German singer Jennifer Weist, of Berlin-based band Jennifer Rostock, explains
how she made the once-daunting city feel like home“I remember the feeling when I irst arrived
in Berlin and it was, ‘I don’t want to live here’,”
says Jennifer Weist. “It was so big and so
noisy. It’s dirty, too. My irst impression was
that it was cool to be here for a weekend, but
then I wanted to go back home.”
“It’s totally diferent these days, of course,”
she continues. The intervening years have
done much to change her mind, and the city
now feels like home. “My friends are here and
they’re my family. I love all the opportunities
— if you want to party at 5am, you can; if you
want pizza, it’s right there; if all you want to do
is chill in the park, you can do that, too.”
Sitting on a riverside bench in a quiet, leafy
part of east Berlin, Jennifer explains how she
now inds the capital much less daunting.
She’s created her own “little town”, as she
calls it, within the wider city limits; she gets
on with her neighbours, loves her dog and is
happy to spend the weekends relaxing.If this seems remarkable, it’s because
Jennifer embodies the vision of a devil-may-
care rock star. Her tattoos start at her neck and
cover most of her body. “This is Berlin,” she
says. “Everyone has tattoos and piercings. The
city is very open-minded, so it’s not a big deal.”
Ater a decade together, Jennifer Rostock
is on hiatus, but Weist hasn’t been tempted to
move elsewhere — partly because of the roots
she’s forged here, but also because of Berlin’s
relaxed vibes. “I lived in New York for three
months,” she explains. “And I couldn’t believe
all the rules: you can drink outside, but not
smoke; you can smoke outside, but not drink.
I was like, ‘F*** this — what’s going on here?’”
So Berlin is cool, right? “Well yeah, but you
need to go out and make it that way,” Jennifer
says. “If you just sit around expecting things
to happen here, the city can kill you. But it’s
so creative, with so many amazing people.
And that’s really cool.” jennifer-rostock.de JL“If you want to
party at 5am,
you can; if you
want pizza, it’s
right there; if
all you want
to do is chill
in the park,
you can do
that, too”
CENTRE STAGE
October 2019 93BERLIN