Cool Germania
A tabernacle of Germanness — or rather Bavarianness, one of its Holies of Holies, really — has been stormed by a German Turk. Django Asül (born in the small South German town of Hengersberg in 1972 as Ugur Bagisayici) will do the “Starkbieranstich” on the Nockherberg. There are Germans of Turkish ethnicity in the federal legislature, in the media, in business. After all, there are 3 million Turks and German-Turks living in Germany. But this — trust us — this is the revolution.
The Nockherberg is a small mountain in the middle of the state capital, Munich. It is also the site of the Paulaner brewery and beer garden, beloved not only of tourists, but of many loyal locals. This commercial enterprise has inserted itself into a pole position of Bavarian political, social and religious life by celebrating the beginning of Lent in a uniquely Bavarian way: by ceremonially opening an extremely large vat of 7.8% proof beer (”Starkbier” is German for strong beer). Since this version of Germany’s traditional beverage is, for all practical purposes, food, its appropriateness for marking the beginning of the fasting period eludes me — but then I’m Lutheran. Anyway, at this nationally televised event, which unites Bavarian families in front of the TV screen, a comedian dressed as Barnabas, the 18th century master brewer of the Paulaner monastery, wields the hammer against the vat (the “Starkbieranstich”). But before he does so, he dresses down the entirety of the country’s political elite in a finely honed diatribe, with special and loving attention to Edmund Stoiber, the state’s Minister President. And to have a German Turk dressed as a monk, doing the national Lenten beer sacrifice … well, you get my point. (Note for the PC police: Should you see him on TV, consuming traditional “Weißwürste” with his beer - don’t worry, these sausages are made of veal.)
As to Django, he is probably the best of a small but growing group of hyphenated-German comedians who mine their dual identity for humor (think “Little Mosque on the Prairie”). He is small and compact in build, sports a shaved head and favors combat camouflage pants and tight t-shirts that show off his abs. In his stand-up routines, he deploys a sharply dialectical intelligence with the sparest of gestures - at most, one of his eyebrows rises sarcastically to drive home a point. On the stage for 10 years, he’s received a number of prizes. Even his stage name is a one-syllable comment on his status: “Asül” sounds like “Asyl,” the German word for refugee status.
In Bavaria, where tribal-related conspiracy theories abound, it was immediately pointed out that this makes the third non-Upper Bavarian to grasp at the three crowns of the kingdom. First the Franconian Günther Beckstein (slated to succeed the long-serving Stoiber, who was recently told by his party faithful that it was time to pack). Then the Lower Bavarian Erwin Huber, who is heading for the top position at the CSU, the local version of the conservative Christian Democrats that has held power in Germany’s southernmost state in a firm grip for the last half century. And now “Django Asül” (another Lower Bavarian) on the Nockherberg. No doubt it will be the talk of the Munich Security Conference this weekend (forget Putin and Yuchchenko, the two “star visitors”). By the way, Django is the last in his family to keep a Turkish passport, but he has threatened to give it back when Turkey joins the EU. Then again, he may have been joking.Cultural note for non-Bavarians: The Free State of Bavaria consists of Lower Bavaria, Upper Bavaria, and Franconia. At least.