Zwitschermaschine

“Punk for me was the cracking open of form. At the Dresden Art School where I studied, the professors were preparing for re-tirement and didn't have a clue about what was going on in our lives. So it wasn't surprising that Ralf Kerbach and me cranked up the amplifier at his studio (that reeked of turpentine) one morning to experience what we demanded from life – a thrill!” Cornelia Schleime

“Our aim was to irritate and to drift off into a world no longer interested in understanding. We didn't want to be there for anyone – apart from ourselves. Each singer wrote their own lyrics – reflecting our lack of expectations in a bizarre and melancholic manner.” Cornelia Schleime

Cornelia Schleime (right), 1982. Mita Schamal

“When I look back on Punk, the images hit me like the blows of an axe – memories of pogo and the soles of my feet cut by glass. When I fell asleep with black feet I never realized the state I was in. I wore a gas mask on my head walking through Prenzlauer Berg – to promote my case to be allowed to leave.” Cornelia Schleime

“Life only existed for the moment – there was no future in the country that I was imprisoned in.“ Cornelia Schleime

Zwitschermaschine – Geh über'n Fluß
Get it here.

Excerpts and photo taken from the book Too Much Future, Punk in der DDR.