not a<br />
Berliner yet, and it wouldn’t kill you to keep a few things in mind...<br />
Germans, and by extension Berliners, are a punctual folk. Assimilate<br />
a little and instead of trying to make a sex date for between<br />
6-9pm (or am!): commit, damn it. We’re not waiting on an IKEA<br />
desk delivery.<br />
I expect that you have a job back home, so why don’t you expect<br />
we have one here? I know it’s a common myth that we don’t work,<br />
but we do. So just because we were up until dawn Saturday night/<br />
Sunday morning, don’t get butthurt that I can’t meet at 2am<br />
Wednesday night.<br />
Be upfront about leaving the next day. Berliners may be hard,<br />
and its gays nonchalant about dating, but this isn’t just a petting<br />
zoo. Letting me know that you have a plane to catch in 18 hours<br />
informs how we play the game.<br />
Our lives don’t revolve around Berghain. Do you really need to<br />
spend all your time in the world’s most famous darkroom? How<br />
about a walk down Engeldamm? Even if romance isn’t in the cards,<br />
we can always duck into a bush.<br />
And chemsex: I’ve seen the documentary. I’m for whatever<br />
substances you indulge in, but at the same time, I’ve no desire to<br />
see Berlin turn into London. Otherwise I’d live in London, being<br />
a banker during the week and slamming tina come Friday. Berlin’s<br />
got its own kind of hedonism. Luckily, it seems our two cities have<br />
different ideas about being “open-minded” (another strangely<br />
ironic code for chemsex).<br />
And I’ve got an open mind for you, kids. Come, play, socialise<br />
and fraternise, build new communities and enjoy our city. Just<br />
don’t be an asshole. Or send me any more snapshots of yours. ■<br />
Learning<br />
german!<br />
goethe.de/berlin<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Sprache. Kultur. Deutschland.
REGULARS<br />
Food<br />
By François Poilâne<br />
Meat the Americans<br />
Get your barbecue, burger and beer fix at three recent<br />
restaurants that beef up Berlin’s US food scene.<br />
The Pit<br />
If you’re wondering why Dallas native Adam<br />
Ramirez charges an extra euro for barbecue<br />
sauce, it’s because he doesn’t want you to use<br />
it. This is BBQ Texas-style, where the flavour<br />
comes from the meat (high-grade wagyu beef<br />
shipped in from Nebraska; pork from Brandenburg)<br />
and the oakwood smoke, imparted<br />
overnight via a room-sized custom-built<br />
smoker stashed in Marzahn. One bite of brisket<br />
and this August’s transition from pop-up<br />
to brick-and-mortar makes sense: it’s almost<br />
obscenely tender and juicy, with a pitch-black<br />
outer crust (“bark”) that’s addictive, if highly<br />
carcinogenic. That and the pork belly are so<br />
rich that we were begging for mercy by the<br />
end of our mixed platter (€38.50/two people),<br />
which also came with a slice of cornbread, a<br />
heap of coleslaw and a bowl of sweet-spicy<br />
beans stewed with leftover brisket ends. You’ll<br />
likely need a Stone IPA (€4.90) to cut through<br />
it all. Texans’ only authenticity quibble will be<br />
with the price – the much-beloved Wednesday<br />
short rib special runs €9 per 100g, and<br />
that’s without any sides! But good meat<br />
should be expensive, and for the sake of<br />
your own health, you ought to make this a<br />
once-every-six-months indulgence anyway.<br />
— JS Reichenberger Str. 120, Kreuzberg,<br />
Wed-Sun 18-22<br />
The Bird Express<br />
Originally conceived as a compact, take-outfriendly<br />
version of Berlin’s premier gourmet<br />
burger emporium (thus the “Express” in the<br />
name), The Bird’s newest location is actually<br />
a rather expansive sit-down bar and grill that<br />
took over Mitte’s hip hop club Kurvenstar in<br />
February. The menu’s expanded as well, from<br />
burgers to BBQ. Thanks to a smoker shipped<br />
over from Nashville, the dinner menu boasts<br />
American Angus brisket and pulled pork,<br />
available plain or in a sandwich (for which<br />
they use actual buns and not those English<br />
muffins that continue to ineffectually contain<br />
