By the Wall

From December 2008, an intriguing Standpointarticle by Tobias Ruther on David Bowie’s time in Berlin. Of interest, primarily, to those interested in Bowie, but then there’s this:

On 6 June 1987, David Bowie performs in front of the Reichstag, next to the Wall. Before an audience of 70,000, he reads out a message in German: “We send our best wishes to all our friends who are on the other side of the Wall.” Then he sings Heroes. On the other side of the Wall, as near as possible to the Reichstag, hundreds of young East Berliners strain to hear echoes of the concert. They listen as Bowie greets them. And they listen to his song. Their song. Many of them charge towards the Brandenburg Gate. Troops and police bar their way. Stones and empty beer cans are thrown. Over the next two evenings, when the Eurythmics and finally Genesis give their “Concert for Berlin”, the crowds in East Berlin grows bigger and the riots become more violent. In their internal reports, the Stasi record the deteriorating situation night after night: human chains are formed, in total “158 persons detained. They are mainly young adults born between 1964 and 1969. 25 young women were detained. Some of their behaviour was aggressive.” And then the Stasi report states: “Loud whistling and chanting (including for the first time ‘Down with the Wall’) in response to police actions.” The West Berlin tabloid press reports that the chanting had already been heard – on the evening when Bowie performs Heroes.

The last time that young East Berliners had demanded “Down with the Wall” had been in Alexanderplatz on 7 October 1977, the week before Bowie brought out his album Heroes. Then, too, a rock concert had unleashed riots; hundreds were arrested. There are unconfirmed reports that three people were killed, two of them policemen.

Ten years later, something happens on the streets of East Berlin that will soon become unstoppable. It is getting noisier in the capital of the GDR. “The assembled youth were overwhelmingly decadent in appearance,” the Stasi report. “Tests in the Charité hospital confirm that the maximum decibel level has been substantially exceeded. The Charité has a particular need for silence.” This funereal silence is now over. “Pigs”, “Down with the Wall”, “Russians out!” the decadent mob yells. The Wall has only another two years to go. That June in East Berlin, a few of the heroes emerged who would shortly bring it down. They have a David Bowie song on their lips.