David Bowie’s Berlin Today

photos: Alejandro Arretureta

The countless attempts at interpreting what Tony Visconti characterized as David Bowie’s ”parting gift”, the album “Blackstar”, reflect our yearning to get closer to the mind of this sublime artist. A yearning which is all the more compelling as it can never be fulfilled.

Last January, a lot of people experienced an overwhelming sense of confusion and disbelief. Not only did we lose a man who influenced the way we viewed the world, but also, just two days before that, we got another stunning glimpse at his genius.

Particularly after an untimely death, the fans long to know the man behind the mask. However, over the past ten years, we haven’t heard much from Bowie himself – usually only his close collaborators would divulge some information. There has been, however, a certain point in history that saw David as candid and human, as never before.

In 1976, apparently worn by cocaine addiction and LA stardom, David moved to the city of West Berlin. The sobering reality of Cold War Berlin had surprisingly grounding effect on a man who had been doted on hand and foot since rising to stardom. But that was only the beginning.

Everyone’s favorite alien felt so inspired here that he created here, as he put it himself, his ”DNA” – namely three albums constituting The Berlin Trilogy: “Low”, “Heroes”, and “Lodger”.

Few places serve better for the purpose of getting to know the real David Jones. Berlin might have been called one of the biggest construction sites of all times, but if you know where to look, you can still experience this city following his footsteps.

And luckily, for this quest, we have David’s blessing. He guides us through some of the places that were closest to his heart in the 2013 music video for “Where Are We Now” such as the famous KaDeWe department store.  And, if you find that soundtrack a tad too wistful in the current state of events, another Berlin anthem, though much less obvious in its lyrics, is Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” – as mentioned by Iggy’s then-girlfriend Esther Friedman in an interview with Zeit.de.

It is utterly riveting to be able to look at the known surroundings in a new, Bowie-themed manner. The kind people of Berlin are aware of the legacy and make the experience very accessible. You can literally book a trip to Hansa Studios and look through the same window at the Meistersaal that Bowie did when he saw the lovers kissing by the wall, an occurrence which led him to write one of the most powerful lyrics in history.

There is no need to schedule anything if you just want to see the place where he and Pop lived, Hauptstrasse 155 in Schöneberg. When I went there, three weeks after Bowie’s death, the entrance was still tightly surrounded by flowers. Neues Ufer, a bar/cafe where Bowie used to hang, now embellished with photographs of him, is just a few steps away. Don’t think Berlin stripped Bowie completely off his lavish preferences – on some occasions, he and Iggy would venture a bit farther to the Paris Bar – a quite costly place in Charlottenburg, which you can still check out.

Who knows, maybe this quasi-pilgrimage can lead to your own reinvention. And don’t worry if your soul searching journey won’t be an instant success. Bowie’s cinematic Berlin project involved a movie so bad that neither his nor Marlene Dietrich’s name could save it.  I don’t know how much of his self-realization has Bowie attained while partying in Kotti’s famous SO36, but you can still see how it works out for you. Unluckily, the other favorite venues are long gone: Chez Romy Haag is home to another club, and the Dschungel has turned into the Ellington Hotel.

Would Bowie still enjoy today’s Berlin? Would he ever raise his hand to sing at the karaoke in Mauerpark? And if he still travelled on a bike, what if he had it stolen? The only thing we can do is wonder. And treasure the fact that we live in a city that was so special to him and appreciate how it continues to startle humbled newcomers and leaves them grateful for the experience. Just like Bowie has always done with his art.

If you want to find out even more about Bowie’s Berlin and other captivating incidents throughout the city’s history, check out Rory MacLean’s book Berlin: Imagine a City, which also served as a valuable source for this article, along with the info available on Wikipedia.

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<a href="https://www.iheartberlin.de/author/michalina/" target="_self">Michalina</a>

Michalina

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