their burgers). Co-owners Jonathan Cook,<br />
from New York, and Michael Heiden, from<br />
Cologne, don’t pretend to be purists and<br />
offer a near-infinite array of sauces, from<br />
mustard to vinegar to salsa verde (hot, albeit<br />
one-note). We needed some to moisten up<br />
the dry-ish pulled pork, but the brisket (€16<br />
including bread, pickles and a side of beans<br />
or coleslaw) stood on its own, as did the<br />
Iberico pork loin ribs (€14), basted in a sweet<br />
Kansas-style glaze. It can’t compete with<br />
The Pit’s wagyu, but it’s solid barbecue. The<br />
menu still includes burgers (around €12), also<br />
available in miniature “slider” form at a competitive<br />
price (€2-3.50), appealing to Mitte<br />
business lunchers who don’t want to spend<br />
Karolina Spolniewski<br />
Above: Ribs,<br />
brisket, pulled pork<br />
and sliders from<br />
The Bird Express<br />
in Mitte.<br />
Left: A brisket and<br />
pork belly platter<br />
from The Pit in<br />
Kreuzberg.<br />
the rest of the day’s pitch meetings staving<br />
off the meat sweats. Vegans, rejoice: there’s<br />
even a beetroot-bean “Lousy Hunter” version,<br />
guaranteed animal-free. — JS Kleine<br />
Präsidentenstr. 3, Mitte, daily noon-midnight<br />
Stone Brewing Berlin<br />
Last month, at their year-old European brew<br />
hub in far-west Mariendorf, the San Diegan<br />
makers of Arrogant Bastard Ale unveiled their<br />
giant World Bistro and Gardens. It’s a meaty<br />
venture indeed: think upscale, sanitised White<br />
Trash with a spacious indoor dining area and<br />
tastefully landscaped California-esque outdoor<br />
patio. On tap are dozens of Stone’s palettebending<br />
ales, stouts and other medicinalstrength<br />
concoctions, like the 9.5 percent alcohol,<br />
Belgian-style “Victory Brewing Golden<br />
Monkey” (€5.80/0.3L). Food-wise, it’s all<br />
gastropub gourmet with that rough-aroundthe-edges<br />
quality you’d expect from bearded<br />
craft brewers. Stuff like “Chai-Spiced Moroccan<br />
Beef” with couscous (€18). The “chai” was<br />
hard to identify (it’s supposedly a blend of<br />
cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, ginger and<br />
saffron), but the organic beef was undeniably<br />
tasty. Then there are the homemade beef and<br />
pork merguez-style sausages (lamb and veal<br />
don’t jibe with their “philosophy”, €14) with<br />
braised onions, fried potatoes and mustard infused<br />
with Stone Ruination IPA. Yum. For the<br />
meat-averse, there’s stir-fried German-made<br />
“local tofu” with braised pairs and a decent<br />
homemade kimchi (€12)... With beers so far<br />
away from the German mainstream, Stone’s<br />
menu, while not cheap, could play a key role in<br />
getting locals to come back for seconds. — SG<br />
Im Marienpark 23, Mariendorf, daily noonmidnight<br />
(kitchen until 22)<br />
Maria Runarsdottir<br />
Updates on the Berlin food scene, in your inbox every<br />
two weeks. Sign up at exberliner.com/newsletter<br />
54<br />
54 <strong>EXBERLINER</strong> 150 <strong>153</strong>
REGULARS<br />
Review<br />
Dandy Diner:<br />
Fast vegan in Neukölln<br />
The pink neon sign with a pig’s<br />
face on Karl-Marx-Straße is<br />
misleading: is this a butcher or a<br />
street food place serving pulled pork?<br />
The word “vegan” is invisible from the<br />
outside, and is found just once in tiny<br />
letters on the menu above the counter.<br />
Dandy Diner – weirdly, an offshoot<br />
of men’s fashion blog Dandy Diary –<br />
opened last April with a widely ridiculed<br />
hipster PR stunt gone wrong, their offer<br />
of free food on social media resulting in<br />
a veritable mob of thousands gathering<br />
outside. Nestled amidst Spätis and kebab<br />
shops, the cruelty-free burger joint<br />
attracts far fewer fans today. Around<br />
7pm on a recent Monday, only six or<br />
seven seats were filled. The interior is<br />
more pleasant than the exterior lets on.<br />
Vintage Tribe Called Quest is playing<br />
loud; a mellow pink light envelops a<br />
massive communal cast-concrete table.<br />
The menu is simple, like a welldesigned<br />
