We’ve come across quite few web shows about Berlin in recent years, but for us GERMAN-NESS might be the best one so far. Former MTV host Claire Oelkers is the face of the show that uncovers not only the beauty and uniqueness of Berlin, but also other German cities. In several episodes she meets unique characters such as musicians, photographers, artists and entrepreneurs and spends a day with them discovering the city through their eyes. The makers of GERMAN-NESS describe their format as an alternative city guide which is what initially attracted us. And that description is pretty spot on, because in this show you will discover a lot of things about Berlin that are far off the beaten tracks and that even I haven’t heard of before. I like how host Claire remains charming with a hint of German reservedness that leaves the spotlight for the guest of the episode.
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So far the series has explored the cities of Hamburg, Leipzig, Cologne and Berlin with several episodes each. In Berlin they visited some familiar creative people such as photographer Oliver Rath, musician and former Berghain bouncer Rummelsnuff, the guys behind the street art collective Peach Beach, rapper Miss Platnum, DJ and producer K-Paul, and a few more. The places they visit in each episode range from underground artist communes, huge street art murals in abandoned factories, to secluded lakes outside of Berlin. Each week a new episode is released on their YouTube channel which you should definitely subscribe to! After the jump we are showing you our favorite episode.
We wanted to give you a taste of GERMAN-NESS which by the way is sponsored by Expedia and selected the most interesting Berlin episode. It wasn’t easy, because each one has some really interesting things in store. But probably the most unusual and at the same time charming one is the episode with Captain Rummelsnuff. He is quite a pearl of the Berlin music and nightlife scene – in his own quirky way. Some like to call him the Techno Popeye, probably because of his big muscles and his affection to nautical themes. The burly man looks actually quite grumpy, but as the episode goes on we see that he is a softy at heart and a true gentleman. With Claire he talks about the beginning of his music career in Berghain where he also worked as a bouncer for a while. During the day they spend together he introduces her to the daily weight lifting routine and brings her to a beautiful spot at the Müggelspree – a part of the river Spree surrounding the Müggelsee.
After a swim in the ice-cold water he fries her some garlic eggs for breakfast. They also visit a beer brewery in Mahrzahn and later that night the famous queer pub Kumpelnest near Potsdamer Straße where we also get a little preview of his live performances. We absolutely love the places he choose for the show, because they are totally beyond the usual tourist sights and hip shops in Mitte. It shows Berlin from a completely different angle far away from the hype and gloss and it makes it real and authentic again. Well done! Enjoy the show and some snapshots from other Berlin episodes below.
Make sure to subscribe to the GERMAN-NESS YouTube channel to get updates about the episodes that come out every week!
The video is in German, but there are subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch which you can activate in the settings on YouTube.
Check out the episode with Miss Platnum below:
In collaboration with GERMAN-NESS