The world seems to have forgotten the queer case of the amnesiac "piano man". And what a queer case it is. And certainly worth remembering...

On 7 April, 2005, Andreas Grassl washed up on shore in Kent, England, where police questioned the 20-year old. Unfortunately memory eluded Grassl, who wore a suit with the labels removed, adding another element to the mystery. At the Medway Maritime Hospital, doctors gave the lost boy a pen and paper. Rather than writing his name, as doctors had hoped, Grassl drew a picture of a piano. The kid may not have known his name, but he sure as hell remembered how to tickle the ivories. He played for hours, thus garnering the Billy Joel inspired moniker, "Piano Man". The media swarmed, following the story with tenacity, trying desperately to solve the mystery, break the story and put an end to the guessing game. It wouldn't be months, however, until we learned the truth: the son of a German farmer, Grassl fled his conservative upbringing and wound up in England.

But why did he leave home? And, more importantly, how did he end up in the English Channel? According to today's The Scotsman, Grassl's a gay.

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If you guys are looking proof that queers are born, not made, dive into that there jump to see Bill Kaulitz of German boy band Tokio Hotel singing "It's Raining Men" on a turn of the century episode of German Star Search.

It's pretty fucking gay.

(Also, is it us or does Kaulitz look like some lesbian from an apocalyptic future?)

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After years of reassurance, two German footballers came out to Germany's Rund Magazine, yet refused to be identified for fear of "professional suicide". One player admitted to having an affair with a childhood friend, building a web of deception to cover his tracks. According to Deutsche Welle:

One player, who is married, said even his wife had no idea he was gay and that he was involved in a long-term relationship with a childhood friend. "But what am I to do? Coming out would mean death," he was quoted as saying in the article.

The other gay player profiled said that a female friend in the know often accompanied him to club celebrations and parties to give the impression that he was straight.

Homophobia in soccer's nothing new and in recent years the sport's seen a shift in perception, joining the struggle to overcome stereotypes on and off the pitch. While the UK has regulations on anti-gay jeering, Germany's yet to adopt such a strident stance.

Tatjana Eggeling from the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology at the University of Göttingen estimates that there are more than two dozen gay players, but says:

As things stand now, I wouldn't advise a single German soccer player to come out because it would be just too much of a risk for him, both for his career and personal life.

The last professional soccer player to come out was Justin Fashanu (pictured), who ended up losing his contract, being accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year old and eventually committed suicide in 1998.

The week after the holidays can be a total bummer. After all the build-up and celebrations, we're thrust back into our puny, meaningless lives. Shitty, no?

Well, to combat the post-holiday blues, let's all get up and have a little dance with Jeans Team.

We have to admit, we dont know that much about the German-based quartet other than that it's comprised of some lads named Franz Schütte, Reimo Herford, Gunter Kreis and Henning Watkinson, they once toured Scandanavia with Peaches and that we're really into this video for their 2002 single, "Keine Melodien".

Sure, it's in German and we haven't the foggiest what they're singing about, but the video's pretty fucking trippy (Andrew Sullivan, you'll love it) and the beat makes us bounce, so it balances out.

For more on Jeans Team, check out their website. Don't worry, it's in English.

For today's installment of The Boundaries Issue, let's hop on over to Berlin, where photographer Karim Konrad has been hard at work snapping sexy shots of the German cities sexy men. After years of hardwork, he's finally published the end result: Berlin Gay Mates.

Some artists depict Berlin as a dank, gray playground for post-war depression. Konrad's pieces, however, rely as much on color-saturation as on an unspoken vibrancy: a refreshing, much needed burst of optimism for an increasingly daunting world. And the sexy, scantily clad (if at all) boys don't hurt, of course.

Though busy with the tiresome job of promoting the collection, Konrad sat down with Queerty to share his thoughts on coming-out, how Berlin's got a bad rap and why Roger Federer's one lucky man.

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We first came across this video, entitled "Inner Limits" back on November 9th. We're certain of the date because we sent a note to the artist, 44-year old German "art2themax" lauding the work and asking for a little background. Continuing the never ending story that is our lives, we never got a reply.

Thus, all we can say about this video is what the art2themax wrote on YouTube: "196 stills used to make my movie. Art at work!"

Art at work, indeed. Enjoy!

Sure, the wide-world of sports doesn't have the best pro-homo history, but European footballers and fans alike are joining forces to become more inclusive of their cock-sucking peers. Pink News UK reports:

LGBT supporters in Germany and Poland are participating in the Football Against Racism in Europe Action Week, which will see a series of events throughout the continent dedicated to promoting equality including anti-homophobia schemes.

A commendable gesture, yes, but we can't help but wonder: since when does faggotry count as a race? Not to seem like we're not down with greater struggles, but it seems a bit...off the mark. (But, in all seriousness, we think any movement against oppression's pretty excellent.)

• 100 Lawyers Can't Be Wrong: Oppose Anti-Gay Law in Virginia. [365 Gay]

• Gay Germans To Protest Pope. 'Nuff said. [Deutche Welle]

• South African Trannies Find Inclusive Bank. Yay! [Afrol News]

• Closeted Rabbi Nabbed by Dateline Convicted. Double yay! [The Advocate]

• Lohan's "missing" bag actually forgotten by assistant. Big shit. [Daily Mail]

• Again, things in Uganda not so good. [BBC]

• We know saunas are hot, but sheesh. [Leeds Today]

• Ex-gay leader ex-thief? Say it isn't so! [Wayne Besen]

• German's love that gay pol. [Gay City News]

• More gay comic news. Thank GLAAD. [GLAAD]

• Because we still can't get enough Whitney and Bobby tragedy. [Perez Hilton]

Out musician Rufus Wainwright is working on an ambitious-sounding new album in Berlin, and he is producing it himself along with Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant. It's going to feature strings, complex orchestration, and "very cheerful and very sad lyrics."

Sounds promising, and we have no doubt the new album will be full of well-written and affecting songs, as Rufus rarely disappoints in that regard.

Rufus recording in Berlin [Red Black Window via Towleroad]

• From the looks of this past weekend's gay pride celebrations in Berlin, the theme song should've been "The Unfortunate Thong Song." [Random Good Stuff]

• British boy band McFly heads to GAY for a stripped down performance. [PITNB]

• Nick Lachey understands us gays like to "play ball" too. He just isn't willing to act as a pinch hitter. [Queer Beacon]

• Camille Paglia critiquing Madonna's concert tour proves an interview worth reading. [Outrate]

• Al Reynold's camp is racing to squash rumors Star Jones' hubby paid a visit to a high-powered divorce attorney. [Media Take Out]

The minibar isn't the only thing that costs extra at the Ostfriesland Hotel in Norden, Germany. They have started charging guests by weight. The exact amount is about 60 cents per 2 pounds, which means that the old Star Jones would be paying about $45 more per night than the new one. Before you feel grateful to the conscientious hotel owners for caring about our general health, remember their reasoning: "Slim guests live longer and can therefore come more often and that is why we reward them."

And we thought it had to do with the bedsprings, in which case how much would a room cost if we put Al Reynolds into the equation with Star? Unfortunately that is a question with an unfathomable (and probably unspeakable) answer.

Fatter bills for hefty hotel guests [Ananova]
Star Jones on Life, Love & Weight Loss [ETonline.com]