You have a huge number of followers. Where do you think your success comes from?
I always say the memes coming from within me, from someone who is part of the scene. There are many similar sites that are all about taking drugs but that gets pretty boring pretty quickly. For me it’s also about observational humour, about what happens when partying in the club. It’s mostly autobiographical. I’ve always gone out a lot and also worked in the nightlife scene for a long time. Actually, partying is the only thing I do. It’s my life. I think you can tell that from the account.
There are a lot of references to excess…
Well, in the memes in which I write something about a 72-hour party, I’ve exaggerated that. Most people probably don’t party that long. Lately I haven’t even made any explicit drug posts at all because Instagram immediately blocks everything.
In the past you made memes about G, i.e. GHB or GBL. Are you not doing this anymore because of Instagram’s new rules?
Partially, but mainly because I don’t really want to condemn consumption and it’s hard to make posts without doing exactly that. I’m definitely critical of GHB. The fact is that it is more dangerous than other drugs. One drop too many can have dire consequences. I don’t want to denounce consumption. But you have to enlighten people, “harm reduction”, i.e. damage limitation.
Do you think people are drawn to it when you make fun of certain peculiarities of the scene?
The scene is very elitist and I like to break that down a bit. With my memes, I show that you’re not all that special, and somehow you’re all doing the same thing. Rather, that we all do the same thing.
Do you think the clubs fuel this elitist attitude with their door policy?
Yes. I actually think clubs are spaces for people who can’t get into elitist places. Techno clubs are deliberately not like Soho House. They’re for the people who can’t get into places like that. I always thought Berghain was a bit stupid in that respect.
Nevertheless, your memes are often about Berghain, for example about the difference between Panorama Bar and Berghain. Which do you prefer
Berghain, I prefer techno. But I don’t really listen to any music at home because I listen to it all the time at the weekend.
How much time do you spend on meme production?
I’m always thinking about it, so it’s hard to say. I keep making notes on my phone, even when partying. It’s a bit like comedians, who watch everything all the time and think about if they can make it into material.
Do you think the pandemic has fueled creativity in the scene?
No. I think it was all pretty depressing. Especially for those who are marginalised by society and for whom clubs are a home, places where they can feel safer. That’s probably why my site was so successful. Berlin Club Memes brought back a bit of the feeling of being in a club.
Do many followers write you private messages on Instagram?
If you mean something like: “My friends are visiting from Italy, maybe you have a coke taxi number for me?” Then yes. But people also ask me if I can make a meme about a certain topic, and I often end up with some really good stuff. The site is based on a community and of course we stimulate each other.
Do you also joke in person, outside of the internet?
No. My jokes only work in written form, with pictures, I can only do memes. I tend to be quiet in normal life. And especially if it’s Tuesday – that means I’m still suffering from the weekend.
