Bowie in Berlin

Chez Romy Haag

Chez Romy Haag was a famous cabaret and night­club in Berlin, known for its vibrant LGBTQ+ scene and per­for­mances.

Romy Haag, a Dutch trans­gen­der woman, made her way to Schöneberg after spend­ing time in Paris and New York. Accord­ing to Romy’s auto­bi­og­ra­phy, she crossed paths with David Bowie at a con­cert held at the Deutsch­land­halle on April 10, 1976.

It must have been the same con­cert that Chris­tiane F. attend­ed with her junkie friends.

– Romy Haag, Eine Frau und mehr [A Woman and More], 1999

He belonged there. The first time he went, he was like [jaw drops]. It was so out­ra­geous, it was so Zig­gy Star­dust. I think, in his eyes, it was like look­ing into a mir­ror. The club reflect­ed his music.

– Romy Haag, Exber­lin­er, 2014

The night­club played a piv­otal role in Bowie’s explo­ration of Berlin’s vibrant sub­cul­tures. On his thir­ti­eth birth­day, Jan­u­ary 8, 1977, Bowie select­ed Romy’s club as the place to cel­e­brate.

In one of her mem­oirs, Angela Bowie, for­mer wife of David Bowie, recalls one of her vis­its to Chez Romy Haag dur­ing the time he lived in Berlin.

Walk­ing into that place was like going back decades, to the Berlin of Christo­pher Ish­er­wood, the glo­ry days of avant cabaret before Adolf, the Sovi­ets and the Amer­i­cans turned under­ground Berlin into lit­tle more than an any­thing-goes meat rack. Romy was very wild and very sophis­ti­cat­ed.

– Angela Bowie, Back­stage Pass­es, 1993

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