Nur für Mitglieder

86 hours of “The Sopranos” in 11 days – where others go on holiday. Thorsten Nagelschmidt recounts his attempt to escape his annual misfortune with humour, depth and unsparing candour.

For a long time now, author and musician Thorsten Nagelschmidt has been plagued by depression in the run-up to Christmas. He hasn't visited his family at this time of year for over 20 years. Instead, parties and excesses are a tried and tested means of distraction. But this has never stopped the depression, only delayed it at best.

To break the spell, he decides to spend the holidays at an all-inclusive hotel in Gran Canaria. What's more, he will take escapism to the extreme and finally watch the most famous series in television history. The Sopranos, all 7 seasons in one go, 8 hours a day, for 11 days.

In the tradition of Foster Wallace's cruise reportage ‘A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again,’ Nagelschmidt voluntarily puts himself in an extreme situation in order to explore, personally, culturally, and not without humour, what these non-places of the holiday industry and this perhaps strangest time of the year are all about.

‘Nur für Mitglieder’ is Thorsten Nagelschmidt's analysis of loneliness in times of isolation. An inward flight – and not least a great autobiographical exploration of one's own abysses.

»Oh, the pressure we put on ourselves this time of the year … – I call it Stressmas.« (Dr. Melfi, The Sopranos)