I think you have to try and fail, because failure gets you closer
to what you're good at. - a famous comedian.
It's the last few days of May, a May that started as always with lots of glitter and champagne, so promisingly hot and harmonious, but which has put you to the test a little - as if to see if you're really ready for summer.
Yes, we are.
A May with unforeseen, positive effects on my personal life. London in May for the first time. Birthdays of important people. A disentangled pile of spaghetti.
Saturday is spent lugging tripods and large spotlights around Mariendorf. Just behind Tempelhof, there is also a harbour festival at the end of May, but it has a very village-like feel. There, in the Ufa-Fabrik, an event has been organised for 7 years that is somewhat reminiscent of the ESC. Babylon Europa - 22 artists from Bulgaria to Portugal showcase their talent and give an insight into their culture, and we were there to capture it for posterity. We run from one side to the other at a pleasant 35 degrees and in between we take portraits and poke fun at the German audience mentality. What a party.
Sunday was dedicated entirely to the joys of the friends who came round for a barbecue. Aperol in the sun, vegetarian burgers, stories of slowly ageing rock stars, children's fun with cuddly toys that you didn't have the heart to hand over to your nieces - all in all a very successful Sunday with deep conversations.
2 June
You feel the effects of yesterday evening at 9 o'clock when the alarm clock rings and do the only sensible thing: you switch it off and turn over again. An hour later, you feel noticeably better, so you dedicate yourself to harmonising your body and mind with yoga and then sit down at the computer as usual.
Movie
Moulin Rouge was shown in cinemas 24 years ago today. A fantastic reason to watch it again. I love this film so much because the first half is so awful that you keep asking yourself why you're doing this to yourself over and over again, until it gets to the Elephant Medley and you're under its spell and completely enthralled.
Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 gives me the pleasure of having started another series where I have to wait until it allows me to continue watching. I hate that and think it's cheeky. What do you actually pay Amazon and co. for?
Anyway, I remember I binged through the first season because I've also been ill in my life. I found it good entertainment - nothing groundbreaking. And yes, you knew what was going to happen, and yes, occasionally falling asleep and waking up in the middle of the next episode is not a crime in this series (and probably 80 per cent of ALL series) - but I like Nicole Kidman. I like the look of the second season a lot better: a luxury hotel somewhere in the Alps and German actors for once - not Americans with German accents. However, you'll have to wait for episode 4 until Amazon is gracious enough to release it.
I had the same problem with this series (classic: one episode every Friday), but we stuck with it. Verdict: a very clever series about the value of high society in the New York area, a nice illustration of the nothingness behind it and how quickly you can lose everything. Nice side stories, good characters (well chosen) and still no big surprise at the end. I enjoyed it. 7.4 out of 10 stars.
Other Inspirations
The pitch for the short film is done and even has an almost professional look. Let's see if film promoters see it the same way.
I'm a good lasagne cook. That was 8.2 out of 10 stars.
3 June
Berlin is a delight with 18 degrees at 9 a.m. - nothing can go wrong, even if you have to wait 1½ hours for your 10 a.m. appointment. They're fair, the authorities - whether you have an appointment or not, there's always a queue.
Music
How good that Views by Marc-Uwe Kling entertains me. My Marc-Uwe, who I have known since I was 11 years old and have always categorised as a comedy, has now written a thriller that is as close to current events as possible. It's about deepfake, ChatGPT, immigration - and in a tone that is really very exciting. Mr Kling, once again you have outdone yourself!
but why, you arsehole of a big corporation spofty, am i not allowed to listen to the end of the audiobook even though i'm counting on the highest rate? GOING ALL BOOKBEAT AND THEN DECIDING FOR YOURSELF WHEN IT'S OVER DOESN'T SUIT ME AT ALL!!!
After the annoyance, Olli and Jan made sure that I was distracted.
Other Inspirations
So I continue to fulfil my duties, call back German institutes that have been promising to get back to me for weeks, and sort most things out very successfully.
Music
AJR is there for me again and guides me through the afternoon.
Movie
Another podcast episode is crying out to be recorded, which for us means: off to the cinema. The doors of the Rollberg cinema open, and it shows us The Phoenician Scheme.
With Wes Anderson, I have the feeling that he has lost his bite, his genius, and is resting on his extraordinary and very pretty style. How nice that all the billionaire actors are in the film and get comparatively little pay - but then they should also be instructed and not just have to recite absurd lines directly. Nice to watch, a smile here and there, but it didn't blow me away. 6.8 out of 10 stars.
Was on my list for a very long time. On the one hand, Bill Murray (logical, after Wes Anderson); on the other, Rashida Jones, whom I really like. What starts out like a good film gets lost in banalities, and halfway through, it gets boring. Even the amused Bill Murray as the adventurous father can do little about it. 4.6 out of 10 stars. I also don't understand why Coppola is sooo hyped. If I had the opportunity to cut in New York from time to time and shoot with absolute greats - would I be able to do it?
4 June
Music
I was asked what I thought of the album The Gods We Can Touch by Aurora - that was about 2 weeks ago. I like the album, reminds me a bit of my brief but intense affair with Fletcher.
After listening to it once through, however, it went to my chill hip-hop playlist, created by the superpower Spotify.
Other Inspirations
For some time now, my mobile phone has looked more like an accident than a mobile phone - that should change today. How good that Neukölln is teeming with ominous mobile phone repair shops, where you always wonder what else is being sold behind the counter. I got an espresso, sat down in the corner with my book and after ‘5-10 minutes’ in Turkish (the equivalent of 25 in German time) my mobile phone looked like new again.
We prepare an e-casting in which we are to play an elf, apply for a 3-month workshop at the end of the year and go through the casting call that has been released on the internet. Lots of ambitious people - that makes us look forward to the actual filming.
At the end of the evening, you sit down with your editor in the Golgotha beer garden and discuss the second film, your trip to Thailand and mine to Bora Bora.
It really was a very nice day.
5 June
Starts with a sleepless night. This is supposed to happen, but it could be less. You listen to the news, perhaps to wake you up with shock about the world, and record your audition. That was actually fun.
You sluggishly try to get through today's tasks, but then give up and go to the zoo.
Music
You hear John Wilson in an interview and remember his New York days as if they were yesterday.
There's a lot of blasphemy in the Tiergarten - which is actually a rarity - but sometimes it's allowed. You sit in the sun with a Coca-Cola and wonder how you can be like this. Then you happen to walk past the Berlin baton race and are quickly back in the halls at home. There you pack your things, go to an event you've been invited to, order a pizza and then you're ready to go.
Movie
I started The Americans.
6 June
The alarm clock rings at 2.53am. My eyes are swollen, my whole body is fighting the darkness and cold outside.
At 3.18am I'm sitting at the bus station waiting for the bus.
The bus arrives at 4.23 - an hour late - and I'm on a weekend trip with my best friend. It's a tough start, but it's going to be a great time.
That's it from me - happy carnival to all Berliners.
Bussi Baba