"Lebendig müssen die Märchen werden, lebendig und wirklich"
(Alexander von Zemlinsky – Der Traumgörge)
So many beautiful things happened in April that quite unusually I post a kind of mixed diary of some highlights here!
Wondergirls in Spring
To me it started having wonderful guests at my home for a little Spring-Party on 29th of March. We preferred to chat, eat salads & antipasti, drink & smoke, listening to nice music and dance instead of making pictures - keeping it calm like my beautiful fish - but two photographic memories are existing of that lovely night and sunny morning...
Recipe by Jenny for the Wondergirl-Cocktail we made with my self-made Woodruff syrup
"...it was like in a time capsule and suddenly appeared NINE O‘CLOCK hahahaha"
(comment of one of my lovely guests)
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My Origasmi (a present by a very good friend) photographed by Thea
En vogue
Third of April, just on the day I picked up my new Degenerotika dress in Berlin-Friedrichshain at the designers' residence, we received the message that they have been published online by famous VOGUE Italia magazine! So definitely time to raise champagne glasses again... (^.^) ...
A new dawn
On Monday, 7th of April I was with Thea & Jasa from Degenerotika fashion label at the Laibach concert in the Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. I already reported about that in a long review and photo story here. But even after all those "Late night tales" (Laibach's great merch guy Bojan Vrlič) in the backstage area and in the tour bus (see my post for this) the night has not been over. After that we met fashion designer Patrick Mohr in the morning street in front of a Döner, which had such a beautiful painting I just had to take a picture from...
Abschied
April has also been a month of sad good-byes to closing bars and clubs in Berlin-Mitte. First has been the farewell of beloved King Kong Klub at Easter on 19th of April, where I have seen many great concerts by many great artists (first to come to my mind are Nora Below, Bloody Cartoon, Le Chocolat Noir, Popsimonova, Monozid, Nine Circles, Umrijeti za strojem...) and had many many nights of pleasure and fun with lovely barkeepers and guests... So sad the closing is, it has been a bombastic last night and we stayed till about the very very end when daylight was shining bright already... Many of the clubs DJs gave their last stand there and it has been also the birthday of our DJ Steve Morell (from the last STYLE! IT! TAKES! event). It was a great mix of people and it seemed, during the long night everybody came along to say bye, so audience has always been floating till the very very end... ... lots of people, lots of dance, nice flirts, many huge compliments for my Degenerotika dress, lots of drinks, big chaos, big big fun that night! ♥
(Club closing is...) NO FUN! (8 times) (^.^)
Me & Aurica keep a close watch and have lots of fun! ;-)
(selfie by Aurica)
(selfie by Aurica)
Even @ King Kong Klub there's a time to leave... or not... ;-)
A gorgeous ending and still definitely big big tears for King Kong Klub... we will miss you!!!
Funny Easter
Easter Monday I spent with Laura (SCHEN). Beside sharing time in Prenzlauer Berg together, we were invited to eat in Moabit later and had a super funny evening with music and dance. Actually, it was so funny that I don't really feel allowed to post the pics of this evening... ;-)
So here only the serious ones! (^.^) ...
Laura trying to look serious... ;-)
Did I say only the serious ones? What? (^.^)
Modeling for BAAL
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Just the next day I've been modeling for a fashion video of Berlin transgender fashion label BAAL at Berlin-Alexanderplatz. It was big fun! Surprisingly I got an outfit with trousers, which was funny, because I nearly never wear trousers but about only skirts... and it was grey, though I nearly never wear grey... but interesting and I liked the shape of the top! So, after Näd Mika's gorgeous Cassandra video, this is already the second video published this year with me modeling / acting. You can watch the finished video in an extra post about BAAL's Start wearing plastic.
Here some screenshots. Later we had to sprinkle ourselves with champagne... ;-)
Here some screenshots. Later we had to sprinkle ourselves with champagne... ;-)
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Dark, darker, Popsimonova
While some clubs are closing, others start new beginnings. Just around
the corner of KingKongKlub the a bit forgotten ACUD club in
Veteranenstraße has new plans and ideas. A beergarden, a gallery (Kunsthaus), a theatre and a
cinema belong to this place, too. Here our great artist, Croatian
Electro Diva Lana POPSIMONOVA, stopped for one Berlin night on her Europe Tour together with JESSICA 93 and DORCELSIUS on 24th of April. I wrote about her and
this tour already lately. It was such a pleasure to meet and see her live again, all the
concerts were great and many friends and nice people came around, so
it was really full & fun even in the middle of the week. :-)
POPSIMONOVA loves it... very dark ♥
... and has the sexiest voice in electronic music! ♥
After a short visit at White Trash Fast Food's very last night in Prenzlauer Berg / Mitte (the next club which had to close there!!!), we did let the night end in 8mm Bar... and when we came out the sun... ok., we had that several times before! ;-)
All of the day, all of the night in Alt-Berlin's Mitte
Me wearing a pink outfit @ the RAMONES Museum
26th of April has been Mitte day again. First I went to the RAMONES Museum for meeting friends and a lecture by Tom Laimer-Read from Norwich / England, who wrote a just published punk novel called Needles & Pins. It was a very relaxed and nice atmosphere in the museum's café.
