Nonbinary Door Selector Chris Bauer Makes Berlin Nightlife Safer

Words and Interview by Alexander Cheves

Chris Bauer has worked in Berlin clubs for 22 years. Most of the Hinterhaus team works in nightlife, too, and Chris Bauer was someone we met many times—typically as a door selector.

He was always kind and professional and had great stories, so we needed to hear more of them.

Chris Bauer is nonbinary and prefers no specific pronouns, but for this article, Chris chose to use he/him/his pronouns. When we sat down to talk, he gave us some encouragement.

“This reminds me of when I started going to clubs,” he says, speaking of Hinterhaus. “There were magazines about nightlife then which you could only get, like, every six months. It was cool to have something independent that showcased the scene.” We told him that’s what we aim to do.

How did you start in nightlife?

“I started [working] at the club Polar.TV,” he says. “Nobody knows it now, but back then, it was famous. The first party I worked at was an afterparty for the Love Parade in 2001. I was a runner. We had about 2,600 guests.”  

What do club runners do?

Some folks reading this might not know. “Runners refill ice at the bars and go through the club removing bottles and glasses. It’s one of the most important jobs. Without runners, bars would be empty. No ice, no drinks, no fun.” 

Being a runner is a great way to get started in nightlife, he says, even still.

“It gave me a chance to see how clubs work. When I work as a night manager and see runners do well, I’m happy. I know it’s a tough job.”

After Polar.TV, Chris Bauer worked in a popular record store and, by night, would DJ at clubs and parties. His boss at the record shop was into old-school electro. “Like Westbam, HardyHard, and other artists who were once very famous in Berlin.”

But then music taste in the city shifted. “The scene changed,” he says. “People did not want electro anymore.” His boss “could not accept that.”

“I told him if you want to do a proper business, you have to give people what they want. And people want Ricardo Villalobos, not Westbam.”

The boss put him in charge of buying records. This job led to long-lasting relationships with many artists still working in the scene. (He would not name names, but they’re “big ones.”)

What did you do next?

After the “digital thing” came, “every record store struggled.” The store closed and he considered working as a DJ full-time.

“But I knew many DJs and what their lives were like, playing on Friday in the U.S. and Saturday in the Netherlands, then Sunday at Panorama. They were exhausted. I did not want to live like that.” 

He chose to work as a runner again, this time at a hip-hop club called St. Georg (closed now, sadly). During his ten years there, he advanced to night manager. Today, he says half of his jobs are as door selector and half are as night manager. 

“It’s two very different priorities. I choose a few days before an event if I will do night management or door selection.” 

What exactly do door selectors do?

Some folks might not know this, either. Door selectors decide who gets in and who doesn’t.

Berlin is famous (or infamous) for tough door selectors, with Berghain sometimes refusing over half the queue.

“I believe it’s about welcoming people and creating the vibe inside,” he says. “You should know a party and what the promoters want its vibe to be.”  

He says he sometimes talks to people for a few minutes before deciding if they should get in or not. “But only if necessary,” he says. “If it’s a queer party and they look queer, get in!”

Born and raised in Berlin, Chris Bauer enjoys a rich life of parties and dancing. But one thing he doesn’t like about Berlin lately is “the rude attitude at the door,” which selectors “seem to have often.”

“As a Berliner, I feel this is not how we are, and I try to change that. There’s no need to be rude. People come because they want to enjoy a party. Even if you reject them, be polite about it.” 

Why is door selection necessary?

Some people are not a fit for a party. Creating a good vibe inside means deciding who gets in and who doesn’t.

Chris explained that Berlin has many tourists who don’t understand that a specific party is for a specific crowd, and they can ruin the vibe inside for those the party is meant for.

And, sometimes, rejecting people is hard. “If they aren’t polite or if you feel they don’t match the vibe, it is my job to reject them.”

“Some people freak out,” he says. “Some get aggressive and throw things.” That’s rare, he says, but every door selector deals with it at some point. “There should always be security people to help control the situation.” 

Any advice for other door selectors?

Chris says: be kind. “You are the first experience of the party,” he says. “People ask why I reject them, and sometimes I explain why.” 

He says they will ask things like, “Am I wearing the wrong shoes? Did I do something wrong? What should I do differently next time?” 

“I do not always give a reason, but sometimes I do,” he says. “Everyone deserves a chance.” 

When Chris Bauer started going to clubs, he says he was rejected “fifty per cent of the time.” 

“I know how it feels when you’re queuing for two hours, then the selector says go somewhere else. If people are honest, I am there to help. I ask what they are expecting at the party. If they say they just want to have fun, I say you can have fun anywhere. Go somewhere else.”

But if they want to hear good techno, “I’ll ask if they are looking more for house, hard techno, or groovy techno, something like that,” he says. If what they want matches the party, he lets them in. “I say hey, get in, enjoy the music.”

Can we get more personal?

We asked Chris Bauer about being nonbinary and what that means.

