Business: It's Hard to Spend a Billion

Germany's Flick tries resolutely to lower his marks

When Friedrich Karl Flick wants to vent frustrations or have a little fun, he takes over as the drummer of the oom-pah-pah band at his favorite beer cellar, Munich's Franziskaner. After a few brews, he and his buddies—a motley of virile game wardens and ski instructors —get their jollies by smashing glasses against the walls and hurling tablecloths, laden with plates and cutlery, across the room. Last year Flick and friends completely wrecked Ingo's Discotheque in a boys-will-be-boys night of carousing, which ended with a brunch...