app: on the left, vegan burgers,<br />
Dandy Diner’s<br />
vegan cheeseburger:<br />
You want<br />
some chia pudding<br />
with that?<br />
on the right, vegan sandwiches. Our order<br />
came within a few minutes, and the<br />
Asian burger (marinated tofu, kimchi,<br />
daikon radish, crunchy nori and wakame<br />
topped with teriyaki sauce, €5.50) was a<br />
spicy bundle of flavour. The Italian one,<br />
though (shiitake-red bean patty with<br />
vegan cheese and aubergine sauce, €5.50)<br />
was formless, mushy and – sorry Dandy –<br />
a little boring.<br />
As for the sandwiches, served on hip<br />
chia-seed toast, they punch above their<br />
weight: small but dense. The avocado<br />
(€4.50) is just avo, chilli and radish on<br />
crunchy bread, a people-pleasing nobrainer.<br />
But the virtuoso of the night,<br />
which has sadly since been discontinued,<br />
was the pork-free “pulled mushroom”<br />
(€6.50): marinated, shredded ‘shroom<br />
topped with coleslaw, baby spinach and<br />
chipotle mayo. This was vegan food at its<br />
best, and we can only hope its replacement<br />
on the menu, “Berlin’s first vegan<br />
ceviche sandwich”, lives up to the same<br />
standard. Pile on a portion of decent fries<br />
(€2) and/or the excellent slaw made with<br />
egg-free mayo (€2.50), and your tummy<br />
will be perfectly happy going home without<br />
their chia pudding (€3).<br />
One significant criticism: Dandy’s<br />
claim is to be animal-free, not environmentally<br />
friendly. But still, does a vegan<br />
dinner have to generate so much waste?<br />
A tray full of burger boxes, sandwich<br />
paper and chip bags doesn’t really gel<br />
with the high eco-ethical standards set<br />
by veganism, does it? Dandy, you should<br />
work on that. — SG<br />
Dandy Diner Karl-Marx-Str. 9,<br />
Neukölln, Sun-Thu 12-22, Fri-Sat 12-23
COMIC —Ulli Lust<br />
56<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
NOW IN BERLIN<br />
COLUMN — Ask Hans-Torsten<br />
Voting for Amis<br />
Hans-Torsten Richter answers your questions<br />
on surviving and thriving in Berlin.<br />
Write to hanstorsten@exberliner.com.<br />
GOOD IDEAS FOR<br />
EVERYDAY LIFE<br />
Q<br />
Dear Hans-Torsten: I’m an American<br />
who lived in a couple different<br />
states before coming to Berlin – I’m not<br />
actually sure which one I’m registered to<br />
vote in. Still, I’d like to vote in the upcoming<br />
elections. How do I do that? And will my<br />
vote be counted for my ex-home-state, or in<br />
a separate pool of “overseas” votes? —Nicole<br />
A<br />
Dear Nicole: I guess this is the<br />
“American” issue, so I will ausnahmsweise<br />
answer a question about the tangled<br />
laws of your strangely organised democracy.<br />
The first thing to know is that the laws<br />
governing the election of POTUS are local –<br />
every state has its own peculiarities. But one<br />
thing seems to be clear: Americans living<br />
overseas should register in their last state<br />
of residence. You can register and request<br />
an absentee ballot quite effortlessly at www.<br />
votefromabroad.org, a nonpartisan website<br />
run by the group Democrats Abroad. A tool<br />
will create a “Voter Registration and Absentee<br />
Ballot Request” which you can print and<br />
send, fax or email (depending on local regulations).<br />
The “find answers” page will tell<br />
you the deadlines to submit registration and<br />
Write in and win!<br />
Don Giovanni<br />
Confused by German bureaucracy? Baffled<br />
by native customs? Send in your question<br />
to Hans-Torsten by noon on <strong>October</strong> 15<br />
and you could win two free tickets to a live<br />
high-definition broadcast of Mozart's Don<br />
Giovanni performed at the Metropolitan<br />
Opera New York at Cinestar Original Potsdamer<br />
Platz on <strong>October</strong> 22, 19:00.<br />
For giveaway terms and conditions see<br />
www.exberliner.com/terms<br />
ballot requests, and whether or not documents<br />
can be submitted electronically or<br />
only by post. Does your vote end up in some<br />
mysterious pile of overseas ballots? No, it<br />
counts towards the votes in your ex-homestate,<br />
obviously somewhat demotivating if<br />
your state isn’t a “swing” state.<br />
Q<br />
Dear Hans-Torsten: I moved here to<br />
work as an app developer for a start-up.<br />
This city is supposed to be leading the way<br />
into a high-tech future, but you still can’t pay<br />
by credit card anywhere. And what about the<br />
Bürgeramt?? You are required to register to be<br />
able to do anything, even get a bank account.<br />
Yet there are no appointments available<br />
online till December... arrgh. — Ken<br />
A<br />
Dear Ken: Sadly, not all of life can be<br />
remote-controlled with an app, though<br />
I agree the state of Berlin needs to rapidly do<br />
something about its overloaded, antiquated<br />
Bürgeramt registration system. The city is<br />
growing at a rate of 40,000 people per year<br />
and the authorities can't keep up. These<br />
days there are myriad ways of proving your<br />
identity online without actually showing your<br />
passport to a grumpy bureaucrat with dozens<br />
of kitten photos on her desk. Until that happens,<br />
though, one trick is to just show up at a<br />
Bürgeramt (any one will do, preferably one at<br />
the edge of the city, like in Pankow-Buch) and<br />
“bring some time with you” as we Germans<br />
say. They can’t kick you out if you show up<br />
during opening hours.<br />
Alternatively, as a high-earning developer<br />
you might be able to afford the €95<br />
all-inclusive service offered by the start-up<br />
www.buergeramt-termine.de. You don’t<br />
need to go anywhere, they actually go to the<br />
Amt for you. But if you savour the challenge<br />
of “cheating” a little bit in the dog-eat-dog<br />
competition for appointments, consider<br />
monitoring Berlin’s official online calendar<br />
for openings using a browser plug-in like<br />
Check4Change for Firefox or PageMonitor<br />
for Chrome. If set up correctly, the software<br />
will inform you when someone cancels an<br />
appointment – a cue for you to swoop in<br />
and snap it up for yourself.<br />
Workshops | Classes | Talks<br />
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SELECTIVE ARTISTS PRÄSENTIERT IM ADMIRALSPALAST<br />
LUBOMYR MELNYK<br />
www.lubomyr.com<br />
Classroom & Shop<br />
Lychener Str. 7, 10437 Berlin<br />
WWW.THESCHOOLOFLIFE.COM/BERLIN<br />
+ GUESTS<br />
+ GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV<br />
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& THE STRING THEORY<br />
06.12.<strong>2016</strong> 17.01.2017<br />
www.jose-gonzalez.com<br />
WWW.ADMIRALSPALAST.DE WWW.SELECTIVEARTISTS.DE WWW.TICKETMASTER.DE<br />
0382_AZ_Exberliner_BIG_03.indd 1 21.09.16 15:<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong>
COLUMN — Sex<br />
Ask Dr. Dot<br />
Our sex columnist answers<br />
your hard, pressing questions<br />
about doin’ it in Berlin.<br />
Drinking problem?<br />
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58<br />
Q<br />
I am a Texan girl living here in Berlin<br />
for work. I’ve been dating a German<br />
guy for four years; he’s 30 and I’m 38. I’m<br />
crazy in love, but we break up and reconcile<br />
over and over again. I catch him cheating<br />
with other girls online, and when I confront<br />
him, he gets super angry and leaves me. Just<br />
as I’ve started to heal, he returns with a vengeance:<br />
flowers, poems, promises and lots of<br />
cunnilingus. So I take him back and we have<br />
a few months of bliss, until my inner voice<br />
urges me to check his iPhone and I see the<br />
same old bullshit again. Am I crazy for taking<br />
him back? Please lay it down straight for me.<br />
— Taste of Texas<br />
A<br />
Reading this reminds me of the film<br />
Groundhog Day. Same shit over and<br />
over again; a leopard never<br />
changes his spots. Staying<br />
with him will merely age<br />
you faster and turn you into<br />
a suspicious, vicious shrew,<br />
which is unappealing. The<br />
next time this happens, shut<br />
the door behind him and<br />
never take him back. Avoid<br />
alcohol, love songs and romantic movies for<br />
at least six months, as they will only make<br />
you susceptible to his pleas. Try dating older<br />
men, who are usually grateful and have most<br />
of that hunting shit out of their system.<br />
Q<br />
Is it normal to have a cock that<br />
points downwards, even when it’s<br />
hard? Mine looks like he is hanging his head<br />
in shame all the time. It’s embarrassing.<br />
— Downward Doug<br />
A<br />
Cocks, like tits, come in all shapes<br />
and sizes and point in every direction.<br />
Some curve to the side, some<br />
upwards (like a coat rack) and some<br />
downwards. There is no “norm” with pink<br />
parts. If you feel like your downward dick<br />
is a minus, try to make up for it: be funnier,<br />
more generous and give your partner plenty<br />
of firm foot rubs and they will let the odd<br />
shape slide. Consider yourself lucky if that<br />
is your main worry in life.<br />
Q<br />
Send all questions<br />
or problems, whatever<br />
they are, to:<br />
drdot@drdot.com<br />
What do you have to do in Berlin to<br />
keep a guy’s eyes just on you? I am 23,<br />
from Holland, and know that I am very hot.<br />
But still any guy I date or fuck is chasing<br />
other girls – either on the street, in person,<br />
or on their phones. Does true love not exist<br />
here, or what? —Dutch Delight<br />
A<br />
Sorry to break the news to you, but<br />
you are pretty much correct. Thanks<br />
to the internet, romance, love and giving<br />
someone your undivided attention have all<br />
left the building. Fuck the phone ninjas!<br />
Men live for challenge; this is why they<br />
play sports and fight wars. But dating is no<br />
longer a challenge now. No more calling a<br />
landline to see if their sweetheart is home.<br />
No yearning to see their lover or wondering<br />
how sex might be – they just<br />
open an app and shop for<br />
another lover or watch porn<br />
online. It’s not just Berlin,<br />
it’s a worldwide dilemma.<br />
So perhaps you should try<br />
to find a guy who does NOT<br />
have a smartphone or Facebook<br />
page, and you might<br />
find what you are looking for: real interaction<br />
from a grateful partner.<br />
Q<br />
Ciao, I am an Italian who has lived<br />
in Berlin for eight years. Lately, all<br />
of my female Italian friends have noticed<br />
that the men we date are bragging a lot,<br />
straight away, about how “great” they are<br />
at oral sex. Is this now normal behaviour?<br />
Men selling themselves like a product?<br />
We find it very off-putting. What are your<br />
thoughts? — Modest Monica<br />
A<br />
Short and blunt about this one: Men<br />
who brag about giving amazing oral<br />
sex before they have even had sex with you<br />
usually have a tiny dick. In other words “I<br />
have a small penis but I can make up for<br />
it with my oral techniques”. If you don’t<br />
believe me, try one of those bragging idiots<br />
out and get back to me. It’s the quiet, confident<br />
ones that are always the best in the<br />
sack. Fact.<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
REGULARS<br />
High art for the<br />
little people<br />
Dan Borden on the ulterior motives<br />
behind the city’s private art bunkers.<br />
Save Berlin<br />
By Dan Borden<br />
Does a painting exist if no one can see<br />
it? Today’s art collectors are confronting<br />
that existential question head on,<br />
throwing open their doors to the public to<br />
maximise eyeballs on their once-vaulted art.<br />
They’re also changing the cultural face of<br />
cities worldwide by creating landmark buildings<br />
– see the around-the-block lines at Los<br />
Angeles’ new Broad Collection.<br />
As with many things, Berlin set the trend...<br />
200 years ago. In 1815, Prussia’s King Friedrich<br />
Wilhelm III gave his subjects a one-time<br />
look at his royal art hoard. The exhibition<br />
was such a hit, he made it permanent – and<br />
Berlin’s Museum Island was born.<br />
Like today’s collectors, there was more to<br />
the king’s generosity than meets the eye. He<br />
was celebrating his triumph over Napoleon<br />
and showing off the war booty his troops<br />
had hauled back from Paris. Today’s magnanimous<br />
Berlin collectors get substantial<br />
tax benefits and a boost in value by “branding”<br />
their collections. Still, it’s an artful<br />
win-win: These open-door collections raise<br />
Berlin’s cultural profile and invent smart<br />
new uses for unloved-but-historic buildings<br />
that might otherwise face demolition.<br />
While these collectors<br />
soak up good karma,<br />
they also take comfort in<br />
knowing their treasures<br />
are still their own.<br />
The Boros bunker<br />
houses works by<br />
Ólafur Elíasson,<br />
Alicia Kwade,<br />
Ai Weiwei and<br />
myriad others.<br />
The duke and duchess of<br />
Scheunenviertel<br />
As West German art lovers Rolf and Erika<br />
Hoffmann watched Germany’s peaceful<br />
revolution of 1989, they hatched a vision of<br />
East Berlin as Europe’s new capital of Kunst.<br />
By the mid-1990s, they were lording it over<br />
Mitte’s arty makeover from atop their refurbished<br />
machine factory on Sophienstraße. At<br />
street level: art galleries and the beloved Barcomi’s<br />
café. Upstairs: artists’ studios and loft<br />
apartments. The topper was a luxurious new<br />
glass penthouse by architects Becker Gewers<br />
Kühn & Kühn where the Hoffmanns could<br />
live among modern artworks by premium<br />
names like Andy Warhol, Frank Stella and<br />
Bruce Nauman. The Sammlung Hoffmann<br />
not only jump-started Mitte’s transformation<br />
into an international art centre, it was<br />
also the first collection to open its doors to<br />
the public. Since 1997, tours are available by<br />
reservation every Saturday.<br />
Your bunker is my castle<br />
Taking his lead from the Hoffmanns, communications<br />
magnate Christian Boros moved<br />
his West German collection into the heart<br />
of Mitte, but picked a building with a much<br />
higher profile. The castle-like Reichsbahnbunker<br />
(photo) was built in 1943 to shelter<br />
train passengers from Allied bombs. When<br />
Boros bought it in 2003, the windowless<br />
concrete behemoth hosted a techno club<br />
and weekly sex parties. This ultimate white<br />
elephant got a genius makeover by designers<br />
Jens Casper, Petra Petersson and Andrew<br />
Strickland with galleries highlighting 21stcentury<br />
conceptual art (which even Herr Boros<br />
admits he doesn’t entirely understand)<br />
and, once again, a glass penthouse on the<br />
roof. The Boros Collection has eclipsed the<br />
Hoffmanns as Berlin’s must-see art mecca,<br />
with tours Thursday through Sunday booked<br />
out months in advance.<br />
Subterranean zen<br />
Berlin’s latest private museum is Désiré<br />
Feuerle’s stunning reuse of another World<br />
War II bunker. The shelter was built to<br />
protect S-Bahn electrical panels, but became<br />
flooded in 1945 when missiles punched a<br />
hole in an adjacent S-Bahn tunnel under the<br />
nearby Landwehr Canal. British architect<br />
John Pawson’s minimal re-do exploits the<br />
bunker’s otherworldly serenity, even keeping<br />
some of that water as an underground pond.<br />
Feuerle’s collection of ancient Asian artefacts<br />
contrasts with cleverly chosen contemporary<br />
work. Open for previews since April,<br />
the Feuerle Collection officially opens for<br />
weekend tours this month.<br />
While these collectors soak up good karma<br />
by putting their treasures in the public eye,<br />
they also take comfort in knowing those<br />
treasures are still their own. That beats the<br />
old way of sharing art: donating it to museums.<br />
These savvy collectors get to share<br />
their cake and keep it, too. And those doors<br />
that swung open to the little people can just<br />
as quickly slam shut. It’s no coincidence<br />
that these collections sit in isolated, even<br />
fortified buildings. They provide the ideal<br />
shelters for these multimillionaires to safely<br />
watch, surrounded by their treasures, when<br />
the next revolution comes. n<br />
NOSHE<br />
OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
59
REGULARS<br />
Advertorial<br />
Berlin essentials<br />
Stuff and events selected from the<br />
best of what the city has to offer.<br />
Rock ‘n’ roll turkey<br />
Are you an American looking for a taste of home,<br />
or has reading this issue gotten you hungry for that<br />
most Ami of meals? Every year Hard Rock Café Berlin<br />
serves a traditional Thanksgiving menu. On November<br />
24 they offer a full three-course menu, which includes<br />
a corn chowder soup, a freshly carved turkey<br />
(served with traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes,<br />
fresh vegetables, gravy and cranberry sauce) and<br />
pumpkin pie with whipped cream. You can enjoy the<br />
whole three-course dinner for €25.95 or just select<br />
your favourite part. Reserve your spot now! Hard<br />
Rock Cafe Berlin, Kurfürstendamm 224, Charlottenburg,<br />
reservations at berlin_events@hardrock.<br />
com or 030 884 620<br />
Eye spy<br />
Sick of the same €99-and-under glasses brands overtaking<br />
Berlin? Treat yourself to an exceptional specs<br />
experience at eyeLounge.berlin. The optician and glasses<br />
store on Winterfeldtplatz celebrated its grand opening<br />
in July. It's a chic, cozy space where you can chill<br />
with a drink while shopping for new frames and getting<br />
your eyes examined. Check out German and European<br />
designer brands like Lindberg, Markus T., Munic Eyewear<br />
and Berlin's own Mykita. Get custom lenses made for you<br />
by German glass supplier Rupp + Hubrach or get fitted<br />
for daily, weekly or monthly contact lenses. Either way,<br />
you'll see better and come away with a brand-new look!.<br />
eyeLounge. berlin, Winterfeldtstr. 52, Schöneberg,<br />
Mon-Fri 11-19, Sat 11-16<br />
Picture this<br />
Want to learn more about photography than just how to take perfect<br />
selfies and instagram pics? Then PopUp GPP Berlin is for you! On the<br />
last weekend of <strong>October</strong>, Berliners get the chance to learn from four<br />
top photographers what it takes to get a good photo. Joe McNally, Zack<br />
Arias, Gregory Heisler and David Hobby share their insights and get you<br />
inspired at their intensive sessions held at Babylon Kino. Whether you<br />
want to learn about technique, boost your creativity and career or hear<br />
the stories behind some famous shots, the weekend offers something<br />
for everyone from beginners to pros. Get your camera ready and book<br />
your ticket at popupgpp.com for €299. PopUp GPP, <strong>October</strong> 29-30,<br />
9:30-18, Babylon Kino, Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, Mitte<br />
Halloween heroines<br />
Halloween falls on a school night this year, so on <strong>October</strong> 29, the<br />
Heroine Artists are jumping the gun at Bassy Club. This time, Berlin's<br />
most sexy indie-rock-wave-music party enters the club with a live<br />
band: Eat Lipstick. The crazy, drunk and trashy punk rock group<br />
fronted by the drag queen bastard child of Divine and Vivienne Westwood,<br />
Anita Drink, is set to put on a glitter-and-stardust-covered<br />
show to blow you off your high heels. Once you've recovered, you<br />
can dance your ass off to the best of rock, punk, new wave, NDW<br />
and electro served by DJ The Shredder and Damon Zurawski. Plus<br />
a special performance by Valentina DeMonia, sexy shot girls Betty<br />
Dynamite & Vega Vargas & a special guest performer Come dressed<br />
up and you'll save money and have fun! Oct 29, 21:00, Bassy Club,<br />
Schönhauser Allee 176a, Prenzlauer Berg<br />
To be featured on this page, contact ads@exberliner.com<br />
60<br />
<strong>EXBERLINER</strong> <strong>153</strong>
14|10<br />
A Night for<br />
LILI BOULANGER<br />
LILI BOULANGER | PAUL HINDEMITH<br />
ARNOLD SCHÖNBERG | GYÖRGY LIGETI<br />
MAX REGER | FREDERICK DELIUS<br />
Phillip Moll Piano<br />
Michael Alber Conductor<br />
Friday | <strong>October</strong> 14 <strong>2016</strong> | 20:00<br />
Philharmonie Berlin Kammermusiksaal<br />
Tickets: +49 (0)30 20 29 87 25<br />
www.rias-kammerchor.de<br />
#rias<br />
ein Ensemble der<br />
Foto © aiisha
Poster series inspired by an idea of AlexandLiane / Design: Jürgen Fehrmann / Photo: Dorothea Tuch<br />
➞ www.hebbel-am-ufer.de