an interview with jörg vogeltanz
chatty illuminate: vogeltanz
(Bild: K.M.)
we met vogeltanz inside a small restaurant in southwestern styria and asked him about his role within the para-illuministic quarrels of graz. and unveiled amazing stuff.
THE LIE: mister vogeltanz... you are suspected as head of the styrian illuminates...
JÖRG VOGELTANZ: ...i would prefer heart... or gonads... (laughs)
THE LIE: you admit it??
JV: shouldn´t i? we represent transparency. we are no freemasons. or rosicrucians. or CV´s. (laughs)
THE LIE: but - sorry - don´t you expose yourself?
JV: well, if somebody´ll expose me, it´s obviously you... besides: i don´t give a shit. what could happen? this is not the vatican.
THE LIE: why vatican?
JV: read a book, mister editor! (laughs)
THE LIE: back to you: what´s the benefit of your position as leader of StIll?
JV: first of all the realization that we all are standing on one side.
THE LIE: that means..?
JV: i am a draughtsman. if i draw comics, all characters, positive ones as well as negative, locations etc. are outlined with the help of and on the same materials. this brought me to the conclusion, that we all exist on one single sheet of paper, drawn with the same inkpen... ergo there is no difference. everything and everyone is connected. if i erase something, it gives place to new things. better or worse. who knows? but the complete image is shattered... if the picture has been good the empty spot disturbes, if it´s been bullshit, any reduction is advantageous. life´s a comic.
THE LIE: this could be interpreted in a very misanthropic way...
JV: of course. but misanthropes could also fit perfect on a comicpage... forget your hypocritical politic correctness: some persons are -subjectively seen by others!- obsolete for the story. i don´t have to integrate any moron to my real-life-comic. i can erase him. or remove him slowly from the plot, at best by satiric denunciation. see "the X-files", where they made the protagonist fox mulder character more and more schizoid, paranoid and deranged through the episodes to prepare his removing without upsetting the audience.
THE LIE: and that means, applied to your life..?
JV: certain persons who endanger my story, decelerate or jeopardize it, will be derided in public until no one notices their disappearance no more ... you have to satisfy the rest of your characters.
THE LIE: you seem to be a control-addict.
JV: maybe. probably. certainly i am - and it´s hard to believe for some people (laughs)- an extreme harmony-addict.
THE LIE: do you have any political ambitions?
JV: for what? policy is so obsolete, it only makes me stare. what could a politician move but well-trained consumers to fast growing shopping-malls within this pseudo-capitalistic society?
THE LIE: what are you exactly? an anarchist? commie? neo-conservative?
JV: anarchy attracts me the most... but i´m thinking realistic: it will not happen soon. not with these inhabitants who rather accept toilet cams instead of making a strong effort for whatever. i´m following the philosophy of freedom, not security. better 100 serial killers running through town than one government-bugged telephone-line!
THE LIE: is that the origin of this humoristic cynism and well-dressed killers in your "anger"-series?
JV: let me quote the "Invisibles"-creator grant morrison: revolution and anarchie have to become "cool" again. that´s the only way to bring those braindead economy-students back to life and give them power to take over the directing role in their existences. better: also direct plot and dramaturgy. morrison said, the last "cool"-revolution was the baader-meinhof-group "terrorizing" germany. i fully agree. it was horrible. violent. unacceptable. but, alas!... COOL! after that -and i quote morrison again- un-cool knitwear appeared on the scene, brother-tree-hugger and indigo-kids-to-power-sects. and suddenly revolution, nature conservation and system-criticism became bullshit for assholes. revolution has to change its appearance into MTV-clips (which are pure establishment-based, indeed!). pop goes the revolution! anarchy goes sigismondi!
THE LIE: your view of establishment criticism is a little bit extreme...
JV: is it? (laughs) i adore the view of homer simpson: "booooring!!"
THE LIE: the para-illuminates whose head... sorry: gonads you are, want to establish a satiric-based comic instead of our society?
JV: (pause) well defined! would that be hard stuff for you?
THE LIE: i am not sure if i´d like to live in a world of cliché, partitioned in panels...
JV: do you think that you aren´t NOW..? except that the panels are drawed by other people?
THE LIE: okay... but for what do i need YOUR version?
JV: correct ... for what? welcome to the para-illuminates! (laughs)
(interview: field agent king jason)
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