Later we went to say goodbye again - this time Berlin's maybe oldest bar, the legendary ALT BERLIN, had to close after 121 years in Münzstraße 23 at U Weinmeisterstraße. So sad. Gentrification crawls all through the district... :-( Brilliant German communist author, poet, playwright, theatre & film director Bertolt Brecht (* 1898 in Augsburg; † 1956 in Ost-Berlin) had it's own chair in this legendary place during the 1950's, drinking his beer there in the breaks of his work at Berliner Ensemble nearby.
Pics from Bierstube Alt Berlin's Facebook page
Alt-Berliner Legenden
Folgendes wurde 2008 anonym auf Yelp gepostet:
"Die Kneipe hieß im Volksmund bis zum Krieg zu den drei Ritzen, weil sie von drei Frauen geführt wurde und der Berliner Straßenstrich direkt vor der Haustür lag. Sie war mehr als doppelt so groß, links daneben der Laden gehörte dazu. Gekocht wurde über dem Laden in der Wohnung der Damen, es gab Tischdecken, man wollte etwas feiner sein. Eine der Damen lebte bis vor 5 Jahren noch. 1945 hat eine Luftmine über der Kreuzung die Eckhäuser gegenüber abgeräumt. Die Druckwelle hat die Fenster zerstört, das Lokal wurde ausgeplündert, das Rückbuffet geklaut.
Dann nahm sich die Unterweltgröße Fahrradmüller als alter Stammgast den Laden (er hatte mehrmals das 6-Tagerennen gewonnen). Zwei Armeespinde und einige Bretter wurden das neue Buffet, die Zapfanlage war noch da. Er war einer der ersten, die 45 wieder eine Kneipe führten, offensichtlich hatte er gut Kontakte zu den Russen. Zumal er auch einer der ersten war, die im zerbombten Berlin ein eigenes Cabrio fuhren. Wegen bewaffneter Raubüberfälle ging seine Kariere 1949 dann zu Ende. Heinz erzählte, er bekam die erste Todesstrafe der DDR.
Dann übernahm der Vater der Musikerklause in der Torstraße die Kneipe, wurde aber wegen Unregelmäßigkeiten finanzieller Art in die Klause versetzt. Die HO (DDR-Handelsorganisation) übernahm, Heinz war Wirt, Inge die Kellnerin. Viele Gäste gingen, wenn Inge kam oder umgekehrt - jeder hatte SEIN Publikum. Die Tänzerinnen vom Friedrichstadtpalast, die Leute vom Gorki oder BE (Berliner Ensemble), ach eigentlich alle, weil der Laden als einer der wenigen bis nach 2 Uhr aufhaben durfte. Brecht war Stammgast, hatte seinen eigenen Hocker vom BE mitgebracht. Dann haben Heinz und Inge geheiratet und den Laden 1982 von der HO abgekauft. Das Holz an den Wänden stammt zum Teil von Ihnen, zum Teil ist es alt. Hinter den Verkleidungen sind noch alte Wandmalereien aus der Zeit des Häuserbaus."
"Die Kneipe hieß im Volksmund bis zum Krieg zu den drei Ritzen, weil sie von drei Frauen geführt wurde und der Berliner Straßenstrich direkt vor der Haustür lag. Sie war mehr als doppelt so groß, links daneben der Laden gehörte dazu. Gekocht wurde über dem Laden in der Wohnung der Damen, es gab Tischdecken, man wollte etwas feiner sein. Eine der Damen lebte bis vor 5 Jahren noch. 1945 hat eine Luftmine über der Kreuzung die Eckhäuser gegenüber abgeräumt. Die Druckwelle hat die Fenster zerstört, das Lokal wurde ausgeplündert, das Rückbuffet geklaut.
