By: Amy McCain, intro by Chris Stead
Voltaire is a name that is known well in two specific communities. One, the literary community, with regard to the French political satirist and the other, the Goth community with regard to the satirical songwriter from New York. The thing they both have in common is the satire, something that distinctly separates them is the span of centuries. The contemporary Voltaire has had his hands in the Gothic culture for a very long time, as he put it in his book “Paint It Black,” he first tried the Gothic aesthetic in his teen years with the “dark hippie” look. Aside from this he has also made countless animations and written several albums. As far as the Gothic community goes, Voltaire is a household term just like black clothes and crushed velvet.
Aside from his writing, songwriting, animation and even his comics, Voltaire has also become something of a spokesperson for the Gothic lifestyle. Just not too long ago Voltaire was invited to come on ABC television to discuss the Gothic lifestyle. As he put it post-facto they were expecting to make him look foolish and his goal was to turn the tables. For a deeper look at his writing, music and more, let’s hear it in his own words.
Gothic Angst Webzine (GAW): Lets get a little more acquainted with you and what you do. I’m sure
there are many people out there that are romantically familiar with your
work, but for those who aren’t, could you tell us what it is that you are
all about?
Voltaire: In short, I’m a musician, comic book artist, animator and
writer… most of what I do whether it’s a song, a comic book or a short
film tends to revolve around dark topics like zombies or vampires, but
tends to have a funny twist. I like to tell people that I’m the only
INTENTIONALLY funny Goth performer! ; )
GAW: You are an author as well. Tell us about your books and comics.
Voltaire: My first comic book series was called Chi-Chian. It’s a dark
Cinderella story set in the 31st century. After that I made the comic
book series Oh My Goth! and its spin-off, Humans Suck. My latest comic
book series is called DEADY and it’s about an evil teddy bear.
I’ve also written two books, “What is Goth?” and Paint It Black (a guide
to Gothic Homemaking).
GAW: Which character is your favorite? . . . other than Deady of course.
Voltaire: I would say, Chi-Chian. She’s the embodiment of innocence
living in a dark and evil world. She is very much a part of me and she
was my first creation so she’s sort of like my child, if you know what I
mean. She’s very close to my heart.
GAW: My favorite song of yours is Goodnight Demon Slayer. Do you have a
favorite song of your own making, either to perform or listen to?
Voltaire: My favorite song of mine is usually whatever I’m presently
working on. For instance, my latest song is called “The Death Death
Death Death Devil Devil Devil Devil Evil Evil Evil Evil Song”. It’s the
most recent song I’ve written. I’ve been playing it at my live shows.
It’s really fun to perform and people seem to really like it.
I guess that one will be on the NEXT record (after Ooky Spooky).
GAW: What do you have in the works right now?
Voltaire: I have a new CD coming out called Ooky Spooky. It comes out on
July 31st. I’m also about to start working on my 3rd book, but I’m not
sure what it’s going to be about just yet. Then I’m going to finish
recording my first CD with my new wave band The Oddz. Other than that I
have a bunch of toy designs I’m supposed to be finishing up soon, Pocket
Goths Series 2 for instance. There’s too much stuff going on for me to
even keep track of anymore.
GAW: In 2006, you were interview by FOX News on a particular legal case
where you were brought in as an “expert” on goth. A lot of people I
know find it was a huge step in “Goth Awareness”. You said, on national
television, what some of us Goths say on a daily basis to all of those
wide eyed, open mouthed people pointing their fingers. In your opinion, do
you think you reached out to the public and made any kind of impact on
their assumptions of us?
Voltaire: I’m not really sure. I hope so. But what I do know is that
they brought me onto the show to try to make a fool of me. That’s
usually what they do every time they get a Goth on TV. They try to make
them look stupid and evil. So naturally, my goal was to put a different
face on the scene, to reveal that Goths are no different than anyone
else, that we can be intelligent and kind and thoughtful. Personally I
think I made Fox look a bit silly and I’m kind of happy about that! ; )
GAW: Your style has been referred to as gypsy rock, comedic, acoustic, and
all together Punny. On your Myspace page you call yourself the
“Gothic Renaissance man with Gypsy pirate band” How did you develop
your sound throughout your musical career?
Voltaire: I have no idea. I just play whatever is in my head. I’m not
totally sure where it comes from and I sometimes joke that aliens beam
the songs into my head! My new CD is really bouncy. Less gypsy and more
sort of old school swing or big band jazz like Cab Calloway. I don’t
think too much about why I’m writing what I’m writing, I’d rather just
do what comes naturally.
GAW: Who does your Album Cover Art?
Voltaire: I do for the most part. I come up with the idea, get the
props, etc. I don’t shoot the photos though. The cover of Ooky Spooky
was shot by a very talented photographer named Amanda Sutton. But then I
do the photoshop work.. you know, I have to retouch out my wrinkles! heh
heh!
GAW: You are also a teacher of Stop-Motion Animation at the School of
Visual Arts in New York City. Has Stop-Motion been a love of yours for a
long time? Do you find inspiration in Ray Harryhausen’s work? And how did
you land a teaching gig?
Voltaire: Yes, I grew up watching Harryhausen’s films. It inspired me to
become an animator. I bought a super 8 camera when I was 10 and started
making stop-motion films. At 17 I started working in television as an
animator and then later as a director. After years of doing that I was
invited to teach at the School of Visual Arts.
GAW: What exactly was going through your mind when you wrote “Zombie
Prostitute”?
Voltaire: I was looking at the list of songs for Ooky Spooky and it
seemed sort of short. I felt I needed to write another song for the
album. I wanted for this CD to be a collection of songs about stuff
that’s creepy but also funny and when I thought of those two words
together, the idea of a Zombie Prostitute came to mind. The rest is
history.
GAW: And just for fun . . . Its no secret to those who know you and your
work that you are a Star Trek Fan, I happen to be one myself. In fact you
like it so much you made an album dedicated to poking fun at it. Inquiring
minds want to know, are you also a Star Wars fan?
Votaire: Absolutely. Star Wars was definitely my first love. And when
you hear Ooky Spooky you will see what I mean. There’s a song on the CD
called Cantina and let me tell you, if you grew up loving Star Wars,
this song will ruin your childhood. In short, Luke walks into the
Cantina and gets butt raped by every character in there! It’s wrong.
VERY VERY wrong… and yet oh, so right! ; )
GAW: I’d like to thank you for taking the time to interview with us
Voltaire.
Voltaire: My pleasure! If you’d like to hear the songs or if any of your
readers would like to send me a message, you can go to
www.myspace.com/voltairenyc I run the page myself and read every single message.
Also check out Voltaire at:
