Meet The FvF Contributors: Annette Walter - Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF)

Meet The FvF Contributors: Annette Walter

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Born in a town with only a hundred thousand inhabitants in Bavaria, Annette Walter always dreamt about urban life and meeting people from all over the world. Having developed a fascination for Eastern Germany, she studied Journalism and Politics in Leipzig and used her studies as a gateway to various cities  She’s lived in Lausanne, Berlin and London and moved to Munich some years ago.

Ever since she discovered The Beatles’ “Revolver” in her mother’s record collection, Annette developed a passion for pop culture and music. Her portfolio includes work for websites and magazines like Interview, Zeit Online and The Times London, among others. For Freunde von Freunden, Annette has been exploring the creative scene in Munich where she first introduced us to publisher Anke Eberhardt and chatted with innovative furniture designer Nils Holger Moormann. In one of our city guides, she wandered around with graphic designer Paul Putzar and got a glimpse into jewelry designer Saskia Diez‘s studio.

  • How do you describe what you do and what is the best part of your job?

    Being a journalist is definitely the best job in the universe. I visited so many fantastic places last year alone: New York, Washington, Paris, several places in California, Copenhagen, Lech am Arlberg, Salzburg or London just to name a few. I love meeting inspiring artists as I focus on contemporary culture. One of the most recent ones to impress me was painter Georg Baselitz. But one of my all-time favorite interviewees are still the Pet Shop Boys. They were so charming and extremely funny.

  • Where do you go when you want to relax or get inspired in your city?

    Gigs, films and theatre plays. I write about theatre so you can meet me several times a month in the Kammerspiele or the Residenztheater. Munich has a vibrant theatre scene. In the summer, I love to relax at the Isar with my friends and drink Augustiner, the best local beer. I could spend days in the cinema or magazine and book stores such as Soda or Literatur Moths.

  • What do you love about your hometown?

    Munich is my home because part of my family comes from here. It reminds me of my grandparents who I adored very much as they lived nearby and had such a big influence on my life.

  • How has technology influenced you?

    I’m very enthusiastic about technology. I’ve been constantly online since I was 17. In my small hometown it offered access to a whole new world.

  • Your best travel memory?

    I just spent a month with the Rias Berlin journalist fellowship in Washington, California and New York this year. We were a group of eleven journalists and visited the esteemed newsrooms of The Washington Post and The New York Times where we met so many dedicated journalists. It was an amazing experience.

  • Your latest artistic discovery (musical, art or design)?

    In the past I was obsessed with The Strokes so I loved Julian Casablancas’ new solo record Tyranny. David Lynch announcing the comeback of Twin Peaks was thrilling – the most important TV show ever and, trust me, I’ve seen many. I’m totally into retro films, mainly the Nouvelle Vague. My favorite actor is Cary Grant and I love his movies in the 1950s and 1960s so I’m constantly rediscovering him.

  • What current global or local topics are you currently fascinated with?

    The role of women in journalism and pop culture is interesting for me and I show it through my contributing pieces to Missy Magazine. I am fascinated by TV shows and I make sure to read all articles by The New Yorker’s film critic Emily Nussbaum.

    For more serious topics: I read a lot of news coverage on international politics, mainly coverage about the US, their foreign policy or how the American society is dealing with racism in their country or terrorism in general, as recently with ISIS.

  • Three websites – more or less – you visit daily?

  • What was the last great meal you ate and where?

    I’m a huge Mad Men fan and, recently in New York, I was very keen on tracking down all the places where Don Draper had lunch or dinner. I managed to visit one of these iconic restaurants shown in the series: the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal in New York. It still looks like in the 1960s and the oysters are delicious.

  • How do your friends describe you?

    A good laugh where you never know if she is being serious or joking.

  • What’s your favorite portrait or interview on FvF and why?

    I adore the portrait of Kera Till because she lives so close to my own apartment in Munich and her portrait made me rediscover my neighborhood.

  • What’s your most favorite photograph on FvF ?

    I love the close-up’s of Hanna Putz in her Hackney flat very much, especially the one in her bedroom. She is exceptionally beautiful.

  • Who would you like to see featured next on FvF?

    My lovely friends Marie who brought Humans of New York to Berlin and Lisa who is a Berlin based photographer.

     

 

Annette, thank you for chatting with us and for all the interesting stories you’ve produced thus far. Follow Annette on Twitter or check out her portfolio.

Meet more FvF Contributors and explore Munich’s creative scene.

 

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