Sometimes he feels more trans and uses she/her pronouns. Other times, he uses he/him pronouns. He says he is “easygoing with this stuff” and “doesn’t get offended.” 

How can nightlife be safer?

Early in his career, Chris Bauer saw something was missing from nightlife—a way to support women, especially when consent violations happen.

“When I do selection and a group of women arrive, I tell them we have an awareness team,” he says. “If there is not an awareness team, I say I am available if they need to talk to someone, if something happens.”

It makes a difference when people go to a party and know they can talk to at least one person. “This is important for everyone—women, men, nonbinary folks, everyone. Men face harassment too.”  

What do night managers do?

We asked about Chris Bauer’s other job—night manager. What does that involve? 

He laughed. “You put out fires! You fix everyone’s problem. If someone can’t work that night, you find a replacement. You are the captain of the ship.”

The night manager opens the club and helps the promoters and technical guys set up. When staff arrive, the night manager usually tells them what to do and where they will be working.

“You are responsible,” he says. “If police arrive because of a noise complaint, you talk to the police.” It’s a huge job—essential to every party.

Any advice for night managers?

“Do not treat your staff like slaves,” he says, especially when they do well. “When I work, most people do well. They give their best.”  

Chris Bauer gets job offers from “really big clubs” but prefers smaller ones.

“I like those intimate moments when there are 200 guests left at eight in the morning.” 

What is working coat check like?

He often works at the coat check for many clubs and parties. He says this job requires patience and the ability to manage other people’s stress.

Chris Bauer has advice for this job, too. “Make small jokes, even if they’re stupid.”

If someone checks a heavy bag, he’ll say something like, “I’ll give it back, but the gold I’m taking.” Or if they check an expensive jacket, he’ll say, “Here’s your ticket, but I’m not sure you will get it back. eBay is waiting.”

“These jokes are dumb,” he says. “But they relax people in what is typically a stressful situation.” 

Something that helps Chris Bauer do his many jobs well: he is sober.

“Sometimes people ask if I am a dry alcoholic,” he said. “No, I just don’t like alcohol. When I was younger, I realised I could save so much money if I did not drink or smoke.”

A true friend, he says, respects one’s choice to be sober and helps them do it.

“If someone at a party asks if I want a pill, a friend will jump in and say no. They’ll say I don’t take drugs.” These moments—connection and mutual care—are why Chris Bauer still loves nightlife in Berlin.

If anything, being sober lets him enjoy it more. In his career, Chris Bauer has seen many friends grow exhausted. Being sober, he can enjoy Mondays and Tuesdays when others are recovering.

“I enjoy life,” he says. “Friends tease me for going to restaurants or the cinema every weekend. Why not? It’s my life. I don’t want to eat, sleep, work, repeat. That’s not what humans are made for.” 

How has Berlin changed?

“When I was old enough to go to parties, the city was empty. Empty buildings,” he said. “After the wall went down, there were free spaces and people had illegal parties.”

And this was good—it made Berlin the city it is now. “Doing a party is better than doing a criminal business. All my first parties were illegal raves.” 

One change Chris Bauer is happy with is all the cultures that are here. “Twenty years ago, 90% of a party was Germans,” he says. “Now, there are Italians, Spanish, Romanians, Africans, Greeks. Berlin is international. I like meeting people from all over the world.” 

With big businesses like Amazon here now, Berlin has changed and will continue to change. “Berlin was a city of culture before, but now I think it wants to be a city of business,” he says. What changes did he hope to see in nightlife in the future? The most important: clubbing must get safer.

“It doesn’t make it a safe space if you just tell people it’s safe. You need care teams.” Harassment still happens a lot and not enough people talk about it. “If you are out with a group of friends and a woman talks about being harassed at a club, suddenly everyone has a similar story.”

Chris Bauer has a recommendation, which he admits might be controversial: club workers should be required to stay sober while on the job.

After all, a club is dangerous. Sometimes thousands of people are in the dark, on drugs or alcohol. “Clubbing might be safe from judgment,” Chris says. “But it’s hard to make it truly safe.” 

Chris Bauer says there should be something like a driver’s licence for club management. In the U.K., a person needs an SIA Badge to be a bouncer. “There should be something like that for club managers here.”

Let’s talk about childhood.

He says his childhood was hard: his stepmom was often violent, and his dad never defended him. “He told me once, after I had moved out, that he was the one who had to live with her every day, and he loved her. This is why he decided against me.”

He found solace with a best friend and her family, and he still calls her his sister.

“From that point, I always had close female friendships. All from that first friend. She and her mother took me in.”

What about love?

Chris Bauer has been in a relationship with his fiancé for four years, and they got engaged last Christmas.

His face lit up when he talked about his fiancé, so we asked more. “She’s perfect,” he says. “She makes me complete. I’m grounded with her. She supports me working in clubs. It’s helpful to have a relationship like this because it impacts my personality. It makes me better.”

He hopes it’s the same for her, too. After two hours with Chris Bauer, we’re sure it is.

Words: Alexander Cheves

Pictures: Mara Menzel