Although he retreated from the limelight in the 1980s, he continues to make videos of himself and lives quietly in San Francisco, where he is still frequently recognized on the streets.

Of course, even then, the relationship between sex and the camera was far from new. Since its inception, the camera had been used to document the beauty and wonderment of the naked human form. What was new about Peter’s approach was that it was an independent enterprise. He wasn’t a muse for another artist or a model for a pornographer; nor was he a sex symbol produced by a film studio, like Garbo, Brando, or Monroe. He didn’t wait for an adoring and powerful benefactor to hand him the capitalist machinery of star production. As an out gay man, such tools were only available to his counterparts who had agreed to remain closeted for the purpose of becoming cultural icons. Berlin, on the other hand, valued himself and his sexuality with such militant pride that he took his identity into his own hands and became his own muse. “I wanted to turn myself into the type of man I wished I would see on the streets,” he has said as a way of explaining his style. Anderson, James: "Peter Berlin Sixty-Something German Artist From San Francisco Spent His Entire Life Getting Laid", BUTT Magazine, Summer, 2004 If Narcissus—the famous character from Greek mythology—had been mentored by Peter Berlin, his story might not have ended in tragedy. After falling in love with his own reflection and then realizing that it actually wasn’t another person, Narcissus was so devastated by the prospect of never being able to experience true romantic love that he took his own life. But had he come of age in the early ’70s, when the tools of photographic reproduction were available to the general public, Peter Berlin’s example would have taught him that focusing entirely on your own image can be quite a satisfying substitute for traditional romantic love. Jonny is extremely personable and generous. In fact, after a Flaming Saddles bartender hopped atop the bar to do some elaborate two-stepping, he didn't think twice about handing the guy a five dollar tip. "He really did amazing stuff up there," Jonny told me, "plus before we were anything, he used to work at Mother Burger [an HK restaurant], and I'd go to him to get fed. He'd give me a free burger because I was hungry." Anyone who hands out food to future stars and can also dance up a gay storm on a bar deserves a shot at President, in my opinion. If he also knows who Peter Berlin is, he can definitely be my next husband.Every morning, I wake up and say to myself, "Do something." I'm not doing a thing, actually, for decades. I'm very much using my head and I'm entertained by my own brain. I'm not very happy with my life because I feel I'm wasting my time, but I'm not so unhappy that I do anything about it. Life is actually very simple. We lost that compass of decency, normality, and beauty. We are all running after money and fame. I can't take it seriously. That's why I haven't done anything in years. But I don't feel good about it. That Man: Peter Berlin had its world premiere at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival and was an official selection of over 65 film festivals, including the Seattle, Chicago, Palm Springs, Rio, and Durban International Film Festivals. In January 2006, the documentary opened theatrically to great acclaim. A Special Edition DVD was released by Water Bearer Films. In addition, That Man: Peter Berlin is available for streaming on Vimeo On Demand and Fandor. This whole thing amazes me,” he said. “I stopped living, basically — I don’t do anything anymore. I only use my time to think. I love thinking, and trying to figure out stuff. I try to think ‘why did I do why I did?’ My mind is very entertained. Usually people either bore me, or annoy me, so I’m by myself, right? And it’s sort of a luxury.”

Peter Berlin was the subject of several Robert Mapplethorpe photographs, four drawings by Tom of Finland, and at least one portrait by Andy Warhol, attesting to his worldwide celebrity. Aside from his role in the sexual revolution helping make gay men and gay sexuality more visible to the public at large, Berlin was responsible for the definition of many gay archetypes which persist today, while contributing to the achievement of artistic legitimacy for erotic gay subject matter, in general. He spoke about being an icon to so many in the gay community, saying it surprised him to hear how much of an influence he’s had on men’s lives. After a period of cruising bars, streets and house parties, Berlin comes to the realization that “normal sex”—meaning sex in a bedroom with one partner—barely interests him. Throughout the course of the film he discovers the key elements he needs to get turned on: leather, public spaces, role-play, and exhibitionism. The film concludes with him journaling as his voiceover explains, “By now, normal sex seems so boring to me. I like much more to get into perverse trips . . . but as far as normal sex is concerned, one of the best experiences I have ever had was last week, when these two boys approached me at the gym. They asked me to come with them, because they enjoyed nothing more then having sex on a couch with spotlights aimed at them and an audience watching.” For Berlin’s rapidly advancing taste, “normal” has come to mean engaging with multiple partners for spectators. By the film’s end, he is finished with traditional sexuality. I stopped traveling completely,” he said, adding that he “dreaded” the trip prior to arrival. “I don’t have friends [here] anymore who are alive.”

It’s a real celebration of queer sexuality,” said Thomas Cawson, creative director of Helmut Lang, of Berlin’s influence. “Celebrating a totally queer language of what streetwear looks like. Everything we do at Helmut, there’s always that undercurrent of referencing those iconic, underground moments. Especially when there is that beautiful queer twist to it.”