If you're staying at The Yes Wow Museum or just happen to be in the area why not take a short walk up to Schöneberg and Hauptstrasse 155 to visit one of the most important addresses in Berlin's music history. This is where David Bowie and fellow musician Iggy Pop shared a modest flat between 1976 to 1978 as a getaway from the States to recharge their batteries and escape their spiralling drug addictions. For Bowie this was putting some distance between him and Los Angeles following his The Thin White Duke period where the excess and the fame had taken a serious toll on his general and mental health. In a 2001 interview for Uncut Magazine Bowie said: "For many years Berlin had appealed to me as a sort of sanctuary-like situation. It was one of the few cities where I could move around in virtual anonymity. I was going broke; it was cheap to live. For some reason, Berliners just didn’t care. Well, not about an English rock singer, anyway." Bowie's time in the German capital resulted in the albums ”Low” (1977), ”Heroes” (1977) and ”Lodger” (1979) that are referred to as his Berlin Trilogy even though ”Heroes” was the only album actually fully recorded in Berlin. This took place at the famous Hansa Studios / Hansa Tonstudios which at the time was nicknamed ”Hansa by the Wall” for it's close proximity to the East and West divider. During 1977, Pop in collaboration with Bowie, recorded his solo debut ”The Idiot” and following ”Lust for Life” at the same studio. Today Hauptstrasse 155 shows little signs of it's former famous residents except for a memorial plaque that was mounted on the facade last year, a few flowers, a couple of candles and maybe some scribbled notes from fans. A huge contrast to the days and weeks after Bowie's passing in January 2016 when the whole entrance and sidewalk in front of the building turned into a memorial site completely covered in tributes to a much beloved artist. Greetings from all over the world was left and in the air you could feel a humble silence in celebration and gratitude of a creative life that brought joy to so many. Even though their residence in the city was relatively short – Bowie and Pop have forever made their mark in Berlin's music history.
(Text originally published for the Yes Wow Museum 2017-03-10.)
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AuthorI came up with the idea of expanding my photography with Berlin related storytelling. Every street in this city is full of history and every person has a story to tell. ArchivesCategories
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All photos © Kristian Kotilainen 2016-2018.
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