Dann nahm sich die Unterweltgröße Fahrradmüller als alter Stammgast den Laden (er hatte mehrmals das 6-Tagerennen gewonnen). Zwei Armeespinde und einige Bretter wurden das neue Buffet, die Zapfanlage war noch da. Er war einer der ersten, die 45 wieder eine Kneipe führten, offensichtlich hatte er gut Kontakte zu den Russen. Zumal er auch einer der ersten war, die im zerbombten Berlin ein eigenes Cabrio fuhren. Wegen bewaffneter Raubüberfälle ging seine Kariere 1949 dann zu Ende. Heinz erzählte, er bekam die erste Todesstrafe der DDR.
Dann übernahm der Vater der Musikerklause in der Torstraße die Kneipe, wurde aber wegen Unregelmäßigkeiten finanzieller Art in die Klause versetzt. Die HO (DDR-Handelsorganisation) übernahm, Heinz war Wirt, Inge die Kellnerin. Viele Gäste gingen, wenn Inge kam oder umgekehrt - jeder hatte SEIN Publikum. Die Tänzerinnen vom Friedrichstadtpalast, die Leute vom Gorki oder BE (Berliner Ensemble), ach eigentlich alle, weil der Laden als einer der wenigen bis nach 2 Uhr aufhaben durfte. Brecht war Stammgast, hatte seinen eigenen Hocker vom BE mitgebracht. Dann haben Heinz und Inge geheiratet und den Laden 1982 von der HO abgekauft. Das Holz an den Wänden stammt zum Teil von Ihnen, zum Teil ist es alt. Hinter den Verkleidungen sind noch alte Wandmalereien aus der Zeit des Häuserbaus."
Alt Berlin crew protesting. Yes, you belong here!!! ♥ Our barkeeper that night had been Berlin Burlesque dancer Tallulah Freeway
Of course both myself and our STYLE! IT! TAKES! project supported the protest campaign against the closing of ALT BERLIN, but, unfortunately, it was too late and there was nothing more to do against the sell-out by Hamburg Investor Harm Müller-Spreer... :-(
The closing reminded my of my very first blog post Berlin - Du bist so hässlich geworden about gentrification in Berlin (April 2012), which unfortunately even has it's sad prophetic sides...
So, like the great anarchist BAIZ bar ("Kein Bex, kein Latte, kein Bullshit" / "No Beck's beer, no latte macchiato, no bullshit") which recently also had to leave nearby Torstraße for similar reasons (BAIZ relocated at Schönhauser Allee 26 a), the ALT BERLIN crew is looking for a new place to go now, using the old interior... But: „Das schönste aller Dinge, ein schneller Schluck bei Heinz und Inge“ (The most beautiful of all things, a quick sip at Heinz und Inge (the long year runners of the bar))... so, yes, we had many!!!!!!!!!! ;-)
They got to close, but they want to come back at another place - stay tuned via their Facebook page!
Long past midnight, I finally went to notorious ESCHSCHLORAQUE nearby, where I met Laura, our DJ Steve Morell and some other friends again...
Return to daylight
April the 28th it was time for a walk around sunny Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte, staying in the Volkspark am Weinbergsweg and taking a rest at nice Max Fish beer garden with it's lovely pink Photoautomat.
Tu Wat!!!
On 1st of May me and some friends joined the revolutionary demonstration against war, crisis and capitalism in Berlin-Kreuzberg (I reported about that ahead of the demonstration in my pre-post La Beauté est dans la Rue). And it was a huge revolutionary May Day march this year, with 25.000 people attending!!! :-) At Zossener Straße somebody left a sign saying "Tu Wat" (Do something in Berlin dialect), which I had to photograph of course since it made me smile and gave the day an optimistic tone! :-) So, the next days I put & kept my red & black revolution flag on the balcony (it says: "Abolish class society - Revolution Now!"), as a sign of continued resistance in the daily life and in the neighborhood...
Apropos balcony: as a huge fan of city gardening I spent lots of time on the balcony, sowing new seeds for herbs, flowers and beans to make it green & blooming soon. Actually, many plants survived the mild winter or came back... and first things were blooming already... :-)
Blühender Schnittlauch & blühende Erdbeere * Blossoms of chives & strawberry
Update, 27th of May:
... and I made it! STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 5 will be a summer dream of fashion, performances, arts & music and just like BERLIN FASHION WEEK in general move this year to Wedding!!! :-)
It will happen on Saturday, the 12th of July 2014 at the lovely venue PANKE, located in Gerichtsstraße 23, directly at the river Panke! We will even have a beautiful little garden there!!!
♥♥♥
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