Munich: Culture and leisure tips from cabaret artist Sven Kemmler – Munich

Sven Kemmler has made it his task to look beyond the German horizon in his programs: As the self-proclaimed foreign minister of German cabaret, he likes to fathom the customs and peculiarities of other countries. “English Lesson” was about British and Anglo-American, in “The New Middle” he sets out with a wink to understand China. Now he is not taking a country but democracy and its future under his satirical magnifying glass. On Friday, August 26, he will be on stage with his highly acclaimed program “Paradise Lost” in the Deutsches Museum’s Kleiner Posthof.

Monday: strolling in the city

Monday is spent strolling around. From Schwabing, this can be done with a reasonable low threshold. After a bite to eat at the “Fräulein Müller” kiosk, head to the northern part of the English Garden, because it leaves more room for contemplation than the southern part. About halfway to the Aumeister, I consider a detour into the past, to Oberfoehring, where I grew up. But since I can’t think of any other reason to visit Oberföhring, I’ll probably continue, past the weir, to bathe, where Henry the Lion used to burn bridges and today grillers their sausages. Included as reading: “Schwabylon” by Alexander Roda Roda. On the way back, passing Oberföhring again, there is still another reason to stop by there, but only in the evening: in the coffee cult the punk bands play from 8 p.m Chain Whip and furiosa.

Tuesday: boules in the courtyard garden

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As a native of Munich, you have the advantage of feeling an almost royal claim to ownership of the city, almost by birthright, even without owning your own property. That wants to be used, which is why I choose to direct myself to Ludwigstrasse and parade in the direction of the Hofgarten. A stop at Cadu, the café at the university, helps on the way. Arriving at Odeonsplatz, I sometimes have the feeling that I can still walk to Italy. So I march to the Deutsches Theater. Certainly, Schwanthalerstraße is not Milan, but in the Silbersaal there is only Leonardo Da Vinci’s today “supper” to see in original size. After so much size, it needs distraction, so later it’s off to the courtyard garden to watch the top dogs playing boules and then to dabble in a quieter corner. Because balls falling from the sky and trajectories , which have to be calculated, would have inspired Leonardo as well clubhouse in Occamstrasse for a princely drink.

Wednesday: This is what Munich sounds like

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I should slowly prepare my performance on Friday evening at the Deutsches Museum. On the other hand, you shouldn’t suddenly start overdoing your work in the middle of the week. That’s not why I became an artist. So I make a compromise with myself. First English Garden. Best this time in the livelier southern part, so as not to drift off. Which is always put to the test with the Monopteros, because that’s where I learned to drift as a teenager and a sentimental approach wants to push me to do some basic exercises. With almost Japanese discipline, I will resist in order to devote myself to a short meditation at the most beautiful Japanese place in Munich – the tea house. I would love to move in here and establish a shogunate. But since my cabaret program is about democracy, i.e. about the collective, I’m moving on to the Haus der Kunst, where the Japanese collective “dumb dude” is exhibited. Then the text is worked on along the Schwabinger Bach, including a small bath.

Thursday: Food Hunt

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The stocks in the fridge are running low, so it’s time to blow the food hunt. As an artist, it is my duty to promote craftsmanship, which is why the hunt begins in Sabine and Christian’s “Wilde Zeiten” butcher’s shop at the Viktualienmarkt with a self-killed deer liver cheese roll. Basically, I think you should shop as much as possible from people you know by their first names because the likelihood of getting the best quality is inversely proportional to the number of shop owners. This does not apply to cooperatives, which is why a coffee in the Bellevue di Monaco coming up, perhaps the friendliest place in town. But it’s summer vacation there, so I’m having an espresso at Vee’s, where I’ll stock up on beans in a moment. Then a short visit to Randy at “Tara Spirits” on Rindermarkt to philosophize about coffee-related beverages, and a detour to Caro’s in Antonetty’s leather workshop. On the way home, I pick vegetables at the weekly market on the Münchner Freiheit, and in the evening (as my grandmother always said) we cook “at chez Sven”.

Friday: Gin at buddy’s

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Tonight we will finally work in front of people again – a real performance! This has been quite rare for the past two years and is still a rare treat. I’m all the happier and try to appear concentrated, very concentrated. To be on the safe side, I refrain from going on excursions, because in summer Munich is a minefield of distractions for the working population. In the afternoon there is a sound check and in the evening the future of democracy is negotiated. I play “Paradise Lost” – contrary to the title, quite paradisiacal under trees in the outpost of the Lustspielhaus in the Kleinen Posthof of the Deutsches Museum. I’m usually more alert after performances, which is why I probably visit my friend and partner Marc Christian at the Meating room in Gollierstraße, who served dinner with gin during my performance, and I hope to get hold of a late gin.

Saturday: Rocky Horror forever

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Today it’s time to sleep in, but before one o’clock a char has to be fished at the weekly market in Ungererstraße – for the Sunday. I actually wanted to go fishing on the Isar myself last year, especially since my brother runs a fishing tackle shop on Riesenfeldstraße and offers courses for the fishing license, but the photo art project “Pensées” and directing the ensemble of laughing and shooting came up. In the afternoon I’ll probably meet up with a buddy to talk shop about FC Bayern’s new storm – the club I’m a supporter of for reasons of parity, after all not all cabaret artists can be lion fans. I can only watch the first half, because then I’m drawn back to the scene of my crime yesterday, the Deutsches Museum. There I look at the program recommended by colleagues in the Posthof Hosea Ratschiller on. After that, I might be driven around the corner to the Lichtspiele Museum, where my great-grandfather worked as a silent film pianist. The “Rocky Horror Picture Show” is always on there on Saturdays at 11 p.m., and it’s about time again…

Sunday: Char with whiskey

I notice that I’ve been to the Deutsches Museum twice this week, but not even to the museum itself. It’s partly newly renovated. As a child I was there all the time, for a year I drove there with my great-grandmother from Oberfoehring almost every Wednesday to see lightning, airplanes, turbines and, above all, to be scared in the artificial mine. And of all things, the future of the mine is now uncertain, this part of the museum will be closed for at least six years for renovation work. After the museum it’s good for the week. You should rest on Sundays. Best with a char, smoked yourself for about 30 minutes, with grating potatoes, which are “mashed” (technical term! ) and then gently fried in olive oil and a pinch of butter. Then a leaf of basil on the Reiberdatschi and a hint of lemon marmalade on the smoked trout. Serve lukewarm with a glass of water and a “small shot” of whisky, for once a Japanese Yamazaki, twelve years old. Then on the couch with Umberto Ecco’s “The Foucault Pendulum”, especially the chapter that takes place in the mine of the Deutsches Museum.

Born in Munich, Sven Kemmler has been touring as a soloist since 2004, currently with the program “Paradise Lost – The Future of Democracy”. He also works as a director, author and dramaturge for stage works and for cabaret and comedy in German and English. He is co-founder of the culture and gastronomy project “Meatingraum”. Since 2020 he has also regularly devoted himself to the bilingual photo art project “Pensées”, which has also been published as an art book.