3 Berlin Interiors

[imomus]

Top: The Asiatisches Handlung at 9 Meeraner Strasse, out in the plattenbauten wilderness of Marzahn, is a big Vietnamese wholesale village spread across several warehouses. Here you can buy plastic flowers, a bun soup, electronic junk, cheap woollens, a catering-sized rice cooker. Bail out of the tram at the Allee der Kosmonauten (don't forget your Soviet-made zero gravity suit).

Middle: The Flick Collection at the Hamburger Bahnhof. Should be called The Fuck Collection; it's all Paul McCarthy-style doggy position saloon bar bump-n-grind and flickering fellatio neons. I spent almost an hour with an interesting Dan Graham film called 'Rock My Religion'. The general licentiousness was salutary and invigorating, but I couldn't help musing that if I incorporated any of this dionysian energy into my songs I'd get these sorts of comments all over again... at least from the British.

Bottom: At Kaori and Mika's place in Friedrichshain. We'd just bought the bike for 25 euros from the hippies in the absinthe store that shows 1920s erotica in the back room. The perves told us our 50 euro note was forged, but Mika suspects they switched it behind the counter with one of theirs. They gave us cookies, but I refused to eat mine in case it was laced.