Inside Berlin's Deep Throat

I first experienced Berlin (East & West) in 1984, during that whole "student Eurail backpacker travelling on a shoestring budget?" phase of my life. Thank God that phase didn?t last long... budget travel is a bitch! What did last though was the impression Berlin left upon me.  Of course in ?84 the wall was still up and going into East Berlin was like stepping back in time.

I returned to Berlin in 1996, sans backpack but equipped with Louis Vuitton?s finest. Just a few short years after the tumble of the wall, it was hard to shake the feeling that you were in the middle of a construction site (with no Village People no less!)  And so typical of me to have left my sensible shoes at home.  Persevering, I managed to find a couple of interesting clubs, but found the serious German façade a little hard to read - you know when you?re getting those intense stares but just can?t figure out whether they want to beat the crap out of you or have hot sex.  Fortunately I found the latter to be the case so all in all that was a pretty successful trip.

So, you can imagine how excited I was when WOW?s very own feature doc Inside Deep Throat was to have it?s European premiere at the prestigious Berlinale Film Festival!  What a perfect excuse to head over for some popcorn and to catch up with some of my naughty Berlin mates. 

Upon landing back in Berlin, I immediately felt a little tingle. Granted, it was mainly in my feet - there just wasn?t enough room in my Taiga luggage for those damn sensible shoes again.  And let me tell you now, open toe Manolos during a snowy Berlin winter is just not practical!  With my first glance at East Berlin in almost a decade I could already tell so much had changed. It all seemed so hip and gorgeous. A city where the very old meets the very new somehow works - you know, a bit like Madonna and Britney. 

I won?t bore you with all the intimate details of exactly what I personally got up to during my stay (although you can call my premium line at $1.50 per minute), but the screening and after-party were the hottest ticket of the festival. And those well-heeled Berliners sure know how to party! The crowd went mad for the film and it seems that the who's-who of German film and TV were lining up to get Inside Deep Throat.

The after-party was sheer hysteria, with wall-to-Berlin-wall beautiful people.  Held at the very fashionable Soprano?s in West Berlin, partygoers fought their way through a blizzard of snow and paparazzi to the crammed chic venue owned by German film producer Oliver Berben. We found ourselves partying with the German elite, the likes of sexy Marie Baeumer, Veronika Ferres, Alexandra Kamp and Christian Ulmen to name but a few.  Yes, it was all German to me too, but the locals were very impressed. With enough vodka and (biblical bratwurst) consumed to sink the Bismark, the evening was a blazing success.

All in all, Inside Deep Throat came and conquered, and I didn?t do so bad either.

- Johnni Javier