Stasi HQ - Lichtenberg

This is a very exciting place in Berlin. Show 5 comes form the former headquarters of the East Germans secret police. If you don't know what the Stasi is, I think the Funk Doc put it quite well - imagine them as the forces that fought James Bond.

We sat outside the building pictured to the left and recorded what might essentially be two podcasts: one about the Stasi (including various true stories about this insidious organization) and a second, very spontaneous conversation about English and German.

Other related buildings

Almost everyone here that's over the age of 30 has some kind of personal experience with the secret police, be it intimidation, arrest, imprisonment, or espionage (which for most people was only realized after the archives here were opened).

Probably the most disturbing thing about the Stasi was the fact that it was so dependent on people's willingness to report one another. After the wall came down and people finally had access to their Stasi files, many found out that they were being spied on by friends, neighbors and even spouses. People in East Germany seemed to be quite willing to file reports on each other for a number of reasons including dedication to the ideas of Communism or possibly a desire for ingratiation to the State.

As we said on the show, these are topics that are still widely discussed today among all age groups in Germany. There seems to be a feeling that keeping these memories fresh (like the stories of World War II atrocities) will somehow prevent them from recurring.

Old Man J trying to get that old Communist propaganda look...

The Funk Doc checking the spelling on a German sign.

The second half of the show was about language and some of the strannger aspects of German and English. Knowledge of both is not necessary to understand the podcast, but it will definitely increase your enjoyment.

The Funk Doc led this half of the show and refused to show me the ideas he had scribbled on a piece of paper. I'm actually glad he didn't because he really caught me off guard with one of his German examples.

Here's a little plug for fellow podcasters The Word Nerds too who probably inpired the Doc to tackle questions of language in the Artscast.

Our music this time was from some old favorites - Medeski, Martin & Wood. We played two funky tracks by them (from the albums The Dropper and Shack Man and we also played another Beck track (from the new disc Guero) and a sweet sweet hip hop track called "Slang Blade" by Binary Star.

In two weeks expect a new Artscast about art, pretentiousness, snobbery, and pissing off the elitist bastards.