Gayle Tufts on Berlin

"Check out Gayle Tufts' website".

Gayle is a singer-comediane who has managed to grab audiences` attention like no other live performer in Berlin through the recent past. Her shows are a mix of music, comedy and good old fashioned camp shtick as she uses her own trademark "Dinglish", a hybrid Deutsch-English lingo. Tufts has been cracking up audiences in Berlin for the past decade. She's attracted a huge following in Germany, especially among Berlin`s gay community.

She arrived in Berlin in 1990 with visions of "Cabaret" in her head and hopes of launching her own show. "It was the Sally Bowles syndrome, with plenty of fishnet stockings torn on the weekends. Berlin was like being at university again: You went out on Friday night and got home on Tuesday."

"Berliners are very similar to the New Yorkers: They`re nastier than the general public, They complain, rant and rave more than the general public - which I like. Politeness in Berlin is illegal. Like New York, it`s a city of black sheep."

And my favorite quote...

"Berlin is like the Elizabeth Tayler of cities....She´s glamorous and full of talent, and she`s been knocked down and trampled on, but always manages to get back up with dignity."