Cheeky, charming and full on 2000s – the German cult series “Berlin, Berlin” returns to our screens! Who knows and loved it? The high school graduate Lolle and her clumsy life and love adventures. For some, the opening credits of the 2000 cult series alone will awaken childhood memories: the wild tracking shots throughout Berlin, the cheesy but awfully catchy soundtrack and the well captured big city feeling. Between 2002 and 2005, the series was shown on the public broadcaster ARD and thrilled an audience of millions for over 4 seasons.
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by Franziska | Movies, TV
Sassy Berlin stand-up comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding has really lifted our spirits during the last weeks of the quarantine as he has been coming up with new hilarious videos on a daily basis about all things corona. You would think this would quickly grow old but in fact, he’s been continuously serving some of his best comedy videos ever. Who would have thought it would get better than his “It’s Berlin” videos that put him on the map in the first place (at least for audiences here).
In his videos, Daniel’s character “Da’Niel” has been mostly sulking and passive-aggressively commenting on the lockdown and all lack of nightlife and sex club activity that he so dearly misses right now. Most notably you could see him throw a tantrum in front of Berghain when it closed down, crawling somewhere through the bushes of Hasenheide to announce the comeback of cruising, or how he fantasized a huge gay orgy in Mauerpark by disobedient horny gay guys who wouldn’t stay in quarantine.
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by Frank | Music, Pandemic, Videos
While everyone and their mom are currently on voluntary house arrest (you better be!) we’re already running out of ideas what to do at home. It’s not that there isn’t an endless list of possible chores we could finally get to now that we really have no more excuses left anymore. But honestly, we’re close to losing our mind, so clearly now is not the time for chores…
It’s just been a week or two depending on when you started, but somehow now, time decided to pass really slowly right now, so we’re filled with nostalgia of better days and a real sense of withdrawal from all our usual activities and adventures in Berlin’s bars, stages and clubs.
While the club scene has successfully transitioned into the digital space with their United We Stream, we’re missing all the fun cultural entertainment from our favorite queer darlings from the world of comedy, drag, performance, and voguing. But luckily, those bitches ain’t sleeping, within a week many of them have come up with streaming alternatives to their regular shows and we are HERE FOR IT! This way we won’t miss the cute Darvish, the hilarious Daniel-Ryan, the fantastic Venus Boys and many more…
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by Frank | Events
The other day I spontaneously went to see the brand new Berlin movie Liebesfilm that was just released to cinemas. I hadn’t heard of the film before, to be honest – Berlin Bouncer has taken up most of the Berlin buzz I guess – so I didn’t have any specific expectations of the flick.
But to my delight, I was really enjoying what I was seeing. In contrast to most Berlin movies or TV shows of the last years, this film did not portrait the city and its inhabitants in a stylized and overdramatized kind of way. It felt very real and honest which made the film and its characters incredibly likable. Even that kooky, trashy little party at the beginning of the film felt like a much more earnest representation of Berlin nightlife than any exaggerated techno rave in some kind of stunning location that doesn’t even look like anything that would exist in Berlin – we’ve seen in too many times in many other movies already.
The story is as simple as it gets: Two unlikely lovers find themselves – completely wasted – in a party and start a joyful love affair. The snotty, rebellious attitude of them perfectly captures the personality of the archetype Berliner: totally impossible but also adorable at the same time. And even though this film is not really about the city itself at all I feel like I rarely saw a movie that felt more “Berlin” like this one.
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by Frank | Movies
You know Berlin is a place of contrasts. It’s the buzzing startup hub that’s also been referred to as a retirement center for freelancers in their 30s. Fashion weeks are organized here biannually and yet the most prevalent look on Berlin’s hippest streets is along the lines of a scruffy grunge musician. It’s hailed as the city where people can search for themselves, but many seem to get distracted along the way and end up losing their minds. All these dynamics can make everyday life in the city that we still truly heart slightly absurd. Below, we’ve chosen our favorite examples of people channeling Berlin’s flaws into anecdotes that will most likely ring true to you as well.
