Comments on: Autobiography of BS©: How I Corrupted Communist Cabarets

By: Jack Baruth

Jack Baruth — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:13:13 +0000

These stories make me want to go back in time and purchase even more Volkswagens. Top drawer.

By: William C Montgomery

William C Montgomery — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:11:00 +0000

As always, great read, Bertel. Thanks.

By: HEATHROI

HEATHROI — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:47:21 +0000

Those girls have a goose step one can appreciate.

By: threeer

threeer — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:37:39 +0000

Herr Schmitt,

tja, unglaublich! Ich geniesse immer, Ihr Schreiben zu lesen!

Keep up the intriguing stories…way to start my week!

vielen Dank (und viel Spass!).

By: Ronman

Ronman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:35:35 +0000

Great Insider Stories BS. When is the book coming out?

By: willman

willman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:45:04 +0000

Another great addition to the Schmitt canon!!!

–You sure one of your old jobs wasn’t Operations Planner for an intelligence organization?

By: Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:13:11 +0000

Schm: Sorry, no openings. The bad old days are over. Ah, the bad old days.

By: Schm

Schm — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:45:17 +0000

I wonder if VW has any job openings. I’ve got people skills. .

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:13:01 +0000

Well that friggin’ beats the town. Terrific story. I wish my father, a scholar on the Soviet Union, were alive to read it.

By: Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:58:43 +0000

What was unclear was what the ladies did during the convention

They did their usual ballet routine on stage, while the cars did a rather unusual ballet routine on stage. Choreographing the cars was more difficult, but – professional driver, closed course – it succeeded.

By: ZoomZoom

ZoomZoom — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:42:49 +0000

It took me several seconds to take my eyes off the pic and start reading the article. And several times through the first paragraph before I could sufficiently understand English again!

What was unclear was what the ladies did during the convention…did they pose with the cars ah-la “booth babes”, or were they tasked with er.. “mingling”?

By: Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:49:40 +0000

Sajeev: Yes, that is, or let’s say was the disco. One of the smaller spaces in that building. This was the main hall, along with the hydraulic seating sections. . I now read that after closing the Palast, they carefully removed all the asbestos. Then they tore it down. Only to find more asbestos.

Now, in its place, they are re-building a castle that had been blown up by the Russians/East Germans after the war.

By: KixStart

KixStart — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:40:44 +0000

Great story!

By: Sajeev Mehta

Sajeev Mehta — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:06:39 +0000

Great story, as always!

If this picture truly is the disco in the Palast der Republik, I gotta say that’s one helluva building. Which shoulda been used for those VW USA commercials with the Beetle talk show host.

By: jackc10

jackc10 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:28:28 +0000

Your stories are better than mine.

I did miss keeping up with some historic events in other places when I was an undergraduate in New Orleans, (preparing some formerly good stories without your clever asides), but missing the opening of the Berlin Wall while in the neighborhood is great.

To make this a car post, I have never been in a Trabant.

By: Scorched Earth

Scorched Earth — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:47:04 +0000

These are great, and you have had a life filled with awesome jobs.

By: Kurt B

Kurt B — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:00:01 +0000

The car rusting while still in the catalog..brilliant line and another great story. Thanks Bertel.

By: carguy

carguy — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:24:15 +0000

Thanks Bertel for yet another awesome story. The reality of business is always so much more colorful than the press releases make them out to be.

By: ihatetrees

ihatetrees — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:10:11 +0000

What a story:) Brings back warm memories – I was in Butzback at the time. Every 9 Nov I want to be back in Germany.

By: fincar1

fincar1 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:36:42 +0000

More fine Sunday morning reading. Thank you, Bertel.

By: GS650G

GS650G — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:14:46 +0000

Yes indeed, smile ladies!

By: DrivnEZ

DrivnEZ — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:43:22 +0000

Another brilliantly composed article.

Sixty nearly naked women … and that’s why I love my VW.

By: menno

menno — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:17:40 +0000

Brilliant story! Wow, I apparently have lived a rather boring life…. Ha.

OK, BlisterInTheSun, you’ve got to share the rest of the story.

Did the horse die? Or just get sick? Or, unknown?

By: shaker

shaker — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:17:03 +0000

Great stuff – “I saw myself surrounded by hundreds, thousands of little Trabant cars, and the occasional Wartburgs. East German cars. All with East German plates.”

A study in instant paranoia! Like the German version of the new “Hangover” movie…

By: pista

pista — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:16:49 +0000

Brilliant. Keep them coming.

I wonder what became of those “dignitary” tapes?