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by Michalina | People, Videos
To be an artist is to fail. These famous words by Marcel Proust introduce the Berlin-based web series “Big Heads”. As much appreciation as there is for Berlin’s international creative community, plenty of well-known stereotypes of artists have formed over the years. They persistently keep poking fun at those dreamful expats who come to Berlin to fulfill their desires of becoming an artist.
Producer and author Marlene Melchior and Alex Forge quickly picked up on this joke that is going around town on behalf of Berlin’s creative expat community and decided to start a mini web series about the dark hassle in the life of an aspiring artist in Berlin. The award-winning show is called Big Heads and documents the life of Anjuna Pashnani, a British girl in her quarter-life crises who moved to Berlin to become a writer of any kind, in search of a writing career she wants to pursue, the artsy characters she meets along the way and the typical challenges she faces to feel accomplished and arrived in Berlin.
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by Franziska | Videos
As iHeartBerlin grows and spreads its metaphorical wings to encompass more platforms, we are delighted to present you with the iHeartBerlin Show, our new online video show where we’ll have the chance to talk all about Berlin with prominent figures of this amazing city.
And our project couldn’t have started stronger, as the first episode hosts the magnificent Daniel-Ryan Spaulding, the Canadian standup comedian who became viral through his series “It’s Berlin!” where he satirizes Berlin’s techno and hipster culture in a way we all find relatable.
Our excitement to have him was big, and we didn’t miss the opportunity to ask him as many things as possible: what inspires him, his favorite spots in Berlin, how his sexuality connects to his comedy, and lots more.
Watch the full episode to learn more about this gifted human, and come out to watch his stand-up shows on March 12+13 at the English Theatre Berlin; the venue is almost sold out, so hurry to secure a seat! It’s a guaranteed blast and of course, we’ll be there too!
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by Stella | People, Videos
Liliana Velasquez, photo: Caspar David Schaede
There’s a lot to be said about Berlin’s creative scene, its open-mindedness and extraordinary cultural heritage. But like in any other artistic community, the risk of falling into the trap of taking oneself too seriously is pretty high. Luckily, among the innumerable performers in our city, there’s a particular group that prompts us all to look at things with a more relaxed attitude. Read on to get to know Berlin’s favorite stand-up comedians and find out where to catch their shows!
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by Michalina | People
photos: Markus Abele
I totally get that Yoga is not for everybody. Sometimes when I am sitting there, in one of those hardcore Jivamukti classes where they sing all together and talk about important life lessons I try to imagine the face of my grandmother when the yoga teacher says: “You are a beautiful flower. And now please spread your legs and hips wide to let the deep emotions in. Like the sunshine is entering with its beams into your inner flower”.
My secret method to enjoy these kinds of situations is taking it with a sense of humor. It’s like a free live episode of one of your favorite comedy shows and you build muscles and flexibility while watching it. I call it a win-win! But that does not mean that I don’t take yoga seriously. Actually, it’s one of the few things in my weekly routine that helped me in many situations of life for the past 8 years.
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by Claudio | Books, Wellness
It’s Monday, guys and you’re just rolling out the club heading straight to work not having changed or showered in 3 days. So what? It’s Berlin!
This video series by comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding hilariously mocks some of the biggest cliches of our outrages Berlin lifestyle. It’s so painfully true sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh at the absurdity. Probably the funniest Berlin videos ever! But see for yourself.
If you want to see Daniel live doing stand-up in Berlin you are in luck as he is having shows all the time in Berlin in various bars over town. Also, you should subscribe to his Facebook page for upcoming shows and there’s also a line of merch with some of his most beloved catch-phrases.
We updated our story with new videos from 2019 in the very bottom of the article. Enjoy Daniel’s take on the Cologne Carnival, the Anmeldung and gentrification…
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by Frank | Videos
